Length of trains you run

[BRAKIE]

Doughless

I model a contemporary shortline.  3-4 car trains are pulled by a switcher.  7-9 car trains are pulled by a 4 axle EMD GP.  10-12 car aggregate are trains pulled by a 4 axle U-Boat or ALCO.

 

Here's how I operate the Summerset Ry or Slate Creek Rail-SCR for short.

The number of cars is rotated some days its none and other days 1-8.

On the days where there is no inbound cars my crew picks up the empties and takes them to the NS interchange.

If there is no switch work for the crew to perform then the remove their train crew hats and put on their maintenance hats which may include cutting grass and weeds around the office building.

If there is no work they receive 4 hours show up pay and go home.

[wp8thsub]

BRAKIE

 

richhotrain

I make it sound like an impossible dream. Extended length of time without a derailment? Not in my house. Rich

 Rich,If I may ask.. Why do you accept that as normal?

Maybe I'm the odd man out but,for me its 100% derailment free operation or its no operations until I fix the problem.

Ditto.  The only "acceptable" derailment at my layout is one caused by operator error - never equipment or track.  An unattended train at an open house can run all day without an issue.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

the old train man

Just curious as to how many freight cars you normally run on point to point trips on your layout?

 

Does staging back to staging count for those of us with layouts that allow continious operation?

My layout is designed for 40-70 car trains, typical of prototype operatons in this region during the 1954 era I model.

Derailments? What are they? Operator error would be the primary cause when it does happen. Automatic Train Control prevents most of those........

Derailment free operation is easy - large curves, smooth grades, carefully installed track, proper car weight, sprung/equalized trucks, proper coupler heights.

Passenger trains vary from as few as several car locals and RDC's, to mainline name trains up to 14-15 cars.

Sheldon

[BRAKIE]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

Derailment free operation is easy - large curves, smooth grades, carefully installed track, proper car weight, sprung/equalized trucks, proper coupler heights.

That's a excellent way..

Here's my method that works as well.

Truck screw tighten completely down backed off 2-2 1/2 turns.

Coupler and trip pin at the correct height.

If used, plastic wheels in gauge, better is metal wheels since they put weight on the rail.

I use two  1/4"  oz stick on weights over the trucks.This places the weight over the wheels which IMHO is far better then in the center of the car's floor.

My ISL flex track and switches is checked for flaws and for wide or tight gauge and then  it was carefully laid and the club track was carefully  laid as well.

[RR_Mel]

I got so wound up by John Allen when I was a teenager that all three layouts I built since 1951 are scenery orientated.  My max length is about 22 cars between tunnels with 3½% grades and no staging area.

 

My Daylight passenger service is made up of 10 cars pulled by a pair of E7ABs.

 

My logging operation is two and three truck Shays with 10 to 24 shorty log cars and a bobber caboose.

 

On occasion I run a four car old time shorty coach with a Drovers Caboose pulled with a Shay when I’m in the early 1900s mode.

 

My layout era is the mid 1950s but by removing the newer vehicles I can go back in time easily.

 

I got tired of derails and fixed my track work, none since the fix.  It took three months but worth every minute.

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

[SouthPenn]

I have run 5- 'F' units and 62 cars but that is grossly to long for my layout. I have to split it up to use the reversing loop. Normal max is 32 pieces which includes engines and 40' cars, as that is the longest train that will fit in the reversing loop. Normal is 15-20 cars and whatever engine or engines I feel like running.

South Penn

[tomikawaTT]

My layout was designed to simulate the prototype I've chosen to model, so the sidings, staging tracks and platform arrangements on the Nihon Kokutetsu are all sized to take:

• Conventional passenger (locomotive hauled,) max 7 cars.
• DMU, max 6 cars.
• EMU, max 4 cars.
• Through freights, max 20 ordinary length cars.
• Local freights, max 12 ordinary length cars.

If longer-than-ordinary cars are included, the car count goes down.

The steeper, sharper-curve Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo usually runs:

• 3-4 ordinary freight car goods trains.
• Up to 6 car loose-car coal trains (empties upgrade, loads downgrade.)
• 2-3 ordinary freight cars + short coach mixed trains.
• 2 (short) car passenger trains.
• Unit coal trains - 4 articulated hoppers, 2 brake vans.
• Most passenger runs are made by a 4-wheel rail bus.

One thing to note.  Typical of Japan, the traffic density is astounding by US standards (but a little less than normal by Broadway Lion's...)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

 

[ALEX WARSHAL]

My passenger trains average about 3 cars, and freights average 4-5 cars. All hail the mighty 4x8.

-Alex Warshal

[rrebell]

BATMAN

 

richhotrain

Liar, liar, pants on fire! Laugh

 

 

NA NA NA NA NA

Actually Rich this is the first layout that I have had such success in the bullet proof trackwork department.

