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Locos Not Climbing Inclines
David wants someone to help him and asks:
“I have constructed a layout with inclines going over girder bridges — double track. I have used foam to support to the gradients, because I found that the Hornby supports were too steep.
However, I find some locomotives will not not climb the inclines. These tend to be those OO locomotives without traction tyres. I would be interested in what others think?”
Add you comments below.
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
There is a product called Bull Frog Snot (ya, I know) that you can coat the drivers with on your locomotives to provide traction. You can get it at Amazon.com and eBay (I think) as well as on most model railroad supply sites (my fav is modeltrainstuff.com) The cost is a little steep (about $30.00 for a little jar), but you’ll have a lifetime supply. Application is easy by just applying the ‘Snot’ to the drivers as they are rotating with a toothpick or small wire. It takes a little practice but you can easily remove it if the coating isn’t uniform. I had a Pacific type loco (4-6-2) that could just pull 7 or 8 cars up a 3% incline (which is fairly steep). Now, that same loco with BFS on the ‘tires’ can haul 18 – 20 cars (depending on type). Hope this helps.
Geof