# pulling cars



## bigtrucker2007 (Feb 15, 2010)

I am new here so Hi everyone. I was woundering how to make HO trains pull better. I got about 10 or so engines. I run one at a time. But when I try to pull more than 5 cars. The engine losses traction. is there a way to make them pull better.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Bigtrucker, welcome to the forum! I'm not an HO guy, but there are lots of them here and they'll have some good suggestions. I can offer some general ones, though. First, make sure your track and your wheels are clean. Unplug the transformer and use a mild soapy solution and paper towels or a sponge to get any surface oils off the track. While it's drying, carefully oil the the cars---lightly is the key, here. You're just trying to get a little bit into the bearing areas for the axles. 
Next, use a q-tip and that soap solution for the wheels on your engine, particularly the drive wheels. Look for any gunk buildup on them---gunk reduces the surface area that comes into contact with the rail because it slightly raises the wheel from the rail. 
Finally, try adding a small amount of weight to your locomotive. The idea is to give it a little more traction, but not so much the wheels cannot slip---slipping keeps your motor from burning out.

If all that doesn't help, start eliminating cars and see if one of them is causing the extra drag. You may have one or more with wheels spread too far apart, causing them to bind between the tracks.

best of luck with it, and glad to have you with us.


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## OldAthearn87 (Feb 16, 2010)

Reckers has given some great tips. It would also help if we knew what kind (brand) of trains your using, also when slipping happens are you pulling a grade (uphill)? I would start with the cleaning first and then go from there. The reason I ask about brand is that quite simple some locomotives run better than others. Let us know how its coming

OldAthearn87


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## bigtrucker2007 (Feb 15, 2010)

The trains I have are mainly old tyco, RSO, lionel, Bachman and some others. The track is a flat. I will try cleaning 


thanks


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

BT, does your engine slip when it and the cars are on a straight, or does it run well until it hits a curve?


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## bigtrucker2007 (Feb 15, 2010)

Reckers said:


> BT, does your engine slip when it and the cars are on a straight, or does it run well until it hits a curve?


it slips no matter what


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Gents,

I built an HO layout recently with a curved section in a tunnel that had about a 4% or 5% grade.  I had some slipage problems, even after very carefully cleaning the track, drive wheels, etc.

It may be sacrilege, but I tried buffing the track rails within the tunnel with 600-grit sandpaper (really fine stuff), rubbing across the grain (or direction) of the track. Maybe this increased the coefficient of friction ... I'm not quite sure ... but the trains seem to climb up that incline quite a bit easier.

TJ


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

TJ, I'm not big into politically-correct answers. What works for the owner of the setup is the real correct answer. That said, he shouldn't need extra traction on the straight-and-level. Adam, where are you on cleaning, extra weight and so on, at this point?


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

sounds like cleaning and tuneup needed for both engine and the rolling stock... clean as said above and perhaps its time to go for metal wheel-sets


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Anton's the man for HO....trust his advice.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Check your Throttle control!*

One last snipet of advice is start your engine out slowly and let it build some momentum...that way you won't burn out your motor on the engine if the wheels are slipping that badly.Besides cleaning the wheels(you can use a Qtip and rubbing alcohol that doesn't leave a residue on both the wheels and track) Hope this helps!:thumbsup:


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## Christopher (Jan 4, 2010)

Just a thought could the traction tires need to be replaced?


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## subwayaz (Dec 26, 2009)

I'm with you Christopher I thought a new set of tires or a set period. Also I didn't see any suggestions for Bull Frog Snot. I've never used the stuff but many swear by it.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Bullfrog Snot is a mixed blessing. I agree it would probably solve a lot of traction problems. But, as Tankist pointed out, that slipping saves a motor from burning out with too great a load. For me, the jury is still out on that one, but it's a viable suggestion. My suggestion is to eliminate all other possible causes, first, than increase traction. The suggestion about new traction tires is a good one, since they'd be designed to meet the best point on the friction vs heat curve.


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

bigtrucker2007 said:


> The trains I have are mainly old tyco, RSO, lionel, Bachman and some others. The track is a flat. I will try cleaning
> 
> thanks


tyco and bachmann (unless newer) have only one truck pulling. i'm also guessing the cars you have are from that time as well which means plastic wheelsets. i have bunch of old cars and they do have significantly more rolling resistance. i don't think lubing them would help. the cheapest solution would be indeed replacing the traction tires - if my old locomotives are of any indication i'd say the rubber on your trucks lost bulk of stickiness by this time.

the better solution of course would be getting newer equipment. you will see the difference of all wheel drive, flywheel equipped loco immidiatley . if on budget Athearn blue box can be had quite cheap. and new trucks with metal wheelsets can be purchased for the cars . suddenly your RR will be doing the "clickety-clack" thing.

up to you.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Adam,

Do you have a friend with an HO engine that works well, and would let you borrow it? If you can put that engine on the track and it does the job hauling your cars, you know the problem is your engine. If it can't budge them either, the problem is your track or your cars. Tankist knows a lot about trains, so I'd listen to his advice.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Hey, Adam...I ran across a thread on another site about slipping wheels. One of the fellows there had an interesting answer---thought I'd pass it on to you. Your lack of pulling power may be the result of some of your drive wheels not actually touching the track:

On the 392E's take a close look at whether the front drivers are making contact. On mine (an original), the leading truck springs were bottoming out and the leading truck was taking weight off the front pair of drivers. It's easy enough to check, just set the engine on a flat piece of track and try to slip a piece of paper under the drivers. It turned out that mine has a slightly warped frame - not uncommon on originals. Rather than spend $150 and a whole bunch of work on a partially-restored engine that is probably worth less than $500, I made some modifications to the leading truck. If that is your problem with the 392E, you need to be careful about taking off material - grind too much and the front wheels will hit the piece that holds the truck to the frame in front.


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