Re: Tractive Effort Question

> Yes, it does involve the grades and curves. I'm sure that between Chama and Cumbres the ruling grade would be the 4% between Coxo and Windy Point.
That sort of begs a question I've been curious to ask for a while: Are the curves on the west side of Cumbres Pass compensated?
I vaguely recall reading somewhere that the contractor that orginally graded the D&RG grade over the pass did not compensate the curves. If that is correct... did the D&RG re-align the grade at a later time to provide compensation?
For those just tuning in... Compensation is where the actual grade (rise over run) is reduced in curves to compensate for the additional friction that the train encounters going through the curve.