How many guys here run unit trains, or intermodal for that matter?
What about coal drags?
I like to run unit trains (grain) with 35-40 Trinity 5161 cu. ft. hoppers being pulled by three or four SD70MAC’s.
My second favorite is four or more AC4400CW’s with a long string (40-60) coalporters going a scale 10 mph.
Lets see some pics of yours.
I try to run an intermodel train on my modern freelanced shortline, but often in the op sessions (which is me, myself, and I because I can’t get a crew together) I either forget or don’t feel like runnng it. It’s not vital to my normal ops, which mainly runs the main freight in, pull off the local delevery cars, then run the local. The intermodel never makes it. Plus the normally assigned loco is a pain to run, so it’s not worth the trouble.[banghead]
They do look awesome streaking along the main at speed though![:P]
Well, It’s not together, but my goal by 2010 is to get this Unit Train going. You may hear me talk about it a fair bit.Yes, I ike causing myself pain…
This sounds to be right up my alley ! Here ya go …
Programmed for operation when construction reaches that point - four unit train consists with two sets of numbers and two trains (one loaded, one empty) for each number set. Empties in/loads out at the mine, loads in/empties out deep in the netherworld below and behind the mine.
Being set in a mountainous part of Japan, where trains were short, all the cars in all four units wouldn’t make half of a low-tonnage Powder River drag! Also, eight of them are hopper-brakes, a type utterly foreign to American practice.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
18-23 car unit coal trains for me.
The L&N pulled 72 to 90 car unit coal trains in the late 1970’s so I run trains 25% of the prototype.
Coal is 98% of my traffic density.
There are three unit trains that I run from time to time. Two are BN one is a unit coal train of 40 MDC/Roundhouse three bay hoppers. The other is a grain train of 40 covered hoppers there are 18 Accurail cylindrical hoppers 18 MDC/Roundhouse ribbed side covered hoppers and 4 Walthers covered hoppers.
The third unit train is a 40 car train of MPSX Ortner 5bay hoppers by MDC/Roundhouse.
Since I’m in the 1970-80 time frame i use SD40-2 and U30C units to pull the coal trains and SD40-2’s on the grain train.
There is a 50 car PFE ice bunker refrigerator train that I pull with a set of four SP “Black Widow” SD9’s.
All trains are equipped with Kadee trucks and couplers. The cars are weighted to 4 ounces for the 40 foot cars and 5 ounces for the 50 foot cars.
Well since I have a 4X8 layout with a stagin yard on the side, i run a small 15-20 car train with one lone locomotive
I have a 4x8, and 15-20 cars is almost a full oval - the grandson made me keep adding one day - got to 25 - 26 wouldn’t fit!![:O][:D]
My railroad is set in the 1950s when unit trains were less prominent then today but still a part of the scene. On those rare occasions when I’m running trains rather than working on the layout, my eastern bridge railroad runs a string of PFE reefers carrying west coast produce to east coast markets. My original plans call for two unit coal trains to be run, loads east bound and empties west bound, simply passing through the layout without stopping for any pick ups or set outs. Right now I have only a few hoppers so that is not an option. Someday I might acquire enough hoppers to make that a reality but right now, it is just a concept.
As a locomotive operator that runs those AC4400CWs and loads those coal porters, if they come from the Powder River Basin you will want to make sure that they are UP, Ex SP(Patched), EX CNW (Patched) Only the UP and Ex CNW can leade because they are set up with Cab signals. and if you want 4 of them on a train they should be two on the head end and two in the rear in Distributed Power Mode. BNSF also has some AC4400s But they are comparitivly rare to the glut of SD70MACs. I see SD60s (Termed “old power”) on the point of trains more than I see the BNSF AC4400s.
My Longest train is 1-2 engines, and 7 boxcars, 5 flat cars, and 2 gons, and a caboose
My second longest train is 1-2 engines, 12 MDC grain cars, and a caboose. Takes up about half of my 4x8.
My third longest train is 1-2 engines (usually SD9s, IRL they are the slowest of my engines), 10 coal hoppers, and a caboose.
IDK whether GP9s or GP30s were faster.
Don’t have a layout right now but I’ve collected enough coal cars to run the following in HO:
25 PCSX red end Thrall gons
30 CSDU 5-bay Ortner hoppers
30 UP/D&RGW Coal Liner Thrall gons
20 D&RGW blue end Thall gons
36 4-bay 100 ton Bethlehem hoppers
collecting a 25 car NORX yellow end Thrall gon train (15 so far)
I am still aquiring rolling stock for the following unit trains, from the prototype KCS. The BN trains are turned over to KCS crews in Kansas City. I model the KCS in Kansas City. BN trains enter the layout from staging. Trains run over the layout to a staging yard which represents the southern part of the KCS system. I have enough Kansas City Power & Light and BN rolling stock for two 35 car trains. The unit trains will run loads southbound and empties northbound. The trains will be pulled by a combination of BN and KCS locomotives; 3-4 unit sets. Aquiring the appropriate rolling stock is a problem as the Bethgons are too new for my era.
91 |
KCS |
BN Unit Coal |
SEPX Welch TX (north) |
|---|---|---|---|
92 |
KCS |
BN Unit Coal |
SEPX Welch TX (south) |
93 |
KCS |
BN Unit Coal |
KCPL Amsterdam MO (north) |
94 |
KCS |
BN Unit Coal |
KCPL Amsterdam MO (south) |
95 |
KCS |
BN Unit Coal |
SEPX Flint Creek AR ( |
Fwiw, the prototype routinely runs three engines on the Wyoming coal trains (which are the main coal trains using the locos you listed). Loaded has two up front, one dpu, while empty generally has all three up front.
Just some info. if you want to save some loco $ 
My current layout plans is having unit trains designed in, mostly coal runs, but have some good peddle freights as well.
sowwy, no picees yet, its being worked on.
I run BN/BNSF. I mix it up too with some BN Executive colors SD70MACS that are well weathered and look at home on the point of a string of 40-50 BN Green coalporters.I usually don’t use DPU’s so I keep all the power up front.
I like lots of horsepower up front and sometimes I will put up to 7 locos on the point of a mixed freight with 60-70 cars, I just think it looks cool.
At home I don’t run unit trains but at train shows I’ll sometimes run 3 CP AC4400CW’s with a bunch of those Intermountain Canadian grain cars.
Those intermountain cars are sweet!. I run 65-75 Proto covered hoppers one one unit and 90 100 ton hoppers on the other. The grain drag is usually with C40-8"s and the coal with older GE u33 or c30 power.
It’s 1956 in central Pennsylvania in my world.
I run coal drags (both loads and empties):
…and have recently started PRR TrucTrain service:
