on average, how many cars will your trains haul in one consist?
mine is about 7 due to a small layout, but my longest will reach 15 occasionally
I gotcha beat, large scale/small layout I run about 3 or 4 short two axle cars behind my Porters.
Mine usually run to 2-3 cars - current layout is an 8ft shelf, planning to build something bigger one day. I have cars to run far larger trains when I can build a bigger layout - there’s a complete Amtrak Superliners/MHCs/Express Boxcars consist and a long intermodal train stored in boxes in the attic at the moment.
I’ve got a fairly extensive model railroad (24’x24’) and fairly wide-radius curves (34" min) and the occasional 2.4% grade, just like Donner Pass. I usually try and run about 20-30 cars (HO) on reefer trains and expidited freights. Peddler freights and locals usually run about 5-10 cars, and passenger trains are about 7-10 cars. Unless I’m using an articulated, I usually have to double-head my locos to get the longer trains to the summit. I’ve even done a triple-header (BLI locos) and brother, was THAT noisy!
1 to 40 cars, I can run more but my yard tracks can only handle 20 or 30 cars each (anything over 25 is put on two tracks).
My average train is 10-15 cars long. It all depends on what my indusrties are shipping that day. Hopefully longer trains when I expand.
Andrew
AS long as the passing sidings,seeven or eight cars. Joe G.
My average engine (USRA light Mikado, from various manufacturers) will pull about 14 cars up my 2.5% grade, so that’s my layout’s working maximum. My passing sidings are set up for 20 car trains, and my average staging yard siding is 16 cars. However…I’ve been known to run a 30 car train on occasion! (mostly downhill or double-headed)
I only have a few small industries, and I run no through frieghts, so My trains are usually about 5-7 cars and two engines long. Sometimes a few less, but never many more than that or it dwarfs my layout.
Noah
15-30 usually but on occasion 30-60.
Thirty is a good number but I’ve hauled as much as 70+. I’ve even been able to make it around the track a couple of times!
Well it’s still kind of theoretical at this time as the mainline isn’t completed. But plans call for probably 3-5 cars on the local. The daily northbound and southbound thru freights may wind up with 12+/- if my engines can pull that many up the grades!! Passenger service is planned for 3 cars +/-, plus local service using the Doodlebug.
Ed
I have ran trains as long as 120 cars but usually are around 30-36. Oh almost forgot, they are all ore cars.
Usually around 10-20 for me. Locals are about 5-10 cars long (usually with only one locomotive) and the rest are 15-20 (mostly with 2 or more locomotives).
Mine won’t be longer than 8 freight cars or 4 passenger cars to allow for the sidings I have.
Gordon
My average train is 15-20 cars long, but that includes a number of modern cars (autocarriers, 85 foot box cars, 60 foot cars, etc.). My layout is 22’ X23’ and has 30" minimum radius curves.
Hmm right now about 15 cause that is all that have kadees
need to get back into the practice of buying car kits and kadees for each one
but I expect 20 cars no problem 60" is my biggest radius and 34" is the smallest with number 8 turnouts
4 or 5
We usually run about 15 to 20 cars at the most. The other day I wandered into the train room and found that my boys (4 and 7) had hooked up a train that went around the entire layout room and was about 2" shy of hooking up on its tail. With about 60 feet in the loop this was the longest we will ever run. The only snag, they had this being pulled by my Atlas S2… Lets just say it wasn’t going anywhere.
Before we had to dismantle our club layout I was running my 14 car Empire Builder pulled by a pair of BLI E-7’s and a 60+car freight pulled by Stewart FT ABBA combo all powered. That was on 24" min.rad.(most larger), and 2% max grades. I will be curious to see what the Stewart FT’s will do now that I have converted 3 units to DCC and gutted a B unit to fill with sound, but our layout is history and I have nowhere around here to run them.