Why Locomotives Can Pull So Much

Рет қаралды 635,823

Southern Plains Railfan

Жыл бұрын

In today's video, we go over all the things that allow locomotives to pull trains many times their weight.

Пікірлер: 781

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Merch, anyone? okieprint.com/SPR/shop/home

@rdbchase 11 ай бұрын

"Why [sic] Locomotives Can Pull So Much" -- "How"!!!

@Prof.Silky. 11 ай бұрын

@@rdbchasebro u good?

@rdbchase 11 ай бұрын

@@Prof.Silky. It's not enough for me to know the difference -- I want even KZfaq posters to!

@danborgo 10 ай бұрын

E 0:15 0:15 0:15 eer 0:16 ee

@mysticjedi6730 10 ай бұрын

No offense, but look up the term exponentially.

@johnjohnii5849 11 ай бұрын

When I was a kid, my grandpa took me to a siding in town where they parked covered hoppers waiting to be loaded with silica. He uncoupled one and released the handbrake before pushing it probably 25ft, then rolled it back by hand. Seeing that at 5 years old, I thought he was like superman or something.

@ChristianShirk-oo9jh 11 ай бұрын

Cool but probably illegal

@David.. 11 ай бұрын

@@ChristianShirk-oo9jhohh well. Can’t let the man tell you what to do all the time.

@ashevilletrainman6989 11 ай бұрын

@@ChristianShirk-oo9jhit’s a lie cuz you can’t uncouple rail cars if they’re standing still.

@bottlekruiser 11 ай бұрын

@@ashevilletrainman6989 you cant just drop that and not elaborate

@zenjon7892 11 ай бұрын

@@ashevilletrainman6989unless it's the one on the end

@davel4708 11 ай бұрын

I'm led to believe that some subway networks have stations at the crest of a slight incline. This means that the train is effectively using the up hill section before the station to help slow down and the downhill section immediately after the station to speed up. A pretty simple system when you think about it but it must save a lot of energy and brake wear.

@xaenon 11 ай бұрын

Most subways have traction motors under each car, so the tractive effort is distributed.

@nicholaslau3194 11 ай бұрын

some are even rubber-tired, especially useful for steep grades

@weppwebb2885 11 ай бұрын

@@nicholaslau3194 well yeah, by being rubber tired they also loose the advantage of low friction while putting a lot of wear on the road (every train on exactly the same track) and tires. Is a rubber tired train more bumpy than a "normal" one? never been in one, would be interesting.

@davel4708 11 ай бұрын

@@nicholaslau3194 Yeah, I think the Paris Metro is like that. Might be wrong though.

@James_Knott 11 ай бұрын

That's the situation in Toronto.

@asds714 Жыл бұрын

This answered so many questions! Great explanation of the draft gear. I'm from Colorado, and I always wondered how much weight a train gains in a snowstorm - I'm thinking it has to be significant.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’m glad you found the video informational. Ya know, that’s a good question, because snow ain’t light. I imagine in a blizzard the train wound gain at least several hundred pounds of weight.

@asds714 Жыл бұрын

@@Southern_Plains_Railfan I would guess in some of the conditions here would easily add a ton per car. See many cars caked with ice

@MichaelJohnson-dt8tv 11 ай бұрын

Highly informative! I have been aware of progressive clanging of the couplers as a train goes into motion, since I was a kid. The idea of the effect of overcoming static friction one car at a time never occurred to me. It makes sense though, and your explanation made it easier to grasp the theory. Way Cool! Thank you.

@coloradostrong 11 ай бұрын

@@asds714 We generally pull into a siding before hitting Colorado, and put _snowchains_ on the drive wheels. Never notice the snow.

@James_Knott 11 ай бұрын

Back in the 70s, when I was with CN, my office was often in or next to a rail yard. I'd often hear the banging, as a train moved out.

@Greatdome99 11 ай бұрын

Wheel-rail friction is minimal compared to wheel bearing friction. Wheel flange friction on curves can be significant, too. Coupler slack also includes coupler-to-coupler (loose fit) slack, most apparent in model trains. Locomotive traction control systems actually exceed the theoretical friction limit (mu = ~0.3) by pulsing the traction motors as do your car's anti-lock brakes.

