Any Unit train freaks out there?

[FJ and G]

I have, at the most, 2 or 3 cars of the same type and railroad. I've always like to watch 3-rail unit trains (if they are long enough, you need to change some of the numbers to avoid duplicates!).

Guess I just tried to get a wide variety of rolling stock with no effort directed towards unit trains.

I've got a bunch of trucks, however, that I will be using to build my own flat cars to carry blocks of granite, so eventually, I hope to have a unit train; a rather short one, however.

Dave

[Roger Bielen]

I run a coal train of 15 hoppers, mostly CB&Q and from ore cars to 4 bay. About half the consist is K-Line cast hoppers making for a heavy train. For power I use two Lionel GP's as a lash-up. Talking about protypical, last night I had an engine failure, the motor on one unit stopped working, every thing else on the engine works, horn, bell, couplers, et al. I guess my project this afternoon is to open it up and look for a loose wire, if unsuccessful, off to Memory Station.

[willpick]

Since the railroad i'm attempting to model[;)] runs unit trains just about every day, I have been aquiring enough rolling stock to simulate the two types of trains- one is the hoppers carrying limestone(MTH made the Ortner hoppers in singles and a six car set); and intermodal- mostly double stacks from MTH, I've got enough(12+) for a convincing facsimile. I also run mixed freights- just use one of everything[:D]

[spankybird]

Hi all,

We do a lot of this. Ore cars, Coal cars, box cars, etc. all are C & 0 except for the ore cars.





tom

[cheapclassics]

I enjoy running trains with the same roadname and type of car. While the HO bunch has an advantage over us in that respect, it is possible to collect three or more of the same name and type of car. It may take several years for a maker to release multiple units (unless they do the six or three pack options), but it does happen eventually. Some times you have to fudge a little as Lionel made some 6464 boxcars in the 9200 series with blue bodies for N&W and recently they made a red boxcar with similar markings. It works for me.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Frank in Steam]

Make mine milk. Up to (10): (2) Borden's butter dish dars, (1) Borden's w/ slide off tanks, (2) Borden's reefers, (2) DL&W reefers, (3) Dairymen's League milk cars, waiting on Borden's billboard milk car. I would like to get the train up to (20) cars eventually.

[Anonymous]

I have a nine post war ny central gondolas: three red three black and three green. I also have five 6511 flat cars (mounted two dead Marx engines, and a few box cars). I did it for parts at first, but then decided to use them when I get a yard going.

Angelo

[overall]

I like the double stacks also. I also like trains of solid reefers. I have collected a bunch of them since the seventies. I run them behind steam.

George

[Anonymous]

For unit trains I have the SP Unit Tank Train “oil cans” set, two of the already released 3 car add on sets several of the individual add on cars and on order is one of the 3 car add on sets due in Aug. This is my favorite unit train. [:D] I also run a “juice train” of 14 Tropicana juice reefers from MTH and Lionel and Atlas. On order are 6 more Tropicana juice reefers from Weaver. I have about 30 PRR coal hoppers from K Line, MTH, Atlas, and Weaver as well as about 20 modern coal porter type rotary dump hoppers from MTH and Lionel. Atlas is coming out with there own rotary dump hopper in the fall. To round out the unit train “thing” I have about 26 double stack cars from K Line MTH and Lionel.

[Anonymous]

The layout I'm building is designed for a long, around the walls, double track mainline. I like the "reality" of modeling unit trains since I see so many of the them here in the midwest. My plan is to have two coal trains using BN and BNSF MTH Premier coalporters, I have about 16 so far- one loaded and one empty, double headed with BN power, a Norfolk Southern unit train with Bowser Triple Crown Roadrailers, I think I've got about 8 or 9 collected so far, a Union Pacific double stack consist, and a Southern Pacific Pacific Fruit Express reefer train. My design problem is where to park the various trains and still have room for a half a dozen passenger trains. Bob