Editing Tractive effort (section)

{{short description|Mechanical engineering term that refers to the amount of traction.}}
{{Redirect|Continuous traction|the vehicle propulsion system|Continuous track}}
{{about|applications in vehicles|the general concept|Traction (engineering)}}

In railway engineering, the term '''tractive effort''' describes the pulling or pushing capability of a [[locomotive]]. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical&mdash;that is, calculated from known or implied mechanical properties&mdash;or obtained via testing under controlled conditions.  The discussion herein covers the term's usage in mechanical applications in which the final stage of the power transmission system is one or more [[wheel]]s in [[friction]]al contact with a [[railroad track]].