How Many Locomotives Can Be On Your Layout?

Ten trains/locomotives on ten independent loops,

and one trolley on its own closed-loop, all at once, using 5 ZW's and TMCC control for 8 of the loops, using the larger handles on the ZW's for them, and the shorter handles for the trolley and the closed-loop 2-unit Budd train on the far, upper end of the layout.

All together, they make a wonderful racket.

FrankM

Moon Township, USA

3 is the max, but 2 works better for my small shelf layout.  I swap out engines in the layout periodically for variety.  

One.

One SW1500 does all the work on my [mostly] switching pike. 

Morning, noon and night. 

Although, like many here I do have Shelf Queens. 

I can have eight locomotives and one motorized unit on my layout simultaneously. Four parked on sidings and four TMCC locos on my two main lines.  Never in my wildest dreams when I started out in this hobby did I ever think that would have been possible.😄

Wow Moonson, that is one dense, busy pike! Fantastic!  well done.

My layout is fairly large but it's largeness is primarily in lengthy runs.  Not engine facilities.

Never thought along this line but with 6 branch lines and each branch line having one train running in each direction there could 12 in running use.  However being the sole operator the best I can do in conventional power with occasional accidents  at this time is to run 5 simultaneously with disposable cars.  No accidents, 3.

As far as "How many engines  could I have on the layout?" I refine that question to "How many engines (RDCs, gas electrics, trolleys, etc) have an appropriate place of accommodation on the layout?"  Thirty five +/-.

I currently have 13 sidings, each one holding a locomotive and train. I plan to add a steam shop and diesel shop which will have room for 2 more in each.

https://ogrforum.com/...s-are-running?page=1

There are currently 36 locomotives on the railroad: 8 in Harrisburg staging, 7 in Pittsburgh staging, 3 in Bedford staging, 3 in Cumberland staging, 2 in Petersburg staging, 1 in Shire Oaks staging and 12 in Annville.  There are a total of 32 staging tracks and spots in the steam and diesel service areas in Annville for 20 locomotives.  Of course, if all of these spots were full then the railroad would be 'constipated' and nothing could move.

During an operating session, there are usually 5 trains moving or switching on the main line and one or two switchers working in the yard at any given time.  Over the course of about 9 hours (split into three 3-hour sessions), all but two of the 36 locomotives will get run.  Those two are "protection power" in case we have a locomotive breakdown.  One yard switcher and one road locomotive are kept in Annville as protection.

3.  Each on a train.  2 on 2 loops.  1 on switching lead.

I do switch eras and flags.  Steam.  1950's Diesel.  1970's freight and Amtrak.  UP Heritage units.

There are 2 or 3 locomotives to a train if they are powered with F or PA units.

One on the freight, one on the passenger, three on the Atlas turntable sidings.

Typically 3-4 at a time. I rotate out different RR's to keep it interesting. Currently PRR and NYC engines and cars are on the layout. I planning a switch to Western Maryland this weekend. A Plymouth switcher of various road names typically occupies one siding regardless of what RR is running.

These are my ready tracks.....

Bob

My layout has four loops and runs two passenger and two freight trains. It also has two long passing sidings and one shorter one. There are now six engines on the layout but I have over 30 in my collection.

Tom Tee, have you considered using insulated blocks to let you run more trains without accidents? 

Gerry

My layout includes 4 separate lines, though one of those is HO track. My main line includes 2 spurs for parking trains, but one is always empty, so I can switch which train is running. So, I guess that makes 5 locomotives on there at all times.

I can run two trains at a time, one each on two loops; no room for double-heading except in rare cases.  The yard can accommodate perhaps a dozen and a half or more if we remove all the rolling stock but usually hosts only three or four.  Max realistic total:  6.

Arnold, thanks for this thread.  It actually made me take stock of what I have on the two layouts.  Moonson, your layout remains beyond belief.

I knew I could run 11 trains at once, plus a pair of trolleys. 

