Weight reduction - not always good?

[lca13]

Here's another thought.... the railroad industry certainly would know the answer to this question, is a train is the ideal experiment vehicle. I would be very surprised if they said that adding train cars acually helps mileage....

but hey, maybe that is the case and they do optimize their load with the engines becuase there is a sweet spot or window.

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by lca13

Here's another thought.... the railroad industry certainly would know the answer to this question, is a train is the ideal experiment vehicle. I would be very surprised if they said that adding train cars acually helps mileage....

but hey, maybe that is the case and they do optimize their load with the engines becuase there is a sweet spot or window.

Its not the same thing. Adding more railcars adds more than just weight,it also means adding more axles, thus more rolling resistance (and also more aero drag from the additional cars). A diesel-electric locomotive has an entirely different concept of "sweet spot" compared to a direct-geared, gasoline ICE powered car.