Average train length= 40 cars Mainline length = 650 feet Layout square footage = >300 Era = 1957 Locale = Northeast Number of engines = 4 on typical freight Number of cars = 40 on typical freight Number of operators = 3 typical Min curve radius= 18" Min turnout = No. 7 on main, #5 ocassionally on branches Height = 30" to 66" [ April 10, 2006, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Pete Nolan ]
This is all for my stuff on our club NTRAK layout. It varies from set up to set up. Average train length: 40 cars for freight, ten cars for passenger. Mainline length: 100 feet of NTRAK modules so about 300. Layout square footage: about 200. Era: Transition (1951) Locale: Fort Bend County, Texas. (the towns of Sugar Land, Stafford, Richmond, Rosenberg, Thompsons and a few generic locations) Number of engines: 50 ± Number of cars: 200 ± Number of operators: at least 2 Min curve radius: 19 inches. Min turnout: #6 Height: 40 inches
Boxcad: thats so sad, do you have another project? ps, i updated my railimages account to show some overall pics of my table, enjoy!! -NUTEY-
I should add that maximum train length on my layout is primarily determined by Accumate coupler strength uphill and train weight downhill. My two shortest passing sidings can handle 70 cars; the next 140 cars; the longest about 210 cars. I'm swapping out Accumates for MTs. I put the Accumates toward the rear of a train uphill, so I've run 90 car trains up. Downhill, I'll have to put brakes on the last car to avoid the reverse of straight-lining. The weight of a very long train exceeds the ability of the lo-pro flanges to keep the front of the train on track. I've been experimenting with mid- and end-of-train helpers as brakes, rather than pushers. I haven't found a solution yet, so 40 cars it is. That's a nice long train.
When we have a meeting and use Ntrak instead of onetrak, we run trains of 70 cars. Many people say: 'That is not realistic, such a long train'. And we reply: That's correct, it is not realistic, because this train is too short'. In Holland, we have freight trains that are much shorter than in the USA. But with Onetrak, well, our trains are about 5 to 15 cars long. We have short sidings. We also use waybills so we can't use too many cars for the amount of industries we have.
Well everybody likes to think their trains are longer than they really are but I keep mine to four feet or less because that’s the length of my passing sidings. Also any train longer than that tends to outrun the scenery. I occasionally make an exception when running the “California Zephyr”.
New design has 50ft. mainline run all water level grade. Locomotives al primarily ALco FA sets run in AB, ABA. and ABBA. or RS2s and 3s run as single or up to 3 units. Passenger either a single E-7, or F3s or F7s AA lash-up with maximum train length at 7-8 cars. Rule of thumb for diesel freight is 1 loco per 10 cars with freights to be not over 40 cars mostly 40 or 50 footers. Steam on freight is normally a 2-8-0 or 2-8-2. Passenger steam is 4-6-2s. Branch line is limited to not more than 18 cars behind double headed geared or rod driven steam. Branch line run will be at least 50 feet with a approximate 2% grade.
I've been working on my current layout for about 6 months now. Average train length: 10-12 feet. I have a double track mainline with crossovers spaced 15 feet apart or so, accordingly trainlength has to be less than 15 feet for operating considerations. The mainline is approximately 60 feet with a major branchline which is probably close to 60 feet in length on its own. Layout dimensions are 10 x 21 feet = 210 sq. feet. The locale is an Appalachian setting, with the era being mostly present day. I would like to backdate the layout to run some 70's equipment from time to time, but the railroad is freelanced with no actual locations modeled. CSX and NS are represented for now. Presently I have 7 locomotives, with around 50 cars. Of course, those numbers increase on a slow, but regular basis. Operators currently number 1. Me. But I would like to accomodate another two operators eventually. Minimum mainline radius is 17". Branchline minimum is 15". Maximum grade is 2% Track is a combination of 75% Kato Unitrack and 25% Atlas Code 80. #4 and #6 turnouts, with one handlaid curved turnout. Benchwork height is 51" from the floor, with the branchline ascending another four inches, so the maximum track height is 55" from the floor.
I run Ntrak so train length is no problem. I have run 143 cars behind an ABBA consist of FA/B 1's but usually keep train length down to what will fit in a siding in the yard. It's a lot easier to switch off operators that way.
T.H.E.R.R. old layout was flat. Could pull about 24 cars. This one has a grade...so wth a single locomotive I am down to 12-15 cars.
Well being an average guy...I'd say I have an average length train! LOL one loco 12-17 cars, two locos 20-25 cars. I use fifty to sixty percent of the freight cars for the road I'm running.
You need to add larger trains to the list.... At times I run 80--90 cars and easily that on Ntrak layouts.
I have run 125-car freights on my layout when I was in nscale,and an 18-car passenger train.Now i'm in Ho, train length is 20-35 for through freights and a 12-car passenger.I run on a friends layout that can accommodate 140-car trains(also ho).my local can vary from lite engines to up to 15-18 cars depending on industry work that session.Wife and I are looking into another trainspace with a house attatched so I can run those long intermodals I like.
I usually run passenger, but I only have 8 cars, 4 for Amtrak and 4 for a freelanced commuter line. Still, I have around 30 assorted freight cars I "play with" every so often.
I'm an N scaler myself, but mij brother runs mostly Marklin in H0. Last week we ran we train of 58 cars pulled one NYC locomotive on his layout. It looked great [video=youtube_share;lHO10svUmlw]http://youtu.be/lHO10svUmlw[/video]
Mine is Bi......... On my home layout 10 car trains with a caboose and two locos fit my sidings, but staging will hold three locos a caboose and fifteen cars. So my through trains look good on my humble layout and the local can dart in the sidings to give the upper class trains the main. Our freemo set up typically runs 23 cars with three locos and a caboose. Although I would like longer this size is manageable for us for return loops, siding lengths, and yard tracks.
