I’m expanding my layout which will allow me to run longer trains. Currently, my trains run as short locals using only one engine. With the expansion, I plan to run trains with two or more engines. I attempted this several years ago by using one powered engine and one dummy engine, but I was hoping for more pulling power this time. I will be using DC control. What options do I have for mulitple engines? How can I have two or more powered engines running together? Or, must I stick with using one powered and one dummy engine? Is it an option that I combine same engine types from the same manufacturer and not run into problems of the two engines fighting each other? Thanks!
Two identical engines from the same manufacturer should run close enough together to be double-headed on DC power. First try running them with no train and not connected together. If one runs slightly faster than the other, put the faster one in front and you should have no problems.
A lot has to do with how fast each locomotive runs no matter the manufacturer.
I have an IHC 4-6-2 & it runs great with an Athearn BB GP40-2.
I had a BB Super F7 running with a BB SD40-2 today with no problems.
I’ve run 3 BB SD40-2 together with no problems.
I usually sandwich a dummy inbetween them just to absorb some of the push & pull.
I haven’t tried Proto with Athearn as I know I’ll have problems so I’m not going to bother.
One thing I might suggest, use a decent power pack.
Gordon
My test for checking whether locos can be successfully doubleheaded:
On a level loop of track, place both locos with the number of cars you want them to pull, with half the cars behind each loco. Bring them up to speed.
One will probably be faster than the other. Take one or a few cars from the slower loco’s train and couple them to the faster one. Run again. Repeat until either both locos run at approximately equal speed or the slower loco runs out of cars. If they end up with approximately equal speed, they can be doubleheaded over your entire route. If the faster loco can pull the entire train away from the slower loco running light, they won’t be happy together.
If the doubleheader is going to be run primarily upgrade (helper district) the equation changes. The faster locomotive will almost certainly lug down, so the slower loco will still be carrying a fair share of the load. Having both locos on the front end should not bring up any problems. If a pusher operation is planned, the designated pusher should be faster than the lead loco, but incapable of pushing the entire train without slipping. Ideally, somewhere in the train, one car will be pulled from the front and pushed from the rear, both at the same time. If that car is the tender of the lead locomotive, you may have a problem!
Chuck (who runs a pusher district, routinely doubleheads and sometimes tripleheads steam on DC)
As long as you match their speeds closely and have a power pack rated at enough amps, you should be ok.
I’ve run three Athearn locomotives at once on a train, in fact, sets of three on two trains for a total of six. I use DC with an MRC Tech4 280 dual control. It works very well and takes the load fine. Three Athearns per track take a lot of power. The 280 handles it well.
You do not need to go to all that trouble. It really isn’t that critical. Just run 2 locos about a foot apart and if they stay within about 10% plus or minus of each other’s speed, they’ll be fine. The only other thing is to put the faster loco in front, (if the faster loco is pushing the slower one it can cause derailments).
If you’re running really long trains (50 to 100 cars) and there’s a large difference in the speeds of the locos, you could ca
First off, welcome to the Forum.
The replies given here suggest that adding engines will not overload the power pack. This may not be the case if you are using a power pack that might have come with a train set or want to double head older locomotives equipped with open frame motors. Modern can motors draw so little current that two of them would be hard pressed to overwhelm all but the weakest power packs. Not so with the older style open frame motors. A DC-70 Pittman can draw up to .70 amps (hence the model designation). I also recall Walhers once offereing a Fairbanks Morse switcher that MR said drew 1.0 amps of power.
If you have no means of measureing the power draw of your equipment in operation, check the casing of your power pack every few minutes. If it feels warm, you may be overloading it. If it feels hot, shut it down immmediately. You may have already fried the power pack.
I’ve had great luck running Athearn BB units together on DC before I switched over to DCC. I would run BB GP40-2’s and 38-2’s together without any problem. As stated before, make sure the faster loco is in the front and that your power pack can handle it. I did it first on an MRC Tech2 1400 then later on a Tech2 2400 without any problem.
I run two or three engines (all powered) together on my N scale layout without any problems. Engines from the same maker are usually compatible and should run well. Should you decide to run engines from different makers, I suggest you do test runs the engines in pairs to check the peculiarities of the engines. I find some of the older Atlas engines run faster and pull better than the newer models and such pairing of the old and new engines will give some problems. It is a matter of trial and error!
Cheers,
