Getting trains put together for an open house Sat at our new layout. Wondering how long I should make the mixed freight trains? How long do you like to run yours?
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25 cars is a good length Every once in awhile we put a longer one with double or triple engines
So does this mean we'll soon see some great photos and videos of the new layout and space you acquired?!!!
I prefer around fifteen to eighteen assorted rolling stock and a caboose. Its partly that this length looks good on my layout - a really long train, say 50 cars, would wrap half way around it. But more than that, 15+caboose makes for a train long enough to be, look sort of long, but still be short enough you can see it all at one take, which I like.
Not sure that will make sense to anyone, but for what it is worth . . .
21 cars, including caboose, is about it for me.
Small layout - 10 or 11.
If just running them, 16-25. When I want people to do operations/switching jobs, I would make them about 8-12.
For a club open house, I normally run 20-30 cars. Every now and again I'll put 40-50 behind a Cab Forward or a 4-unit boxcab electric or something like that.
As for length, my first comment would be it depends upon the size of the layout. On our club modular layout, I try to never have the engineer looking at his own Caboose. The layout runs approx 20x26'. We have run 40-60 cars in mixed freight consists. You reach a point where the couplers just don't stay closed (rubber bands help).
I will say the longer trains are popular with our visitors.
Gilly
Long enough to reach the combine, or "cabbage" on the end!
A Green Frog Santa Fe video shows a GP7, covered hopper and combine trundling along.
Rusty
My passing sidings limit my train length to about 10 or 12 cars, including the caboose. So, normally that's my limit. However, my little Weaver 2-8-0 can only handle about 7 or 8 cars on my ruling grades, so the "little teakettle" only gets about that many cars. Now, if I run a particularly long train, say of reefers, I can handle about 25 cars behind some of my more powerful engines. When that happens the short trains have to take the "hole" or siding to let the longer train by. Operationally, my passenger trains tend to be 6 to 8 full length (21") cars, so they, too, can't take the shorter passing sidings.
Paul Fischer
Someone tell me, I never counted these...
Videos - http://steves3roscale.shutterfly.com/pictures/6877
In the end, a mixed train can be as long or as short as you want. It really depends on what line side industries need how many cars inbound or have ready to go outbound.
This is a typical mixed on my railroad, give or take a couple of cars:
Rusty
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