Us 1:20.3 NG’ers don’t have to worry too much about train length.
I typically run 5 -7 cars.
The only exception is a 24 car ore load.
Then I need a helper engine.
I’ll let the modern day guys run their 100 car freights.
The only reason I commented, is because the OP stated:
“how many cars can my ALCO PA-B engine pull realistically?”
So, he is modern day, 1:29, not narrow gauge, and he did ask how many cars, implying something more than just a few.
Regards, Greg
We are about to see if we can break all the rules we set for the garden railway build so that we can run a point-to-point section of line.
- nothing less than r3 track
- no grades
- no tunnels
- no overpasses
- no grade level rail crossings
I suspect most of the climb will involve r2 track but we may need to slip in a bit of r1. I’m wondering what the maximum grade a LGB Mogul can do with 3-10 cars and whether the long orient express cars could make this treacherous route.
Thoughts?
Railroad train lengths for me depend on the railroad that you are running on, that is do you have long mainline trackage, or short winding trackage layout. Most outdoor railroads are the short winding type, thus long trains really just don’t fit well and look out of place on these layouts. For me I’ve always been a narrow gauge person, thus short trains are what I run on my layout and others, but if I was a mainline runner I would defiantly want to run my trains on large layout where I could pull as many cars to give those SD-70’s that look of what it was built for. If you have a RL Hobbies style track at your disposal then running long trains might be your thing, but it not very satisfying as a layout I would want in my backyard. Main thing is I would want my trains to run as trouble free as possible and dealing with derailment, couple problems, track power, etc. are things I would try to stay from. I have very few problems with 5-6 car trains and being a narrow gauge person it works well for me. Once again, G Scale is in most cases is not a “rivet counter” hobby, so if it works for you, go for it.
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Do your best to stay away from the R1 unless you only plan to run LGB equipment. LGB specifically designed their engines to run on R1, but they don’t always look good doing so. Your tightest curve will be the limiting factor on loco and car length due to end swing. avoid S-Curves, especially on small radius. My Fn3 passenger cars will not traverse back-to-back 10Ft radius (R3?) switches forming an S due to coupling. I can hand push them through that S and even into an R1 siding for storage. It’s the couplers that pull the trucks off the track in tight curves.
One of my first layouts was a Christmas tree circle later expanded to include a “yard”. My only loco at the time was a USA Trains GP9 and the circle was all R1. By using hook and loop couplers to accommodate the swing, I was able to run short trains on the R1 circle.
Grade will be your limiting factor for train length. Ball bearing upgrades can help this. My Outdoor has a steep curving grade that approaches 5% ins spots. My C-19 will only pull two Fn3 passenger cars up that grade, on a good day. Some days if the rail is a little slick, a helper is needed.
Great to see your layout taking shape. Isn’t winter closing in on you now?