First, the overhead layout:

The table layout:

This one shows my original UP Alco from LONG ago.

It adds up to 17 engines, and the two trolleys.  Took me two hours to retrieve pics for this post.  I have maybe five more that don't fit anywhere on the layouts.  Two main lines, four engines run on the overhead.  Six main lines, seven engines run on the table layout.  The two NYC trolleys are both bump and go.

I'm not much of a collector.  I usually only buy what I'll run.  I remain amazed at how many guys have 40 plus engines, and can only run a few at a time.  Their display cases are sources of awe, for me.

Jerry

My three track staging yard/station can hold three locos.  Out on the single track main two others can operate without conflict due to the junction that leads to two separate return loops.  Careful planning permits me to pull one out of holding and onto the main while one of the operating trains takes its place.  There is an independent trolley loop and a mine shunter that works its way back and forth, more than enough action for a single operator.

A Gazillion

At home I have three loops, that means best case would be 4 to 5 since the layout is only 9 by 9. At the Roanoke Valley Model Railroad Club I have built a 19 by 9 tinplate  layout that runs in two rooms that has 8 loops on fours levels. I have two loops that are multi-gauge (standard or O). 3 that run standard gauge only and three loops that run O-gauge only.  Two of the loop run into both rooms which means the other 6 stay in one room only.

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I can run 8 trains at the same time which means I have two tracks going into each port of my DCS unit. I have not tried to push beyond that since that could trip the power brick breakers. We are discussing adding up to three more loops with some floor space that is still open.

Scott Smith

Gerry, Thanks for the thought, there are roughly about 83 star wired blocks on the RR.  I can stop any train anywhere while controlling it either in AC Proto control or 5 amp DC.  10 MRC/Dallee DC packs and 10 MTH Proto packs can provide any of the branchlines with their own  independent AC or DC power source at any time. 

Plus I am starting to equip select engines with battery remote control.

Battery R/C is the future of model RRing!

A great question, as usual, Arnold! Thanks for asking. I’ve been so absorbed with the news lately that I haven’t been in the basement with my trains at all for weeks. Your question got me downstairs to take pictures, write this post, and try to forget about the news.

I began to write my answer and then realized that there were more locomotives on each layout than I had thought.

There are three loops on my 12’-by-8’ layout. Two loops have a passing siding. They hold five locomotives.

The middle loop also has a stub track with one locomotive.

There also are two track segments which are just places to park a locomotive.

And, there is a lower level non-operating yard with two more locomotives – for a total of nine.

On my 10’-by-5’ layout, there is just one loop with two stub tracks, on which I have four more locomotives. So, the total on both layouts is thirteen.

MELGAR

I can run 16 separate trains in conventional mode. I have the capability to run up to 48 separate trains (3 per district) under TMCC/Legacy control. I've never tried that as I can't control more that 8 in real time with two hands! I've come close to scrambling some trains and my wits!

My New Haven Cedar Hill yard will hold two electric electric and two steam/diesel engines for a total of 4.  My Bridgeport station has one track for a RDC.  My Mott Haven yard has one track for a NYC S-2 switcher.  Therefore, the layout can hold 6 engines and still run trains.

The layout operation plan is simple.  A passenger train powered by an electric engine (EP-5 or EP-3) will leave New York City, pass Mott Haven, stop at Bridgeport, and then stop at New Haven.    The electric engine will then be changed for a steam or diesel and the train will go on to Boston.  Sometimes I will run a commuter train from New Haven to New York or vice versa.  

This might seem like a large complex layout,  It isn't.  I have one siding called New York, another called New Haven, and third called Boston.  The sidings are adjacent to each other.  A person has to use a lot of imagination to envision a train going from one city to the next.  Most of my train friends can't see it.  I don't blame them.  They are all western railroad fans and know almost nothing about eastern railroads especially the New Haven.  

