oh and another match,there both similar: pulling long drags,on tight branches and BIG.and H-6 verses a Class A...who will win,only you can decide!
Class A 2-6-6-4; weight,573,000 pounds; Tractive effort, 114,000 pounds; Driver dia. 70", stroke, 30".
H-6 2-6-6-2 weight,449,000 pounds; Tractive effort, 77,900 pounds; Driver dia. 56", stroke, 32".
The greater weight, and tractive effort (even though "slippery"), of the Class A, would appear to give the "A" the advantage over the H-6
Allegheny,H-8 2-6-6-6 weight, 753,000 pounds (Virginian version) 778.000 pounds (# 1600-1644), 751,000 pounds (#1645-1659); Tractive effort (with 67" drivers) 110,200 pounds; stroke 33". Here, the reported sipperyness of the "A" would most likely make the H-8 the winner.
the alleghany would destroy the class A If the couplers didnt break
Think about this for a minute.....couplers break? Yes, it could happen, one chance in infinity, is "possible", but even with sand, a locomotive generally will slip before the coupler breaks. That's what double heading is for...to haul a train too heavy for one loco to pull. If drawbar pull becomes an issue, helper service runs mid train, or pushing from the back end.
it sounds like you day dreamed about this for some time...
Actually, Josh, yes I have. The Allegheny is a good looking, massively powerful, and heavy locomotive. Weights given, by the way, are loco weight, and do not include tender. On that note, the "BigBoy" was 772,000 pounds, and had a tractive effort of 135,375 pounds...two extra sets of drivers to distribute pulling weight on does make a difference.