I'm having some issues with my Atlas F-3 AA on a challenging part of my layout. It's a steep grade on a curve, so no surprise that the trouble occurs there. With long trains the F-3 begins to slip and eventually halts & spins in place. Other engines usually do okay though.
Any ideas on how to improve traction? I tried applying Bullfrog Snot over the existing traction tires, but that made things worse rather than better.
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Three solutions come to mind Professor; 1) reduce the load on the engine; 2) add weight to the F-3 chassis; or 3) add a powered "B" or "A" unit to the consist......
Hi P-Chaos, D&H and Killian just about covered it. I have 5% grades on my layout with O-42 curves and I have to keep my consist down to ten cars or less depending on the engine that I'm running.
This is one of the big reasons so many of our posters hate to see any of us go above a 2% gradient.
But, we of the get up that hill and get her done bunch, who are not stuck in the box of prototype logic find little issue with such scale considerations.
Someone in your railroads front office had to OK those radical grades in order to get to your customers. Well, make their department cough up the cash for a second prime mover, or run shorter trains. 
Three solutions come to mind Professor; 1) reduce the load on the engine; 2) add weight to the F-3 chassis; or 3) add a powered "B" or "A" unit to the consist......
If other engines do okay then my guess is number 2 posted here.
Big problem is most of the time these engines with all the electrics inside don't leave much room for weights. You may have to make a form out of wood to get what you want and melt down some lead sinkers to make a weight that will fit the space you have.
Don't do it in the house though the fumes are bad for you. get a very small soup pan and use your propane torch to heat it with. When it's hard knock the wood off of it and wrap it with electrical tape so it doesn't come in contact with your electrics.
If it's a small weight you can mount it with wide 3M double sided tape but for a large one I'd bolt it to the chassis.
David
What ever you do replace the traction tires. If you've been spinning the wheels the traction tires are shot regardless of how they look.
Al
Clean the track.
Thanks for the suggestions guys... if I could find another powered A or B unit I might spring for it, but they seem pretty scarce (this is a Southern Pacific A-A). Possibly another Atlas EOB unit would work as a helper as well.
I might see if weights help... the engines that make it up with comparable loads tend to be heavier than the Atlas units.
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