Lionel E8--Can it pull Aluminum Passenger cars?

Andy, I think the 2 motors in the power unit will do the job.

Oh yeah.  I would expect one unit could pull eight or nine.  I've done that with two-motor F3s - I can't imagine a few extra inches of body length would change anything. 

Define AL Passenger cars?  You did mention Lionel.  Lionel, K-Line, Williams....and length?

I have pulled 4 15" AL passenger cars with a Lionel PW 1954 single motor Texas Special F-3.  I have pulled 6 15" AL cars with a Williams SD90MAC.  If the dummy A is not too heavy, if should pull a reasonable number of 15, 18 or 21" AL passenger cars.

He did define them as the ones from the new Lionel catalog.

base - ease your mind.  The new Lionel Legacy E8's will have no problem pulling well over the number of passenger cars you mention.  I have Lionel's PWC Texas Special 2 motor F3 and I easily pull the 10 passenger cars I have for the engine, including 2 B units behind the A.  The new E8's will out pull my PWC F3.  Buy the engine and you will not regret it.  They are beautiful also.  I have pre-ordered the MKT set.

Steve, Lady and Tex

I have seen the Legacy F3 set with passenger cars.  Interesting livery on the F's.  Nice passenger cars.

Don't forget the TS did run to St Louis on teh SL_SF!

It would be great to see pictures of these new units pulling all these cars.

My Legacy F3AA set pulls 6 Lionel 18" aluminium coaches with ease. And that's around a loop with O48 curves too.

With the extra weight and length of the E8/9 locomotives, I would think that they will perform even better.

There is more than sufficient power to pull six 18" Lionel passenger cars. I am going to have 8 with my Wabash E8s. The Lionel 18" passenger cars glide very easily on the rails.

I did an experiment just before Legacy came out using every diesel I had at the time. Among the Lionel engines I tried were a Standard O EMD F3, F7, Alco PA, and EMD E6.  The E6 should be similar to the E8, power wise.  They are all similar in that they all have two can motors powering two trucks.  The difference is weight distribution.  

Using one powered unit, they would pull at least a 20 car train of mixed 18" & 20" passenger cars which included aluminum (Lionel & K-Line), and plastic (3rd Rail, Lionel, MTH).  The aluminum cars were not necessarily the heaviest.  There was no grade.

Brian is a passenger car expert.  He not only pulls the passenger cars but usually a consist which includes additional dummy B's and a dummy A too boot. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

No one has mentioned grades yet.

Would these still pull okay?

FWIW the E units have been removed "officially" from the shipping schedule, knowing that on another thread, it has been mentioned that they are on the water.

Very exciting!

Of course, the real problem will be in getting the aluminium coaches. I see that the CZ coaches have slipped back to July now. 

You will not have any problems at all.  I pull longer and heavier trains with my Lionel single powered F units.  The only caveat is if you have any steep grades that could change everything.  Mine even pull well up 2% grades with 072 curves.  Both the grade and the curves make the train much harder to pull.

Art  

If it cant pull the train they cataloged to go with it, something's wrong.