@janradtke8318 11 ай бұрын

I have not heard about pulsing, but in Europe electrical locomotives use a controlled slipping to achieve optimal traction (in addition to sanding). The wheels turn slightly faster as required for the speed and the traction control system ensures that the slip is in the right range.

@1albasim 10 ай бұрын

shut up nigga

@philrogers4535 10 ай бұрын

@@janradtke8318 Great comment, mate. Does that wear the tracks and wheels out?

@barryduff5058 10 ай бұрын

@@janradtke8318 i have read that modern AC Diesel electric locos do the same thing. Very cool that😀

@yo_marc 10 ай бұрын

@@janradtke8318that’s really interesting. Reminds me of how I read that when one of the fastest production motorcycles is at its ~200mph top speed, it’s rear wheel is actually turning at about 10mph faster than that due to slippage as the bike is pushing against wind resistance. It’s not directly related to your example, but still neat to think about.

@James_Knott 11 ай бұрын

Years ago, I worked for CN and in the mid 70s often rode on freights. One thing I soon found out is the engineer didn't want to stop the train, if he didn't have to. So, he'd bring it down dead slow, allowing me to hop on or off. If I had equipment to carry, I'd have to space it out alongside the track and hand it up, a piece at a time, to a crew member. BTW, one detail about starting a slack trains, the more cars that are moving, the more momentum that can be used to move more cars.

@James_Knott 10 ай бұрын

@@anon_148 Canadian National Railway. Back then, I was a technician for CN Telecommunications. I worked on systems for both the railway and external customers. In the mid 70s, I was based in Capreol, Ontario (near Sudbury), which is on the main line between Toronto & Montreal and Vancouver. The track between Capreol and Armstrong (North of Thunder Bay) was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, in Northern Ontario. This meant if I had work to do, anywhere along that stretch of track, I had to go by train. While there was passenger service, there were a lot more freights, so I often rode them.

@kenadams2261 10 ай бұрын

@@James_Knott That's really cool!

@mikehunt3420 10 ай бұрын

@@James_Knottsounds like a hell of a job

@James_Knott 10 ай бұрын

@@mikehunt3420 There was also a lot of killing time, waiting for the next train. On the other hand, there were times I was sitting in the club car, having a beer, while making time & a half! 🙂

@manavshah8335 10 ай бұрын

@@James_Knott Damn thats really cool. i love the railways too, and the enggineering behind them. Would be cool if you shared some stories from your career. Cheers!

@wayneparker9331 11 ай бұрын

This was a very clear and concise explanation of how locomotives can move so much weight. Thank you for taking the time to explain the physics and engineering behind locomotives. 👏👏👏

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed!

@kens.3729 Жыл бұрын

Never realized the friction point between the train wheel and the rail is only the size of a dime. Sand and traction motors are huge for locomotives to move. Thanks! 👍

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Yeah, there’s a lot of neat stuff that goes on with trains, and everything feels oversized. You’re welcome!

@lim-dulspaladin50 11 ай бұрын

I was a Hostler for the Rio Grande before the UP merger. We had a GE rep come in and tell us how the new GE AC locomotive could pull just as well with 5 traction motors as it did with 6. I replied that the maximum point of traction is the instant before slip. If you remove 1 motor you remove 1/6th of the contact points. The rest is either not pulling at the max or the extra #6 motor is useless. I then laid 6 dimes down on the table (representing 1 truck) and took away two to demonstrate how his promotional materials didn't jive with reality 😁

@arda_ufukk 11 ай бұрын

Friction doesn't actually depend on the contact area. The reason for the low friction coefficient is material and the structure.

@bensonboys6609 10 ай бұрын

⁠@@arda_ufukkyeah, I think there is a lot of confusion surrounding friction. Friction is completely independent of contact patch f=uN. Also, in the context of wheels, friction/traction does not equal rolling resistance. You can have infinite friction/no slipping between the wheel and the ground, but if the bearings are frictionless than the system is frictionless. Also, especially with with pneumatic tires, friction can arise from the tire deforming as it rolls. If the tire doesn’t spring back with same energy it took to deform the tire, that energy is taken from the vehicle’s momentum and lost to heat, even when no sliding occurred with the ground. This is partly why trains are so efficient, steel doesn’t deform much, but when it does, it returns almost all of the energy back into the rebound.

