How long are your coal trains?
In N-scale I run unit coal trains that are 32 cars long. Well, I used to before I sold all of my Kato coal cars to raise cash for track. On my layout, that length feels like a "long" train, especially if you don't highball around. Jamie
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That's one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions, the answer could be 5, 50, 100, you name it. It depends on too many variables, steam, diesel, era, branchline, mainline and so on.
You'll need to be a lot more specific with your question to get any intelligent answers unless you just want some random numbers posted.
Mark
RMR
in HO scale
denveroutlaws06 How long are your coal trains?
Mine run between 15 and 20 coal hoppers with fake plastic coal loads, plus a caboose. It depends on the engine. My BLI J1 2-10-4 is good for about 16 cars on my 3% grades while my PCM Y6b 2-8-8-2 is good for at least 20 cars. I haven't tried to make it spin out by adding cars, but a train much longer would be close to nibbling at its own tail on my oval's dimensions.
Crandell
I am modeling West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina of the 1950's. N&W, Southern, and C&O are the prototypes that I model. My layout room is 20 feet x 30 feet. I use N&W Class A's and Y's as motive power with axillary tenders. So, that being said, most trains have about 20 hoppers. I want something that is long enough to look appropriate for the motive power, but not too long for the layout.
Craig North Carolina
Hey denveroutlaws, do you live in Denver? I actually live in Broomfield. I model the D&RGW, UP, BNSF based in Denver. We see a lot of long coal trains in both the UP and BNSF rail yards.
Mine are usually 30-40 cars in HO scale. I have the Exactrail Johnstown America AutoFlood ll Coal Hoppers, which are the same ones I see for the prototype.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
yes i live in the denver area.
I am putting together/buying/trying to find enough Clinchfield cars to get to 10 to15 cars in HO.
How long are yours?
Richard
How about 100 cars?
In N scale, naturally...
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
wm3798 seen lots of photos of your layout,now lets see that 100 car coal train.
Russell
Click the link for the video, Russell...
How did i miss that,Thanks will try it .
The Laurel Valley looks good,the caboose looks like a Southern Railway one.
on my 22'x24' ho layout i run anywhere from 18-24 cars per train.
FB page of my layout *new*
https://www.facebook.com/ghglines
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thread to my layout
http://www.warcrc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10505
pics
http://s237.photobucket.com/user/rockcrawling/library/#/user/rockcrawling/library/ho%20scale%20trains?sort=3&page=1&_suid=1388183416990004180295067414064
Here on the ATLANTIC CENTRAL mainline coal drags are usually about 35-40 hoppers, mostly the 50 ton 34' variety, pulled by a 2-8-8-2 and 2-6-6-2 or an ABBA set of Alco FA's
On the Nearby Western Maryland branchline, 25-30 car coal drags are pulled by three 2-8-0's.
Sheldon
Up to about 50 at the club. Been wanting to go higher but when running trains you should be able to keep an eye on the whole thing at any time.
Springfield PA
On my layout, the only all-coal trains are thrice-weekly ones from off-line interchange to an off-line power plant - just passin' through.
Power is a pair of steamers, Mikes or Consolidations, and train length is limited to twelve 50/55 ton hoppers plus a caboose. This length not only "looks" long enough on my layout, but, at 100 oz., is about the limit for two steam locos.
I have operated a diesel-powered coal train of over forty cars, but ran out of "coal" before running out of hoppers. Trailing weight was in excess of 20 lbs.
Wayne
My coal units are limited to a total length of 1350mm, so they will fit (with locomotive) on a train elevator 1.5 meters long. So, how many cars is that? It could be 11 4-wheel hoppers with a hopper-brake on each end, or some lesser number of longer cars. The target is 5 (each) 7-axle articulated hoppers plus an 8-wheel hopper brake on each end. The 4-wheelers have a capacity of 228 tons, while the freelance monsters would theoretically be able to carry 310 tons.
Why the short trains, on a layout that fills a double garage? Because I'm modeling a prototype that ran short trains powered by light locomotives on a route that would be a rough go for a mountain goat.
If someone wants to play, "My coal drag is longer than your coal drag," by all means do so - but not on my railroad. OTOH, if you want to play, "My coal drag can negotiate 14 inch radius curves on an uncompensated 4% grade..."
Have fun.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with some cars that never ran there or anywhere else)
My coal trains are about 12 cars long plus a caboose and two SD-40T-2 Tunnel motors on the home layout. On the club layout it goes up to 40-45 cares currently with 3 tunnel motors on the front and two on the back. I am currently trying to find more Rio Grande hoppers as they are hard to find these days.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
100 cars behind a BLI Paragon2 Y6B.....Course we have the room and the wide radius curves to acommodate it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d43t-ms3yJI
Most of my coal trains are 10-12 cars long plus a caboose. As more hoppers become available I'll add to the consist. Power varies from 2-GP40s and a GP-20 to a heavy Mike, 2-4 F7s, a pair of RS-32s and even a pair of FP45s. A few times I have even run my grandson's 4-6-6-4. Depends on how the mood strikes me.
Heres a link to an old video of one of my coal trains. Three GPs, 11-12 cars and a caboose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUu9QqJNj8g
With only a 4x10 layout to work with 20 cars plus a caboose is as long as I can go.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Since I'm a Rio Grande fan, I can't not model coal trains. I'm shooting for 25-30 car coal trains because its managable in HO and still gives a fairly long look. I do have some 36 of the Bethlehem 100 ton quads to represent the great steel fleet and in HO 36 cars look pretty good.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I am currently sans a layout but in order to convey an illusion of (prototypical) length my (non-prototypical length) coal trains will always be longer than my longest (visual) straightaway insuring that my motive power and last car will never be seen simultaneously.
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
I have a very large home layout so I like long trains 60 to 80 cars to a train.My grades are long about 1.5% and 28 -30 inch radius curves so 2 -3 locos can pull that many cars with no problems. My roadrailer train is 83 trailers long .My main line is about 350 feet long which is a double main twice around also my yard is 10 tracks wide and 42 feet long so I have room to build long trains with a basement that is 32x52.Im still in the building process and just started sceanery ,it'sbeen a long 3 years to get this far.Hope to get some pic posted soon. Jim.
Twice a week coal trains on the Yuba River Sub consist of about 15-20 cars. Since it's set in the WWII era, the coal cars are actually GS-series Rio Grande drop-bottom gondolas--both steel and composite-- with a smattering of off-road 34' hoppers (CB&Q, C&S, MP, etc.) mixed in. Motive power is usually a 3500 or 3600 series 2-8-8-2, or a 1400 series 2-10-2.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Well my layout is small 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 around the walls with a duck under
SO I usually limit mine to the 12 oxide USRA 55 ton I lettered for my RR or the 12 black 55 ton ( converted RDG)
BUT sometimes I hook up all 24 to my Berk just to see them on at one time
51% share holder in the ME&O ( Wife owns the other 49% )
ME&O
wm3798 How about 100 cars? In N scale, naturally...
Nice train! Thanks for sharing the video!
BTW I used to be a faithful attendee of the Timonium show back when I lived in Bal'mer.
-George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
8 (eight)
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Mine personally are 28 cars long 'cause thats all the hoppers I have built so far. On the HO module group I belong to, one member keeps trying to find the maximum number his BLI A can pull. He has reliably pulled a 157 car train around the layout,more than the prototype was rated for. He has started trains of over 200 hoppers, but the weight of the trailing cars causes the tender and lead cars to come off the track in curves.
John
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/