Getting wheel slippage on my Bachmann 4-6-0 locomotive

yellow_cad

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If I give it more than a couple of cars to pull with the slight grade I have, I get wheel slippage. What are some possible remedies? I have some Bull Frog Snot. Would this possibly fix my problem and how (which wheels, etc.) should I apply it? Thanks for any help on this. Jim
 

Gavin Sowry

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And the other problem is, if you add weight to the loco, you run the risk of stripping the gears in the drive train. As Greg said, it is pretty weak.
I limit mine to a two car passenger train, on level track, and the car axles well lubricated, and also lube the lighting pick ups if there are any.
 

Rhinochugger

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It should take a bit more than two cars - I have loaded my tender with a bit of weight to aid current collection (I have additional current pickup on the tender, and I can pull three bogie vehicles on a slight grade, one of them being a heavy Accucraft Jackson Sharpe. I haven't modified the loco weight.

However, it also depends on the curves that are being used, and even an 8ft curve will cause it to slow a bit - I have one at the top of a grade which does sometimes give a slight bit of wheel spin, but the loco passes OK :nod::nod:

So, As Greg says, check that your stock rolls freely - lube the axle ends with an appropriate model oil or with dry graphite.
 

Hal Farsed

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I think it also depends upon which variety of 4-6-0 you have bought. The early ones were not up to much but I found the Mk5 able to haul 5 or 6 1:20.3 cars withough much bother*.

*min curve 11.5 foot (Aristocraft 11801s I think) and level track.
 

JimmyB

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My battery powered (11.1 volts) will pull 2 Bachmann JS coaches up a 1:25 (4%) gradient.
 

dunnyrail

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If I give it more than a couple of cars to pull with the slight grade I have, I get wheel slippage. What are some possible remedies? I have some Bull Frog Snot. Would this possibly fix my problem and how (which wheels, etc.) should I apply it? Thanks for any help on this. Jim
My very early 1st edition one with plastic wheels converted to a Tralee and Dingle 2-6-0 will pull 16 axles worth of scratch built Irish stock. That equates to 8 double axles wagons or 4 bogie (4 axle) vehicles. With the tender which mine does not have yours should manage 3 bogie coaches at least over sensible gradients 1:40 max and 4 ft radius curves.
 

yellow_cad

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Thanks for all the responses. All my cars pass the glide easily test. I do have a lot of weight to pull with the 12 volt battery in the tender. Also, I see from the responses that to pull two or three cars is about it.
No one addressed the Bull Frog Snot. Does it have an application in G scale? It would seem to add traction without weight.
 

dunnyrail

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Thanks for all the responses. All my cars pass the glide easily test. I do have a lot of weight to pull with the 12 volt battery in the tender. Also, I see from the responses that to pull two or three cars is about it.
No one addressed the Bull Frog Snot. Does it have an application in G scale? It would seem to add traction without weight.
I think your problem is the additional weight in the tender, mine being originally a battery powered one carries a 7.2 racing car type one in the loco. What sort of 12v battery is it? A mini lead acid type will weigh very heavy.
 

Rhinochugger

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Yes, it is a heavy AGM battery.
You can probably lighten the load there with a different battery pack - even if you stayed at 12v you could use NiMh AAs rated at 2500 mAh and you can get these as LSD (Low Self Discharge).

Frog snot isn't something we're used to in the UK, so that may be why you've not had much response on that :think::think:
 

yellow_cad

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Here are a couple of battery options I found based on what you said. Not sure which sort is best for my application and not sure how to use the AAs.


 

Northsider

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You can probably lighten the load there with a different battery pack - even if you stayed at 12v you could use NiMh AAs rated at 2500 mAh and you can get these as LSD (Low Self Discharge).

Frog snot isn't something we're used to in the UK, so that may be why you've not had much response on that :think::think:
Looks like it is a high-tack, brush-on, traction tyre: Bullfrog SNOT :: The Performance Improvement YOU Can Install

Not to be confused with nuclear snot, which is the gloop used to stick free stuff on the front of magazines, or dinosaur snot: Flowstone
 

Rhinochugger

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OK, the Amazon ones are the type I was thinking of, but over here, we have a couple of suppliers who put tagged cells into packs rather than relying on putting batteries into DIY carriers.

Try searching for a 12v AA battery pack or, failing that, use two 6v AA battery packs wired in series.

Otherwise, yes, use 10 of those batteries and Amazon have a 10 cell carrier to give you 12 volts.
 

Rhinochugger

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It can work, but I would suspect you will radically shorten the life of your drivetrain.

Get some lithium ion batteries and the appropriate charger, you want your loco pulling cars not dead weight.

Greg
 

dunnyrail

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Yes, it is a heavy AGM battery.
Yes they last well but like a car battery if you let it run completely flat it will never be the same again. NiMh pack would be much lighter and there are even lighter options that I will not use, just Google LiPo issues or look at You Tube. I also think that 8-10 pack of NiMh will give enough power for a good run.
 
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Well, to be fair, running a nicad or nickel metal hydride completely flat is usually more damaging than a lead acid battery (agm is a version of lead acid).

When you run a nicad all the way down, it often reverses polarity and then when you charge it, it really goes south! I have not heard that this happens as often for nimih, and I have never heard of this happening in a lead acid.

Back to the question, how many amp hours is the existing battery? It will be printed on the side, liek 7AH or 2AH, etc....

Greg