Measuring engine power

I'd appreciate your insite on how to measure a locomotive's pulling power as well as how to measure the force required to move a car or string of cars. Thoughts, and ideas welcome.

Thanks,
Joe Daddy

 

I use a Digital fish scale connected to the coupler parallel to the track.
It is quite accurate and displays in fractional ounces.
I bought it at Big 5 Sports.

 

If you get Model Railroader, there was an article in last months issue that told how they do this. Well actually it was in the September issue. I am a subscriber so I am a month ahead.

 

Raymond,
I looked through the issue page by page (august too) and did not see the article to which you are referencing. Would you be so kind as to posting the page number?

Thanks,

Joe

 

Sure, I will have to hunt it down, it was in one of the sections that is reader questions or something.

 

Thanks Raymond, I'll relook too.

Thanks,
Joe

 

I looked in the past three months of MR's. I can not find it but it was in something like the Q&A sections, maybe the Workshop. But the jist of it was they use a electronic gizmo attatched to the loco and a formula to get the average cars that the loco would be able to pull on flat, level track. But I am sorry, that is all the help that I can give ya.

 

Thanks Raymond, I'll keep looking, I do appreciate your efforts.

Best regards,
Joe Daddy

 

They may have used a "Load Cell" instead of a pull scale.

I understand some of those will readout in ounces and the bigger ones can read in pounds. Some read in tons that are used on big cranes to determine the "Lift" weight, to prevent tipping the crane over.

See a small one here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Data-Insruments-JP-25-Load-Cell-Transducer-0-25lbs-New_W0QQitemZ160028325550QQihZ006QQcategoryZ87081QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I went to the local sporting goods place and the only fish scales they had were way too big for what we need here, so back to the web.

Here are a couple of potential scales that could be useful. I leaning towards the first one.

http://wholesale-scales.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=56

http://www.myweigh.com/pocketscales_labpenscales.html

The second one may actually be sensitive enough to test the drag of individual car. In case you have the same problem converting grams to ounces, 100 grams = 4 ounces (1 gram = .04 oz)