Atlas and Kato together

[oplholik]

Can different brand diesels be run together w/o problems, or is it best to stay with 1 brand when running 2 or three engines together?

Paul

 

[Gardenfan]

If you are running DCC, it is pretty easy to get the different brands to all run together at the same speed.

If you are running DC, the biggest thing is they would all have to be geared the same I think, because you can't program the different speeds into them. Maybe someone will chip in and let you know if there is a way around this?

But on my DCC layout I manage to get my atlas GP 38 to run with my kato SD40-2 or kato AC4400cw with relative ease with a few minutes programming.

 

[oplholik]

If you are running DCC, it is pretty easy to get the different brands to all run together at the same speed.

If you are running DC, the biggest thing is they would all have to be geared the same I think, because you can't program the different speeds into them. Maybe someone will chip in and let you know if there is a way around this?

But on my DCC layout I manage to get my atlas GP 38 to run with my kato SD40-2 or kato AC4400cw with relative ease with a few minutes programming.

Thanks, I plan on DCC when I get that far.

Paul

 

[Larry]

I run all kinds of loco's together & don't have any problems w/pulling a long train. If you have dirty wheels on 1 & clean wheels on the other, then there's going to be problems.
I have kato, Athearn, walthers, backmann plus, proto2000, stewart & others. You might see a very slight movement between the couplers, but that doesn't hurt a thing. I only run DC.

 

[UP2CSX]

I have had problems in DC running some locomotives together, particularly Athearn BB's and Bachmann Spectrums. Their gearing seems to be completely different. With DCC, you can adjust the speed tables for each engine so consisting is pretty easy.

 

[cncproadwarrior]

Many years ago, they would tell you to put the slowest loco in front and the fastest behind. I assume that's so the fastest loco would not have to pull the slowest.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Many years ago, they would tell you to put the slowest loco in front and the fastest behind. I assume that's so the fastest loco would not have to pull the slowest.

In the club I was in when we lived in Mobile, Al, to run two engines together that may or may not be from the same maker we developed this method for use on our modules.

Put the locos on separate tracks, (easy to do as this was a double track main) and add cars to each loco until the two trains matched in speed. One train may have 20 cars while the other could wind up with 30. We then combined the two trains into one and could run that train all day without any problems at all.

 

[NH Mike]

I run only DC and the way I do MU's is to put to engines on the same track about an engine length apart. Then I run them at various speeds and watch if one is faster or slower than the other by a noticeable difference. Typical test run is 6 to 8 feet which is enough to make a decison. I then note on my engine roster cards a list of which units match best together. Not very technical method I know but has worked for me. Sometimes it isn't foolproof like with an uphil pusher on the rear of a long string but I don't run them like that very often.

 

[diburning]

It's not just the gearing. It also depends on the current draw of the motor, the rate at which the motor turns at a given voltage, and the material/quality of the wheels/pickups.

Athearns in general draw more current than Atlas and Katos. Atlas locos also have a lower max speed (in an effort to have better low speed performance) so it will also have problems running with the other two brands on DC. With DCC, all of that can be fixed.