World's Longest Model Train Record??

[eeyore9900]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nkpmikado587

I seem to recall that back in the late 70's/early 80's there was a club that set the world record for the longest model train. I remember reading about it in one of the model railroad magazines but the The Model Train Magazine Index draws a blank on the topic.

If I recall correctly, I think it was The Model Railroad Club, Inc. of Union,NJ that set the record.

Again going on memory, they set the record with around 525 2 bay Atheran hopper cars with Atlas SD-35's as power. Something like it took 15 locos or more to move this massive train!

Any information or leads will be appreciated.[:D]

As I recall, it was in 1979/80 when this occurred. At the time (& I do remember this) the world record for the longest "real" train was 500 cars, on an N&W coal drag between the Williamson, W.Va. area, & Columbus, Ohio. I don't remember the total # of engines, but they did use helpers either in the middle or interspersed in the train.
It was the Model Railroad Club in NJ that successfully ran an HO train of 501cars, 11 engines (I'm pretty sure) & 2-bay coal hoppers. It was supposedly accepted by Guinness as a new world record, & MRC used a photo of it in an ad in MR, for that was the power pack that was used.
I guess I could go digging in the attic to find the issue, but I don't feel that masochistic this evening!

[joecool1212]

Some people must spend alot of time with there freight cars to just keep them coupled, I get 48 cars together and somewhere a coupler will ride up or down and disconnect the whole thing! When the engine is only a few inches from the rear of the train BAM!@##$%%^ its all over the floor in less than a second. Oh well at least its fun putting them back together. Joe A.

[ben10ben]

As I recall, one of the requirements being discussed for the new O gauge attempt was that the operating feature of all of the couplers used must be disabled. This is usually done by wrapping a twist-tie or some other such device around the operating part of the coupler. Otherwise, you'd probably never get the train moving without having at least one coupler open.

[lesterperry]

Someone mentioned the real train world record as 500 cars in WVa. If I have been told correctly WVa passed a law many years ago limiting trains to 250 cars. The reason was C&O and N&W were tieing up RR crossings to long. Emergency vehicles could not get where they needed to be. A 250 car coal drag doesn't move very fast. This 500 car train may have been the one to cause this to happen.

[Anonymous]

Well now we have a more to go on here. If the O-Scale guys did 700 plus then that is quite a feat in of itself. I wonder if Guiness would allow the auto coupler feature to be disabled?

As I recall the HO Scale exercise, the train was run over the outer loop then in place on the New Jersey club layout and the track was not flat and did have curves although they were the broadest curves on their layout. I think they made 3 complete loops in order to qualify for the record.

Today if the layout is large enough, 500 plus cars could be accomplished with the use of DCC although unless the track is perfectly flat, one would still need multiple engineers to control the train in order to control the slack. Metal couplers(Kadee 148's or 58's) metal wheels and NMRA car weight and track standards(maybe Proto87 track?)
would need to followed also.

So do we have any takers besides my group?

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cnw4001

I would like to know if any of these records were on anything other than straight track and how far did they move the cars?

The 950 car N scale train I posted about earlier was on 7+ scale mile oval, and ran for over 3 hours traveling over 90 scale miles without a derailment or separation..

[bn7026]

A few years ago the world record was set on a layout called Arid Australia (HO) at a local train show. I don't remember the number of cars or locos but there is a framed acknoledgement of the record by "Guinness". I can try to track down the exact figures but it may be a week or two before I get to the club again.

Regards
Tim

[KenMattern]

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/data/cms/en/256/&action=show&wb_nr=253



Now it is OFFICIAL!!!! It is documented but read for yourself:

Guinness World Records Certificate

The longest model train measured 103.59m and consisted of 584 cars and was constructed at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany, on 19 October 2004.

KJ

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenMattern


http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/data/cms/en/256/&action=show&wb_nr=253



Now it is OFFICIAL!!!! It is documented but read for yourself:

Guinness World Records Certificate

The longest model train measured 103.59m and consisted of 584 cars and was constructed at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany, on 19 October 2004.

KJ

That does settle this, though I'm not sure how that managed to eclipse the previous record. As for those club layout records in HO and N that have been mentioned, they may indeed have topped what Guinness published, but are as such unofficial.

[joecool1212]

WOW Now I'm A believer

[james saunders]

the worlds longest real train, was run by bhp iron ore here in australia, cant recall how long about 6 miles. OZJIM

[John Busby]

Hi James
Is that Hamersly or Mt Newman.
At one time AMRA west Aus division had the record for the worlds longest
Model train.
I believe they took it off the US it actualy made it on to the TV news the day it was done .
I heard that the US took it back the following year
But it looks like the Germans have it now
regards John

[Leon Silverman]

Running a long train does NOT require an absolutely level track. In fact this would help the situation. I had a layout with an over and under loop on it. This was located in a basement space approximately 15 feet square (HO). As I added cars to the train, I naturally had to add locomotives to the front of the train, but only up to a point. Beyond this point, I could ad cars to the back of the train without adding locomotives to the front.
This reason for this "critical train length" was that part of the train was always decending a grade and another portion of the train is always ascending the grade. When this point was reached, adding more cars to the train did not increase the drag. The train length is then limited to the point where the lead locomotive also becomes the lead helper unit because it is simultaneouly pulling the train in front and pushing it from behind.

[Anonymous]

120 at the show my club was at last june...... Thats the most i've seen.... Had to lead engines... I believe they were Atlas... GP 60's? I'm probably wrong on that one!

[dxr8007nz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by loathar

I saw a 100 car N gauge coal drag about 10 years ago. (4 locos) I thought that was pretty cool.

[?] 4 of locomotive how many of unpower ( Dummy ) and power too ?
I try to put 2x locomotive power but too much feed power doesn't go fast enough

[Anonymous]

the longest train i've run was a 30 car mixed freight and all the cars had non free rolling wheels(they pull hard) power was an Atlas U33C and a b-b GP38-2 both engines worked hard pulling that over the hill (maybe 0.5% grade) i ran it 10 minutes and had a nasty derailment a few cars hit the floor and shattered