how long are your trains?

[Anonymous]

on average, how many cars will your trains haul in one consist?

mine is about 7 due to a small layout, but my longest will reach 15 occasionally

[vsmith]

I gotcha beat, large scale/small layout I run about 3 or 4 short two axle cars behind my Porters.

[Anonymous]

Mine usually run to 2-3 cars - current layout is an 8ft shelf, planning to build something bigger one day. I have cars to run far larger trains when I can build a bigger layout - there's a complete Amtrak Superliners/MHCs/Express Boxcars consist and a long intermodal train stored in boxes in the attic at the moment.

[twhite]

I've got a fairly extensive model railroad (24'x24') and fairly wide-radius curves (34" min) and the occasional 2.4% grade, just like Donner Pass. I usually try and run about 20-30 cars (HO) on reefer trains and expidited freights. Peddler freights and locals usually run about 5-10 cars, and passenger trains are about 7-10 cars. Unless I'm using an articulated, I usually have to double-head my locos to get the longer trains to the summit. I've even done a triple-header (BLI locos) and brother, was THAT noisy!

[Anonymous]

1 to 40 cars, I can run more but my yard tracks can only handle 20 or 30 cars each (anything over 25 is put on two tracks).

[Anonymous]

My average train is 10-15 cars long. It all depends on what my indusrties are shipping that day. Hopefully longer trains when I expand.
Andrew

[joseph2]

AS long as the passing sidings,seeven or eight cars. Joe G.

[orsonroy]

My average engine (USRA light Mikado, from various manufacturers) will pull about 14 cars up my 2.5% grade, so that's my layout's working maximum. My passing sidings are set up for 20 car trains, and my average staging yard siding is 16 cars. However...I've been known to run a 30 car train on occasion! (mostly downhill or double-headed)

[Noah Hofrichter]

I only have a few small industries, and I run no through frieghts, so My trains are usually about 5-7 cars and two engines long. Sometimes a few less, but never many more than that or it dwarfs my layout.

Noah

[Junctionfan]

15-30 usually but on occasion 30-60.

[Fergmiester]

Thirty is a good number but I've hauled as much as 70+. I've even been able to make it around the track a couple of times!

[egmurphy]

Well it's still kind of theoretical at this time as the mainline isn't completed. But plans call for probably 3-5 cars on the local. The daily northbound and southbound thru freights may wind up with 12+/- if my engines can pull that many up the grades!! Passenger service is planned for 3 cars +/-, plus local service using the Doodlebug.

Ed

[Anonymous]

I have ran trains as long as 120 cars but usually are around 30-36. Oh almost forgot, they are all ore cars.

[Anonymous]

Usually around 10-20 for me. Locals are about 5-10 cars long (usually with only one locomotive) and the rest are 15-20 (mostly with 2 or more locomotives).

[CP5415]

Mine won't be longer than 8 freight cars or 4 passenger cars to allow for the sidings I have.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

My average train is 15-20 cars long, but that includes a number of modern cars (autocarriers, 85 foot box cars, 60 foot cars, etc.). My layout is 22' X23' and has 30" minimum radius curves.

[Anonymous]

Hmm right now about 15 cause that is all that have kadees
need to get back into the practice of buying car kits and kadees for each one

but I expect 20 cars no problem 60" is my biggest radius and 34" is the smallest with number 8 turnouts

[FThunder11]

4 or 5

[simon1966]

We usually run about 15 to 20 cars at the most. The other day I wandered into the train room and found that my boys (4 and 7) had hooked up a train that went around the entire layout room and was about 2" shy of hooking up on its tail. With about 60 feet in the loop this was the longest we will ever run. The only snag, they had this being pulled by my Atlas S2....... Lets just say it wasn't going anywhere.

[johncolley]

Before we had to dismantle our club layout I was running my 14 car Empire Builder pulled by a pair of BLI E-7's and a 60+car freight pulled by Stewart FT ABBA combo all powered. That was on 24" min.rad.(most larger), and 2% max grades. I will be curious to see what the Stewart FT's will do now that I have converted 3 units to DCC and gutted a B unit to fill with sound, but our layout is history and I have nowhere around here to run them.

[Roadtrp]

My passenger trains are usually 4 cars plus a locomotive; my freights are usually 8-10 cars plus a loco. I've run my freights at 18 cars, but it just doesn't look realistic on my 3-1/2 x 7 'N' scale layout.

[Anonymous]

Let's see passenger trains would be 4 cars and maybe a boxcar for 5

Freight trains would be no more than 15, although i have tested up to 30, just for fun.

[jfugate]

The longest passing sidings and the yard tracks (both on the layout and in staging) on my HO Siskiyou Line are 18 feet long, which works out to about 25 HO cars (50 foot cars) plus head end power (3 units) and the cab on the back.

We're talking the 1980s SP here, so sometimes I'll run trains as long as 35 cars, but then any opposing train can't be longer than 18 feet or you can't pass at the sidings. And the extra long train will have to take two yard tracks (you split the train in two -- called "doubling" the yard).

[AggroJones]

12-15 on average. 20 car trains on my layout is pushing the limits of looking okay since it will take up 37% of the line. But sometimes I'll run 35-40 car freight, kinda like a loco tester special (it almost touches its own caboose). I've discovered a new Rivarossi FEF without tires will move 41 cars. She slips at first, then it gets moving. My AC-5 is still slowly being weathered, so I haven't had a chance to see what she can do yet.

[IRONROOSTER]

My railroad was planned to run 13 car (40') trains plus caboose and engine. I can run longer trains but they won't fit the staging tracks.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Roadtrp

My passenger trains are usually 4 cars plus a locomotive; my freights are usually 8-10 cars plus a loco. I've run my freights at 18 cars, but it just doesn't look realistic on my 3-1/2 x 7 'N' scale layout...

I have the same issue on my 2 1/2' x 5' N layout. I've run up to 20 cars around for kicks on a rare occasion, but normal operations have never seen a train get more than 10 cars, normally seven or so. They are also predominantly 40' or less for the same reason.

---jps

[Anonymous]

Mine is branch line operations so I don't run anything greater than 10. 8 or less seems to be the most common number.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine runs PRR mainline during the late Steam-Diesel Transition years. In a good and busy operating session of 8 people, we have 2 yards working full time, and 6 mainline trains operating. Each mainline train is 80 to 100 cars in length with 3 to 4 engines pulling. Occasionally, we have to run pusher services to get up some of the grades. You can bet that the wheels and couples are monitored closely for any issues.

[Anonymous]

My normal mainline run is a WM F7 ABA and 30 cars. Box, coal, cvrd hoppers, caboose.
My passenger train is a WM 462 3 coaches, and 1 baggage, and at time a box. Now I am running in actual miles (35). Straight runs are 34 feet. I have attempted more but at times they tend to want to fall over on sharper curves.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I'm planning a huge layout that will have the capacity for well over 1000 cars in O scale. The mainline alone will be over 600 feet. The trains however will be fairly short, 8 -10 cars. I could try to run 50 car trains, but there would be no place to put them.