freight trains long or short

I love long trains. I have about 80 3 bay hoppers... my layout is no where long enough for all them. 

Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

I love long trains. I have about 80 3 bay hoppers... my layout is no where long enough for all them. 

That is pretty long train.The longest I had is 47 mixed freight.Any more the couplers start popping open.

Short is ok

http://www.aeromoe.com/133_100509w.jpg

So far my freight trains run from 4' to 100'

Clem

2 - 17 car freights are a standard on the Free State Junction Railway. 

Several reasons why I run short trains:  I like the branch line look, short tangents on my layout, my post war cars are heavy, I don't want to stress my engines  and easier to manage. But, whatever works for you is fine wit me. Enjoy.

Long trains are impressive, and fun to build.  However, my layout will accommodate only about 30 cars maximum, and a train of that length gets to be troublesome, as it never fully leaves the scene.  One other drawback is that a train of that length on my layout would be 50% on curved track, and the added draft force caused by the curves will find a weak coupler.  If there is one in the train, it will open at the very most inconvenient location on the layout.

Long trains are fun if you have long stretches of straight track.

Due to space constraints I have a single track layout with reversing loops at the end points.  The run from one loop to the other is about 40-45 feet but the limiting factor is the amt of cars that can be held in the reversing loop so a max train length is about 10-11 cars so the loco does not impact the caboose.

Well, not all of us have the room to run really long trains -- but I would if I could.  When I was a kid, along the PRR mainline, I used to count the diesel units (mainly Geeps and assorted F-units, with a few
ALCOs thrown in) at the head of the long, long freights through the crossing.  Most I ever counted was 12; I never even tried counting the number of freight cars.

Mostly it was mixed freight, but there were also a lot of coal trains.  They made a fascinating sight, especially in the winter, with a dusting of snow on top of the coal piles.

I run mainly 12 to 15 freight cars on my trains, I have quad hoppers so the length adds up quickly on my layout. My layout is 8 ft by 8 ft with a 3 ft by 5 ft extension in one area.

Lee Fritz

The unit trains are boring but I love to watch mixed freights. The other day I was close to Conway and watched a nice, long mixed freight roll by westbound. Guys worry about car dimensions-watch a mixed freight and there are all sizes.

I enjoy short... one 'truck' or two - because that fits the branch line motif. But a few times, I put every car I had behind every engine I owned at the time just for fun and to see if the train would move without string-lining,

Depending upon the tractive potential of the locomotive(s) pulling the train, I run anywhere from 8 to 25 cars at a time.

Like for Greenberg train shows with the Hi-Railers. I'm able to run at least 20 to 30 car trains. All mixed freight from the 50's 60's era for my CNJ freight.

Long, or short? "YES"

To be prototypical, I run everything. From a single locomotive dead-headed back to the shop, to stretching the limits of the track and capabilities of the couplers.

I like long trains as well but I have 2.25% grades so I just pretend a local freight switching area with a few short mail trains with a coach running through.  12 to 14 freight cars is my limit.  This allows me to have several consists.  9 tank cars and a couple of 2 bay coal hoppers; a dozen reefers; nine 2 bay coal hoppers; two 12 car trains of mixed freight.

I like to see a string of tank cars or a string of hoppers behind my consolidation or decapod.

Gilly@N&W posted:

Long, or short? "YES"

To be prototypical, I run everything. From a single locomotive dead-headed back to the shop, to stretching the limits of the track and capabilities of the couplers.

I agree. A short local freight with a Geep or two and a few cars putting along at 15 MPH is just as gratifying as a long-haul freight with a trio of C44-9W's and a string of hoppers in tow.

Thanks guys for your replys.

Number 90 posted:

Long trains are impressive, and fun to build.  However, my layout will accommodate only about 30 cars maximum, and a train of that length gets to be troublesome, as it never fully leaves the scene.  One other drawback is that a train of that length on my layout would be 50% on curved track, and the added draft force caused by the curves will find a weak coupler.  If there is one in the train, it will open at the very most inconvenient location on the layout.

Long trains are fun if you have long stretches of straight track.

I seem to have more of an issue with the long trains 'string lining' around the turns. The 30 car train on my layout touches two maybe three turns at once.

As a freight conductor during my more youthful days, I once had a one car consist, a hot auto parts boxcar that needed to get to Detroit via Ft. Wayne. As a few others have mentioned, your consist can be long or short, let your imagination be your guide and have fun.

I was doing some railfaning with #1 Grandson on the NS Lehigh Line in Clinton, NJ this summer. We were surprised to see there were quite a few short, under forty cars, but fast manifest freights with three or more road engines.   

My taste is leaning to short trains and smaller locos, more and more.

If it's not mixed much, like coal drags, tankers, or auto loaders, I like them longer. Passenger trains too.

  Small black Orthodontic rubberbands on the shaft to hold the knuckle pin up and in place better on knuckles is a functional fix you can hardly notice for some of those weak couplers. My uncouplers still work with them on. When you repair one, watch the pin height is good and check the knuckle lock's notch ( upright wall that the pin rests in/on), isn't rounded or slanted, but flat and parallel to the pin, so there is no "ramp" for the pin to ride open on.

SeaboardM- Drop me an email, if you can please. I have a kinda non-train question I'd like to ask, but you don't have an address listed in your profile yet.

Small board (4X8)= short trains. 3-4 cars max in and out of the yards.

I like long mixed freight trains with a few sound cars mixed in.

I like long freight trains like a real railroad, On my layout that was the very first thing I did

Gentlemen,

   Run both short and long spending on the train.

PCRR/Dave

 At least if "suspending" was chosen by auto word replacement over "depending", the syllables would be right...I hate Google.

My spending has been short a few years now, lol.

The Super C of the ATSF was overpowered and very short.  4:1 hp:ton ratio.

Years ago, I used to a run a 44 car freight train on my outside loop. The only problem I had, was if two of the cars came uncoupled. There usually wasn't enough time to stop the train from hitting the caboose. Weaver freight cars going off a platform three feet above the floor is usually not a good thing.

With my small layout loop, the locomotive obstructs the addition of large numbers of cars.

I limit my train on the loop to no more than about 40% of the loop; typically run 25 to 30% of the loop.

Also, when I get caught at a railroad crossing, I like small freight trains or fast passenger trains. Most disturbing: no caboose, no matter how long the train. 

if i undestand , wheight and curves , brakes the train , i think is normal , for me , one mth (both powered) could take 5 mth superliner , no more , and freight is almost the same for lengh

my layout on instagram/sonodelta , for examples of this