My modular layout will accommodate trains that are slightly shorter than 9' 7.5" long, which is the length of 30 40' cars, one caboose pulled by a Big Boy. The shortest passing siding on my double-tracked mainline is that length, with a maximum passing siding length of 10' 8" in Echo Yard. I model the Union Pacific helper district between Ogden Utah and Wahsatch Utah...a 67 mile stretch and the complete layout will have between 200 and 300 feet of double-track mainline running with a large concealed fiddle yard generating east and west bound traffic. I will also incorporate the Park City Branch and it will extend at least 30 feet of single track. My layout consists of several large (12' to 24' long) LDE's which fit together in a preferred manner, but can be mixed as layout construction progresses. Presently it occupies an 11' 6" X 27' room, but will eventually fit into a 40' X 40' room or building when all of the LDE's are complete. I model a specific time period as far as my layout's scenery, trackage and structures are concerned, and that's 1951 so both the SP and UP engine facilities and roundhouses would have been fully functional. D&RGW also had a small roundhouse and turntable, which will be included if I have room. Operations will consists of urban switching at Ogden as well as passenger operations. Sorting of trains from all four points of the compass happen in Ogden as well as new motive power exchanges between the SP and UP for both passenger trains and various priority freights going both East and West. If I have room I'll also model traffic from the North and South which was generated from and terminated at Ogden. The long run from the Ogden/Riverdale yard to the east topping the grade at Wahsatch will be the main focus of mainline running, with helper service required on all through freights except those being pulled by Big Boys. 3700 class Challengers will be the main helpers with a few U.P. 2-10-2's also assigned as end-of-train helpers. Two daily local trains (the Park City Local and the Evanston Local) will also be run during an op session with pick ups and set outs at various places on the run such as three or four stock car loading points, gravel and coal, tooling, concrete and lubricants at the huge Ideal Concrete Plant at Devils Slide, coal sand and chemical deliveries at the coaling, sanding and water station at Echo and local passenger service being provided by the two daily locals. Motive power now consists of 4 Big Boys (four more on order), 4 Challengers (two more on order), 3 FEF-3's, 1 FEF-2, 3 light USRA U.P. Mikados, 2 U.P. Consolidateds, 4 EMD F-3 ABB lashups, 1 EMD F-7 AB lashup, 7 Alco FA/FB/FB lashups, 9 GP-7's, 7 GP-9's, 1 GP-9 B, 1 U.P. Alco S-3, 2 U.P. NW-2's, 2 U.P. FB H15-44's, 2 U.P. RSC-2's, 1 U.P. Veranda Turbine, 1 U.P. E-9 ABA lashup, 2 U.P. E-8 ABB lashups, 1 U.P. Alco PA/PB/PB lashup, 1 U.P. Alco PA/PB/PA lashup, 2 S.P. Alco PA/PB/PB lashups, 1 S.P. E-7 ABA lashup, 1 S.P. E-7 AB lashup, 4 S.P. GS-4's, and 2 S.P. GS-3's. Motive power for the future will include several U.P. Baby Turbines and Verandas both without and with tenders and a few 2-10-2's if Jason still has the conversions up for sale, and of course several more F units and Geeps (including GP-9 B's). For the Ogden Yard several S.P. Alco S-4's are needed, and more S.P. engines of various types will be acquired if/when they become available. WP and D&RGW engines and trains will also be acquired later on. I won't even get into the freight and passenger cars. I'll just say that I've got enough to run both freight and passenger trains during a 3 hour op session, and I'm slowly acquiring/building appropriate passenger/mail trains to represent more of the daily passenger/mail trains that traversed Weber and Echo Canyons daily. It's all Digitrax DCC and I'm getting sound into all but the smallest engines. LDE's that are up and running are the Echo Yard LDE, The Echo Station & Coaling Station LDE, the Echo Cliffs LDE, the Taggarts LDE, the Emory Center Siding LDE, and work is progressing on the Wilhemina Pass LDE and the Devils Slide LDE. The next two LDE's that will be plugged in are the Henefer Station and Center Siding LDE and the offset twin bridges over the Weber River at Mountain Green LDE. All track is either Railcraft or ME code 55 flex, ME code 40 flex or hand-laid, with all turnouts being hand-laid. Signaling will be ABS from Strawberry to the top of the grade at Wahsatch (just like the prototype) with CTC from Ogden to Strawberry with an area at Morgan and one at Echo on the east bound main under CTC control. I run cars, engines, and trains dating from the middle 40's through 1956 that appeared in Ogden or in Weber/Echo Canyons. I up and sold everything else about two years ago that wasn't in my time period or a road that didn't appear in my location. Here's a photo of an Alco PA/PB/PA lashup parked on the Park City branch as an east bound Big Boy gets coal, water and sand at the Echo Coaling Tower. This is the transition between the Echo Station/Echo Coaling Tower LDE and the Echo Cliffs/Echo Curve LDE. Here's a long shot of one of my Big Boys stopped at the West end of the Echo yard for a mandatory 30 minute brake cooling stop, before heading down grade to Ogden. That's as long a train as is run on my layout and is the standard all my passing sidings were designed to fit. Here's the Echo Cliffs/Echo Curve LDE adjoining the highly unfinished Emory Center Siding LDE to the left at the Evanston WY Roundhouse Festival in August of 2012. Here's part of the Wilhemina Pass LDE, which stays at home and doesn't go to the shows. Hope y'all like these shots. The layout is slowly growing and hopefully next year, my youngest son and I will be working on the six module Ogden/Riverdale LDE and these eight modules will be finished. Cheers! Bob Gilmore
