How Many Cars???

[Switch Track]

How many cars can a Genesis F-7 A and an F-7 A/B safely pull? I have 16 cars on my F-7 A/B locomotive tandem now, and it seems to pull them w/o difficulty.


Happy Railroading,

ST

 

[lmackattack]

Ho scale?

I pull about 60-65 cars with 2 HO scale proto 2000 GP18... no slipping on the 1.5% grades found on the club layout. heck My BLI heavvy mike with traction tires can pull 40-46 buy itself.

 

[Selector]

I don't want to be a party pooper, but how many cars a single engine, or a group of them, can pull, and how many they should have to pull in a given circumstance are two different things. They may be capable of great feats, but their drive trains and wheel bearings will wear out that much quicker. The side rods will wear more quickly on steamers, too. For most HO layouts, and on grades under 2.5%, consists of more than about 25-30 properly weighted and free running cars are going to contribute to a short life cycle for your engine. To me, it would be a shame to wear out one of my best engines quickly just so that I could watch it pull prototypical train lengths.

-Crandell

 

[Mac Loco Works]

I have a trio of F7 ABB that pull a 50 car modern 50' reefer train. This is an all Athearn blue box train with walters roller bearing trucks. As far as wearing them out early I started pulling this lash up 10 yrs ago and have no problems. I have broken 5-6 couplers from miss handleing. My rolling stock goes thru an inspection every yr just like the real world. I check lube, wheel wear, couplers, gauge and free rolling. I also touch up paint and any detail parts that are broken.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I don't think you will find a sizable layout that is perfectly flat to test your locos on. Smaller layouts will limit your train length and tight curves will amplify the effects of grade.

 

[Selector]

I have a trio of F7 ABB that pull a 50 car modern 50' reefer train. This is an all Athearn blue box train with walters roller bearing trucks. As far as wearing them out early I started pulling this lash up 10 yrs ago and have no problems. I have broken 5-6 couplers from miss handleing. My rolling stock goes thru an inspection every yr just like the real world. I check lube, wheel wear, couplers, gauge and free rolling. I also touch up paint and any detail parts that are broken.

Excellent approach! You do routine maintenance to ensure smooth performance and less stress on our engines, and you spread the load over at least three engines.

My point to the gentleman is that there will be a difference in longevity if one insists on straining any one engine, whether it works alone or in concert with others as in your case.

They will pull tremendous loads in some cases, but it isn't necessarily a wise thing to make them do it.

-Crandell

 

[lmackattack]

I don't think you will find a sizable layout that is perfectly flat to test your locos on. Smaller layouts will limit your train length and tight curves will amplify the effects of grade.

It is hard to find layouts that big but they are out there. The club I belong too has a70-80' straight section and easy curves. A few guys run 100-150 car trains every weekend. The first day I visited the club A member let me run his 95 car coal train with a single large articulated steam engine for power. I was very impressed so impressed that I joined the club that day. I have seen an F unit A-B-B-A pull 100 cars easy could have done it with 3 engines. I agree that it putts added stress on the loco when they are maxed out with a load but I have only had one engine strip the gears out ans that was on a old cheep toy train.

 

[nmaniac]

I have no clue because when I run I run 85 + cars and at least 6 loco's no but really in "N" scale my F-7 can do about 30 with no problem

 

[Espeefan]

Genesis F-3/7 capacity

A good rule of thumb here is about 25 cars per loco. There are other factors. NMRA weight standards are assumed, as are metal wheels, and a grade of less than 2%. You can do more on straight & level track, but for most layouts, this isn't going to happen. I have had one fellow club member complain of weak srive shafts on Genesis F's that have failed, but this has never happened to me. 40-50 car trains look good behind an A-B or A-B-A set.

As to Crandell's point on straining any one loco, I would tend to agree, especially with steamers, and especially those equipped with traction tires! Gears & bearings are designed for a service life based on speed, loading and time. Max out all three and you get the shortest life. No manufacturer has ever shared their design criteria for these components, so who knows? Even large club layouts don't have the room to accomodate the longer/longest prototypical freight train lengths and run in a practical fashion. Our club layout can, but if anyone else is running you get into trouble with things like passing siding lengths and so forth.

This answer will be different for everybody, unless you're just trying to find your loco's maximum capacity. You can get that from the product review done in most modeling mags.

Regards,

 

[Switch Track]

Thanks, railroaders, for your most informative replies. I do not have room for a large layout, so I will be unable to have large consists. In fact, I had 15 cars behind my F-7, and it was about maximum for my layout space.

I am in process of modifying my layout. In fact, I'll be buying lumber today. When I'm finished, I should have at least one incline of maybe 4 inches. Based upon what I have learned from railroaders here, I should be fine pulling 15 cars with my F-7 locomotives on it.

I do believe any product should perform as designed. If a manufacturer specifies, say an F-7, will pull a certain number of cars, well that's what it should do. But on the other side of the coin, pragmatism is wisdom. I do not want to unnecessarily place any mechanical device in jeopardy just to satisfy curiosity. But it's comforting to know, thank's to you guys, that were I'm able to construct a larger layout that can accommodate more cars, my locomotive will be up to the task.



Happy Railroading,

ST

 

[D&J RailRoad]

15 cars? No problem at all for your Genesis F-7A. When ya start getting into conditions where your locos are down on their knees on a grade, the first thing that usually goes is the little pins on the drive linkage. You'll know it when it happens.