Grade Pull Calculator
Will your engine pull the train up the hill? Set the grade and how many cars, pick the engine that looks like yours, and get a straight answer — no need to measure pulling force against a kitchen scale.
Your engine — pick the one that looks like yours
Can it pull the train?
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Pulling force scales with weight on the drivers, so the engine picker maps each class to a typical HO drawbar pull — a first-pass estimate, not a spec for a specific model. For car weight see the Car Weight calculator; for the physics, the glossary. Confirm a marginal train by running it.