Basically the title. Considering that train wheels are made of metals and run on metal tracks, how do they prevent wheelslip or loss of traction especially when starting with heavy loads or when going uphill? I’ve heard of sandboxes which can be used to provide more grip by spraying sand onto the track but I’m not sure if they’re still prevalent.
Thanks!
In: 72
**short answer:** weight
**more details:** wheels are round, so only the very very bottom of the wheel touches the rail. also, [train wheels are angled](https://www.raildamage.com/wp-content/uploads/Wheel-rail-contact.jpg) so only a tiny part of the wheel actually touches. I read that it’s less than a square inch per wheel actually touches the rail. and trains are really heavy
* train car weight: roughly 200,000 to 300,000 pounds
* a car with 8 wheels would mean each wheel has to carry 20,000 to 40,000 pounds of weight
* less than one square inch touching the rail, means you have 10 to 20 tons of weight on the area about the size of a quarter (the coin) pushing that wheel into the rail
a practical example: a hockey puck would slide easily across a wood floor, right? but if your friend stood on the puck with their heel and had their whole body weight on it, it would be nearly impossible for you to move the puck, right? even though it normally slides on the wood floor easily?
same thing with the train wheels. your hockey puck is now metal and the size of a quarter sitting on the rail, and your friend weighs 15 tons. it’ll take a lot of force to make it slip lol. hope that helps
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