Trying to abuse my locos, get wheelspin, break couplers...impossible.

**frliss** · 06-07-2026, 17:27

If you're looking for wheel slip, check the Advanced Adhesion box. Then take a heavy train and run it up a steep hill in the 8th notch. 😲For broken couplers, check the Break Coupler box and go for a ride in an underpowered coal drag.

Fred

**pschlik** · 06-07-2026, 21:27

A lot of this depends on the set up of the locomotives and train cars.

Many content creators have set their locomotives with a tractive effort rating based on the continuous tractive effort or the adhesion rating, both of which are (usually) low enough that wheel slip will never happen when the tractive effort is set to that level, unless the weather is bad, or the adhesion setting is lowered a lot. In reality, many diesel electric locomotives can greatly exceed the adhesion rating at low speed (limited only by the amperage the electrical system can produce) which means wheel slip should be a definite possibility even in fantastic weather.
For example, something like the good ol GP38-2 is rated at 55,400 pounds of continuous tractive effort (that is, with the 62:15 gear ratio, but most people don't worry about the gear ratio) but that's not the maximum that the locomotive can put out, that's just the maximum it can put out without overheating. If we ignore overheating (not simulated...for now) and wheel slip, the GP38-2 can actually put out 81,000 pounds of tractive effort when the motors are given 1500 amps, which is the maximum the electrical system will allow.

Only some creators like yours truly and TrainSimulations bother to simulate this extra tractive effort, but even then, most locomotives have wheel slip protection so you shouldn't be able to cause bad wheel slip anyway (and this is also something TrainSimulations has included in their configurations). Wheel slip just isn't as extreme as one might think it is.

Coupler breaking also depends on set up, as coupler strength is something people have to manually enter in. For a lot of old content, creators tended to just throw in very large numbers on the order of a million pounds, which you'll never break. Even with realistic settings on the order of 400,000 pounds or less, you need a good few locomotives running at maximum effort to risk breaking anything. Nothing else is going to get as much force out as full power at low speed, throwing the controls around won't break things, at least as far as OR is concerned, but the cargo might appreciate good driving nonetheless.
If you want anything to break, you need a lot of locomotives in one place (spreading locomotives out as DPUs reduces coupler forces, which is one of many reasons that's done in real life) and need to somehow get full power out before you get moving too fast (a steep hill the the obvious way to get that done)...and you need a trainset that doesn't have million-pound couplers. The 'Train Info' tab in the F1 menu shows the lowest coupler strength, hopefully that's a reasonable value (however, even if the lowest strength coupler is reasonable, if the front of the train has stronger couplers that won't matter much).

It's not clear what exactly you are running so it's not clear if you will be able to do anything 'interesting' in the first place, there is a lot that has to be set up 'properly'...which you can't count on.

**c44d9w** · 06-08-2026, 09:43

Using the "What goes up" activity of the BNSF Scenic Sub route (Starter Route), it is very easy to get wheel slip and/or break a coupler. The latter is due to some of the intermodal cars having a low coupler strength (250 klbf).

**JSMR** · 06-08-2026, 11:13

Lots of good info. Actually tell a lie, I had broken a coupler or 3 on the iron ore activity for the australia WA route. But thats a long train - 250 cars or something - so I can see that happening.

I did a test with a random default boxcar. It had this as the parameters :

Coupling (
Type ( Automatic )
Spring (
Stiffness ( 8e4N/m 4.5e6N/m )
Damping ( 2e6N/m/s 2e6N/m/s )
Break ( 5.1e7N 5.1e7N )
r0 ( 12cm 12cm )
)
Comment ( CouplingHasRigidConnection ( 1 ) )
Velocity ( 0.2m/s )

I changed it to this :

Coupling (
Type ( Automatic )
Spring (
Stiffness ( 9.8e6N/m 1.96e7N/m )
Damping ( 4.9e6N/m/s 9.8e6N/m/s )
Break ( 1.78e6N 1.78e6N )
r0 ( 4cm 7cm )
)
Comment ( CouplingHasRigidConnection ( 1 ) )
Velocity ( 0.12m/s )

I have now idea what any of that means. But ai told me to do it lol.

I'm guessing with a long train, with some up and down parts, being rough with the controls - from some dynaimc breaking and ai - to off then powering up too quickly might break some couplers?

I guess it never happens and I've never known what those parameters actually even mean. Just trying tio get a little more realism when it comes my 'train handling'. I mostly try and be smooth but its nice to be possibly penalized if I'm not.

