wheelslip

wheel +‎ slip

wheelslip (uncountable)

1. (rail transport) A problem in starting or running a locomotive or train, where excess power supplied to the driven wheels causes them to turn against the rail, especially when the rails are slippery, without moving the train forward.
   • 1960 April, “English Electric diesels for the Sudan Railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 218:

     The traction motors are connected in three parallel groups of two in series, and the mid-points of each pair of motors are connected together; the mid-point connection is used in conjunction with relays to form a device which is sensitive to wheelslip, thus leading to an improvement in adhesion.

   • 1962 December, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 385:

     Minor changes to control gear include the provision of automatic wheelslip protection, since these units will be operated on lines with ruling gradients of 1 in 60 or 1 in 80. Wheelslip automatically causes the main generator field excitation to be reduced; the load regulator is forced back to minimum excitation and, if operating in one of the two stages of traction motor field divert, causes reversion to full field.

   • 2023 July 26, David Clough, “Technology progression defines Class 93”, in RAIL, number 988, page 54:

     Daily diagramming involves the single-heading of 1400-tonne trains over the northern banks, where wheelslip can be experienced when the rails are wet.

• wheelslide