Volvoguy87 Wrote:
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> I've read the one car difference too, but does it
> make a practical difference in today's operating
> environment? Someone wrote about that recently,
> (it may have been Earl, and I want to give proper
> credit). They wrote that a K37 's additional
> pulling power would make a difference if the
> locomotive were close to maximum tonnage. In
> other words, yes it could pull the weight, but the
> locomotive would be on its knees clawing up the
> hill at approximately the speed of smell. It just
> might not be practical if there's a schedule to
> keep.
>> I'd still love to see it,
> Dave
Yes, that is the deal. A 490 can take an extra car, but take all day to do it. If you want to stay on schedule, you don't do that. That is place where tractive effort is surpassed by horsepower. Tractive effort starts the train and keeps it moving. Horsepower picks it up to speed.
I have a train register from Chama showing a couple of nights where three 490's dragged 50 empties and a caboose - 750 tons - up Cumbres. It took them nearly 3 hours to get 14 miles. They had to stop at Lobato to cut the lead helper across the trestle, then they spent about 45 minutes at Cresco getting water in all 3 engines - at 200am - with no radios - just oil lanterns. When not otherwise occupied, they were making about 8mph.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2018 01:28PM by Earl.