train length

[645diesel]

let's talk about train length...

i have been planning around the basic train unit of 5 feet.  that works out to two diesel locomotives, twelve 50 foot cars, and a cabin on the rear... of course that train can seem large or small in the context of the layout, the era, the available space etc...

what sorta train lengths are ya'll running and how does it feel on the layout.  my concern in my planning is suffering the classic engines in one town, cabin in the other.  it will also inform the siding length and distance between towns on the main.

anyone running 8 footers or more?

[Rossford Yard]

My last two layouts had complete loop mains in spaces of 12x17 and 10 x24, and both had about 26 car trains, with 2 six axle locos. (about 11 feet total length.)

My current switching layout is 8 x 16 U shaped, and my train length maxes out at 16 cars or so (modern lengths on both) or about 8 feet)

Limiting factor on each is, of course, arrival track and passing siding length.

[John]

My passing sidings are 6 feet average .. so no longer than that ..  I've run up to 60 cars on the layout .. very carefully

[CBQ Fan]

My mainline has a passing siding that currently has 18 cars and 5 PA units parked on it. 15 of the cars are 85’ passenger cars.

[CRL]

I’m planning a layout now and will set my siding length at 6’ minimum length. N-scale of course. I’ll be using double headed 4 axle diesels due to curve radius and layout storyline being a slightly modernized narrow gauge roadbed originally.

[Skeebo]

     I model the Southern Pacific where the train lengths were usually in the 100 car range. When I was a San Diego SON, I have run trains of that length and more, however, one finds two problems. First is Micro Trains coupler strength starts giving out at 65 cars with a grade of 1.5%. Second is when running a train of this length you tend to follow the loco's and so anything beyond 50 cars tends to be never seen.
     To save myself both problems I decided on my 10th layout to limit myself to 50 cars, four loco's and a caboose. That works out to be 17 foot sidings for me. I put a lot of thought into it, making sure I would be happy with 17 feet. I measured out such favorite trains I wanted to run as the 1941 Daylight and Lark passenger trains. Based on the square footage I had and the type trains I wanted to run, it was one of the many standards I set for my layout that I could live with.
     As with all layouts you need to make compromises you can live with.

    Jim

[wm3798]

There's a couple of things to keep in mind.
If your layout includes grades, you have to factor in how many locomotives you need to pull how many cars.
I always figured 10 cars per loco, and my longest thru trains were usually comprised of 25 cars, so three engines.  I ran single tracks with long sidings, with two siding long enough to to have a meet between the longest trains.
One was behind the main yard, the other was more or less hidden.
There were shorter siding where shorter, low priority trains would hole up for the longer crack trains to pass. 
With the long siding hidden, it's main purpose was to hole up and add time to the operating session.  The shorter sidings provided the "live action" operating interest, forcing the local or other low priority trains of 12 to 15 cars into the hole while the time freight passed.
Lee

[ednadolski]

anyone running 8 footers or more?

Nor sure of the actual measured length,  but I used to run +60 cars on my old Little Loop layout...

Ed

[Angus Shops]

I’ve designed my layout for 24 40 foot cars, 3 4 axle locos, and the ‘van’. It’s seems to be a good combination of train length, engine TE to deal well with my 2% grades (a little steeper than I would have preferred, but what I needed to accommodate my 2 levels), and my desire to have more than 2 units on a train for looks. Also wanted to balance length of siding to adjacent single track to maintain at least 1 1/2 train lengths between sidings so that the layout looks like a single track with sidings rather than double track with periodic single track bits.

[645diesel]

   
     As with all layouts you need to make compromises you can live with.

more the point, does a 12 car train say Class 1 high priority freight vs 16, 18 or even 20 cars.  i'm trying hard to avoid a layout that has a train pass a scene more than once.  north/east to the right, south/west to the left has been a dream of mine since i was a kid.  never seem to have the available space for such lofty dreams it seems, but in N scale, 12x12 is big, right?  that's like 120x4000 in HO.

