I run 7 passenger cars behind my PRR K4s. That is an easy load even up my 2.2% grades. I have an MTH PRR RPO car on order and will add that. I think it would have been a great experience to see double headed K4s pulling 20 passenger cars up the horse shoe curve.
We have a 5 car Polar Express consist, a 5 car Santa Fe consist, and a 4 car NYC consist. I’m thinking about ordering a set of RMT Peeps to run behind our Percy and James locomotives. Jim
I have a set of 4 ACL cars that I can easily run up and down a 2.5% grade as well with either a Lionel GP7 or Berkshire.
It is interesting that you mentioned an RPO car. The newest issue of Classic Trains is focused on, dare I even say dedicated to, the RPOs. What a neat topic, and one that is often not explored in depth. You mentioned a Pennsy RPO on order from MTH. Does anyone know if there is any Lionel RPO cars out there, perhaps in NYC colors? Nothing against MTH, but I have been moving more and more to just Lionel. I did a quick look on Ebay and did not find anything. Being relatively new to the hobby, I figure some of you that have been at it for a while may have seen something.
- Luther
Because of the 027 curves on my layout and the somewhat uneven trackwork grade-wise, I run only three Santa Fe streamlined cars behind my Pennsy GG1 (who says there’s no true transcontinentals).
I have a train of 12 small Lionel LTI UP streamliners that I usually pull with a 2-motor 2023 anniversary Alco, which is small enough not to look funny with those small cars. I have 8 LTI Madisons, which I usually pull with the 773 or the GG1. And 8 Rail King UP heavyweights which are big enough to look good, if unprototypical, behind the Big Boy or Big Blow. Also 5 Williams Erie-Lackawanna heavyweights, which the Train Master pulls.
Bob, Forgive me for asking, but what does the LTI in your post stand for? Jim
“Lionel Trains, Incorporated”, one of the incarnations of modern Lionel.
Thanks, Bob. That’s what I assumed it stood for, but wasn’t sure. Jim
i have a four car The Southerner behind E3 AA’s (lionel) a four car Portland Rose (grey K-line cars behind a Lionel Lionmaster greyhound challenger) a 10 car Super Chief (mixed from two Lionel Passenger sets) behind Lionel F3 ABBA. a 10 car California Zephyr (K-line and Lionel cars) behind Lionel F3 ABB WP’s (and i am proud of the fact that this is a very prototypical consist). an 8 car UP City of Portland (Lionel cars from two sets) behind custom painted Lionel E6 AA’s. the long trains all have two powered units to be able to handle my excessive and absolutely non-prototypical grades and, as noted elsewhere, the baggage cars are all weighted to prevent stringlining. i generally have one of the four car trains on a siding ready to go and one or two of the long trains on the layout.
I have a Lionel Santa Fe F3 A/A unit pulling 4 cars (Silver Cloud, Range,Bluff and Dawn). Wish I had more but am limited in space.
My Lionel Southern FT is pulling six streamliner passenger cars, and the Polar Express is pulling five.
Stan.
I have 5 - K-line 15" Lackawana cars being pulled by a 3 unit F3. And 6 - K-line 18" PRR heavy weights & an REA express car being pulled by an MTH S2. Not on the layout at present are a set of Williams shorty PRR cars (5) & GG-1, a set of Williams shorty Reading cars (6) with a RR REA car and A-A power and a similar set by Lionel with 5 cars.
mickey4479, Re: the double headed K4s, my uncle a former train director for PRR & Amtrack, tells me they used to run double headed K4s from Harrisburg to Baltimore down the west side of the Susquehanna.
One long flexible passenger car. Or six when its going slower.
Luther, I run scale steam Lionel locos except for my K-Line B6s switcher. My freight rolling stock is mostly Atlas because they have come out with some great looking steam era box cars and their reefers are really well done. When it came to looking for heavy weight passenger cars, I did look at Lionel and they are really nice, but frankly, they were too heavy on the price for me. I think a 4 pack of new Lionel scale heavyweights was over $350 the last time a looked. I opted for the less expensive MTH premier heavy weights and I have been happy with them. The one thing I wish they had would be switches underneath the cars to turn off the lights once in a while.
It is interesting to read about the different sets and locos folks have on their layouts. Thanks.
6 Lionel Pennsy Streamliners 6-39065-add on 39092 behind a Lionel gg1.
laz57
N&W MTH Premier “J” pulling 10 cars and Lionel Southern Crescent Ps-4 pulling 11 cars. Both engines have TMCC/RS 4.0.
I had a store computer-match the paint and I redecorated some old plastic Southern Crescent K-Line cars from 1988[REA,baggageand diners] to match the Lionel 2004 set [the center band of pale green and the gold trim, the dark green was on target] and expanded from a 7 car set to 10.
On the N&W Powhatan Arrow I bought spare or unwanted cars from Tinplate Art and others to expand the original 7 car set up to ten.
The Crescent and the Arrow run on the same track[elevated above the mainlines and yard below]. I also run similar long N&W and Southern passenger trains on my 13x28, 5-track high shelf layout at our mountain cottage.