As many know my layout is an island that is 4’ x 8’ in size. As I build and develop it I have figured out I want to operate unit trains and or consists that are industry specific. For example from a grain Co-Op to a brewery then to a beer distributor. this will use grain cars, box cars and perhaps even reefers.
With this many cars on an industry specific train it can get quite long, especially in HO scale.
My question is is it OK to run a train that is longer than the longest straight section of track?
right now I am still building my layout but I do have 11 cars. If I run all 11 cars around the oval at the same time when the front of the locomotive is going into the first curve near one end there are still 3 or 4 cars still on the radius at the other end. Is this OK? Or is proper protocol to limit the length of the train no longer than the longest straight section of track? If so, why?
Gidday, As far as I’m concerned the “proper protocol” for YOUR layout is what you decide.
Regardless of how many industries and tracks to service those industries you manage to fit on your 8’ x 4’ you are practising scale compression which will also reflect on train length, I would probably limit myself to six cars, but that’s just me. [:D]
Do what you want, what looks right to you! Its your layout, and frankly the only “rules” are yours.
For those with huge layouts run by prototypical standards, the length of the train would match the locos power and the need for the cars being used. You (and I) don’t have such a layout. My 11x15 HO layout has seen many 10 car trains, but also 40 plus car trains that almost have the caboose hitting the lead loco.
There’s no reason to limit your train length to the longest straight track on the layout. That being said, I think a lot of people would say on a 4x8 HO layout that trains no longer than 5-6 cars in length probably look the best…especially if you’re running longer modern cars.
I’d maybe consider re-thinking having 3 related industries so close together. If a brewery were sending beer to a distributor located basically walking distance to the brewery, they’d probably send their product by truck, not by rail.
You might consider having one large industry like the brewery. You could run separate trains; one train would bring loaded grain cars to one part of the brewery, and take out the empty cars to be taken “off layout” to be reloaded with grain. Then another train could serve another part of the brewery, bringing cold empty reefers or plug-door boxcars in and taking out loaded cars to go “off layout” to a distant distributor. That way you could run two shorter trains, rather than one long one. You might find space on the layout for a simple Team Track, even just a single spur track, or another small business like an oil dealer receiving fuel in tank cars, to provide some variety.
My intentions for this layout are, yes to watch it run in circles AND switching with the various industries that will be swapped out from time to time.
The biggest issue with train length and a relatively small layout will be siding length. Can you work the train, i.e. set-out the cars at a siding, use a passing siding to run around a car, etc. That’s what you should be looking at in determining what works – and what doesn’t.
Expanding on the previous comment, you should be able to fit the cars that are to be worked as a unit between the clearance points of the runaround track. That does not include the locomotive(s) or the part of the train that either remains coupled to the locos or sits out on the main clear of the action.
Assuming that the main is a loop, just be careful not to couple the lead loco to the caboose when switching.
As for train = longest straight track, my coal-hauling short line is a mountain goat trail, and the longest tangent won’t hold more than an 0-6-0T-kettle and three four wheeled wagons. The whole point-to-point railroad occupies 1/2 of a double garage and has about 50 feet of mainline run. Even the station tracks are curved.
Then I’d look at this from two perspectives if it were my layout (feel free to use or ignore this advice):
Run in Circles With this frame of mind, have at it and run whatever pleases you. You can run anything from light power (engines moving by themselves) to the longest freight you can manage (ever couple a caboose/FRED to the other end of the train?) and anything in between.
Run for Operation/Switching With this frame of mind give serious consideration to length of track, what work your train(s) will be doing, any traffic (if any) they will have to work with/around, and how you want to set your layout up for future sessions.
I don’t know how serious you are into the hobby but you can do either method on a whim (to an extent). As was said otherwise - the only rules on your layout are yours.
Long trains look best on very long run layouts. The best looking long trains are most often seen on huge modular layouts that are never more than 2 feet across. These are frequently seen at a lot of large train shows. (mostly n gauge trains).
I would suggest avoiding any train length that fills 50% of what trackage you can actually see on the longest side of your layout. On a 4X8 sheet this might be as many as 15 normal 40-50 foot freight cars. But, hey, its your layout and you make the rules as roadmaster.
