# How many cars can my lionel train pull



## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

I'm fairly new to the model train hobby, a couple years I got a Pennsylvania flyer train set for Christmas, I also have been collecting the new Hershey commemorative rolling stock, I have 10 of the Hershey cars and the 3 that came with the set, my layout is a 4x8 oval with a siding and a disconnect piece, enough for 5 cars. I would like to expand in the future but not sure what I need. I know there are 5 more Hershey cars out that I want to get but I don't think my engine will be able to pull that much, and I don't know if ill need a mor powerful transformer either the one I have is the cw-80. If any one can advise be on where to go from here that would be great! Any recommendations on more powerful engines would be good too cuz I don't know much about them, I like steamers but a desil would be cool too but I'd like to keep the Pennsylvania theme. I did see a Bachman desil that was a PA and it was a chocolate brown color perfect for a Hershey train! Will a Bachman engine work on lionel fastrack, with a lionel cw-80 transformer?


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

Here is the link to te engine that I was thinking about getting, however I don't know much about train specks so I don't know if it will work with what I have and pull what I want it to pull 

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200509271


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You can use any O-gauge locomotive and cars on Fastrack, that's not a problem. If you want to have long trains, you need to upgrade the engine from the PA Flyer steamer. That one will struggle with more than 8-10 cars. OTOH, I've pulled 53 cars with a Lionel Legacy dual-motored Conrail SD-80, and it didn't seem to be working all that hard. I ran out of track before I ran out of pulling power.

One issue you'll have is there's always a couple cars in a long train that have flaky couplers under load and they keep uncoupling. You have to either weed them out or fix them. 

The Williams you're looking at will be a good puller, it'll probably easily handle 30-40 standard sized (and weight) cars on level track.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

The fastrack I have is O-27 and the Bachman I linked says it only does O-31 curves according to the catalogue. 

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200509294

This train is an O-27 but will it have enough pulling power to pull a longer train


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

There is no such thing as O27 Fastrack, are you talking tubular track?

If you really have O27 track, you will be limited in the locomotives you can run, one of the reasons I decommissioned my O27 layout to build a bigger one.

Here's a comparison of the two, which do you have?


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## mwpeber (Dec 5, 2011)

That's a nice looking locomotive that your considering. You shouldn't have any problem pulling a dozen or so cars if they are all rolling nice and easy.

I had a few old Lionel gondolas that wouldn't roll down a 5% grade on their own. I could only pull a few of them together but once I fixed them up I didn't have any issues assembling a nice freight train pulled even by my lightest locomotive.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

Ok I have fast track mostly, i do have have some tube track too but it's a wider turn radius than my fastrack and its not hooked up yet either some one gave it to me for my b-day, I have yet to get the piece of fastrack that connects the two types of track.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

OK, if you have Fastrack, it's O36 at a minimum, and that's the most common diameter. Lionel has announced O31 Fastrack, but I've yet to see any.

My recommendation is to go with the largest diameter curves you can fit into the space available, you'll thank me in the morning! I started with O27, I have a bunch of O31, then I got into O36 Fastrack. Now I'm rethinking my planning to include some O72 loops to run stuff that just doesn't run on the tighter curves.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

Cool thanks gunrunnerjohn all te cars I have so far are the lionel Hershey cars

http://www.lionel.com/Products/Find...CatalogID=&CollectionID=&searchWithin=Current

I believe they are O-27 it's good to know that fastrack is O-36 I just assumed it was O-27 cuz it came with the set and the train was rated for O-27


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The set is rated to run on O27, and it used to come with O27 track, I have an old one in the closet.  When the track was upgraded, they shipped with Fastrack, and at the time the smallest diameter was O36.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

Ok cool thank you so much for all info! You have helped so much


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

here is a pic of my layout and a link yo my album if you want a closer look at my cars

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/album.php?albumid=239

its not big just one sheet of plywood, cant do to much with it but its cool, i have a switch and a siding that used to be big enough for all my cars but not any more lol.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

Alundrell,

The WBB loco that you show in your second post should do very well.
I do not have any WBB locos but have at least ten Williams locos.
Williams was bought by Bachmann and is now referred to as Williams By Bachmann-WBB..The Williams locos I have have pulled up to 40 cars of mixed vintage and types.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Alundrell said:


> here is a pic of my layout and a link yo my album if you want a closer look at my cars
> 
> http://www.modeltrainforum.com/album.php?albumid=239
> 
> its not big just one sheet of plywood, cant do to much with it but its cool, i have a switch and a siding that used to be big enough for all my cars but not any more lol.


I see you're pretty heavily into candy!  I like the colorful cars, I'm sure my grandson would love them.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

I've Allways been a big Hershey fan, and being from Pennsylvania just adds to it. I've been to Hershey park over a dozen times. Also kind of a completionist so I started collecting the Hershey cars when they only had 4 released and they just kept coming out with new ones I still dot have 3 of them and tey just released a train set with a hershey steam engine a Kitkat car a kisses caboose and a Reese's box car! Uug why couldn't they have had that out 2 years ago lol


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It's fun to have a theme like that, very cool.


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## Alundrell (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks!


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