train length

[Shaggy170]

Whenever I get it up and running, I have a pair on T-Trak triples (so about 6' in length) with matching length yard modules for a home layout. The theme is 80's/90's cement plant somewhere along the SP/ATSF. Train lengths on the test setup was about 5' so a 4 axle engine, some 50' box cars, 2 bay covered hoppers, and maybe a waycar.

I am also part of an N Trak club and have run some monster trains. Usually my limit is 12 axles of power (either 2 six axles locos or 3 four axle locos) and 50 cars but I did reach a 100 car train a few times. I estimate it was about 33' in length. 3 Atlas SD60s up front and a combination of atlas coalveyors (about 30), kato bethgons (8 ), fox valley RD4 hoppers (2-4), and atlas 90 ton hoppers (the rest). Mix of micro train couplers and accumates. It was long enough that I usually asked for a spotter on the rear. Took it up a 3% grade a few times. Usually I had to add engines to make it (4 SD60s up front and 2 Sd35s on rear). Once I made it up with 4 Kato SD70s/AC4400CW up front.

[wm3798]

Here's roughly 100 hoppers running on the Bantrak layout at Timonium what seems like a lifetime ago.

Ably handled by three Lifelike GP20s, more or less stock with DZ125s installed.  The cars were my custom run of 150 Bluford cars for my Laurel Valley road.  I had already shipped out a handful of them, but the rest were given a "test run" before I shipped them to the buyers.  I still have about a dozen that kept for myself.

Enjoy all the a$$hat cameos that appear!
Lee

[Maletrain]

My planning for a relatively large layout is to (1) scratch the long train itch with a segment of the B&O in the Allegheny mountains, where real trains were kept to the realm of 50 cars due to grades. and (2) provide an interchange with a fictional short line where nearly all switching ops will occur on the short line.  That allows me to use realistically short trains where I need compression on the short line, but still run long trains on the "B&O" with a few interchange operations between the two.  With only one town on the "B&O" mainline, I don't need to worry about the locos and observations of a prototypical Capitol Limited being in two different towns simultaneously.

[mmagliaro]

My layout is in a 10' x 14' room.  While I do have a passing siding and some storage tracks long enough to hold a 20-car train of 40' freight cars, and a passing siding that can also handle that, in practice,  I limit my trains to 10 cars.
Why?  Because no amount of temporary insanity makes a 20-car train look good running on the main through a layout in such a small room, at least to me.  Even with view blocks, mountains and tunnels, the train just looks like it's chasing its tail.  A 10-car train looks like it actually "goes some place".  The whole train can move from one logical place to another on the layout, without the head being in the next town or yard, while the tail is still coming out of the point of origin.
The best-looking trains, I think, are the ones that make the scenery look "big" and the train look "small".  In my case, a 5-car train looks just fabulous because it doesn't dominate the length of the scenery.

If you have a basement empire that can achieve this look with a 50-car train, awesome.  But I sure don't.

[davefoxx]

My layout is in a 10' x 14' room.  While I do have a passing siding and some storage tracks long enough to hold a 20-car train of 40' freight cars, and a passing siding that can also handle that, in practice,  I limit my trains to 10 cars.
Why?  Because no amount of temporary insanity makes a 20-car train look good running on the main through a layout in such a small room, at least to me.  Even with view blocks, mountains and tunnels, the train just looks like it's chasing its tail.  A 10-car train looks like it actually "goes some place".  The whole train can move from one logical place to another on the layout, without the head being in the next town or yard, while the tail is still coming out of the point of origin.
The best-looking trains, I think, are the ones that make the scenery look "big" and the train look "small".  In my case, a 5-car train looks just fabulous because it doesn't dominate the length of the scenery.

If you have a basement empire that can achieve this look with a 50-car train, awesome.  But I sure don't.

My experience is similar to Max's, so approximately two locomotives, ten freight cars, and one caboose is a long train on my layout.  I also have two additional short lines that provide interchange on my layout, and those roads are limited to three or four car trains, due to staging yard lengths.

DFF

[C855B]

I designed my 40x45 layout for 15-foot trains in a Southwest desert and Midwest plains expanse. In the open-space design there grew an unintentional guideline, max train size is 1/2 the view. Then, the ~1/2-scale-mile-long trains convey the sense of long trains and Class I mainline operations without the operational challenges of shooting for the prototype's 100-car monsters.

The takeaway is the "1/2 the view" thing. It's essentially a sort of formula to what Max said about the importance of the context (space and scenery) setting the ambience.

OTOH, if you design the layout as a series of discreet vignetted scenes, you can get away with longer trains since focus is then framed by the scene, with the view of the train traversing the limited context as if you were lineside. This comes into play with small loop layouts, for instance, where there is a well-executed scene - @davidgray1974 's absolutely stunning layout is a prime example - where trains enter and exit the scene from a staging yard behind the partition.

