I’m slipping on grades and have no experience in tinkering with loco’s but it seems that I’m going to have to either add weight to my 2-8-0 or add traction tires. Which is preferable?
weight
I’d go with weight if there’s a good place to add it. I use #9 lead shot, it’s the cheapest per oz. I’ve found.
Greg
Bird shot, good idea thanks
Weight, …tungsten preferably, since it’s heavier then lead.
I had no idea that Tungsten was heavier than lead. Where can you buy tungsten?
Just don’t plan on cutting it. It’s tough stuff.
Walther goo secures it in place.
Traction tires are usually not an option unless the loco was originally equipped with them, because they have to fit in grooves on the wheels. You can have grooves cut if you have a real yen to pull mucho cars. Or get a BLI Class A.
I don’t want to nitpick … but I shoot a few ducks. If I remember right, tungston is about 1.5X dense as lead, but about 10X the price.
Maybe prices have gone done.
Greg
Is tungston an alloy or an element?
I have a BLI. I added the traction tire. It pulls nicely. I now have DCC and I will take it off because helper service and double heading is nicer in my opinion.
OTOH this could be an opportunity to double head your trains.
Enjoy
Paul
Tungsten is an element, symbol W, atomic number 74. It is classified as a transition metal.
Why W? Because in German the name is Wolfram.
Chuck
Element, often alloyed, for example tungsten-carbide used for saw blade teeth.
Wolfram…cool
tungsten-carbide… I assume carbon
transition metal? between two metals or two different types of elements?
I just read that tungsten’s boiling point is 10,211 degrees F. That’s pretty hot, man.
here’s a direct link to the place that sells tungsten;
It’s a little on the expensive side, but for our uses a little would go a long way. A couple bags of those 5050 disc’s ought to do the trick.
Hence its extensive use in incandescent light bulb filaments. [:D]
I guess nothing lasts forever, but I would not favour relying on traction tires. They degrade much more quickly than anything else on most model trains, and I would not enjoy replacing them. I would modify my usage, or modify my grades.
Just me.
Weight by all means. Traction tires can be far more trouble than they’re worth.