[modeleng] Traction Power

Hi All,
When I was up at the Harrogate show, one of the many trade stands had some very 
nice dial type scales for a £1.

I have always had the idea to put a set of scales as a coupling between a loco 
and the riding car, just to see what pull the loco was exerting so I purchased 
a set. Last of the big spenders, thats me.

Today having a run in the garden with one of my electric locos I gave it a 
whirl.

She could give 47 lbs pull before wheel slip occured.

Now the only reference I have got is from Greenlys book on loco design which 
states that 1lb traction can pull 25lbs load.

If I multiply 47 X 25 I get 1175 pounds. If I then divide by 160 lbs as the 
average persons weight this give a passenger load of seven including the driver.
The snag is that I know that this loco can easily pull 10 passengers plus the 
driver so  what is wrong?
Does anybody have any better info about traction to load ratio.

Has any body else got any traction figures for various locos as a matter of 
interest.

Regards

Clif
MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST.

To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to, 
modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Other related posts: