Just passed by a train with a hundred or so cargo crates. how do they start? I understand how they continue moving, but how do they overcome the inertia of starting it? It has to be like thousands of tons, and I can’t imagine a bunch of coal being able to start moving that. unless of course it can, in which ELI5
In: Engineering
Yes, they’re very heavy. So you have a LOT of inertia to overcome.
But, steel wheels on steel track is very low friction and low rolling resistance.
But if you have low friction, how do you get traction? Traction is a function of both weight and coefficient of friction. So train engines are just super damn heavy. And for the coefficient of friction, sand is often spraying onto the track right under the wheels.
Put all of that together, and do it with 2-3 engines working in concert, and you’re, well, rolling.
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