JohnB posted:Peter,
I do not believe Trackmobiles are used to haul a train up and down hills for miles. To my knowledge Trackmobiles either push or pull one or two freight cars from a plant’s yard or siding up to the plant’s unloading site, probably not even a mile trip.
JohnB
JohnB,
Although it is probably not their intended purpose, I can assure you that it is quite possible for a Trackmobile to push/pull strings of 20+ rail cars (empty of course) both up and down small grades, not for miles though. I used to work as a Locomotive Operator/ Brakeman in a Rail Yard. We had a Trackmobile Titan that we used for switching, it didn't seem like it had a lot of power, but I remember pulling many strings of at least 18-20 cars with it. Depending on the weather, you had to lay a lot of sand down on the tracks for it to get going and to get it stopped (we didn't use air brakes) but sure enough it would do it.
Scott