My layout has been in the plywood Pacific stage for about 10 years.  There is no scenery.  The only positive thing I can say about my layout is that it runs.  I impress visitors by turning out the lights and running lighted passenger trains on the two main lines.  You don't need scenery when the only light is from passenger car windows.    

I have been concentrating all of my train time on building, maintaining and running the G&O at my train club.  The G&O can keep 4 G gauge and 6 O gauge trains running at once.  Since the G&O is in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of the trains we run are western railroads.  As a result, I have a lot of SP and other western railroad engines and trains that I run at the club.

You can find out about the G&O at this link:   http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t.../the-gandamp-o-story

I plan to start using this stay at home time to work on my home layout.  Maybe I will get beyond the plywood Pacific stage.  NH Joe

Unattended I can run 6 trains, and sit back and watch.  The main lines I have are big enough that I  can run two longer trains on them, as there are 5 independent blocks (had to think about that for a moment).  Depending on what I am running speed control / non speed control and if I have any assistance or guests will drive whether I go 6 or 8 trains.

Great thread.

John 

Technically, with DCS, I could fit and run about 9 trains simultaneously on my layout, not counting sidings and yards. There is a limit to how many engines I own too. Realistically, my layout is designed to run 5 or 6 trains simultaneously, but I find that I can't keep track of them all at the same time, and one is bound to have a mishap. I need a few helper operators and one videographer to do it right. 

George

If you’re counting parked engines, as some already have, I could fit all of Gunrunnerjohn’s on. 😁 In reality, as I only own eight, I can run them all. Usually I have two MUs on the larger loop and one MU on the smaller one, with a passenger train sitting at the station. 

It's very impressive how some of you folks can simultaneously run 4, 8 and 10 or more trains with many more parked on sidings.

I have a question: does it make you at least a little anxious to simultaneously run so many trains? LOL.

The reason I ask is that although I can simultaneously run 2 trains, each on an independently powered main line with virtually no chance of a collision, it makes me anxious to do that. 

I find it much more relaxing and enjoyable to run one train at a time, although I will occasionally run 2 trains to impress an audience. Arnold

Arnold, because I have a 25 foot long single track some attention is required.  With one train taking the longer option at the junction AND operating with cruise control that one can run unattended.  The other requires operator attention but swapping short passenger trains on the fly is manageable.  Any more than that would be a gomez Adams situation.

Arnold,

I can run three trains at a time on my larger layout, but I do so only when my grandsons are visiting because they like the action. Even though the three loops are separate and there is no possibility of collision, for myself, I prefer to run only one at a time. Why? Running three trains at a time for ten minutes, I put thirty minutes of operating time on the engines but get only ten minutes of layout operation. Running three trains sequentially gives me thirty minutes of layout operation with the same total operating time (wear and tear) on the engines... For me, the half hour's layout time is better and more relaxing. Does that make sense?

MELGAR

Yes, Melgar, you and I like to relax, which we can do running our trains one at a time. Love your photos in your previous post. Arnold

I have two mainlines on my 14x39 layout. The layout is broken up into 4 power blocks. Each has its own 135W of power available.

Since I am running command control only, I could "'probably" run up to 8 engines if they were all running MTH DCS. For practical reasons, I typically wouldn't run more than 4.

If you count parked, I have five 12' sidings in the yard. The yard sidings can independently be powered-down. They can easily hold 15+ Locomotives. My other 2 passing sidings (about 33') are powered; so no engines would be "parked" there.

I have two loops, one subway loop and one trolley line, so I can run two engines, one subway and one trolley. Powering  this floor setup is one postwar Lionel ZW, two MTH Z-1000s and a Postwar Lionel 1033 for extra accessories.

