In order to explore the influence of the traction motor distribution on the dynamic characteristics of rack vehicle and gearrack meshing characteristics， the vehicle dynamics characteristics under different traction motor layout modes are analyzed with the consideration of the gear-rack nonlinear meshing behavior and dynamic time-varying excitation and the wheel-rail nonlinear contact relationship. Based on the Strub system， the coupling dynamics model of rack vehicles is established. The influence of three differ‐ ent motor forms on the dynamic characteristics is studied. On this basis， the layout mode suitable for rack vehicles is proposed.The research shows the gear meshing force and the vertical and longitudinal vibration acceleration are smaller under the dual-mounted traction motor conditions. When the motor is dual-mounted， the meshing force is about 50% of that the motor is rear-mounted and front-mounted. The maximum amplitude difference of the vertical and longitudinal acceleration of the gear is 4.04 m·s -2 and 6.01 m·s -2 in the straight section. When the motor is rear-mounted the gear vibration acceleration is the largest， and the vertical and longitudinal acceleration amplitudes are 45% larger than the dual-mounted traction motor conditions in the climbing section. The comfort of rack vehicle is better when the motor rear and front-mounted on the straight line， but the dual-mounted is better in the climbing section. In view of the fact that rack vehicle is mainly used in climbing lines， and the dynamic characteristics of rack ve‐ hicle with dual-mounted are the best when climbing. Thus， it is recommended that the dual-mounted is the optimal layout mode.