# Of Car An Engine Can Pull

[Yecktrain1]

I've been wondering what is a good rule of thumb on determining how many cars an engine can pull, without damaging it. When Lionel came out with the little die cast 0-6-0 switcher I foolishly pulled to many cars and stripped out a gear, my dealer who serviced it said it was only to pull a few cars. I have several engines ranging from Lionel, Williams, and K-line. The dealer I purchased the Williams engines off of said they will handle anything you throw at it ( not very helpful), also having recently purchased a Lionel PRR Sd70 heritage diesel he said it could handle anything, however I'm not sure how much I want to try to let it pull since I paid a good bit for it. I know Classic toy trains in there reviews uses draw bar pull when testing new locomotives but I'm not sure how that translates into know how much an engine can pull. Any Help that would be awesome. Thanks

[rtraincollector]

As to say how much a certain engine can pull varies with each engine and sometimes even two identical won't be able to pull the same. Now with that said most sets come with 5 or fewer cars. I presently have a few dual motor engines I would be willing to throw about as much as my layout would handle. I have a Atlas GP-20 PRR and behind it I have 3 Boxcars and 6 Passenger cars ( all 16" ) and it doesn't think twice I have even taken other engines and put all 12 of my Atlas 33,000 tank cars behind and 2 scale boxcars and a scale caboose behind ( each tank car is about 17") and doesn't think twice then I have had engines where you put 4 cars behind and they will spin there wheels so it all depends on the engine and weather it has traction tires or magna traction or nothing as to what it can pull and also how heavy is that engine as that helps it pull a load also.

My best way to tell you thou watch your engine if it has problems starting  with the load you have on it you may want to lighten it a car or two if it can pull with no problem from the word go then you should be fine.

[sir james I]

Your SD70 and the Williams will pull 15 cars or more. Like RT says if the engine appears to struggle take some cars off. I don't like to overwork an engine so for me a 15 to 20 car train is tops for one engine. Some will really load them up, but that's their choice.

Edit: I'm talking freight cars with easy rolling wheels, most passenger cars are heavier which means 7 or 8 cars with a good engine.

S.J.

[Dave632]

 As stated it totally depends on the engine.

I have a Lionel GS4 with traction tires that by itself weighs 8.5 lbs and have not found the limit of what it can pull. It will simply pull the cars off the track around curves, 0-54, if the load is too big.

Most of the smaller, 5-5.7 lb range, 746, 736, 681 with 8 drivers and magnatraction simply spin their  wheels when the load is too big.

 I once hooked the GS4 and 746 back to back and the bigger engine pulled the smaller one with ease.

 The old J was huffing and puffing but it just slid along behind the GS4.

[riverrailfan]

How much throttle it takes is a determination. My PE with 6 coachs is past 3/4 throttle to pull them at a steady slow speed. I can run it full throttle on the ZW and will never come off the track. I've seen dual engine high dollar deisels smoke the motors pulling 20 diecast cars. You have to remember there could always be a weak link like the gears. If the gears are plastic, it probably ain't going to last pulling to many cars behind it.

[Dave632]

None of my engines, new or old, have ever ran into a problem pulling lots of cars. Even when I abused them when I was younger.

[lion88roar]

Hmmm... my layout has an upper level that is a folded dog-bone configuration (grades) and here is what I have found:

Freight:
Lionel WM Challenger (Legacy) that will pull 15+ DIECAST hoppers with no problem
2 Lionel AC6000s (both Legacy) (similar to your SD70s) and they will pull 15+ PS1 boxcars with no problem, double-head them and look out!
3 Lionel GP30s (1 TMCC with Odyssey and 1 with Legacy, one non-powered), I have only run them triple-headed because they simply look awesome that way and they will pull the same 15+ PS1 boxcar consist with no problem

Passenger:
Lionel B&O Scale Mikado - pulls 7 Williams 80' Streamlined cars with no problem
Lionel B&O E8s - same
Lionel C&O 10 Wheeler - same
Lionel WM Consolidation - same

On the lower level (level) track I have no problems with any of my engines pulling long consists

[Yecktrain1]

I appreciate all the replies keep them coming! Maybe I'm expecting to much from my engines, I have a Lionel Dash 9 with railsounds tmcc and dual motors, I setup I believe no more than 10 reefer cars fairly light cars the older ones with advertising like red lobster, old Milwaukee, Gerber baby food etc... If I can find my old phone I have pictures on it to know the exact number of cars. It was bogged down, so I put a much cheaper k-line MP-15 on and it and pulled them with no problem. It seems to me the Dash 9 Should have been able to handle them.

[aflyer]

This may start a train car pulling war, but please check out the link below.  

I belong to ACSG, Carolinas division, and the attached Video shows a consist of 147 cars that we had on or modular layout.  So it seams that many locomotives can pull a large number of cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0RIH7RVxvc#t=27

Aflyer

[riverrailfan]

aflyer

This may start a train car pulling war, but please check out the link below.  

I belong to ACSG, Carolinas division, and the attached Video shows a consist of 147 cars that we had on or modular layout.  So it seams that many locomotives can pull a large number of cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0RIH7RVxvc#t=27

Aflyer

That's more annoying than being stuck at a crossing for a slow freight

[M. Mitchell Marmel]

Well, I do know that with 6 ounces of wheel weights, "Little Stinky" (the worlds only trolley steam locomotive):

Becomes a real stump puller:

-MMM-