How many freight cars can you fit on a 4x8?

[Anonymous]

This is a thread that is not too serious...

How many cars can you cram into a very small space and still make it move?

[trainfan1221]

Do you mean on the actual train you are running? I can get a 22 car train on my 6 x 3
n-scale layout, before the engines are serving as their own pushers. As long as they aren`t all oversized cars.

[AntonioFP45]

In 1973 at age 10 on my very first HO layout, I could run two F units with a 10 car freight train of 40 and 50ft cars without it looking "tacky". It was Tyco and rather crude, but the memories with my dad are fond and lasting.

[AggroJones]

My old crappy attempt at a layout was slightly smaller than my current fabulous one. 4' x 8' . The max radius was 22" and I used to run trains about 13 freight cars. That is about the max in that space without it looking "wrong".

[Anonymous]

With or without track? [:D]

[Anonymous]

it all depends on the lenth of the cars, amount of track, scale, and do you mean moving or in a switching yard?

[Anonymous]

My current 4x8 layout has 3 main lines running 15, 18 and 22" radius curves and looks best with 6-7 car consists. The longest I currently run is my UP Challenger with 6 or 7 40 ft boxcars and caboose. I do run the Challenger with 3 new Rivarossi smooth side passenger cars, but only on the 22 & 18". I do have a reversing section on the 15 which interconnects with the 18 and 22 and numerous freight sidings and engine facilities so I do shuttle the cars around quite a bit. My longest siding holds 10 cars and usually 2 F7A's. When I get crazy and pull 15 or more cars at a time with the Challenger, it does truly take away from any "reality" but it is still fun to watch the 4-6-6-4 work out on the 4% grade!

[Jetrock]

It all depends on whether or not you leave that 4x8 slab in one piece!! By splitting it down the middle and turning it into a 2x16 shelf layout or an 8x10 foot L-shaped layout, you could model a fairly large yard, in HO, that could hold a hatful of cars, including a decent-sized engine servicing facility with a turntable.

101 LAYOUTS includes some pretty decent 4x8 plans with large yards, like #20, New Industry Connecting RR, and #27, Transit & Cambridge. #51, the Chicago Inner Belt Line, has a ton of yard capacity and you'd have wood left over from a 4x8, just rip it into three 16" wide pieces and butt 'em together! It even has a few industries (as long as you made heavy use of building flats) for operating potential, although you'd have plenty of extra capacity in the yard.