Mostly this would depend on how big your layout is I guess. Mine is a N scale u shape 19 ft long by 5 ft on one end and 7 ft on the other so I can run some long trains. I have run as many as 70 cars in a mixed freight being pulled by 7 diesels and a coal drag with about 60 coalporters with 5-6 diesels. Most of the time though, I usually run about 30-40 cars.
How about you guys ? Show some pics or videos.
I model in HO. What I’m listing is what is currently on the layout. My longest is 15 units. Two powered Athearn BB F7’s (DCC A-B set) and 13 cars. The shortest is 9 unit. One Athearn F7 and 8 cars. I also run one train of 10 units. One Athearn F7 and one Athearn GP50, both DCC, with 8 cars. My layout is roughly 8 x 10 feet.
Depending on how I’m running the layout influences the length of the train. If just running the layout then a 20 to 30 car train is the usual. If running the layout to service the industries then about 7 or 8 cars.
On the Longview Kelso & Rainier Club layout we usually run 30 to 40 cars on the main line and 7 or so cars on the branch line. I did run an 85 car train with mid train helpers once. All SP power with a Master SD40T-2 and three other six axle units on the headend. 55 cars deep another SD40T-2 slave unit and two other six axle units followed by 30 more cars and caboose.
Needless to say the lead units were almost chasing the caboose There was only 12 feet or 1044 scale feet between the locomotives and the caboose. The train ran well for over two hours before returning to the yard
The layout is HO and is “U” shaped with outside dimentions of 12 X 24 feet.
My longest train is six 40 foot cars, a road engine (GP-9, GP-18) and a caboose. Any thing longer won’t fit in staging.
I could run longer trains but they would A.) over power the layout, and B.) have to be a run through from one town to the other.
I would like to run longer trains but I just don’t have the room for it. My layout is in a 9X13 room in the basement.
Tom
My trains are driven by prototype practice - the layout was designed around the standard train length, not vice-versa. Freight train lengths are defined in CLE - the equivalent length of a standard 4-wheel drop-side gon (105mm). With the exception of two older EMU, the standard length for passenger equipment car bodies is 20 scale meters (250mm.)
Freight staging is set up to handle maximum-length trains of each class. Passenger staging is set up to handle specific schedule-required consist lengths.
The layout is a double garage filler, currently under construction with limited operation.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Yea, it depends entirely on how big your layout is, your scale, and what era/RR you model. I have a 4 x 8 HO NYC layout based in the early 40s. My longest trains on my mainline are usually no more than 12 cars or fewer in the 40’ range.
Tom
My layout is a 5x12 table. I generally run 7-8 cars, plus caboose, one or two engines only. I can go a bit longer, but then I block my crossover track if I park the train on a passing siding.
I find this is a good length for running. I don’t end up with the conductor in the caboose waving to the engineer.
I’m designing my future staging to hold about 10-car trains.
4x8… anywhere from 6 or 7 to 30. Is the train chasing it’s tale? Nope. I could add a couple cars before the engine and caboose touch!
I have a 10x12 around the walls with a center penninsula Average Road freight is about 14 cars plus a pair of SD40-2s. the Local train is about maxed at 9 cars and a GP38 due the ruling grade on my layout is a 2%. The shortline Road freight is 3 cars, a Caboose, and an RS11 That barely fits in the staging track for it. I could run 16-17 cars plus a pair of SD40-2s on my Road freights except then I block a diamond so I have to be a couple cars shorter
The Yuba River Sub is an HO layout approximately 24x24’ in my garage. The main line loops back on itself at different elevations, so I have plenty of running space. Generally my freights run between 20-30 cars, and my local ‘turns’ run about 6-8, depending on how much setting out I am doing at the time. I model the steam era, so most of my cars are 40 footers, with some 50 footers thrown in.
My passenger trains range from a 4-car local to several 10 and 12-car through passengers.
