Train length

I used to run a big layout with wide curves, 092, o102 etc...

I had no problem with 50car trains.

If you find a weak coupler that opens, put that car back by the caboose.

I had rotary gondola trains 40 to 50 long, lionel steel sided reefers 50plus long.  And various mixed freights of scale cars.  All 40 to 50 cars long.  All worked fine.

I did have one or two weak coupler cars that would open.  But i just moved them back in the train until they were happy and stayed closed.

the longer the better. I have run 30, 40 and 50 car consists with no problem. a mix of Lionel, Williams, Kline and MTH rolling stock

with stock couplers.

Hey Mike, 

Not too sure of your working experience with long trains, I just want to share the path I traveled.  

I too had the same long train goal.  For years I accumulated 80 and 82 foot passenger cars, large steam and A-B-B-A units and oversized specialty freight cars until I ran my first long train in a 32' X 60'  area.  I found no straight a way could contain the whole train and the overall display running made my layout seem smaller then it really was, much smaller.  Especially when I had many cars of a train stick out each end  of a 90 to 180 degree curve.   It killed the realism for me.

So I did a major shift.  I sold off many of the larger engines.  Flipped most of the 80'ers and larger freight cars for 72'ers and 40' freight cars.  I now run 5 to 10 car freight, 3 to 5 car passenger trains and the long tangent ROWs are replaced with cosmetic curves.  IMO this is a more prototypical rendition of RR operation albeit no longer a mainline RR but rather branch line peddler freight and commuter service.   Also, much smaller passenger stations provided additional track between stops.  The largest passenger terminal which took up about 1/4 of the basement has been cut way back and now is repurposed to a freight interchange yard.  Occasionally an 80 footer finds it's way onto the branch line but it appears like an obese fraulein in an undersized girdle.

This is not to discourage your dream, you may well be a dyed in the wool long train guy and that is just fine.  This is  just to possible spare you the same double work I experienced  if you become shocked as I did  of how long trains can shrink layouts.

i have pulled 100 weighted boxcars behind a Williams scale GG1.  standard 3rail knuckle couplers are plenty strong enough, but i had a problem with the most forward couplers lifting up under the strain.  for that reason alone, head end cars need to be overweight and it would still take a slight backing off the throttle occasionally which momentarily slowed the locomotive enough to allow the train momentum to "reset" the coupler alignment for another few laps.

Pretty sure you can run long trains with standard claw couplers.   You will have one or two that are problematic in a long train, I just set those cars aside for later repair.

We routinely run 50-60 car trains t the club, and once in a while we try for some records.

Tom Tee:  That's my philosophy on my pike.  Local passenger trains to other towns and switching freights back and forth from town to a small yard and then to other towns.  It keeps me busy.

But I understand wanting to see a long reefer train behind double headed steamers or a long passenger train behind ABBA locos.  But I have 2+ percent grades just right for 12 to 14 freight cars.  

I love long trains.

To help prevent string-lining heavy cars towards the front, lighter cars towards the rear. When you start, back up first to take the slack out of the couplers. That way when you start pulling, you're not trying to start the entire train from a dead-stop. Couplers that open get an orthodontic (Kaydee) rubber band. Watch your speed and the bigger curves the better.

On my outside mainline I have 0138 at one end and 089 at the other. This line is ~ 135' long. The train was getting darn close to running nose-to-tail; but not quite. I "think" this is 94 cars....

BTW after watching the Super Bowl commercials, I can no longer understand why I have an Anheuser Busch Corn Syrup car 

Long trains do work:

Note that the lead CTA car is the power for this "train".

Tom Tee, I too traveled your road, am now really happy with the branch line size trains and mostly smaller engines. 

I don't think I missed a mention of lubrication, but apologize if I did. Anyways, check the trucks for any lint build up on axles, and that lubrication is in place.

Do not have any pictures of it, but with the North Central Railroad Club in Antioch, Ill., ran several 50 car plus consists on our club layout.  They were pulled by my MTH PS1 Union Pacific Big Boy with no problem.  This was possible once I determined the correct order in which they would not uncouple or pull over on the 72 inch curves.  To assist in reassembly of the consists, each car was put away within a small brown paper bag, each numbered from one to fifty, according to it's position within the consist.

