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If you want to know how many cars you should have for a single locomotive the answer is… it depends. There are quite a few factors that go into deciding how cars your locomotive can pull, some factors are obvious, like the amount of power the locomotive puts out, but did you also know that the curvature of the track can also figure into it? Of course you can just keep adding cars until your locomotive slows to a crawl but for those of you curious for more of an in depth response read on.

The traction your locomotive gets, also referred to as the drawbar pull, is affected by its weight, contact with the rail, the amount of power, and the type of motor. The pulling power is usually measured in ounces from the rear coupler or drawbar of your locomotive.

The cars obviously contribute to drag as well, the axles, any lubrication, and the presence or not of bears also figure into the equation.

A locomotive will also experience extra drag when taking curves versus straightaways. Making sure your track is always nice and clean goes a long way towards reducing drag on the curves. The grade of the track must also be taken into consideration. Grade is the ratio of distance forward for a given change in height. If your model railroad is 100 inches long with an incline topping off at two inches you have a 2% grade. A good rule of thumb is no more than a 4% grade for anything smaller than a garden railroad, garden railroads should cap grades at 2%

Engines and Cars, Track and Layout

The composition of your track can impact the performance of your trains, there are four primary types of track: brass track, steel, zinc-coated steel, and nickel silver. Terminal connections are standard on any type of track when purchased in a set so regardless of which type of track you select you won’t have to worry about any compatibility issues with your transformer.

Nickel Silver x track

Brass track is the cheapest and is the most common type of track that is included in model train sets sold today. The nice thing about brass track is that of all the types available it is the best conductor of electricity. The downside to brass track however, is that it requires regular cleaning to prevent oxidation buildup from the atmosphere coming into contact with the brass. Effort should be put forth to ensure that build ups of oxidation are taken care of, excessive oxidation impedes the electrical current and can degrade performance of your trains.

Steel and Zinc-coated steel are also common in starter sets (with zinc-coated steel having replaced plain steel tracks for the most part.) While not as expensive as nickel silver tracks nor requiring as much cleaning as brass track, the zinc coating of the track can wear off exposing the steel to rust.

Nickel silver track also will build up oxidation after time but unlike brass or steel the oxidation on nickel silver will conduct electricity. So while after time you may see erratic performance from your trains on brass or steel track you should see good consistent performance from your nickel silver track with less time spent cleaning. Most model railroaders agree that nickel silver is the best option available.

Track and Layout brass track, nickel silver track, track, zinc-coated steel track

I’ve been away for a little bit, and to anybody that was just starting to get into my blog as it was getting off the ground I apologize. I had to move my blog to a new server.

Okay, enough of that, let’s get onto the trains! Actually this is going to be just a teaser of a post. I am working a longer article about track ballast and it isn’t quite finished but I’m eager to be writing again. So what is ballast? Ballast is defined as a heavy substance placed in such a way as to improve stability and control. When you see train tracks the ballast is the rock between the actual ties and the dirt ground. The rocks provide added stability and control, stability and control that is probably good to have when there is a locomotive weighing around 200 tons. Now in our model train world we don’t need the ballast for stability, although it doesn’t hurt. In the model train world ballast is used primarily for added realism. I’ve included a picture below and I am working on a more comprehensive posting about the actual technique for laying ballast.

Oh, and if you are wondering your local hobby shop probably supplies ballast.

Model train ballast

Scenery, Track and Layout ballast, track

Determining how you are going to layout your model train track is part of the fun of model trains themselves, the possibilities are almost limitless given enough track and space. Even limited amounts of track or space can deliver a very satisfying model train experience.

If you buy your first model trains as part of a set, in other words it contains the power pack, the model train engine, cars to be pulled by the engine including a caboose, and enough model railroad track for some form of contiguous layout. A contiguous layout is any model train track layout that allows the train to run continuously without needing to change direction. The most common model train track layout is the oval, and most model train sets come with enough track to create this layout. It is a very simple layout but not a true oval as the longer sides are both straight, think of a running track you see at a high school with two large parallel straight-aways and a gradual half circle at each end.

Oval Layout

A variation on the oval track is the covered oval. This model train track layout is identical to the oval layout but the far side of the straight-away is covered by a tunnel fashioned out of a faux mountain. The covered oval gives the model railroader more of a sense of realism as the model trains is not always in view. The track doesn’t have to be truly covered; anything obscuring the visibility of the model train would accomplish the same goal. The covering of the track itself gives one the chance to incorporate some scenery as well, whether you like snow covered mountain tops, simulated city skylines, or a forest of miniature fir trees you will have ample opportunity to flex your creative muscles.

Another common model train track layout is the figure eight and appears exactly how it sounds, with a piece of X track in the middle of the track layout. This is another common layout that does not require any switching track, but timing to prevent crashes is needed if you are planning on running more than one model train on your track at the same time.

Figure Eight Model Railroad Track

Some enthusiasts build straight line model train tracks, in other words there are no curves at all. Many times these are purely decorative, sometimes ending up as a shelf piece since the practicality of the model train would be limited by the need to constantly toggle the model train’s direction between forward and reverse.

Once you start adding switches to your model train track layouts a whole other world of possibilities open up for you as you can more easily manage more than one train on your track at a time and you can segment your layouts into different themes. I’ll go over more advanced layouts using switches in the future.

The Basics, Track and Layout