This is a thread that is not too serious…
How many cars can you cram into a very small space and still make it move?
Do you mean on the actual train you are running? I can get a 22 car train on my 6 x 3
n-scale layout, before the engines are serving as their own pushers. As long as they aren`t all oversized cars.
In 1973 at age 10 on my very first HO layout, I could run two F units with a 10 car freight train of 40 and 50ft cars without it looking “tacky”. It was Tyco and rather crude, but the memories with my dad are fond and lasting.
My old crappy attempt at a layout was slightly smaller than my current fabulous one. 4’ x 8’ . The max radius was 22" and I used to run trains about 13 freight cars. That is about the max in that space without it looking “wrong”.
With or without track? [:D]
it all depends on the lenth of the cars, amount of track, scale, and do you mean moving or in a switching yard?
My current 4x8 layout has 3 main lines running 15, 18 and 22" radius curves and looks best with 6-7 car consists. The longest I currently run is my UP Challenger with 6 or 7 40 ft boxcars and caboose. I do run the Challenger with 3 new Rivarossi smooth side passenger cars, but only on the 22 & 18". I do have a reversing section on the 15 which interconnects with the 18 and 22 and numerous freight sidings and engine facilities so I do shuttle the cars around quite a bit. My longest siding holds 10 cars and usually 2 F7A’s. When I get crazy and pull 15 or more cars at a time with the Challenger, it does truly take away from any “reality” but it is still fun to watch the 4-6-6-4 work out on the 4% grade!
It all depends on whether or not you leave that 4x8 slab in one piece!! By splitting it down the middle and turning it into a 2x16 shelf layout or an 8x10 foot L-shaped layout, you could model a fairly large yard, in HO, that could hold a hatful of cars, including a decent-sized engine servicing facility with a turntable.
101 LAYOUTS includes some pretty decent 4x8 plans with large yards, like #20, New Industry Connecting RR, and #27, Transit & Cambridge. #51, the Chicago Inner Belt Line, has a ton of yard capacity and you’d have wood left over from a 4x8, just rip it into three 16" wide pieces and butt 'em together! It even has a few industries (as long as you made heavy use of building flats) for operating potential, although you’d have plenty of extra capacity in the yard.