Jesse   TCA

My normal consist is 12 cars. However I do like to go long sometimes, 200 feet is my best so far.

clem   

This is all very interesting to me, as I'am planning a 12' x 25' Layout in next year I hope. I like long Constance but don't really want more than the longest length of the table. 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Pretty sure you can run long trains with standard claw couplers.   You will have one or two that are problematic in a long train, I just set those cars aside for later repair.

We routinely run 50-60 car trains t the club, and once in a while we try for some records.

I think we were waiting at that crossing!

If the rolling stock has fast angle wheels most Lionel dual motor engine units can pull passenger consists of 7 or 8 cars and freights  10-12 cars with ease. That's on a layout having 032-079 curves. There have been issues when pulling these consists up steep grades so I've had to Crazy Glue the couplers in place so that they do not detach.

I run 30 car trains at a maximum with no problem. If you're planning to run 70 or 80 cars you're going to have to have about five to seven engines to be able to pull it. That's a lot of power and strength even on the most powerful Transformer on the market.

I used to run 40 coal hoppers behind a Clinchfield Challenger on my airborne 15x32, 5 track operation at the mountain cottage with its 0156 end curves. Today, with a little 9x16, 096/084 attic layout, when operating, I run only about 7 freight or 4 passenger cars behind a steamer or single stinking diesel. To my eye short consists look better on small layouts.

Lacking the space for such an endeavor and limited by return loops the best I can do is a 9-10 car train length and that just looks wrong.  Better for those of us who are space challenged is to run shorter trains involving scene breaks of some sort creating the illusion of length and the train going some place.  The only thing I like to watch chasing its tail is my cat.

Dewey, If short trains look good on a small layout just imagine how well short trains look would look on a big layout with curves of  0144 and larger.

Years ago, when all I had was a spare bedroom for a layout I switched to 19th century model RRing which gave me even smaller engines and cars.

Less can be more.

Tommy Z has run consists of up to 105 cars. With claws. Check out his YouTube channel. 

John C. posted:

I run 30 car trains at a maximum with no problem. If you're planning to run 70 or 80 cars you're going to have to have about five to seven engines to be able to pull it. That's a lot of power and strength even on the most powerful Transformer on the market.

Well... not really.  My 115 car mixed freight was pulled using two Legacy U-Boats.  Granted, they were working, but they didn't really have any issues doing the job.  I routinely pull 50-60 car coal trains with one articulated steamer, the Legacy Y6b or my VL-BB don't have any issues hauling that load, including several 2% long grades.

Thanks everyone! My last model railroad was an O scale trolley line. It had a 190’ main line and short trains were all I could run. This time I am building a multi level layout, the track plan is a folded figure 8. The crossing will represent an interchange with another railroad. I will be using computer controlled interlocking at the interchange. It is alway fun to run and watch a long train but I think 20-25 cars will be the normal length of the trains. I do want to have working signals on the rest of the line and if I had to plan for 50-80 car trains I would only have room for 2-3 blocks.

Thanks again everyone!

Gilly@N&W posted:

I love long trains.

To help prevent string-lining heavy cars towards the front, lighter cars towards the rear. When you start, back up first to take the slack out of the couplers. That way when you start pulling, you're not trying to start the entire train from a dead-stop. Couplers that open get an orthodontic (Kaydee) rubber band. Watch your speed and the bigger curves the better.

On my outside mainline I have 0138 at one end and 089 at the other. This line is ~ 135' long. The train was getting darn close to running nose-to-tail; but not quite. I "think" this is 94 cars....

BTW after watching the Super Bowl commercials, I can no longer understand why I have an Anheuser Busch Corn Syrup car 

What happened in the super bowl commercials?  

Jim

carsntrains posted:

Gilly@N&W posted:

 

BTW after watching the Super Bowl commercials, I can no longer understand why I have an Anheuser Busch Corn Syrup car 

What happened in the super bowl commercials?  

Jim 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkHvj_KEHBk

Gilly@N&W posted:

carsntrains posted:

Gilly@N&W posted:

 

BTW after watching the Super Bowl commercials, I can no longer understand why I have an Anheuser Busch Corn Syrup car 

What happened in the super bowl commercials?  

Jim 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkHvj_KEHBk

 

AH I see LOL