# How Many In Your Consist?



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Just curious.......how many cars, other than the loco, do you have in your freight consists?


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

Fifteen plus a caboose pulled by two steamers. Cars are all 40 footers. That is the length of my staging track.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Depends. Usually around 20 in the freights, the passenger train has 8 (with no caboose, obviously).


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

My layout isn't very large (9 x 10 ft), so my trains are on the short side at about 60 total inches in length. That lets me have about 6 40' freight cars along with the locomotive and caboose.

Mark


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

A pair of diesels, 5 cars and caboose. That is the capacity of the longest passing track.


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## IronManStark (Jan 15, 2017)

8 heavyweight Pullman cars on my passenger train. 15-20 on my freights. Really depends on what steamer I'm using. 
With my new shelf track around my whole hobby room. I have 3 diesels pulling 35-40 freight cars. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Six Branchline passenger cars behind an SD9;
Forty or more triple hoppers behind three RS11's;
Fifteen to forty-car mixed freight behind three SD7's.
Lots of 2 to 6-car gondola shuttles with a 44 tonner.
And of course, an RDC, either solo, or pulling a 63' BUDD RPO car.

But this is all done on a friend's layout until I get track laid on mine.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

About 11-12 freight cars.
6 passenger cars.

That is what fits on my passing siding. Anything longer looks out of place on my 4x8 ft layout.

A future expansion will allow for longer runs -- and longer consists.


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

I sometimes run about 40 or 50 cars in freight drags. But i have to build the trains as my yard isnt that long. the two longest spurs hold about 20 shorter freight cars.


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

15-20 Stock Cars not counting Motive power and 6 Heavyweight Passenger cars. We are still expanding so obviously this will rise but this is pleasing to the eye!:thumbsup::laugh:


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

MacDaddy55 said:


> 15-20 Stock Cars not counting Motive power and 6 Heavyweight Passenger cars. We are still expanding so obviously this will rise but this is pleasing to the eye!:thumbsup::laugh:


Probably not too pleasing to the passengers, though! :laugh::laugh:


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

flyboy2610 said:


> Probably not too pleasing to the passengers, though! :laugh::laugh:


City slicker!

Us country boys LOVE the perfume of freshly minted cow pies!


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## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

On my 3 x 5 oval I am pulling 6 cars with one loco, all cars are 50' or longer, these are the cars that work best on the layout.
Flat car w/cable load, three tankers, gondola w/load and a box car.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses, guys.
I'm running two freight lines on separate loops. One has 18 cars, the other 17, not counting locos.
The Amtrak passenger loop has 4 short haul passenger cars and 8 Superliner cars plus the P-42 loco.
It's quite a site when they're all running full blast at the same time! Those metal wheels really SING. :thumbsup:
Bob


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## slammin (Mar 25, 2016)

On my 12 x 15 L shaped switching layout, I usually have 6 or 7 car trains, pulled by a GP9 or GP20. My neighbor has a huge layout in an old 10 x 40 mobile home. It runs flawlessly, a real accomplishment considering the trailer is unheated and uncooled unless he is running trans! When we operate with him, most trains are 50 to 60 cars long, pulled by 3 reworked blue box Athearn SDs. He models the Rio Grande in western Colorado just before the UP take over, so most cars are 50'+. He uses DC block system with hand held throttles.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

My two DCC consisted Bachmann GP40s can handle over 20 cars
depending on how many still have plastic wheels.

Don


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## WIrailfan (Mar 6, 2016)

I'm running 13 cars including a caboose with a single Walthers SD45, sometimes for several hours! All cars have metal wheels. Will likely run even more once the outer loop is completed.....and I figure out how to consist :laugh:


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

I don't know how many cars I put on trains. Just line em up and run em. 
Here's video to back up my claim.






and another


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Wow!!! Now THAT'S a train!!!!!!!!!!!!:appl: :appl: :appl:


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

DonR said:


> My two DCC consisted Bachmann GP40s can handle over 20 cars
> depending on how many still have plastic wheels.
> 
> Don


Running all metal wheels makes an AMAZING difference, that's for sure.


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## 89Suburban (Jan 4, 2017)

D&J Railroad said:


> I don't know how many cars I put on trains. Just line em up and run em.
> Here's video to back up my claim.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yXBjbd4Awo
> ...


Holy moly. :thumbsup:


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

You win, Ken! But with six locos!


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

Bwells said:


> You win, Ken! But with six locos!


Heck, they were just sitting around doing nothing.


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## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

D&J Railroad said:


> I don't know how many cars I put on trains. Just line em up and run em.
> Here's video to back up my claim.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yXBjbd4Awo
> ...


That is amazing since I have a hard time getting 6-7 cars that want to stay coupled and on the track.
(I am using horn hook couplers and 30/40/50 year old off the shelf run of the mill rolling stock)
Just out of curiosity, how long did it take to get all of the proper trucks/wheels/couplers and get the weight/center of gravity correct on each car so they do not uncouple or derail?


