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How will an Atlas YB Roco and an Atlas YB Kato perform together in a consist?

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  • Member since
    February 2021
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How will an Atlas YB Roco and an Atlas YB Kato perform together in a consist?
Posted by crossthedog on Thursday, March 11, 2021 3:33 PM

I've heard that putting two engines back to back in a consist only works well if the engines are of the same manufacturer and motor type. I have a couple of old Atlas yellow box locos, one made in Austria by Roco and the other in Japan (by Kato if I understand history correctly). They'd make a great pair in a consist back to back -- they're both old Atlas yellow box but not the same manufacturer. Thotz?

 

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

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Posted by alfadawg01 on Thursday, March 11, 2021 3:36 PM

Try it and see.  Nothing will explode.

Bill

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Posted by crossthedog on Thursday, March 11, 2021 3:41 PM

alfadawg01

Nothing will explode.

Righty-o then. I didn't know if that was a good idea. I thought that one motor might be strained by the other but it wouldn't necessarily show signs of distress until I'd ruined it. Thanks a-dawg.

-Matt

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

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Posted by mbinsewi on Thursday, March 11, 2021 3:45 PM

Couple them together and give it try.  OR, you can place on the track, not coupled together, a few inches in between, and see how they run.

Your not going to wreck anything.

I am assuming that both are DC and your power is from a DC controler.

Mike.

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Posted by wjstix on Thursday, March 11, 2021 3:59 PM

crossthedog
I've heard that putting two engines back to back in a consist only works well if the engines are of the same manufacturer and motor type.

It works best if the two engines run at the same speed on the same amount of power, regardless of who built them. Running two engines of the same manufacturer makes it more likely they will run at close to the same speed, but it's not a guarantee. 

Generally, you're not going to find any two engines that run at exactly the same rate of speed, one will usually be a bit faster than the other. In DCC, you can adjust the faster of the two engines to slow it down to the speed of the other one. But in DC, if the speeds of the two engines are close - maybe within 10-20% of each other - you should be able to run them together OK.

Stix
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Posted by Texas Zephyr on Thursday, March 11, 2021 4:19 PM

My guess is the Kato will take off sooner and run better at slow speed.  But the Roco drive was no slouch, so I am thinking mid throttle they might just match.  

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