I am helping a freind build an outside “G” scale layout.He has LGB,USA TRAINS and ARISTO locomotives.What is the general size train these locos can pull without damaging the motors ?Is there a way to increase speed ? I have heard of a Magnum 25 ttransformer from Bridegwerks.Does anyone have experience with this unit ?
Thanks,Ed
Hi otftch
The question is not what size train can the loco pull.
The question is how much standing room do you have in passing loops for the train.
Is there a way to increase speed ERhm why most of them are well capable of running far to fast as it is.
When your train gets too big for one locomotive its time for a bigger locomotive or to double even triple head just like the full size railways.
I generally run a maximum of ten bogie wagons + van because that is the longest train my railway can handle but more normally four or five + van.
Remember “G” is approximately 4 times the size of HO so unless you have a very large block to build the line on I don’t think most locos will struggle with train size
regards John
My home made locos are somewhat more powerful than the commercial ones. I normally work out the tractive load as a number of AXLES that the locomotive has to pull. I normally rate an 0-4-0+0-4-0 at 16 axles and an 0-6-0+0-6-0 at 20 axles. As to speed my normally running speed is a scale 12mph. I do have a friend who’s DELTIC is capable of a scale 100mph but that requires extremely well maintained track -this includes scale superelevation at the curves… regards ralph
Ball bearing wheelsets on the rolling stock can significantly reduce the drag on a locomotive and nearly double the length of train one can pull.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, if the rolling stock has trucks or wheelsets that create a lot of drag on the engine, shorter trains will definitely be required.
I run only steam engines, and use radio control and battery power exclusively. My Bachmann 2-8-0 Consolidation can make it up a 1 percent, 70 foot long grade pulling or pushing 6 pieces of rolling stock plus a caboose without slipping, because I have ball bearing wheelsets in everything.
My Mimi live steam 2-4-2 can’t pull itself alone up the same grade without stalling.
Based on the engine and how much it weighs usually tells how much it can pull.
larger the power imput , usually the more speed. Based on how many locos you put together.
Try to keep the same brand togther, mixing does not always work.
Tighter the curves the more drag on the train.
stepper the grade the more drag.
Having fun, very important, problems may cause fun to drag.
I have found that the smaller a loco is the faster it will go; with with a fairly small load. My ICE train is my fastest train. Its fairly light and has a driving and pulling engine and it can reach a scale speed of about 110 kmp hour
What Cacole said is pretty right about the ball bearing wheels
No two ways about it all the trains i have seen and tried out on my layout witth DCC control go much faster than on analogue layout and will maintain their speed on grades and curves much better.
Rgds ian