This isn´t really a prototype question, as there is hardly a railroad operating in the confinements of a 324 by 648 ft. space [swg]
Back on-topic, operating long trains on small layouts looks a little funny or toy-like, but, hey, this is your layout and if you want to see that long through freight on it, there´s no one to stop you.
The real answer to this is 1/2 pi * (longest car length (LC) / Loco length (LL)) - (total axle count (AC) + mainline length (ML)
1/2 π*(LC/LL)- (AC + ML)= what ever looks good to you!
[:D]
Seriously, I am a fan of long trains and even if it looks a little out of place, it is ok to run a long one where you are almost touching your tail and if you are being more serious in switching then go shorter. In my two car garage layout when I am running a mainline train as I work on the layout I go 30 to 50 cars and just let them run by and when I am switching with my GP-38 or 3gs21b I run no more than 6 or 7 cars for my switching. And when I am done with those I head back the yard for the next run of 6 or 7 cars
Keep in mind a long train going around sharp curves is going to be more succeptable to ‘stringlining’ / derailments.
You can have a small layout with continuous running and plenty of switching opportunites. MR has published dozens (hundreds?) of them over the years, including many of their project layouts.
On a 4x8 I don’t think that would be much of a problem…The reason I believe that is I’ve ran 35 car trains at the club on the front layout-the club has 2 interconnected layouts that’s in separate rooms- that has 22" radius on track 2(the inside track) and that layout is build on grades-you’re either going up hill down hill or half your train is coming upgrade while the front half is going down hill.
There are several different issues here, with train length the title one. I think a train just under the length of one side of the layout can look good running around the layout- say a train 7 or 8 feet long- if you can think of what to do with it when you are doing something else on the layout. I think a small layout can work well with a long mainline-type train that runs THROUGH the scene, and a shorter peddler local that switches local industries. One long track that is either hidden or scenicked to look like a (small) yard might handle it. On a very small layout, the “yard” cannot do much of the switching function of a “real” yard.
Here is one example of a small layout- would probably be 6 x 8 in HO with 18" radius curves but you might glean some ideas.
Has one double-ended siding which can be used as a long runaround, or one could do some actual uard switching- a small amount. A runaround track is shown at the station but would be tricky to work in. One end of the runaround track is scenicked to look like the end of a passing siding at “Oran.” The other end is paralleled by two dead-end spur and the 4 tracks side-by-side give somewhat the appearance of a yard. The layout could hold three trains at once- a long through freight train, a passenger train and a local freight. Only one could run at a time.
Here’s another one, N scale but could be built in HO prob. in 4 1/2 by 8 foot.
You could run a through freight as long as the longest spur in Sunnyside and also a local switcher to switch the port and the army post- or make them some other indus
I think anything longer than about 1/4 the total distance around the loop is too long for good effect. For a 4x8 layout that’s about 4 1/2 feet of train - engine, cars, caboose. A nice effect is achieved by trains that are only 1/2 the length of the straight away - but that gets really short for an HO 4x8.
If you’re running two trains, then at least one and preferably both should be no longer than your sidings.
But experiment. If you’re like most of us, you have (or will have) too many cars for the layout anyway. Set up a shelf, drawer, etc. near the layout and try out different numbers and see what looks good to you.
And nothing says it has to be one or the other. You can run 4 car trains one time and 15 car trains the next.
Your dilemma is why I question how so many aloof model railroaders can be so critical of others who don’t have more industries or run orders, or who “run trains in circles” as oposed to operating/switching them. Some people like to think it’s realistic to run a 5 car train 6 feet from one industry to another - then criticize someone else who runs their trains in circles (some of us actually like to watch how a train runs! ) Let’s face it - unless you have a huge layout - no matter how prototypical you’d like to think you are, you ARE running your train around in circles! And often, the cat IS chasing it’s tail!
I am glad that the responses to your question have been kinder than many others I’ve seen! And I agree that you simply do what makes you happy with the constraints and limitations you are working with!
You can imagine my dilemma in loving passenger trains with multi-unit locomotives and “realistic” car consists that are ten feet long! My “dream” layout will be one where the observation car leaves one town on the layout before the locomotive reaches the next! But I can tell you, I don’t want a train where the car length is but a tad bit longer than the locomotive!
