the EPR gauges which read something like 1.050. I realized that the actual value didn't mean much to me.
You are correct!
That's idle power.
EPR = 1 = zero effective thrust.
@Capn Bloggs,
EPR can be misleading, as the Crew of Air Florida 90 found out.
Especially since they had failed to turn on the engine anti-icing. The FO tried to tell the Capt. that something was not right with the engine power settings (N1 was way too low). EPR is only one parameter to be checked - it's not the sole indicator.
The only real measure of thrust is the speed of the big fan on the front of the donk!
Er no - that will only tell you how fast the big fan is rotating.
The actual thrust will also depend on forward airspeed and air density.