@doughuffman5790 11 ай бұрын

I’m old. Trained in physics. I never knew before the essential function of the Draft Gear. Thank you very much. Thank’s for the sweet Southeron accent! God Bless y’all.

@doxielain2231 11 ай бұрын

I used to be a freight hopping traveling punk, and spent many an hour listening to cars shuffle around in the yard. I had no idea that slack was a design feature, not a bug. Thanks!

@DEtchells 11 ай бұрын

That’s so interesting about the slack being needed for the loco to start the train - it makes total sense but never occurred to me as a deliberate design choice.

@tahititoutou3802 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for this video. I've learned something. However, I suggest you check the true meaning of the word "exponentially" in a dictionary ; the friction and inertia of a train as you add cars is not exponential, but additive. If it was exponential, event the longest draft gears would be useless past 5 or 10 cars, even with DPUs.

@schoolssection 11 ай бұрын

Yes indeed. Americans tend to be weak with numbers. "decimate" and "order of magnitude" are examples.

@Parents_of_Twins 11 ай бұрын

@@schoolssection Perhaps I'm wrong but I think that people in general have a tendency to utilize some words incorrectly not just Americans. Decimate is 1/10 destroyed and order of magnitude is generally the power of 10, at least as a scientist that's how I have heard it used most frequently.

@ctrlaltdebug 11 ай бұрын

I suppose they are using hyperbole.

@ivok9846 11 ай бұрын

are you sure static friction of 100 cars is exactly equivalent to 100 times one car? somehow i would expect more....much more. and that's probably because adding cars is adding both weight (of cars) and friction(of increased number of wheels). so i wouldn't expect linear progression.

@OneWheelGuy1 11 ай бұрын

@@ivok9846 I came here to make exactly the same point about the misuse of "exponentially". Exponentially would mean that (for example) one car doubles the static friction, the next one doubles it again, and so on, so that 10 cars would have 1,024 times as much friction. And yes, I'm pretty sure that the static friction is simply additive. Each car adds the same amount of weight and the same amount of wheels, and they are independent - the weight of one car doesn't increase the static friction of nearby cars.

@cxmx3295 Жыл бұрын

I was starting to get worried because you haven’t been uploading for two weeks so I’m glad you uploaded and I am glad your ok.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

No need to worry about me, I just lost some footage and had to start from scratch a little late in the week. Thank you for being concerned, though.

@haulem Жыл бұрын

Learned something today. The draft gear explanation makes a lot of sense. Will check out more of your videos.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I’m glad you found the video informative! I hope you find some of my other videos just as informative as well.

@nicholastrainssd75m45 Жыл бұрын

I remember railfanning in a train yard once and I was amazed at how many cars one GP38 could handle on it’s own even the little engines are very strong.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I’ve seen an SD40-2 pull a mile long train all be itself, with no brakes on the cars.

@WTC2014 Жыл бұрын

Here at Conrail we do 100+ buckets with one 6 axle all the time. Shoving into the port

@deviousdieselqc 10 ай бұрын

Little engines can do big things ;)

@synthwav 4 ай бұрын

Imagine the monsters UP 4014 Hauled, 3985 did pull some 200-car intermodal (no assistance) with ease

@MystiC71038 29 күн бұрын

4 axle locomotives are also strong too yk. Conrail and alot of bunch of other railroads made 4 axle locomotives lead mainline trains and even intermodal trains until 6 axle widecabs replaced them.

@MegaMGstudios 3 ай бұрын

When I was little I was completely obsessed with trains. Guess it never truly faded.

@FlatEarthMath 11 ай бұрын

Nice wipe at 3:23 :-) This video is excellent. I'd add a few things: the very low grades that trains travel over, so that changes in gravitational potential energy is minimized. With regards to static friction, it seems you're mixing that concept with momentum. Technically the "static friction" that must be overcome is in the bearings of a train's wheels, since the wheels themselves (should) never slide on the rails. So when starting a train, momentum is the key variable (because the static friction in train bearings is very low). But the draft gear aspect was fascinating! I always assumed there was just slack between the couplers. One last point: the old fashioned steam engines and modern electric motors have one thing in common: efficiency at any RPM. Internal combustion engines do not have such efficiency. Thus a modern miracle was born: the diesel-electric. :-) Keep up the good work!

