Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 Locomotive Performance On Grades Of Various Lengths, Paper No. 1172

In this concise technical treatise the author examines how a locomotive’s ability to haul a train varies with the length and steepness of grades along a route. Drawing on data collected from a range of American railroads, the paper compares historic practices with more recent observations, revealing that the proportion of driver weight actually used in draft changes with both grade and distance. The analysis challenges the old rule of thumb that 20‑25 % of the driver weight is always available, showing the influence of train resistance, momentum, and track condition.

Tables and a plotted curve illustrate the findings, highlighting outliers such as exceptionally light or newly built lines that achieve higher efficiency, and older, heavily loaded routes that fall below the average. The discussion also touches on the steady performance of steam locomotives over forty years, suggesting limited gains until electric traction arrives. Listeners will gain a clear picture of early 20th‑century railway engineering methods and the practical calculations that helped shape more economical railway designs.