Tom
My main line freight runs about 20-25 cars, it sets out and picks up 4-6 cars for the local switching jobs. Because I don’t have a yard with enough tracks to store equipment the main line freight acts as a holding train for cars, other words when a car off the locals is picked up, it can then be set out as a new set out elsewhere. The layout keeps expanding.
Mainline freights about 20 cars, Locals up to 16 cars. Cars are a mix between 40’ and 50’ cars and other.
Wolfgang
I have a 3x7.5’ HO scale layout. Usually I run one engine, 3-4 36’ cars and once I buy one a caboose. Anything more than that and the train starts looking silly. My 6 year old son, on the other hand, has no qualms about putting 10-12 cars in a train.
Jim
I have a HO 4x8 double loop, so 4-8 cars is the norm. My grandson egged me into adding more & more cars one day and wound up with 30 something cars pulled by my Athearn Challenger - if I had a 2" long car it would have coupled to the engine & tender!![:O]
I have an HO layout and developed the track plan to accomodate up to four (4) separate train consists with each typically pulling up to 28 cars of rolling stock. This is based on several factors including the longest length of passing sidings, staging track length, and classification yard track lengths as well as other layout factors in the equation.
Now I have pushed the envelope a bit with one consist having 35 cars of rolling stock with my single loco pulling it up a 1.5% grade. This particular consist was made up of 24 coal hoppers and the rest a mix of hoppers, covered gondolas, bulkhead flat cars and couple LPG tankers.You can view an example of this consist on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCqg_Fi1wY
Regards! [8D]
I’ve run up to 32, but they won’t fit in staging. I can run up to around 12 before I have to double the train into two tracks. I can do this, as I have extra tracks, but it makes it hard to get the train out. I measured my siding, and it’s somewhere around 750 scale feet long, which is a wee bit short on the prototype…[:-^]
Also, starting around 15 cars it can get a little hairy on the 22" radius curve at the summit of the pass - I’ve had entire trains stringline there, and the remaining McHenry couplers on the layout occasionally break, creating runaway trains which can do serious damage to the equpment, not to mention the scenery and buildings it hits when it derails.
I wonder why I know this…
I have space for a 14X26 HO scale layout. After running on some other layouts, I believe that most of my trains will have about 15 cars. Through trains and passenger trains will be longer, maybe 20-25 for frieghts and 10-12 for passenger. Having the opportunity to operated on various layouts, 10-15 is a good number for trains that are either switching enroute or locals.
Rick Keil
On the club layout I have run 65+ cars once, with 2 engines (P2K GP30s). It was slow, but would have never made it up the helix. (it made it around the mini-helix)
I say 65+ because most (if not all) of the clubs cars don’t roll really well and are overweight. (mine roll really nice, but might be a tad heavy) I had my 12 covered hoppers (MDC FMC hoppers, with 1/2 ounce weight addedoveer the trucks) and 11 boxcars (mix of athearn BB, RTR athearn, and MDC), then a wather’s caboose. After that, I had 20 or so 50’ boxcars, then the rest were 40’ boxcars.
I usually run around 20-30 cars though. the train I’ve used the most has 2 P2k U28Bs (one sound/DCC, one with DCC) and has my 12 hoppers and 13 boxcars and an Atlas caboose. It makes it around fairly easily and I can blast my way up the helix (hate not seeing my trains), and can tack on about 12 more club cars.
Since my layout is only 10 feet long with 6 foot staging , most of my trains are 6 or 7 cars long plus an engine , although when switching cars and building an out bound trains sometimes the train becomes 14 cars long but that is just switching .
2-3 engines and up to 20 cars on one train, but the other has to be under about 500 feet to fit in the passing sidings [:)]
I have run 80 car trains before, and that’s FUN when one of the midtrains decides to stutter and suddenly you’ve got 10 hopper cars stringlined into Redrock Canyon…
oh yeah, you asked for pics? I haven’t been taking many recently since my increased ability is getting good at showing flaws in the layout…
Typical train: 
Boxcars are nice.
Self explainitory:
What has happened.