@wildwizardplanet 10 ай бұрын

Yes he indeed mixed up concepts of inertia and static friction. Static friction between rail and wheels help the wheels to turn instead of sliding. Sliding will then produce kinetic friction. So static friction is good and don't need to be overcome and as said in video it is already quite small due to small contact area. What engines need to overcome is INERTIA.

@FlatEarthMath 10 ай бұрын

@@wildwizardplanet Excellent, and thanks for the details! 🙂 One minor point: static friction is very large, not small due to the psi of the contact surface. A modern diesel electric locomotive has 12 drive wheels, each with a contact surface the size of a dime. The locomotive's 430,000 lb weight is spread over a small area. The huge pressure gives a healthy amount of static friction.

@wildwizardplanet 10 ай бұрын

@@FlatEarthMath yes exactly what I meant to say is small area of contact. Of course static friction has to be sufficient and in these types of trains actually static friction of locomotives is the one that matters because only its wheels have traction motors. So they must have enough static friction to overcome inertia of whole train or they will slip. In fact they add extra weight to locomotives to achieve sufficient static friction.

@FlatEarthMath 10 ай бұрын

@@wildwizardplanet Yes, exactly. I studied engineering in college, and we went through all the "coefficient of static friction" problems the long way. I've often marvelled at the fact that the coefficient of friction of polished steel on polished steel is quite low. But those locomotives are beasts! 🙂

@davidcoombs1874 11 ай бұрын

Thought you’d find this funny. I’m an engineer for BNSF. I’m literally sitting at work right now, stopped with my train. Feet kicked up on the dash waiting for lights to pull. I have a 20,000 ton coal load. I never really knew how these things can pull as much as they do but thanks for clearing that up lol. This particular unit is an AC4400CW and as the name implies, 4400 hp. Still it’s pretty impressive that it can pull all this weight even up hill.

@roadtoad7704 9 ай бұрын

Hello. I'll try to be quick. There's a CSX siding behind my house here in Central Alabama. Many southbound coal trains heading to Mobile. I was able to talk shortly to the stopped engineer one time. He said he had 16,000 T behind him with no helper in the consist! 🤯 With you being with BNSF you may be familiar with the old Memphis Frisco Bridge, in operation for 130 years! And 15,000 T BNSF coal trains STILL use it! Being an OTR trucker, I've passed it many times on the I 55 interstate bridge. I'm always stunned that the bridge can still handle it. (So much for "keeping it short")

@davidcoombs1874 9 ай бұрын

@@roadtoad7704 I actually worked as a conductor at CSX for 10 years before moving to NE for a promotion. I’ve only been an engineer for two years now but it’s definitely been a fun experience so far!!

@trialsted 11 ай бұрын

Low rolling resistance not low friction. The friction coefficient of steel on steel can actually quite high

@mathemitelmar5546 10 ай бұрын

For the static case we first have to overcome static friction, after the initial movement its rolling resistance

@isurukarunaratna440 10 ай бұрын

@@mathemitelmar5546if there isn’t any static friction the wheel would be slipping. So it is not overcoming the static friction but it takes the help of the static friction to accelerate.

@Steezicus 11 ай бұрын

I was an engineer for a long time and we would never use the slack to overcome the weight to get started on steep hills. Basically anything with an incline we would would stop with all the slack stretched out. The reason being all that slack running out as you start to pull will break a knuckle or drawbar. So in theory the draft gear could help with that, but the knuckles and drawbars are not built to handle that. Draft gears are there to smooth out the slack action.

@TheHighborn 11 ай бұрын

so, what do you do in that case? I know some extremely long rains can have 2-3 engine carts running, but how does that work? you flip them on one after the other when the "slack" comes to that part of the train?

@Steezicus 11 ай бұрын

@@TheHighborn so we apply air while all the motors are powered up to stop and that keeps it mostly stretched out (if there are DPU's there will be a little slack). Once we go to start on a hill you will power up everything to about 4-7 throttle depending on the weight and the hill. Once all the locomotives are loaded up we release the airbrakes and maybe hold the independent a little to keep from slipping. This minimizes any slack being allowed to form between the cars, but yes those DPU's that are pushing will create a little slack and you just have to be very careful to not release your air until ALL your motors are fully spooled up.