[glakedylan]

i confess to be into major compression.


but, for me, a 12 car PRR train is better than no PRR train.


currently just a HCD, 36" x 80", but planning on adding another HCD to make a L shaped table top.
that should allow for 15 car trains and even my BWL passenger train.


sincerely
Gary

[CRL]

Also, the capacity of the industries being served on the layout. If each industry only has capacity to receive a couple of cars, shorter trains make sense. If you’re interchanging 40-50 grain hoppers at a time, that would require longer consists. So, for industries that produce unit train type consists, cut down on the number of tracks at the industry and you’ll reduce the train length to a manageable length.

[davefoxx]

Also, the capacity of the industries being served on the layout. If each industry only has capacity to receive a couple of cars, shorter trains make sense. If you’re interchanging 40-50 grain hoppers at a time, that would require longer consists. So, for industries that produce unit train type consists, cut down on the number of tracks at the industry and you’ll reduce the train length to a manageable length.

^I agree with this statement, too!  If I have a ten or twelve car train on my layout, swapping just one freight car for another at an industry is more of a pain in the butt to runaround the train or shuffle cars to get to what I need to switch out.  It's also a little awkward having to run the power into the next town to runaround the train. 

DFF

[wm3798]

Or in my case, around the loop to get to the other side...
Lee

[NtheBasement]

I usually run 20 to 25 cars.  But the OP asks how it feels.

Someone posted a while back to look prototypical you don't need long trains, you just want to not be able to see the whole train at once.  If you are watching the loco and the tail end is hidden behind a hillside, it doesn't matter if the tail end is just out of view or there are another 100 cars that aren't visible.  So if your layout has a lot of hills, trees and buildings that keep the viewer from seeing very far down the track, you don't need trains as long as sweeping prairie or desert layouts have.  Even having to turn your head to see the caboose helps with the illusion.

[jereising]

I guess I need to weigh in here.  I LIKE long trains.  Almost every train I run is 50-60 cars, and since I model today they are longer cars.  I do run one monster, 114 trinity hoppers with three locos up front and one pushing.  Despite a nearly two per cent grade into and out of staging, it runs like a watch.  For me, it's all about fun, and fun is running trains - L o n g trains.
But rule 1. 

[tehachapifan]

I guess I need to weigh in here.  I LIKE long trains.  Almost every train I run is 50-60 cars, and since I model today they are longer cars.  I do run one monster, 114 trinity hoppers with three locos up front and one pushing.  Despite a nearly two per cent grade into and out of staging, it runs like a watch.  For me, it's all about fun, and fun is running trains - L o n g trains.
But rule 1. 

Jim, do you "de-rate" your helper locos or are they stock? I've had terrible luck when attempting any type of helpers and have pondered some sort of de-rating, such as removing tuck gears so only X number of axles are powered.

[jagged ben]

I llike my trains as prototypical as possible, which means as long as possible.  Which means when I run trains on the club layout, all the other trains had better fit in the sidings.  .  I've managed 60+ cars on our over two percent grades and loops.  Needs 5 Kato Dash 9s, typically.   A goal I have is to get together a proper brace of 10 SP EMDs to run 4x6 as done on Donner Pass.  Hoping for 80+ cars, but we'll see.

[645diesel]

Someone posted a while back to look prototypical you don't need long trains, you just want to not be able to see the whole train at once.  If you are watching the loco and the tail end is hidden behind a hillside, it doesn't matter if the tail end is just out of view or there are another 100 cars that aren't visible.  So if your layout has a lot of hills, trees and buildings that keep the viewer from seeing very far down the track, you don't need trains as long as sweeping prairie or desert layouts have.  Even having to turn your head to see the caboose helps with the illusion.

so it seems train length is as much a function of the "work" of the railroad as it is the context and stage dressing.  i'm of the vignette crowd and find having a focal point in a scene helps with some of the stage magic as well as good use of blocking and a nice scrim or curtain.

OTOH, if you design the layout as a series of discreet vignetted scenes, you can get away with longer trains since focus is then framed by the scene, with the view of the train traversing the limited context as if you were lineside. This comes into play with small loop layouts, for instance, where there is a well-executed scene - @davidgray1974 's absolutely stunning layout is a prime example - where trains enter and exit the scene from a staging yard behind the partition.

i have to agree. this view from David's layout screams coal country and the curvature really frames the stage as does the scenic design elements.   the stage is dressed and ready, you understand the story, now for the actors to provide the drama - more of that Frank Ellison.  you turn old and a childhood of Kalmbach Publishing tropes surfaces, proving it has taken a toll on my facilities.   



stunning scene, bravo.  sure hope the bridge crew finished in time for the 4pm mine run.