Hi. Is there a general rule of thumb for the total power output or tractive effort of the locomotives vs the total weight of the train. I imagine it will depend also on the route and the expected weather, but is there a rule of thumb? Is it just trial and error to the point where, "I know that 2 Class 37s have pulled a train this heavy..."? Thanks.
IRL, yes In game, not always. There is a correlation between overall weight and how fast things accelerate but you can put any engine on any consist and drive it, even if the timings are going to be "off" So you could create a scenario where the milk float is hauling a 12 rake passenger consist from Birmingham to London if you really wanted
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if there's any information on RL rules of thumb anywhere? This would only be for simulation purposes but at least then I could find what the milk float <should> be capable of pulling. Thanks again.
I don't. Others might have some knowledge of these resources. Given almost everything in the UK freight sector is pulled by high horsepower loco these days (except for the odd class 37) I don't know if those rules apply
There is no "Rule of Thumb" because what applies on one route won't apply on another. It is not just the Power of the Locomotive but the length of the train. Example - the Liverpool Docks to Drax Biomass load to a 66 and 22 Bogie wagons if it goes via Northwich but if it goes a different route it need two locomotives to pull the same train If you are trying to find out what might be on a freight running on a section of track - say ECML - have a Google for images of trains on the real route.
Thanks for that 749006. I'd appreciated that the route would affect the choice as well, but thought that some general guidance might be written somewhere.
Just a random Google search: "A railroader's “rule of thumb” prescribed that in order to move 1 ton, 1 horsepower (HP) of locomotive power was required" Generally, trains in the sim may have wildly inappropriate tractive effort values, also you'd want to consider grades, effort curve (NA freight vs. British) and track speed. Not to mention the cars you are using, the Class 66 is struggling to keep 8 loaded intermodal cars (singles, not twins) at 60 mph due to the (most likely incorrect) drag of those cars. The Canadian Mountain Passes consists tend to have 80 cars per 4 locos, loaded for the 1.1% grade and empty for the 2.4% grade, maintaining around 17-20mph on the worst parts. Point is, try it out and adjust. That's what railroaders do as well, if you read about ruling grade you'll come across some concepts, maybe even numbers. Heck, I've just recently read a complaining comment about CN using fewer locos per ton nowadays, leading to trains being less agile and more likely to cause disturbances, troubling passenger services. CSX, NS, UP, BNSF are doing the same, seen some videos with just two 4400ers and an endless string of cars (80-120?). One thing to note, in this sim for some awkward reason the grip of the loco is lower as the consist is heavier, which is nonsense. There is a CMP consist where there is wheel spin in Notch 1. Doubled the locos and managed to climb the mountain in Notch 1... The workaround is to start you loco as a light engine and require to couple up to your consist. You can also save/reload to force this. (I.e. don't save in a free roam when coupled to your consist.) Fun fact, the loco doesn't have grip even when uncoupled, so it's not a twisted understanding of heavy trains being hard to move.
The real railways had a Freight Trains Loading Book which specified what was the maximum number of wagons on any route. No two routes are the same as some sidings are longer than others and some gradients are steeper than others.