I can have all the locomotives I own, 14 (technically more if you count multiple unit diesels as more than one locomotive, but I don't) on my 16X17 layout. One on each of the two main lines, six parked on sidings attached to trains (I also have eight complete trains on my layout, which makes up all the rolling stock I own), and six parked around the turntable. I find that fourteen locomotives is plenty, although I'll probably get one or two more at some point, because who doesn't? I still "need" an ATSF Northern and an ABA set of Black Widow SP F3s. I don't buy whatever strikes my fancy but instead focus on two roads (ATSF and SP) and a timeframe (1948-1951). Keeps everything focused so I don't end up with random locomotives I bought, that I never run, because they are cheap. 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

It's very impressive how some of you folks can simultaneously run 4, 8 and 10 or more trains with many more parked on sidings.

I have a question: does it make you at least a little anxious to simultaneously run so many trains? LOL.

The reason I ask is that although I can simultaneously run 2 trains, each on an independently powered main line with virtually no chance of a collision, it makes me anxious to do that. 

I find it much more relaxing and enjoyable to run one train at a time, although I will occasionally run 2 trains to impress an audience. Arnold

 

Arnold,

I don't have any engines alone on The WVRR, but plenty complete trains ready to go.

2 on the Mainline, 1 on the upper line, 1 on the original line, 1 in the Subway, 2 in The Alcove, 6 on passing sidings and one on a stub siding. Also, a trolley that uses part of the upper line and a gang car on it's own stretch near the docks.

Do I get anxious when I run 5 or 6 at the same time? You bet! Especially as the mainline crosses the upper level at one point - visitors love to see trains on these two barely miss broadsiding each other. Also my back is to The Alcove, and its controls are 6 feet from my main control panel.

I enjoy running 1, 2 or three trains at the same time, but visitors always want more - they love the action and noise, so I'll run 5 or 6 for a few minutes. As I mentioned the other day, I try not to do so when distracted or with a drink or three in me.

Even thought trackage has been perfected (as much as possible) over many years, there is always a chance of cars uncoupling resulting in a engine rear ending a caboose (I run trains fast so I gotta notice and react very quickly) or an unexpected derailment.

I can have 5 on the layout at the same time, with two running. A trolly runs on the upper line. The main line is shared by two steam, one diesel, and one speeder. As I’m conventional only, power is switched to the desired operational unit. 

I have four loops on my Layout ,one of which is a post war loop with a 675 and four 6440 Brown Cars and a #60 trolley running.The other three loops have two Sets on each loop running DCS and Legacy for a total of six engines.I have 17 engines on sidings,some with cars ready to switch with other Trains on the three main Lines.All three loops can be run at the same time.

Mikey

At this time I can run two short trains on one of my loops.   Three other loops are planned but are not complete.  I use Lionchief RC ...so I could run three very short trains on my 060 loop, but  it would be a challenge to have all throttles set to the same speed to avoid collisions.

Two on the main lines and five on the sidings.

Lou1985 posted:

I can have all the locomotives I own, 14 (technically more if you count multiple unit diesels as more than one locomotive, but I don't) on my 16X17 layout. One on each of the two main lines, six parked on sidings attached to trains (I also have eight complete trains on my layout, which makes up all the rolling stock I own), and six parked around the turntable. I find that fourteen locomotives is plenty, although I'll probably get one or two more at some point, because who doesn't? I still "need" an ATSF Northern and an ABA set of Black Widow SP F3s. I don't buy whatever strikes my fancy but instead focus on two roads (ATSF and SP) and a timeframe (1948-1951). Keeps everything focused so I don't end up with random locomotives I bought, that I never run, because they are cheap. 

 

 

I like that time period because you had a mix of locomotives.And locomotives that pulled unit trains aka refer,coal and mixed freights.Being born in the late 1960s I missed out.Although I got to see the gp9 and 7 and e6 locomotives.And there was still a lot of the older boxcars with different railroad heralds.

My O27 “door layout” can accommodate three, maximum - one on the outer passing loop, one on the inner passing loop and one in the sidings. I could operate all three - alternate trains circulating the loop, and a switcher shunting the coal siding - but I’d need to do some work on the block wiring and control set-up to manage that.