Rude Awakening!

[Glenn_in_Tulsa]

Keep in mind, fellas, that prototype 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switchers weren’t meant to pull 12- or 20-car cuts. They were meant to pull shorter 2 - 4-cars at a time in a yard. So, you are asking it to do something it was not designed for.

Not always true!

The MKT 0-8-0’s in McAlester Ok routinely coupled up to the 100+ car freights running through Oklahoma.

I would imagine this was also true on other roads as well.

We may have 2 to 4 cars to switch in our “yards”, but the real roads moved many more cars than that!

[wjstix]

I don’t recall the Linn Westcott editorial, but I would ask, was he advocating an exact 1:1 correspondence of train length in reality and in scale, or was he basing his recommendations on shortened consists, such as a typical freight train being 12 to 24 cars, but handled by a big road engine? On most model railroads, there isn’t enough space to handle prototypical train lengths, given the major-size engines we have at our disposal. The “selective compression” concept would justify limited pulling power as OK for big engines.

Yes I don’t recall the editorial but I would bet the farm he was making recommendations for model trains, probably going by a pct. (like 1/4th) of real train lengths.

As an example of your point about “selective compression”…my model railroad layout (well, layout-in-progress) uses large steam engines like a 2-10-4 or 2-6-6-2 to haul 30-some car iron ore trains - about the max the models can do on level track. On the real line I’m basing my ore line one, the Northern Pacific hauled 100 car ore trains over rolling terrain, normally with a 2-8-2 (or in earlier days, a 2-6-2)…and did it at 30-35 MPH !!

[markpierce]

How about this?: Switching locomotives regularly used for passenger service.

On the Bay Point & Clayton, its two 0-6-0 locomotives regularly pulled the passenger trains as they were the only locomotives on the line. They were always pointed in the same direction since the BP&C had no turning facilities. Pictured here, the train is set to leave Cowell for the town of Clyde where there was a connection with the Sacramento Northern… Although this was an excursion train, such were frequent on the line. Its regular train was a mixed train with a combine to accommodate passengers.

[CNJ831]

I don’t recall the Linn Westcott editorial, but I would ask, was he advocating an exact 1:1 correspondence of train length in reality and in scale, or was he basing his recommendations on shortened consists, such as a typical freight train being 12 to 24 cars, but handled by a big road engine? On most model railroads, there isn’t enough space to handle prototypical train lengths, given the major-size engines we have at our disposal. The “selective compression” concept would justify limited pulling power as OK for big engines.

Yes I don’t recall the editorial but I would bet the farm he was making recommendations for model trains, probably going by a pct. (like 1/4th) of real train lengths.

No, as I recall Linn was addressing prototypical locomotive assignments for typical trains, while making reference to the fact that too many period modelers were known to pull long trains with very small engines and what they were doing wasn’t prototypical. However, remember that in those long ago days there were hardly any HUGE locomotives available in HO like we see commonly today. Likewise, most layouts then and now couldn’t honestly represent anything much larger than a very small branchline anyway. Truly justifying the use of Big Boys, Challengers, 4-10-2’s and similar huge engines on 98% of home layouts is a real stretch.

CNJ831

[Allegheny2-6-6-6]

Some times I ahve to stand there and scratch my head, I have a couple of those El Cheapo Bachmann DCC on board $39.95 GP-38’s that growl and make all kinds of god aweful noise but they run and run and pull like mad dogs and I’ll run a brand new BLI or MTH over the same turnout and if things are just right DERAILMENT! now I am working on my track work so no excuses there but I’ve been told by the one’s who know that some of the older and cheaper locomotives have so much slop and side play in the wheels that they are actually a lot more forgivng. That all being said once I finally got all my track work thats down tweekd to perfection there aint nothing sweeter then watching one of my old brass mallets or even a brand new PH2K Y3 tighten up the slack on a 50 car train and slowly ease herself out of the yard and out onto the main. When all things are equal there is no substatute for quality I just wish I could afford to buy more higher end equipment.