train Length

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Bnsftrainnut

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Oct 16, 2003
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hey guys im just in the very early stages of designing my railroad and would like to see what length some guys are runnng there trains at. On my Layout now the trains are about 2-3 locomotives and 25-28 cars long but i was thinking of going more along the lines of 40-50 cars long .

Dennis
 
I used to run 40 cars on average on my old layout. Two to three units was the norm, including a helix with 2% grades at 19 degrees. the longest I recall running was a little over 60 cars. The only problems I had were if lighter cars were close to the headend... which would never happen since that would have been a marshalling violation!

Mike
 
I originaly planned on running 40-50 car trains, but after operating for a while, I have cut the train length down to 25 to 35 cars. Much longer than that, and the train starts going around too many corners and doesn't look right. If you plan on 25-35 cars, and design your layout for that, you can get more towns in your layout. I don't know how big your layout will be, but if your trains are around 10-13 feet long, and you leave at least one train length between towns and sidings, you can see that you will be able to do much more with the room you have, than if your trains are 16-20 feet long. Design your layout good, and put lots of thought into it, so you don't have to redo it, (you will anyway!)

Mike.
 
I agree with Mike. Keep your trains in the 25 to 35 lengths for your layout to give you that dept of field between the towns.
On my Norfolk Southern Layout that is 18' x 42' I run any where from 30 to 40 car trains and that is plenty long enough. After you start running your trains for a while you'll know what is to long.

Scott
 
Keep a good Eye.

Most of the stuff that i look for is landscape, the track falls in to its own place A hill! I try not to pull too menney cars, wher and tair!!!!!I tryed that with my Kato, and she still runns great, Twentyfive cars!!!!!Its alot of weight for a N gage. Look at some of my moleling, you can grabb some ides! it took me four years , and still, theres more to do! it took nature twentyfive years to make a Tree, Im trying to do in a week! we came a long way! I rember when my dad stapled the tracks to the board. then put gue where the grass would be ,OLD SCHOOL! Hay it was traine board! it worked! We all started frome some where!
 
I am with you all as to train length and your reasoning for doing so is very good Mike. It's your railroad, so what looks good is what counts. The only long trains I have seen are at shows where there are large Ntack layouts where they ran a 100 car coal drag. Very impressive with 6 locos hauling it but got boring after a while just watching it slowly running around the layout.
 
100 car trains do look nice BUT they are a pain some times when the have a little derailment. On my layout now im running 25-28 cars but they seem to be a little short but i think that 35-40 cars would give me a more prototypical( did i spell that right) train.:D

Dennis
 
'prototypical looking length'

Actually, it depends. If at normal viewing length you cant see the whole train, it will look like a long train no matter how many cars are in the train. Usually this runs about 25 cars in N-scale
 
It's a repeated tired old phrase, but it still holds true:

It's your layout. You decide how to run it. Do what you want to
 
Two of my yard tracks are 4 1/2 feet long so I can make up 2 trains with two engines and 11 - 12 cars each. I use two engines as I have a grade of just over 2 % and they can pull those cars up with no trouble.
 
Re: 'prototypical looking length'

Originally posted by screwysquirrel
Actually, it depends. If at normal viewing length you cant see the whole train, it will look like a long train no matter how many cars are in the train. Usually this runs about 25 cars in N-scale
Click to expand...


That's total right, I have found that 25-30 cars is usually long enough to look real.

Mike.
 
On my pike I have a max limit of 15 freight cars in a train plus two locomotives and a caboose. This allows me to have a protoypical mix of cars. This is long enough to look realistic on my layout. This also is short enough to make and break in my yard and A/D track. The portion of my layout where I have completed laying track is the mills and the yard. When I get to Phase II with the mainline run and additional industries I think I will keep my limit. If there is sufficient traffic, I'll just have to run another train.

On the prototype AD&N, the daily usually ran between 45-70 cars with two locomotives and a caboose.
 
Originally posted by rcwatkins
On my future layout it shoud be around 12 cars because I only have 3' by 7'. :cry:
Click to expand...
I just got the Terrain for Trains delivered......comes out to about 10 square feet........a couple of GP-9's and about 12 or so 40' foot boxcars with a caboose looks to be about right......otherwise I feel your pain....but since I am doing this with the kids......that is all that matters to me.
 
I will run 3 SD45's with 28 double stack husky cars, the total lenght will be 307cm :D...Z-scale ;)

I got em all, except for 1 more SD45, total pricetag will be $2710usd

Good thing I still live at my parents.
 
Originally posted by SmolderZ
I will run 3 SD45's with 28 double stack husky cars, the total lenght will be 307cm :D...Z-scale ;)

I got em all, except for 1 more SD45, total pricetag will be $2710usd

Good thing I still live at my parents.
Click to expand...

$2710? :eek: :eek:
If your parents ever found out that was how much it was, they may very well want you to spend that kind of money on a place of your own :D :D :D
 
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