This is an MTH A-B-A with both A units powered pulling a 65 car consist around our club layout. I was impressed we didn't need any helpers, even for the grades.
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This is an MTH A-B-A with both A units powered pulling a 65 car consist around our club layout. I was impressed we didn't need any helpers, even for the grades.
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Well dome!
Peter
Thanks guys. I was testing the locomotive and I figured it needed a load test. I just kept hooking up the cars in the yard until we ran out. I was impressed it was pulling that load, maybe next time I'll include a helper in the consist.
John, very nice
Alex
Thanks Alex, we were having some fun last night!
What make was the heavyweight obs on the passenger train?
I think they're Golden Gate.
John
I can see why your impressed.
Took a railfan trip form 30th street station [upper level] to Strasburg back about 2001 behind the READING RR restored F units. A memorable day.
Thank you for posting
Charlie
Oh yea, nicely done...
It looks like the layout is in a basement ? Is it ?
How big of a layout is it. How many main lines.....
I love the ached bridge very cool.N.
John
I got all the cars put away to night had fun with the sharks first.
I think we need to try a more cars with helpers next time.
That was fun last night.
Nick Thanks for the coment on the bridge that thing is 8ft long 2ft high.
all hand carved.
John, it not only shows how great the engines are but how strong couplers are also, unless I'm missing something. Enjoyed the video.
Steve, Lady and Tex
Very nice. Good speed and the sound was great.
How long you think this train would be in real life? a mile or less?
You guys are having WAY too much fun.
Thanks for sharing.
That is a very fine train. Did the two powered units (I'm assuming you have four motors?) have any trouble or concern you with overloading the motors starting out?
Very nice. I've got to give that a try one of these days.
This is in Harry's basement, what you see are a couple of the modules that we take around to shows with the modular club. That bridge was all hand carved by Harry, it is an impressive structure. Heavy sucker as well!
We had some problems with the couplers walking up and over the other one, at one turn Harry was poking them down as they came around the bend. I was surprised that we never had a stringline crash on some of the loops.
Lee, the powered units did better than I would have expected starting it out. Pulling on the 65 cars by hand, you could tell that starting was going to be an issue, it took some force to get them moving!
I think the next attempt is for 100+ with a couple of helper locomotives.
I watched the video again. Very nice train. That has to be a lot of fun. I don't think I have 65 cars to put into that long of a train - sometime I have to try for 50+ though.
HARRY and GUNRUNNER,
Great job! Looked like fun. Where are YUZ GUYZ located at in SE PA? I am from MILLERSBURG, Pa. just above Harrisburg.
Lee, Harry probably has a few hundred more on the shelves, we have plenty of cars to toss into the mix. We're a long way from the record, but it was a lot of fun. You can stand in one end of the layout where it snakes around and see cars on three different tracks all part of the same train. When all the modules are connected in the basement there, we have one really long continuous track, probably about 400 or more running feet of track. So, there's room for a larger consist.
Laz, the club meets in Sellersville, around 30 miles north and a little west of Phila.
Looks like a page from Tom Z's layout. Well done!
now that's some real railroadin!!
Cool video. Pretty neat haul.
Thanks guys, it was a hoot to do. I think that was about the limit for the A-B-A, but it did quite well considering the weight it was pulling.
That's my kind of fun! Sometime this year, I'm going to try to get a nose-to-tail consist running on the club layout. I'm thinking three engines; located at the front, middle and end of the train.
As for starting a long consist, it helps to back up first. That compresses all of the couplers. Then when you start forward, you're pulling the slack out one car at a time. Also (and I see you did this) putting the light cars at the end is the way to go.
Peter turned me onto the rubber band trick for holding the couplers closed. I have located some small rubber bands at a local craft store that look very promising for use as "Kadee" rubber bands.
Gilly
Yep, we didn't have any on this run, but that is a worthwhile trick when you have problem couplers.
Backing up is a good trick, and I did that starting up. Besides, it's neat to see the train "stretch" as the slack in each coupler is taken up.
OK, now ya did it.
Now I HAVE to get my new layout running.
You beat my personal record of 58 cars behind my Big Boy.
The Video is on my website, one of these days I get it on Utube so it can stream.
Well, in that case Russel, we're just going to have to best that record by enough to raise the bar for you! How does something like 150 cars sound to you?
John,
Real nice train, I did not know the MTH ABA was that well powered, very impressive!
PCRR/Dave
I was surprised it was up to the task, I actually had it smokin' around for a spell, but that was hard on the couplers and I had to go back and pick up some cars several times. At a slower pace, the couplers were holding on. We just had one place where there's obviously a bit of uneven track and a curve, the couplers were walking up on a few cars.
Next attempt will be with some helpers, maybe four or five locomotives.
John:
Ever since I saw the "99 Reefers of Ale on the Rail" Video I have been wanting to do a 100 car consist.
I am hopeful the Imperial Big Boy can pull it. 2 motors and 4 traction tires in a 12 pound Shell makes for a lot of pulling power.
I just need a loop of track big enough to get it all on the rails.
Ah, I also bunched the slack on the 58 car consist for startup, makes a world of difference.
For 100 cars, I'm guessing you may need more locomotives. It's not only pulling power, but the possibility of overloading the locomotive. The four motors (8 traction tires) had their hands full pulling those 65 cars, I probably should have had a helper or two. I think the Imperial Big Boy would have had real problems pulling the cars. When we go for a larger consist, we'll be adding engines.
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