Recently "Grandure Lady" ran a train on my layout consisting of 12 coal hoppers and two locomotives. she counted 14. I let it go. Tonight my tenant was watching a similar consist of one loco and 12 cars. She came up with 13. On one hand I understand this. On the other i wonder if you have had similar experiences. Please do share how do non-railroaders count the contents of a train. Thanks.
I don't have a home layout so the only time I get to operate is at train shows where my club displays. You always see kids and sometimes adults counting the cars and yes they always include the locomotives and the caboose in the count. The general public doesn't make our distinction between motive power, non revenue and revenue equipment. I always compliment the kids if they get the total correct, you should see them smile.
Dear Sir: Train length is all freight cars, locomotives and caboose. A train can be just a locomotive making a light move.
The other day we were stopped at a crossing by a switcher making a light move. My wife commented how neat it was to see a single "car" like that. I did not correct her. Also, it's probably worth noting that train length and car count are not the same thing...
If you are counting the train cars in tow, in a train, it's simply the freight or passenger cars in the consist and not the lash-up of locomotives and/or the caboose. If you are counting the total items in the train, you do count the locomotives and the caboose. If there are articulated cars...well...I count the set, as one car. There are others who say if it's two or three cars tied via one truck per articulation, then it's two or three cars. I believe my family of rails would agree with [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Georgia, Verdana]Ferroequinologist1[/FONT]. By the way welcome to TrainBoard. The way I was taught to count the "Train cars"... in a freight or passenger train, was to count only the cars. In a freight the locomotives and caboose was not counted as it was apart of the manifest's (or freight hauling) totals, in consist, in the train. Should the locomotive and caboose run light, (all by themselves) it was then recognized as a "Train". However the sum total of the train was indeed the number of locomotives, train cars and the single caboose. Not to be left out is the dead headed equipment (not being officially used by the train crew to move the train) as in locomotive, passenger cars and/or an additional crummys or hacks in the train. Does that muddy up the waters?
At our train shows, I hear 2 questions........"how long is the train?" and "how many cars in that train?" which are similar, but the answer is different. The first is for units in the train, the second for just cars. I guess you ask specific questions to get specific answers. As pointed out, there are a lot of different possible things to count on a train.
