How can you stop wheel slip?

Wheel slip is not a problem that's unique to our model railway layouts, engineers in the real railway world often pull their hair out trying to overcome the problem too. So what lessons can we learn from the engineers to help our little trains get down the tracks?

There are many reasons why train wheels slip, the most common of these are leaves on the line, but wheel slip can also be caused by the train being too heavy for the locomotive's abilities, an incline that is too steep for the train's weight, weather conditions, pollutants on the rails or even the oxidation of the rails.

Real trains overcome the problem with a mixture of solutions including sanding, technology (a train's equivalent of traction control), cleaning the tracks, using a bank engine on steep inclines and working out the power to weight ratio of trains that are to be operated.

Of course, not all of these solutions are good ideas or possible for modellers, however, some are imperative!

It is not possible to emphasise enough the importance of clean rails and clean wheels. Allowing the build-up of dirt and grease on these will almost perfectly replicate the effects of "leaves on the line" and although we love to replicate the real world as much as possible, this is one area that is probably best avoided.

It doesn't matter too much which method you use to keep your rails and wheels clean. Some people use chemicals such as track magic or IPA, some use a simple track rubber or piece of wood, others have lots of fun with an all singing all dancing track cleaning machine dragged around the layout with a locomotive. The important factor is that you clean your track regularly because they get dirty even when not in use, the metal rails react with the air in a process called oxidation. This causes the rails to develop microscopic craters in which dust, dirt and oil can manifest just waiting for the opportunity to spoil your running session so keep them clean!

The other thing you can do is to know your trains and know your layout. Different models vary in the number of wheels that provide traction. The fewer wheels that a model has providing traction, the more likely it is to slip under a heavy load so to avoid wheel slip loads should be realistic for the model rather than the prototype. You should also be aware of whether your engine should have traction tyres fitted, and if so, check if they have fallen off, this is a common problem that causes engines to slip.

One problem that doesn't affect real railways as much as ours is sharp bends. If a model train is that long that it manages to span the complete 180-degree curve of an oval then it will encounter huge forces and friction that will hold the train back and again give your engine an opportunity to slip.

One way to give your engine more traction is to add weights to it. Care should be taken not to overdo it though because this in itself could lead to derailments, especially if you don't get the weights perfectly balanced. This can make your model lean to one side and in the worst cases lift a leading wheel from the track and that's a situation that you definitely do not want when approaching junctions.

So to give your trains the best shot at a slip-free run, keep your track and wheels clean, once you've cleaned them, clean them some more, keep train lengths realistic for the model, not the prototype and don't expect too much from the little trains if your layout has sharp bends or steep inclines.