@TheHighborn 11 ай бұрын

@@Steezicus that was informative. Thanks

@alexander1485 10 ай бұрын

we do it here for crossings, our territory here is mostly flat with a few dips and one "step" hill (step on each side) but we have a shit ton of crossings per territory, almost double per mileage.

@Steezicus 10 ай бұрын

@@alexander1485 yeah we stop bunch up on flats for signal and crossings all the time. But your territory does not have any real grade it sounds like. The first thing you learn as an engineer when you start running trains is to always stopped stretched basically on any hill or grade. This goes for 150 unit coal trains and any length intermodal, etc. If you have to pull hard to start you simply cannot time it to pull out the slack smoothly as the air releases. Every train releases at different speeds and it even varies with temperature.

@BritishBeachcomber 11 ай бұрын

The first freight wagons on British railways were limited to 14 tons because they used a horse to move them about in the freight yard and that's how much a horse can pull

@laura-ann.0726 11 ай бұрын

I had never heard of draft gear in rail car couplers. Learn something new every day! Great video, thanks!

@bigstupidgrin 10 ай бұрын

My dad's a retired engineer from Union Pacific of 40+ years. I'm always glad to see videos for this.

@mugurdobre4624 11 ай бұрын

...one small detail. Friction is independent on contact area. SO no mater if thet area is like a dime, or a football field. The friction would be the same. :)

@johnjkiwi7818 11 ай бұрын

Great informative video. I have never seen a video that explains such a complex science so simply to a layman. Also I love the friendly, folksy southern drawl. 😄

@Mullheimer 11 ай бұрын

Physics teacher from the Netherlands here - loved it, gonne show students.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

That's wonderful to hear!

@unclvinny 11 ай бұрын

This was doggone interesting, and I could listen to your carmelly voice no matter what you were talking about.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@birdsoup777 11 ай бұрын

Best video I have seen in a long time. Draft gear: let me get going from a dead stop before I start pulling you.

@fishbarbeque8540 10 ай бұрын

GREAT VIDEO!!! Absolutely LOVe the chill non contrived style.

@Peasmouldia 11 ай бұрын

Rolling resistance and friction are related, but not the same. Inertia is a factor even in a zero friction situation. Issac Newton was yer man were laws of motion are concerned.. Thanks and blessings brother.

@derryohalloran 10 ай бұрын

Love the combination of your sincere narration and the jazz trio. Feels like I should be preparing some red the next time I learn about trains on this channel!

11 ай бұрын

This is also a great explanation why it is so hard to start uphill. If you are uphill, there is no slack as the carts are trying to roll back. Unless you have fancy breaking system that would prevent them rolling when you start accelerating of course.

@mrvwbug4423 8 ай бұрын

On North American locomotives and older euro locos (ones with lapped brakes) it's normal to start applying power as the brakes are releasing. That way you have torque applied to the wheels as the brakes come off to prevent rollback. Modern Euro locomotives simply don't release the brakes until you apply power.

@monkeyman1282 11 ай бұрын

I was just thinking about this topic yesterday and lo and behold, youtube recommends this video. Fantastic explanation!

@davidintokyo 11 ай бұрын

Nicely done! I figured that there would be enough slack without a specific slack-providing mechanism, but, nope, I figured wrong. Thanks for setting me straight.

@geoffreywilliams9324 2 ай бұрын

Great explanation of something that I had overlooked ie the train is almost like a long spring as it gradually stretches and finally takes full load . .

@AZqyc Жыл бұрын

Very informative, clear, concise! Thanks for sharing. [Greetings from Tucson.]

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed! Greeting from Illinois.

@EchoJulez 6 ай бұрын

Awesome! I found this video while researching that each persons roll is on the train. Conductor, engineer, etc.

@dj196301 11 ай бұрын

This is a top-notch video. Well thought-out and executed.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@semareva3717 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video Mr. That was really cool I walk over a railroad crossing a lot throughout my day and I didn't know anything about slack Thanks.

@MrSteamDragon 11 ай бұрын

I learnt something new today. Thank you !

@sebastienlemay6120 11 ай бұрын

Well made video. Straight to the point. I learned interesting concepts.

