The Jailhouse

[ola]

Mechanical Method

That is a good question.

You see, the "load" is transmitted through the wheels of each individual engine.

What we have been talking here all day is where and of what quanity the load is in relation to where it is taken from.

In train engines...a 5000 hp unit transmits 5000 hp of work through its wheels to the track.

If you have a 15,000 hp "load" just hook three engines in tandem.

By the way...the couplings that attach one car or engine to another?

Think of this: Each coupling must be of sufficient strength to hold the combined load of every car in the train, no matter how many engines are connected. If you have 5 engines pulling 300 cars of coal, each coupling on every one of these cars and engines is capable of pulling 5 engines and 300 cars!

ola