eli5 Why do trains with steel wheels have traction on steel rails, but if your brakes on your car are used up and become steel on steel they dont work anymore?
In: 1231
I built this train for my trash cans last year. https://youtu.be/VhYEOG9LOIk?si=RJZBOPJIiDvu_umO
I learned a few things about trains that way. The traction is very small. The thrust is about 10x smaller than the engines weight. So a 100kg train can only pull with a force of 10kg.
The biggest problem is that the wagons create rolling resistance but they don’t add to the downforce. I kept adding weights to my train but that also made it more difficult to move it itself. Qt the end I switched to a rack and pinion drive.
Latest Answers