help in buying a loco

[tootsiewebb24]

hello,i have just bought a track cleaning wagon,but none of my locos will pull it,what steam loco should i buy.thank you

[Brew Man]

What make of track cleaner is it?

[Going Spare]

Which track cleaning wagon have you bought?

[tootsiewebb24]

hello,it is a gaugemaster made by pico i believe.

[P-Henny]

Piko not Pico

[Brew Man]

I have a Sharge which is similar to the CMX. The principle is the same as the one you have and they do take a bit of pulling. I took advice, (can't remember who from) and bought a Heljan Class 33, which pulls it as if it wasn't even there. It's out of my modelling era but that's its only job. Bit of a waste really but I'm sure it will come into its own one day.

[M. Matthews]

Could try using multiple locos at the same time?

[mjb1961]

How big is your layout tootsiwebb24..

[81F]

I know it's not a steam loco but the LIMA GWR diesel rail car is steam era and is very strong given the fact the prototype was only meant to pull one coach. Mine can generally pull 5 to 6 coaches with ease.

If you need to fit a DCC chip they are probably one of the simplest to hard wire.

They generally sell for around £40 on eBay including postage so not too expensive, just make sure it still has the couplings as some people used to take them off.

[tootsiewebb24]

thanks for all the advice.i do not have two locos the same so could not run two locos,and my layout is 10ft by 8ft

[The Doc]

You don't have to have two of the same locos - just two that are roughly matched in speed. In real life situations a smaller express loco (e.g. a 4-4-0 or 4-6-0) might couple on in front of another as a "double header".

To answer your original question, the most powerful steam loco I own is my Railroad P2 Cock o' the North. By today's standards a very good value loco, and if it can't pull your track cleaner, there must be something wrong with the track cleaner!