I put it down to two tings. First as I entered geezerdom, I was a much more patient man when it came to being maticulous. However I think the fact that this was my first layout on foam is the real reason. Eliminating a large part of the expansion/contraction issue has made me notice that I spend very little time fixing the slight movements in the track that you would get when the subroadbed was wood.

If there is a next time for a new layout, it will be foam on steel studs. That would make it only get better as far as "environment proofing" my work.

 

I'm with you, foam as a base is the way to go! My stuff only derails if a car breaks or it runs against a switch (that one being my fault).

[twhite]

My layout is a moderate sized layout based on California mountain railroading in the 'forties and 'fifties, so I can run relatively short trains that look "longer" because of scenic interruptions (cuts, tunnels, bridges, etc).  Generally speaking, my through freights will run between 15-25 cars, locals anywhere from 4-8.  Passenger trains are between 6-10 cars (though one is a fixed articulated at 4 cars).  Grades are between 1.5 and 2.4%, though not continuous, so double-heading is often done on trains of over 15 cars (I run 95% steam). 

Works for me.

Tom

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

richhotrain

 

 

riogrande5761

 

 

richhotrain

 

BATMAN

I get a great deal of satisfaction watching all those cars go around the layout for an extended length of time without a derailment.  

Liar, liar, pants on fire!    

 

 

 

You make it sound like a bad thing! 

 

 

 

 

I make it sound like an impossible dream.  

 

Extended length of time without a derailment?

Not in my house.

Rich

 

Rich,

It is really not that hard to get derailment free operation - but it takes good trackwork and high standards for rolling stock.

It also helps to not be pushing things to limits - no 85' passenger cars on 24" radius, #6 and larger turnouts, easements, reasonable grades, etc.

Sheldon

[jecorbett]

The OP only asked about freight trains so my first reply was to that. My passenger trains include everything 2 car commuters to the 9 car Walthers 20th Century Limited set. My favorites are the 3-4 car local passenger trains with a mixed consist of heavyweight and lightweight cars. I think those have a lot of character. My new branchline will have a doodlebug.

 

[Guy Papillon]

8 to 12 40' freight cars with one or two diesels to fit the sidings. Small point to point with switching layout.

Wish I had a bigger one.

 

[De Luxe]

My shortest train is a passenger train made up of 6 Roundhouse Palace Cars being pulled by a 4-4-0, while my longest train is a freight made up of 40 freight cars (good micture of 50' and 40' cars) being pulled by a F7 ABBBA set.

[wjstix]

I currently am running a switching shelf layout. I have run-around tracks at each end of the layout that can handle about 10 40' freight cars, so the normal train is about 8 cars with caboose. I have one town in place, and am adding another (track and buildings in place, but no scenery yet); each town has industries that can handle 8-9 freight cars at max. 

Eventually there will be reverse loops added as the layout continues to expand, so eventually I will be running passenger trains up to 7 cars, and iron ore trains around 30 cars long.

[jjdamnit]

Hello All,

On my 4x8 table-top pike I have run a 4-unit consist of GP40's with twenty-four 32-foot hoppers and a caboose.

I admit that it looked absolutely unprototypical. There was less than two cars distance from the lead loco to the caboose.

Typically I run between 4- to 16-cars per train. I have a 4% grade to get up to the coal unloading platform. On that grade I run a max of 8 hoppers with a consist of 2 GP30's and a helper GP30.

On the mainline; consisting of 18- and 15-inch radius snaptrack, I run the longer 16-car coal drag.

Because of the tight radius curves I only run GP's or 4-axel switchers.

For the Olde Tyme excursion train I run a USRA 0-6-0 with a Vanderbuilt tender and two 47-foot passenger cars and a bobber caboose. This is able to negotiate down the 15-inch radius corkscrew trestle.

Hope this helps.

 

[Burlington Northern #24]

Don't have a layout but plans are for "prototypical" lengths and engine sets.

1964-1970 SP&S & GN/NP power consists, I need to get some GN GP9's, WP, UP and SP units as well. More foreign cars as well.

[Autonerd]

At the Pasadena Model Railroad Club, we frequently run 30-50 or more freight cars, and passenger trains can go 10-20. Here's a hundred car train being pulled by a scratchbuilt UP coal turbine. It was fine in the flats but it all went a bit pear-shaped when we hit the 2% grade... A couple of broken couplers and one stringline. A couple of mid-train helpers got us up the hill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgn3S-iXKjk

[E-L man tom]

My little HO scale switching layout is only about 20 ft long, point-to-point with about 4 feet of that as staging (will use cassette or sector plate to maximize this in the future). My trains are no more than about 8 or 9 cars maximum, one engine and a caboose.