@prabhatgodse 11 ай бұрын

Great video. Didn’t know so many insightful details

@paralegalty 23 күн бұрын

Nice explanation for something I have wondered about. Thank You

@JRGio 11 ай бұрын

I have loved trains since I was a kid but I have never found a diagram or video or any type of media that illustrates how they really work in the way you described. Thank you.

@ashwanishahrawat4607 10 ай бұрын

What a great Mechanism to solve it. Thanks for educating me.

@diogeneslantern18 11 ай бұрын

I never cared about trains but this has gotten me interested!

@Adhithya2003 11 ай бұрын

Brilliant video, I never new about draft gear.

@retiredpd 3 ай бұрын

That was an interesting video, thanks for making it 👍👍

@RareShadow_ Жыл бұрын

Amazing video thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’m glad you found the video informational!

@Evaldo_Souza 11 ай бұрын

Love the vid! I'm from Brazil, and always wandered why there aren't many trains here. The terrain full of hills explains why trains don't work so well here

@ancientcoconut 11 ай бұрын

As a Canadian, who speaks in a hard, flat English accent, it’s a pleasure to hear that soft Southern narration.

@PhillipDiPrima 11 ай бұрын

Damm, this was enlightening. Love it!

@umarhali7869 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video. Loved it 👍🏿. Fascinated by engineering and big stuffs...

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You've very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed!

@LTVoyager 11 ай бұрын

Wow, I’ve never heard static friction and exponential used improperly do many times in so little time.

@jojogo22 11 ай бұрын

Great information. Thanks so much.

@kiefershanks4172 7 ай бұрын

Never thought about the draft gear being a major reason trains can move at all. Always thought it was strictly a damper system. Absolutely brilliant...

@edwelndiobel1567 11 ай бұрын

Wow well done. I understand completely now. You are a good instructor.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@seasoda3319 10 ай бұрын

Cool video. I'm glad I came across your channel.

@tannerhawes6890 11 ай бұрын

I think I'm in your intro sequence! The algorithm randomly showed me this video. I was in Salina, KS (where I attended a Kansas State satellite campus) and I think that's me with the white hat on the far right watching Big Boy depart! I've never seen myself in a random video before!

@vedamoorthynagamuni4848 9 ай бұрын

I always wondered, now I know, great video.

@crusherbmx 11 ай бұрын

Well, that was interesting, and explained a lot! I work beside a large railyard, the sound of the draft gears after a car is coupled to a train is pretty cool, but until now I didn't know what they were called and what the exact purpose was.

@BeyondLimits3D 11 ай бұрын

Very well explained. Thank you!

@joshbobst1629 11 ай бұрын

Very concise and accurate. And what a mellifluous voice to explicate it.

@ArmageddonIsHere 10 ай бұрын

Great presentation! And I learned something new: that draft gears in the couplers actually get the wagons to start moving more easily. Smart thinking by whoever invented it!

@user-hf3wv9yo3l 8 ай бұрын

Great info!

@vzgsxr 11 ай бұрын

Great video, super interesting stuff. 👌

@realcdcruze3558 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for this. Never knew about a draft gear until today.

@gnypp45 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the explanation. I learned something.

@MrBen527 11 ай бұрын

Wow! I never knew of the "draft gear". Very cool. Thanks!

@-IE_it_yourself 11 ай бұрын

video idea: i would love to see some videos on the bearings, breaks and clutch systems on trains. and thanks for this one, draft clutches are terrifying.

@ramiusramius5578 11 ай бұрын

Great video! Good information and well presented. Now I can share this with friends instead of trying to explain it myself. Many thanks.

@saab93secv 11 ай бұрын

What a great explanation, thank you!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed!

@dangeary2134 11 ай бұрын

For a bit of reference, I learned this particular figure when I was a kid in sixth grade! Steel wheel on steel rail, it takes 12 lbs of effort to start it rolling. Only 9 lbs is needed to keep it moving. Even though the whelk and surface are more or less solid, the minor distortion of even hardened steel means the wheel is always rolling up the slightest of inclines. MR/Trains magazine own a boxcar that is leased to some railroad or other. As an April Fool’s article, they decided to do an evaluation of it, the same as they would a scale model. By modeling standards, it was way to light. ( go figure!! ) Moving the car took a bit of effort, but not overly so. However, STOPPING it became the larger issue! Even something done in jest can teach volumes!!!

