As I said in another topic, I am trying to build-up a long, realistic US freight train in HO scale. However, I have no experience with US traction ( I am from Europe), nor with digital. My wish is to combine 3 powered heavy haulers together (probably 1x Tower 55 + 2x gold Atlas). The three should be sound equipped. So I have some questions, perhaps that some of you have an answer:
is it possible to combine 3 powered engines together (in digital mode) and how do you forthcome that the one is pulling too hard while the others are pushing
Imagine my engines are already equipped for digital, what else do I need to make my train run ?
There is probably nothing known yet about the Tower 55 engines, but how many freight cars approx (Atlas / genesis / Walthers mainly) is it possible to pull with 3 powered engines ? 40? 50?
i can help you with the pulling issue.
the heavier the locos, the more they’ll pull. just cram as much weight inside the locos as you can. the cars should be fairly heavy, so they stay on the tracks better. the motors in HO engines have more than enough power tp pull anything you can couple to them, its just a matter of getting grip.
GEARHEAD426
[8]
i think what he’s asking is ‘prototypically speaking’ how many cars would 3 locos pull…
as for the DCC (i assume thats what you mean by “digital control”), you’ll need decoders and then youll need to program them. if you MU the locos, the decoders should be able to do the work of keeping one loco from tearing itself apart trying to pull/pu***he other two…
if they come DCC-Equipped, you’ll just need a DCC system on your layout (provided you don’t already have one). though they should work on DC - you’ll just need to unplug the decoder in the loco and put a shorting plug in its place.
depends on the weight of the cars, how free-rolling the cars are, the weight of the locos, and the grade of the track. you could have correctly weighted locos, but cars that are all 1-1.5 ounces, which would let the locos pull MANY more than if they were all like 5-6 ounces (or more).
Arthill, can you perhaps be a little more specific ? It is my intention to MU the three engines indeed. Do you know by any chance if there was any restriction (like for example that the engines need to be from the same manufacturer) ?
How do you guys usually do your MU’s in the US ? Do your use exclusively dummies ?
The MU’s that I run are all run through the Digitrax system. I followed the instructions for MUing. I was able MU 4 F units together (2A and 2B) at least with the Digitrax system and I would assume others that there is a procedure to do it in the instructions.
As for them being the same manufacturor. Don’t worry about that. The decoders do that. As long as the speed steps are set the same or are worked out to be the same you shouldn’t have a problem.
Some run dummies some run live. Depends on who ya are and whatcha got.
You might need to program CV5 (top speed) and CV6 (mid-range speed if the decoder supports it), or use speed tables to get each locomotive to run at the same speed at the same throttle setting. I do this by picking one locomotive as my standard, then matching the others to it. I basically let them chase each other around the layout at the same throttle setting and adjust the CVs in OPS mode until there isn’t any noticeable speed difference.
Once that’s done, they should run together fine, regardless of who made the engines or decoders. The programming doesn’t have to be perfect, either, you just don’t want a gross mismatch in speeds.
As to how much 3 locomotives can pull, that depends on the size of your layout and the steepness of your grades, the weight of your cars, etc. On my layout I have a 3% grade and I actually need two engines to get a modest 12 car train up the hill. Of course four looks cooler.