Was wondering for those of you who use helpers on the ends,how many cars on average are on your consists?
On the layout where I operate, the rule is 12 cars per loco before a helper is needed. An articulated counts as two locos.
But it really depends on the steepness of your grade and the pulling power of you loco. I have a 4-4-0 that can only pull 4 36’ cars up a 3.1% grade and barely make it by itself up a 3.7% grade.
Like Chip, I use helpers only when they’re required to get the train over the division, although they’re usually on the head-end. While I have used pushers, too, most situations requiring helpers on my layout are best served with both (or all) locos on the front end, as my operating procedure requires turning the locos mid-way through their trip, at an interchange point. Train length has varied from 8 to over 70 cars, depending on train weight and the particular locos used, although the length of passing sidings usually keeps the train to two locos, a dozen cars, and a caboose.
Wayne
I think helpers depend on a few factors. What Kind or Type of RR you are modeling, what Train Lengths you have set, and the Grades present. Most of us would like to run really long trains, but because our layouts are not as big as we would like then to be, we have set limits on train lengths for one, and sometimes two, engines. Really long trains going around on a small layout really look funny, therefore most of us set a limit as to train length.
So helpers can be used as just a RR rule if you are going on a certain branch or grade, even though you don’t really need them to pull your train up. However in some cases, depending on the grade and set train length, you may actually need another engine to help out. This is one area that needs to be considered when planning a layout and designing a track plan.
Though my big articulateds are generally enough to get a heavy freight train over my grades, occasionally I’ll use a front-end helper, often just for ‘show’. Usually a non-articulated smaller loco like a 2-8-0 or a 2-8-2. When I run a double-headed passenger train, I usually use a 4-8-4 as a road loco and a 4-8-2 as a helper. I’m leery about using mid-train or end-train helpers, because I have to distribute the weight of the cars VERY carefully.
Tom
There is a lot of info on helpers on Joe Fugate’s Siskiyou Line site. There is a good read on helpers, which locos can pull how many cars etc. His prototype runs mid train helpers so does he.
http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.26
There is a ton of great info over there. Hopefully Joe will see this and give a direct link (I did a quick look for it)
ratled