@chriscarter7182 11 ай бұрын

This can be easily demonstrated! "The friction of rest is always greater than the friction of motion"! Get a length of a smooth surface of your choosing. Place an object of your choosing on one end and then slowly raise that end until the object starts to move down. When your object starts moving, you will be able to slightly lower your smooth surface and the object will continue sliding down. Try it, it works.

@JC-yt1pm 11 ай бұрын

That was a great video!

@tommytran5962 11 ай бұрын

always wondered. Thank you!

@Ukepa 10 ай бұрын

often wondered but never bothered to find out how locomotives pull all that weight... good video!!!

@GADGETSCOGNOSCENTE 11 ай бұрын

Outstanding content 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@mehrcat1 11 ай бұрын

Brilliant, thank you!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@robertbriscoe-mf2tx 10 ай бұрын

Cool! I learned a lot. Great video

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@Minorock93 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this valuable knowledge, i've been living near a train station for 30 years and I just understood how it can pull this much weight, I've always thought because it's has a powerful diesel engine with so much torque but it's far more than that, especially the draft gears, simple concept yet it's a game changer

@ellobo1326 11 ай бұрын

Excellent video. Thanks.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@rwallace1625 5 ай бұрын

thanks for the great video

@alpha3836 11 ай бұрын

Very well explained! Cheers!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@jamesquinn5226 11 ай бұрын

What about inertia and the rolling friction of the wheel bearings?

@jamesstuart3346 11 ай бұрын

Outstanding!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@Hdudjfjdiduegsgxbxjcifirhwbagd Жыл бұрын

You answered the exact question that was burning in my mind.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan Жыл бұрын

Wonderful! Glad I could help.

@murat_cayli 10 ай бұрын

Amazing enlightening video

@Bruno-G 8 ай бұрын

The more i learn about trains, the more i love them. Seriously, trains are one of the most important inventions ever.

@griam7641 11 ай бұрын

Well done!

@robertviragh6527 11 ай бұрын

Excellent video about how trains work! Long lines of passenger cars or freight moving across the horizon are wonders to behold and now you know the secret. Note: if the locomotive is accidentally pulling on air due to a “lack of transfer”, i.e. it ain’t hooked up, then there is no way for the rest of the freight to catch up to the runaway train belching its own power and not pulling any weight. Some people incorrectly think there must be some kind of backup power plant in the rear or maybe hidden partway back mixed in with the freight so that if the workers do not actually hook up the freight to the engine at the at the front the rest of the freight will grow legs and run and catch up, pushing the freight up to speed to catch up with the runaway train. Be honest, how many of you thought that freight can just start moving by itself, engine or no engine! Or maybe each freight car has its own low power engine like a distributed network. Nope! It’s all at the front. So if it isn’t hooked up the engine has to stop, go back, get hooked up and then go on. Hopefully that doesn’t happen too late, any conductor that drives an empty train for miles before realizing it had to back up and hook up to the freight has eventually slapped themselves in the forehead and said “Oh. Right. How could I forget”, before missing every scheduled stop. It is a lesson every conductor learns just once.

@bwhog 4 ай бұрын

Wow, never knew about draft gears. I just thought that was the normal play in the connection. Never realized it was intentional! Neat!

@MrFoulksy 10 ай бұрын

Perfectly crafted video sir.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 10 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@tkzsfen 10 ай бұрын

The draft gear is an amazing idea, so simple, yet so efficient!

@BobSmith-mj7ik 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for explaining that. I always wondered how trains got moving from a standstill.

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

You’re welcome, glad I could answer some of your questions!

@juliestevens6931 11 ай бұрын

Thank you. I always wondered how they got started pulling all those loaded cars. I have train tracks running behind my apt. complex. Some are a couple of hundred cars long loaded with coal, tankers and/or containers.

@JohnMatthew1 11 ай бұрын

What a great video, thank you. I don't know of anyone who doesn't love a train going by.

@g3_angold 11 ай бұрын

Explained like I'm 5. Love it!

@Southern_Plains_Railfan 11 ай бұрын

lol, glad you enjoyed!

@GregConquest 11 ай бұрын

I did not think I would learn anything new from this video; I just like trains. But that draft gear effect:? Wow! That makes perfect sense, and I had never thought it was important.