**c44d9w** · 06-09-2026, 10:05

The 1.78e6 Newton convert to 400k lbf. You need that much tractive effort to break the coupler (and the equivalent resistence behind the coupler). This TE requires more than three 6-axle units. To get 400k lbf resistance you need 9000 tons trailing on a 2% grade.

Shock forces (caused by slack) can be much higher than resistance.

**JSMR** · 06-09-2026, 15:52

Originally posted by c44d9w

The 1.78e6 Newton convert to 400k lbf. You need that much tractive effort to break the coupler (and the equivalent resistence behind the coupler). This TE requires more than three 6-axle units. To get 400k lbf resistance you need 9000 tons trailing on a 2% grade.

Shock forces (caused by slack) can be much higher than resistance.

Oh ok.
I did a test and changed the break parameter to 750kn with a 4100 ton boxcar x 25 consist. 2 x GP38's and 2 x SD9's. Straight to notch 8 and bam, coupler breaks. At speed, slowing and then notching up, no break but I wouldn't expect that on a 'short' train unless maybe on a grade and not being careful. I could imagine on 50 or 100 cars then I'd have to be a little more careful.
However replacing the SD9's with SD40's and its pretty easy to bust one. Using 1500kn seems to not break one with 50 wagons. But I need to test on some grades and if rough handling will break one.

Not sure what realistic is, but I from reading its more than 1500kn which is 337000lbs or something. I guess its just reserved for really long trains and really rough handling.

**c44d9w** · 06-10-2026, 09:59

For North American freight cars, grade C couplers are the norm. They have a nominal strength of 350k lbf (1.55m N).
Heavier cars will have grade E couplers, good for 500k lbf (2.22m N).

These are nominal ratings. Couplers may brake at lower loads if they have flaws. The drawbar (tying the coupler to the car) may also fail.

**JSMR** · 06-10-2026, 12:46

Originally posted by c44d9w

For North American freight cars, grade C couplers are the norm. They have a nominal strength of 350k lbf (1.55m N).
Heavier cars will have grade E couplers, good for 500k lbf (2.22m N).

These are nominal ratings. Couplers may brake at lower loads if they have flaws. The drawbar (tying the coupler to the car) may also fail.

Ok thank you. SO I think ORTS can use kn? So 1556 kn is I think the same as 350k lbf? I'll do a long train - 100 cars with this setting and see how careful I need to be.

**pschlik** · 06-10-2026, 13:36

Or can accept force numbers in N, kN, and lbf/lb. I would recommend avoiding doing unit conversions yourself and just entering in the units that are closest to the units given in the original data. Every time you do a unit conversion, you can make a mistake, but OR is always going to do the conversion consistently (generally, this also means doing it correctly).

**JSMR** · 06-10-2026, 13:38

Ok thanks will do.

**kennyeaton** · 06-12-2026, 06:08

Originally posted by JSMR

I have adhesion at 90%, and thinking of going lower. I can sit there just going crazy on the controls, and no matter the load go from notch 1 to 8 and back over and over, slam the train brakes, and loco/independant on and off like Homer Simpson, all on off back and forward, and I've never broke a coupler. Never get wheelspin except on a decent grade.

I can't imagine in a real locomotive I could be so rough and treat it like its on 'no damage mode' and nothing happen.

However I've never driven a real one so I cant test it. Any one have a spare SD40 they can lend me?

Now, this is abuse.

FB_IMG_1690576136192.jpg

Kenny

**dougbrow** · 06-12-2026, 13:41

This is the coupling definition in the boxcar's wag file. "Coupling (" the beginning of the definition, "Type ( Automatic )" declares an automatic knuckle coupler. "Spring (" begins the physical parameters of the coupler, "Stiffness ( 8e4N/m 4.5e6N/m )" force required to stretch the coupler, "Damping ( 2e6N/m/s 2e6N/m/s )" resistance to motion in the coupler, "Break ( 5.1e7N 5.1e7N )" force to break the coupler. "r0 ( 12cm 12cm )" defines the coupler slack. ")" closes the Spring declaration. "Comment ( CouplingHasRigidConnection ( 1 ) )" the Rigid Connection statement has been commented out, so the sim will ignore it. No modern freight car has a rigid coupler. This line can be safely deleted, I don't know why it was left in a released asset. "Velocity ( 0.12m/s )" I believe this is the minimum velocity to lock the coupler. First value in a statement is the B end coupler, second is the A coupler, if only one value, then both ends are the same. Only thing missing is the final ")" to close the Coupling definition. Missing or excessive parenthesis can cause problems running the asset in the sim. The second of the two coupler definitions is closer to the real world.