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Reply to "Modern Locomotives & Postwar Operating Cars"

Here is my experience with this issue, as it relates to a train becoming caught on an obstruction.

A postwar engine's drive wheels with or without Magne-Traction will often slip, preventing further damage.

The typical modern-era engine can have far greater traction as they generally have traction tires, higher gear ratios, and multiple powered trucks. These engines can exert a greater force on the ensnared component. Furthermore, with speed control, when one of these engines becomes caught and the tach strip detects a slow-down, the engine will try even harder to accelerate and apply more force, causing greater potential for damage. And, with the often tighter curves found on postwar style layouts, stringlining on curves can happen very easily. And, if you're lucky enough to have one of these can motored engines stall without causing damage to your cars, the stall condition itself may cause a surge in current that can potentially overload, overheat, or damage electronic E-units or other command control components.

Running cars with sliding shoes very slowly can sometimes result in more snags. It has been my experience that under some conditions, when operated at faster speeds, a pickup shoe will "bounce" upward to clear an obstruction.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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