C-WW What is the maximum weight you can add to a locomotive? I'll be adding weight to my Genesis 2-8-2 and I've heard (and believe it) that there's not enough roon to add too much weight. How about the diesels out there? I just added about 9 ounces to an Athearn AC4400-9W. It actually weighed less than my much smaller P2K SD-7 and was out-pulled by it until I added the weight. I could have added a lot more weight to it. Is there an upper limit? I'm guessing that my AC4400 now weighs close to 2 pounds. The only problem I've seen is that now if some cars come loose on the tracks this monster just plows through them without slowing down. Kind of like a locomotive plowing through a herd of sheep, know what I mean? Mark [ March 28, 2006, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: watash ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark_Athay: The only problem I've seen is that now if some cars come loose on the tracks this monster just plows through them without slowing down. Kind of like a locomotive plowing through a herd of sheep, know what I mean?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> So....what's the problem? ------------------ Jeff Norfolk Southern CNO&TP Home Page
Mark, have you thought about making your HO engines Scale? That is, to the 1 is to eighty seven, Scale? I thought I would try to get my engines to weight at Scale, what they do in real life. So if the "Largest engine in the World" in 1905 was a 2-8-0 and weighed 230,000 pounds, and I made a 1:87 SCALE model of it, then my model would have to weigh 2,643.6 POUNDS !! No I don't think it is practical, so no there is not a limit to how heavy your engine can be, but, the heavier, the better. I better temper that, with assuming your wheels and frame are not plastic. The scale one would sink into your layout over night! HA! Just so I don't start another uproar, the engine is listed as such and fully discribed starting on page 470 in "The Locomotive Up to Date", by Charles McShane author of "One Thousand Pointers For Machinists and Engineers" printed in 1905, of which I am looking at a copy that sold for $2.50 back then. ------------------ Watash #982 "See you in the Pit"
Yes, you would have to have steel rails, hard wood ties, and Sticky Monk's benchwork. Don't even think about dropping the engine on your foot. How about a Big Boy that weighs over 1,230,000 pounds? Say, about seven tons? No rubber tires on that one! ------------------ Watash #982 "See you in the Pit"
To calculate a scale weight you have to remember that it isn't a straight 1:87 (HO)ratio, it is a cubic reduction. The length, height, and width are all reduced. I am not sure of my calculations but I think the Big Boy would work out to about 1.845 lbs and the Consolidated would be about .345 lbs.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ncng: it isn't a straight 1:87 (HO)ratio, it is a cubic reduction. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I don't know what the "correct" calculations would be, but I do know that "weight is great" holds pretty well. I've since talked to some modelers that figure on 2 pounds for a locomotive as being a good weight, or more if the wheels can still spin when the engine is held back. The only negative I've heard is that the frogs on the switches will take a beating. But isn't that what they're for? To get worn out from too much use? I always say, "He who wears out the most toys, wins!" Mark
ncng, Question; is the 1:87 only a linear measurement, for example 1 foot of real world is 87 feet in HO?
The conversion of mass(in metric): One cubic centimeter of pure water is equal to One gram. Now we could do two things: scale down densitys, or scale down the size. If we scale down densitys, we run into a small problem: We would have to scale ATOMS down to the size of 1:87.1, and while we are doing this, we would have to some how make protons, electrons, and neutrons each 1:87.1 units smaller, which I am sure the scientific community would love to see us try!!! And after all of that, we would have to figure out how to shrink the charges, and then build enough scale material to create our trains. I am sure the government would conveenand make sure that this becomes a top secret development, or our trains would cost astronomical prices that Gates couldn't afford!!! ! We could therefore use the materials we have and scale down the weight, as we do to the lengths, only using the right conversion, and end up with some thing like the small values earlier proposed. But I still say, if it can run down the track, pull the right amount of cars, and it looks good, then who cares about the weights!!! Sounds just like the rivet counter!!!
