Power Requirements

[BlueLight]

What are the requirements need to add more power to a train? Is it based solely on tonnage or the length of the train?

[1225fan5358]

As farad I know it depends on how heavy, do I think what it would carry would be a big factor, idk , maybe there's someone on here that knows everything about it.

[mapitts]

Really It depends on a lot of things including what you mentioned. How fast the train needs to move over the given territory, grades, and a whole list of other things. There are formulas for figuring all of that out. If a train needs to maintain a certain MPH over a territory, say 60 MPH, you will need a lot of tractive effort at that speed. As a locomotive increases speed it's tractive effort falls off. That is why you see a container train with more HP than you would think it would take to move it. Also you have to figure in acceleration. On a heavy tonnage train, you cannot put too much HP (tractive effort) on the head end. When you crest a grade you will break in two. You can also break into on a grade. That is when you need a DPU or helpers. Remember, it is tractive effort that moves the train and not HP. A 1500 HP MP15 can move 75 cars on flat a flat track at 5 MPH. If you want me to go into to all of that I or someone else can go into all of that but I am trying to keep it short. A real quick formula for figuring tractive effort of a locomotive is one for a DC drive locomotive that I do know off the top of my head. HP X 308 / MPH. That will give you a close tractive effort of a locomotive's tractive effort at any given speed.