I’ve designed my layout for 24 40 foot cars, 3 4 axle locos, and the ‘van’. It’s seems to be a good combination of train length, engine TE to deal well with my 2% grades (a little steeper than I would have preferred, but what I needed to accommodate my 2 levels), and my desire to have more than 2 units on a train for looks. Also wanted to balance length of siding to adjacent single track to maintain at least 1 1/2 train lengths between sidings so that the layout looks like a single track with sidings rather than double track with periodic single track bits.

right on, this is where my head is... the balancing of the physical plant and the prototypical look and feel of doing the work.   your 24(40)+3(4),+1 formula works out to about 8 feet.  that would mean 12 feet between sidings, which gives the trains something to enter into and out of, a good example of the Frank Ellison theater metaphor.

[bdennis]

My layout is 2 level modelled on the D&H. I run 18 x 40ft box cars and a caboose. Then I count 2 cars per traction motor on the diesel locomotive. So a 18 car train has 3 x 4 axle loco's or 2 x 6 axle loco on the point. This seems to work well.
If I run a train that is a block of short 2 bay hoppers then the train can stretch to 25 (or so) cars and then do the traction motor count to then apply the loco's
I have a small number of 50ft cars and then generally shorten the train by 1 car to account for the extra length so they fit into the loops.
Seems to work.


I have also added weight to my cars up to the NRMA standard and run a max of 2% grades.

[645diesel]

My layout is 2 level modelled on the D&H. I run 18 x 40ft box cars and a caboose. Then I count 2 cars per traction motor on the diesel locomotive. So a 18 car train has 3 x 4 axle loco's or 2 x 6 axle loco on the point. This seems to work well.

i take it you are running an RW-6 "Paper Train" - and that is the train i'm most concerned with getting "right" - it has to look HEAVY

[MVW]

27-car max (40-footers) with double-headed power and caboose ... or slightly less if a future grade requires three engines on the point.

Personally, I think anything with more than about 22 cars tends to look "long."

I've also favored the "1.5 x length of longest train" formula for determining minimum distance between towns.

Jim

[CRL]

Sometimes, the prototype throws some interesting twists into the train length consideration. For example, the prototype I’m using for inspiration in designing my layout is focused on Clifton Yard, which has limited room & capacity. The Arizona Eastern and the Freeport McMoRan Railroad interchange at Clifton Yard.

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Loaded cars are received from the Morenci Copper Mine down the stupid steep 5% grade on the Freeport McMoRan Railroad. The Arizona Eastern locals move shorter consists up a twisting steep 2.12% grade and 6 tunnels to the top of the grade at South Yard. For many years, South Yard was essentially just a passing siding and a short stub track facing the Clifton end of the interchange. However, South Yard has recently been enlarged to a 4 track interchange yard where the locals from Clifton Yard interchange with the generally longer Arizona Eastern road trains out of Lordsburg on trackage that isn’t quite as challenging. Here is South Yard after the expansion. This expansion has dramatically increased the number of trains per day on this branch line.

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This line started life as a narrow gauge line and you can clearly see by the following photo how convoluted the old narrow gauge ROW was compared to the slightly less twisted current ROW.

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It’s much easier to trace 100+ year old abandoned ROW’s in the southwestern desert than in the more wooded areas back east.

[superchief]

On the Santa Fe-All the Way our thru freights(Red balls) are 30 cars with 4 F-units and a caboose with one unit train at 36 cars for fun. These run the full length of the RR from staging yard to staging yard. Most local way freights are 8-10 cars which lets you finish that train in a reasonable amount of time and get another train to run. Passenger trains are average 12 cars long with the exception of the 21 car Fast Mail Express, switching of the passenger trains happens at Kansas City's Union Station and head end car switched out at local depot house tracks. Planning the RR with 12' passing sidings and 24' between towns to avoid the loco/ caboose being in different towns at the same time. In the 24' space a place and industry w/single track set out and call it a town. This give a chance for the locals to tie up the main for a few minutes and the dispatch can clear a train from one town to the halfway point and give the other town a chance to clear a track for the thru train. I added a helper district with a 2% grade for helper operations. 90% of my F-units are the old heavy ones and I pulled the motors and worm gears out of two of the four units. This makes them stall about 1/2 to 3/4 up the grade. Helper engines at this time are a LL Y6b 2882 and the other is a DCC friendly F-unit with a dummy F-unit. Tis has worked great as the light helper loco does not have enough power the shove the train off the track, but enough to push it over the hill.
                                                    Gordon Bliss-Santa Fe-All the Way