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

NAJ said:


> That is amazing since I have a hard time getting 6-7 cars that want to stay coupled and on the track.
> (I am using horn hook couplers and 30/40/50 year old off the shelf run of the mill rolling stock)
> Just out of curiosity, how long did it take to get all of the proper trucks/wheels/couplers and get the weight/center of gravity correct on each car so they do not uncouple or derail?


The process of getting the rolling stock running right is when they are brought into the empire room. They never reach the track until they have Ka-dee couplers installed, adjusted and graphite applied, then everything is checked with the proper gauges. Things do wear and get out of tolerance on occasion. When a car or loco is noted as causing problems, it's pulled out just like on the real railroads and doesn't haul freight until the problem is fixed.
You'll never get hook horn couplers to move a train like this. They are plastic and flex way to much.


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

WIrailfan said:


> I'm running 13 cars including a caboose with a single Walthers SD45, sometimes for several hours! All cars have metal wheels. Will likely run even more once the outer loop is completed.....and I figure out how to consist :laugh:


Just set them both to the same address lol


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

Yep, I'm with Ken, Kadees and metal wheel sets before they even get near the track. It is truly amazing what the difference is between metal and plastic wheels is, night and day and then some.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

:laugh:Ken and I do things a little differently, but I gotta say, why use a .22 when a 150mm works so much better! Go big or go home!:laugh:


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

Track work is an important part of a good running railroad. Track joints, easements into curves and grades and turnouts all have to be finely tuned so that there are no derailments with a train being pulled or pushed.
I occasionally hear someone say they can run long cuts of cars on their layout with no derailments but I've never seen any proof of that. Sorta like the internet. I decided to bring proof with my claim.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

I hear you Ken, just giving you an attaboy, that's all.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

NAJ said:


> That is amazing since I have a hard time getting 6-7 cars that want to stay coupled and on the track.
> (I am using horn hook couplers and 30/40/50 year old off the shelf run of the mill rolling stock)


No wonder.......:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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

time warp said:


> I hear you Ken, just giving you an attaboy, that's all.


Understand. Just throwing out encouragement for a good running empire.


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## J.C. (Dec 24, 2016)

at current layout still under construction will run 20 to 35 40' cars most will be 20 cars or less as its not a class 1 carrier .at modular club I run 100 proto PS2 hoppers pulled by 4 proto 1000 F3's with cab just for show as it represents common grain trains we see .


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Fooled around with whats up on the board to see what mine consist of, the work train I was pulling with 2 diesels one Kato & one atlas rs1(I think), when I realized it was one car to long to park on my siding I removed the Kato & she still pulled fine, it's 17 cars long
2 passenger trains are heavyweight rivarossi's the penn Is 6 cars & I drag a track cleaner behind pulled by athern pa 1 & a powered b unit.
the new haven again rivarossi is 7 cars & a track cleaner pulled by 2 atlas gp 40's
& on the freight I was pulling 14 with 2 rivarossi 080's a little wheel spin with just one & another with 18 pulled by 2 atlas f units, all will pull with just one engine.
So to see if they could I parked the 2 steamers & mated up all 32 behind the atlas f units, goes 3/4 of the way around my 10x10 loop, no problem, so I pulled one engine, still pulled with no problem, also tried that what I think is an athern f unit by itself & it pulled great. ( the one I got from my sons friend, southern pacific)
Only problem I had was derailing on the curves, had to move the lighter tankers & empty gondolas to the rear.


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

My layout was built as a switching layout. A normal train is anywhere from 6 to 14 cars which is the length of the passing sidings. These sidings are necessary for use as a run around track as eacjh town has a switching problem built into it. 

BUT

every once in a while the grand kids will come over and want to see a long train. The ruling grade is two percent which requires three locomotives. Count them.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

If I counted right, 48 cars, you must have lots of room to work with! COOL!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

RUSTY Cuda said:


> If I counted right, 48 cars, you must have lots of room to work with! COOL!


Yep....I counted 48 cars, including the caboose.
My eyes should be uncrossed in an hour or two! :goofball:
Wish my layout was that big.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

OK now I have to go marry up my passenger trains on the longest outside loop & see how many I can pull!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

My Kato P-42 EASILY pulls 20 Amtrak cars full blast and 9 of them are Superliners.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Think my 22" curves are too tight, got it up to 16 cars, pulling with the twin engines(either set) was fine, but the weight of the train would pull the first few cars right off the track when making the turn.
Oh well, at least it gave me something to do for a few hours, next project is lighting up more cars. light kits shipped today, so hopefully get them in a couple of days.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Got up to 16 heavyweights , no problem for either set of engines, but my 22" curves might be too tight for that, it would pull the first few cars right off the track on the curves.
Oh well gave me something to do for a while, next project is lighting up more cars, kits I bought shipped today, hopefully be back at it in a couple of days!


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