Uphill in real life

[CobraLAD]

Hi All

I have an average 2.7% uphill, how many loco's (SD70) would be needed to pull ±16,500 ft (210 double stack wells, 14,500 tons) at a steady pace without losing speed. I have tried a lot of numbers and with 10 x UP SD70M (5 in front, 3 in the middle, 2 at the back) + 5 x UP GE 8500HP Gas, the pace is steady. Which loco would require less numbers to pull such wait.

My question is how many locos in real life will be able to pull this wait on an uphill

[pware]

With or without a tail wind?

[1611mac]

If you want a HP/T of 2.7 you would need 9 SD70ACe's. A lot of capability depends on the skill of the driver. Placement of DPU's depends on many factors. Also, starting on a grade is a lot different than if you have a run at a grade.

With this said.. it's not as simple as HP/Ton vs weight. I also understand that HP relates to speed, not pulling power. Tractive effort is the measure of pulling power.

But, I think if you use HP/Ton of the grade you should be in ballpark. ie: 2.7% grade needs 2.7 HP/Ton.

Search the web for "train HP per ton" and "locomotive HP per ton" for more info.

[Ghost42]

You also have to take note of the braking effort required.

[1611mac]

You also have to take note of the braking effort required.

Excellent point. IRL it can be more difficult controlling a heavy train downhill than getting it up the hill.

[jordon412]

Use SoCalTrains's Train Calculator, which will help you figure out how many diesels you need on the front. Keep in mind that this only contains locos made by JointedRail, so if you're using a model that doesn't have an enginespec made by JointedRail, these figures may be off. I've added multiple locomotives from other content creators to the list to be more accurate in Trainz. Link to SoCalTrains' website: https://socaltrains.weebly.com/?c=mk...cid=91k6_pu61x
EDIT: You need at least 7 SD70M's on the front, with an unknown number of DPU's in the train. These figures include a speed limit of 30 MPH.

[CobraLAD]

I must say the dynamic brakes works good with 10 X SD70's. I manage to keep the train steady down St. Paul Pass, check out the video