CAboose no, engine yes

Hi Phil

I run helpers on longer trains but it can be tricky. I run DC so keep that in mind when reading below. I think with DCC it would be easier to dial up and down the force applied to the rear of a train. So, it is important to balance the amount of rear pushing power with the weight of the cars. On a 40 car Atlas fishbelly coal train, I can run 2 powered helpers because the loaded coal cars (at 2lbs 5 oz each) are heavy enough to withstand the shoving. Its very cool to hear the clicking sound of the slack changing as the train climbs and descends grades around the layout.  I have had to add weight to some cabooses to to go with the coal trains as well. With merchandise trains, I will use one powered unit and one dummy. If I don't, the rear force can cause derailments. Helper operations are a fun addition....and even necessary when you run long heavy trains. 

I knew I had some pics somewhere....here is typical power for the head end of a 40 car coal train...4 powered units....

...and here are 2 powered units shoving on the end. In bottom pics they have cut off and are passing another coal train heading up the hill. Its fun to route trains around helper movements....ads another dimension to operations. 

great photos Don, very realistic.

a club member, Dan Chromeck, regularly ran a 40 car coal consist with 2 engines up front and 1 on the rear. I believe they were all Atlas units with DCC. he ran them around our 400' of mainline without issue, as I recall.

I was fortunate to be a guest at several Friday night sessions on Jim Eudaly's C&O layout when I lived in the KCMO area. Jim insisted the railroad be operated as the prototype was and all guests had to operate trains. Pretty intimidating for a rookie operator. The front coupler was modified on the pusher loco so it didn't couple up, but only pushed. It was easy to drift away from the caboose if you didn't push hard enough and find yourself running a few scale feet behind the caboose instead of pushing.  

Butch

Fantastic photos, Don!!  Such incredible realism!

Ind Models,

   Don simply great B&O consist, even a guy like me who only builds child wonderland layouts can appreciate your realistic work, fantastic stuff sir, some of the nicest B&O

pictures I have ever seen.

PCRR/Dave

Thanks and glad you enjoyed the photos guys. Chris, I am amazed that 3 Atlas engines were able to pull so many fish belly hoppers. I have some sharp corners and grades so the best I can do is 1 engine per 10 loaded hoppers. These engines have extra weight as well..... 

Don, the hoppers are all Weaver cars. They're a bit lighter.

As on Jim Eudaly's C&O,  I've operated "snappers" (PRR speak for pushers) on my former and current PRR with pinned opened front couplers.  This way a stalled pusher won't derail cars while the train is on a curve.  It also enabled us to simulate dropping pushers on the fly per PRR practice.   The main line of my former railroad operated with DC power and helper locomotives were selected with speeds that approximated that of head end power. The helpers  ran in the same block as the lead power during the climb but different blocks where they were put on and taken off.

The current railroad runs under DCC providing much improved helper district operations.  Engineers with radio cabs independently control the helpers (vice consisting them with the front end).  This freed us to use "mismatched" power - and makes the helper crews earn their pay!  We continue to use fixed open couplers on the front of locomotives in helper service.  With nominally NMRA spec weighted cars and good engineers we've not had issues with derailments.

Ed Rappe