Dave: I found the same results with the metal wheelsets. Metal wheelsets increase loco performance on average by 20%. Results could vary by layout design and track used. Stay cool and run steam......
The best pullers (and smoothest) are Kato SD80/90MAC's. The E8/9's are also great, as they are very heavy. I have not tested one style against the other directly, as they are usually pulling different trains. Harold
A couple more comments: On that kidney bean-shaped layout on the dinette, I test my locos forward and reverse, meaning I am backing a 40 car train with truck-mounted couplers around 360 degrees of 12" radius Kato curves per lap. I'll leave the room for a while and never give it a second thought. The cars are weighted according to NMRA recommended practice, have the standard "pizza wheels", and they don't stingline pulling forward or buckle while backing. It is the weight that is by far the primary factor, but the Unitrack and MT trucks and couplers do help. The 15 degrees of 19" radius "easment" curve between tangent and 12" radius is also an important factor to consider, IMO. Straight-line pulls are meaningless for me, as there is so little tangent track on the NTrak layout. The MT "pizza wheels" win on rolling resistance on curved track because the slight bevel to the wheel tread gives the solid axle wheelset "differential action" instead of one wheel having to slide or the other one slip, and the bevel ensures that the flanges rarely come in contact with the rail. Some other wheelsets have the inside flange dragging on the inside rail the whole way 'round a curve. With the long trains I run on the NTrak layout, it is typical that at least half the train is some curve, somewhere. Again, after trying many different solutions, this is the one that works almost perfect for me, in the environment where I run my trains. Since your trains and environment are probably different, you will probably have a different experience, and I respect that. If we are all having fun, then it really doesn't matter that much if we used different products or methods to achieve hobby joy, does it? A reminder of what I do for fun, about 20 Sundays a year:
My all-time pullingest locomotive was an Arnold Rapido pacific (4-6-2) I bought for $12 at a closeout sale back in 1970 or thereabouts. I had an unscenicked 4x8 layout with a big loop and 18" radius curves. Filled the loop with cars so the caboose ended just in front of the loco. The 4-6-2 pulled em all, fast, slow, whatever. Die-cast metal body. I think it was a generic North American pacific body on top of a European-prototype mechanism but I don't know that for a fact. Puller! Wonder if I could ever get it to run again?
I was wondering when someone was going to mention Arnold. There is another production model that Arnold made that tops even their pacific which probable is the best puller for an American "prototype" engine. They made an articulated 0-8-8-0t that will out pull anything I've ever seen. Steve F
The ones with which I have experience: Best pulling steam: B-personn SPECTRUM 2-8-0 or RR 2-8-8-0 Best pulling diseasel: LL plastic frame FA-2, FP-whatever or BL-2 (all have the same basic construction). I have no experience with the Athearn challenger and doubt that I will ever buy one.
It's nice that old threads get recycled! My best pulling diseasels are the IM FT's. they are about as heavy as anything out there and nicely detailed to boot. They offer one of the best deals out there in the N Scale community as far as performance and appearance for the money ( less than $150.00 for an A/B set). The Atlas Trainmaster gets honourable mention due to its ability to drag 30 cars around by it's self. As to steam, for plastic shells, it has to be the Athearn Challenger. For die cast shell it would be the Bachmann class J. For brass, the Benchmark Yellowstone. All are capable of pulling 50 MTL box cars out of the box without slipping. Each example has it's own problem. The Challenger has poor slow speed preformance due to the decoder, the J cogs at slow speed and the Yellowstone needs curves greater than 15' radius, where it is flawless. Prices range from $100.00 to $1000.00.
Recycling this thread again, I pulled my AC classes out last night and did a pull test, the brass AC-12 pulled 57 cars without slipping (and it doesn't have traction tires), I filled the loop on my door layout so I couldn't add any more cars. I think I can add about 10-15 more cars before its adhesive limits are reached. If the AC-12 had TT's it could go upto 100 cars easily. My AC-4 pulled 52 but it has traction tires and weighs considerably less. I have loads of room in the boiler to add weight to the AC-4 so I think its potential hasn't been reached. As far as plastic, my bmann light mountains take the prize once their traction tires have been shimmed.
Ah....this is an easy one. Several years ago one of the German train companies made an engine that was for inclines. It has a geared cog on the bottom of the chasis which mates to a set of gear teeth that run down the center of the ties. The tongue rating is 1 1/2 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW, the engine is very small...it's about the size of my thumb, but pulls BIG TIME!!!!!!! I'm licky enough to own one of these babies.
I have to say the SD90s. My SD90s will not stop running unless you put a brick wall in front of them. Atlas Trainmasters and Intermountain's FT ABBA sets.
That's actually probably true. Florida is extremely humid; therefore, there is little dust and little static electricity. The Southwest is extremely dry; therefore, there is a tremendous amount of dust and static electricity. Dust here consists of not just mineral particles, but also bugs, organic material including bug poo, animal poo, vegetable matter with its various goopy and sticky chemicals, decomposed material, pollen, and pollution from local urban areas, freeways, China, and LA. Not to gross anybody out. Any kind of electrostatic surface--a television or a track and metal wheels--collects this dust like a super-magnet. I have never, ever seen anything like the dust that accumulates inside homes here. So I like plastic wheels a lot, too. :tb-smile:
If you count kitbashes........ some guy in the 1980s had a ConCor/Kato U50 (I think) that he had a custom frame made for it. I think he was in the military and he used depleted uranium. That one locomotive was said to be able to pull something like 100 cars on level track. I remember it being discussed in the old N-Trak newsletters.
Life Like Erie Builts I do agree with Pete. I ran a UP employee special with an AA Erie Built set on the front end. I watched in amazement as my units pulled a 20 car passenger train up a 2% grade with no trouble at all. I'm sure on the flat they would do even better and it might sound impressive. In my not so humble opinion, the real test of any locomotive is: What will it pull up a 2% grade? Thanks to Pete, I now have a B unit added to the mix. Who knows, with those three on the point, it might pull a train around the layout while chasing it's tail
Well, if one is good, two should be better. Dose this count as "made"? LL FA1 and FB1. My "Beast". Hope to have time to get her going this winter.
When you're talking custom builts, this monster, built from 2 Mehano FA-2, would pull anything up any grade. It was packed with lead. It's just about 85 feet long. It's one of those great candidates for filing the flanges down myself, and wiring a decoder into the plastic frame.
