Question about model Triple Crowns/Road Railers

[techguy57]

Which manufacturers make HO scale Triple Crowns/Road Railers?

Thanks for the info.

Mike

[StillGrande]

Bowser. There are several versions of the NS trailers, as well as other roads including Amtrack. There is a separate coupler mate for the first trailer.

[nfmisso]

See:
http://www.bowser-trains.com/hocars/roadrail/roadrail.htm

[Anonymous]

On a related note, do real roadrailers have couplers on both ends of the set? I've only seen N-Scale roadrailers and the modeller only had a coupler on the "Coupler-mate" end of the set. I'd like to get some in Amtrak livery to go with my Superliners, but they'd be useless on my layout if they don't have couplers at both ends.

[Anonymous]

The real RoadRailers only have the coupler on the "coupler mate". RoadRailers do not have enough strength to be able to tow standard rail cars behind them. So the trailers must always be at the end of the train.

[Anonymous]

So how do RRs go about switching Road Railers? if they only have a coupler at one end they'd surely be an operational nightmare - you couldn't just hook on a switcher and tow them to the yard.

[Anonymous]

They are not switched like normal rail cars. They are usually moved around with a large fork lift, like containers or trailers.

[DSchmitt]

Coupler mates can be attached to either end of the Roadrailer.

The first ones I saw (Schneider, on the SP north of Roseville CA many years ago) were coupled at the rear of a string of regular freight cars. The last Roadrailer had a coupler mate to which a single box car with FRED mounted was coupled. This train ran reguarly (I think 3 times a week) for at least a year.

The Roadrails I see now are run alone and do not have a mate on the rear.