I have a LGB Mogul, but it doesn’t pull very well on our layout. We have about a 3% grade in one part of the layout and we can’t pull more than four car up this grade with Mogul. I have a Dash9 and it pulls just fine, but it is quite a bit heavier than the Mogul. Would it help to add so weight to the Mogul or would we end up burning up the engine? What about traction wheels? The thing that is funny about this situation is that when we first got the Mogul it pulled six or seven cars fine, but now it just doesn’t cut it.
Dean
Welcome to LSC. I’m not an LGB user, so I can’t answer specifically about your engine, but on my railroad the steam engines generally have a tough time on steep grades. You said it used to pull 6-7 cars, but now can only pull 4. Are these the same cars, or have you changed something like adding metal wheels or other weight?
Adding weight to the engine might be helpful, but I can;'t advise on how much is too much. Others on here might know. If the wheels slip, weight might help. If the engine just stalls there is enough weight, but not enough power.
JR
Hi Dean,
I don’t own a Mogul, but maybe you lost or burned out the traction tire. Look for a groove in one of the drive wheels.
Paul
Check the traction tire first, if the rubber traction tire is missing that would explain the loss in pulling power. It will look like a rubber band around one of the drivers. If its missing there will be a visiable groove in its place. If its still there, it sounds more like a power issue. A voltage drop? Maybe its time for a new motor. How old is it and how much use has the engine had?
We just had the engine serviced at LGB and we are using the same cars that we had previously, so I can’t figure out what is going on. My wife swears she pulled more car when the engine was new than is does now. I do know that the wheels on the cars haven’t been cleaned or lubricated for a year. We run our railroad just about every weekend of the summer, for about two or three hours at a time. So I guess it is just about time to take a good look at the wheels on the cars that we are trying to pull. We’ll do that before we make any change to the engine.
Thanks for everyones comments.
Victor Smith said:
Check the traction tire first, if the rubber traction tire is missing that would explain the loss in pulling power. It will look like a rubber band around one of the drivers. If its missing there will be a visiable groove in its place. If its still there, it sounds more like a power issue. A voltage drop? Maybe its time for a new motor. How old is it and how much use has the engine had?
Well if its track powered, that might be it if the wheels havent been cleaned. Dirty wheels can lead to poor power pickup and a resulting drop in power. Clean them and see what happens, otherwise ??