# In inches, what is the tallest HO car/engine I might end up with on my layout?



## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

I'm freelancing a curved viaduct that will have a track run under as well. I don't have much rolling stock yet (or engines) so wondering what is the tallest car/engine I might end up by chance. I'd prefer not to check car heights the next 20 years every time I want to buy one  I can't build the viaduct too high though as I need to get it back down to grade in a reasonable distance.

Thanks!

Walman


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

I've always been told that NMRA standards for HO scale tunnels is 3". If you make your opening 3" tall you should be able to clear it with any HO scale piece of rolling stock unless you come across some one-of-a-kind custom large load on a flat car.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Okay, I was close. NMRA.org standards says 3 5/32" is the modern standard. So that's about 3 1/4"

http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/consist.html and click on S7, Clearances for more info. But make note of the fig in the upper right corner because the Clearances pages doesn't show that fig very well.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Make it 4" just in case you have that unusual car in the future?
Would a 3/4" difference really look out of place?


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

One of the bigger flat car loads is the Schneible which requires slow moving and adjusting or clearing the heights of overhead and right of way obstacles. 
Some of the east coast rail lines still have lower clearances so they can't run double stack container cars.


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## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

Great info everyone....on to making my supports 

Walman


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Walman said:


> Great info everyone....on to making my supports
> 
> Walman


You going to make them 8" just to be safe?


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## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

big ed said:


> You going to make them 8" just to be safe?


LOL....try 4.00000000000001. Like I said I need that elevation to come back down to grade in as short a distance as possible so I don't want to go too high.

Walman


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## hoscale37 (Nov 20, 2011)

D&J Railroad said:


> One of the bigger flat car loads is the Schneible which requires slow moving and adjusting or clearing the heights of overhead and right of way obstacles.
> Some of the east coast rail lines still have lower clearances so they can't run double stack container cars.


If you have a Schneible car you will have to not only account for the height of the car but the turning radius as well because even the models in HO scale that I have seen (Bachmann model at a huge train show a few years back), was quite a bit in length, and the turning radius on those is fairly large as well. 

Here is a Maerklin Version....










http://www.internettrains.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=HSCRLSFRTSPCBSS


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## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

So what is the actual 'real life' load those cars are designed to carry? I've seen a few at train shows. My layout if fairly compressed so that car would run from one industry to the next lol....don't think I'll be buying.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

That model is also $300. I'd love to get one to put in my display case because I like modeling the unusual, but it would have to be given to me as I don't want to spend that much $$$ on a display item. 

Those cars are used to carry fully build, large scale generators as the picture shows, or large built boilers. 

http://southern.railfan.net/schnabel/schnabel_cars.html


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

Walman said:


> So what is the actual 'real life' load those cars are designed to carry? I've seen a few at train shows. My layout if fairly compressed so that car would run from one industry to the next lol....don't think I'll be buying.


Transformer.


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