Graham Farish A1 Tornado

[Mark W]

I was adding some extra details to my new foreign friend here, then thought I'd get a few drops of oil in. I just about made a terrible mistake! 



Not that it would make much of a difference anyway; granted the tender wheel drive is a lot more smooth than I expected, but this can't even pull half of what my 44 Tonner can.   

[peteski]

I was adding some extra details to my new foreign friend here, then thought I'd get a few drops of oil in. I just about made a terrible mistake! 

Not that it would make much of a difference anyway; granted the tender wheel drive is a lot more smooth than I expected, but this can't even pull half of what my 44 Tonner can.   

Is the tender fairly heavy?
Are the loco's wheels fairly free-rolling?
I wonder if maybe the TT-equipped wheels are not making good contact with the rails?

[DKS]

Is the tender fairly heavy?
Are the loco's wheels fairly free-rolling?
I wonder if maybe the TT-equipped wheels are not making good contact with the rails?

Yeah, leaves me wondering too. I had an ancient NA steamer with tender drive, and it was a serious puller.

[Mark W]

I'm still in the admiring phase, so I haven't tinkered too much yet.  But I suspect you're right on the traction tires.  It arrived with just one tire on the rear wheel, but while pulling(slipping) with just 5 Kato smooth sides, it appeared that the front most wheel was pressing rails hardest, so I installed the 2nd included tire wheel-set there.  That showed no improvement, and is where I left off. 

The drivers and pilots are surprisingly free rolling, and the tender does weigh noticeably more than the 44 Tonner just by free handling.  There's even some room yet for Tungsten putty. 

[Chris333]

Tungsten putty isn't very heavy. It's lighter than lead.

[peteski]

Looks like all 4 axles are driven and look the same. Do the included instructions (assuming there are instructions) tell you where to install the TT-equipped wheelsets?  Maybe they are meant to go in the inboard locations?

[Doug G.]

The TT equipped wheels have to be lowest to be most effective. Shimming above the bearing blocks is the usual method to effect this. It doesn't take much. About the thickness of a piece of paper.

BTW, that's a great looking locomotive, even the underside.

Doug

[Greg Elmassian]

From what I have read, tungsten putty is about the same as solid lead.

Solid tungsten is heavier than solid lead even though it's atomic weight is less.

Greg

Tungsten putty isn't very heavy. It's lighter than lead.

[Chris333]

From what I have read, tungsten putty is about the same as solid lead.

Solid tungsten is heavier than solid lead even though it's atomic weight is less.

Greg

Tungsten powder = 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter.
Lead = 9 grams per cubic centimeter.  11.34 grams if it's pure lead.


http://www.tungstenheavypowder.com/Tungsten_Heavy_Powder/Tungsten_Powder_Applications/tungsten_powder_applications.html

[randgust]

with everything on the rails, slightly lift the locomotive end and see if it is lifting up the tender front end.  If the drawbar linkage is tight, it may be lifting the tender up slightly and moving some weight to the locomotive.   Tender drives have to be really 'loose' vertically to work properly.   It looks like a Kato-style through the trailing truck - so the question is whether or not the tender is at all being supported by the drawbar to the rear trailing truck.

[peteski]

with everything on the rails, slightly lift the locomotive end and see if it is lifting up the tender front end.  If the drawbar linkage is tight, it may be lifting the tender up slightly and moving some weight to the locomotive.   Tender drives have to be really 'loose' vertically to work properly.   It looks like a Kato-style through the trailing truck - so the question is whether or not the tender is at all being supported by the drawbar to the rear trailing truck.

While there seems to be logic to this idea, to me, if the front of the tender was being lifted that would put most weight on the rear axle of the tender and on the TTs maximizing the adhesion and pulling power. Or by the same token, if the rear of the tender was lifting then the front axle with TTs woudl support most weight, maximizing the adhesion.

[Cajonpassfan]

This may seem overly simplistic, but one method that works for me when trying to determine the pulling power of a locomotive is to couple a car to it and push it around a little by hand, like a little kid would. The good pullers give me friction; the poor ones slide along too easily. If there is a simple way to disconnect the powered tender, I would try this; it should grab the rails. If it doesn't, more weight and/or more "rubber" on the rails is necessary. And yes, lead or tungsten are your friends; tungsten powder, not so much.
Good luck,
Otto K.

[RBrodzinsky]

The density of metallic tungsten is 19.25 g/cc, nearly twice that of lead.

[Chris333]

The density of metallic tungsten is 19.25 g/cc, nearly twice that of lead.

That is 99% pure solid tungsten, not tungsten powder.

[strummer]

Yikes, that was a close one.   

I got an older Fleischmann 2-10-0 tender-drive off a fellow Forum member; it couldn't propel itself due to worn TTs. It has all 8 wheels equipped with TTs, and once I replaced all 8, then improved the electrical pick-ups on the loco proper, it actually runs pretty well...

Mark in Oregon