Subject:
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Re: basic train questions (power, mostly)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Sat, 31 Jan 2004 03:27:31 GMT
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Reply-To:
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cjmasi@*nogarbageplease^stopspammers^*rcn.com
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Viewed:
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1701 times
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Matthew Miller wrote:
> Hello train folks. I haven't done any Lego train building before, but I have
> an Idea for a Project. I've gotten a couple of train sets and have a few
> more on order, but in the meantime, and before I get too far with building,
> I've got some questions about power.....
>
> First, my plan calls for a train of about 7 cars (plus engine). 8 wide, I
> think. Will one motor be able to pull this easily, or would two be better?
> I found a few posts about super-super long trains, so I'm hoping this
> question is laughed at. :) But Todd's search engine sucks *grin* so I've had
> trouble finding more clear answers even though they're probably in here
> somewhere.
>
> Anyway, if the answer is two, should both of them be in the engine, or is it
> okay for one of them to be at the end of the train? I can imagine some
> problems with derailing from pushing instead of pulling.
>
> There is some convenience in having the motor at the end: I want to have
> some powered stuff there, and I don't want to run a wire down the entire
> length. So that brings up the final question: are there any trucks which
> conduct power but don't have a motor? If having a motor at the end does
> indeed present a problem, that'd be nice.
>
> Thanks for any pointers!
Hi!
In my experience, a big two motor engine is rquired to pull a good
sized 8-wide train. At the last NELUG show we ran
engine--flatbed(w/tractor_trailer_as_load)--flatbed(w/submersible_as_load)
--box_car--refer--double_stack_container_carrier--double_stack_container_carrier
--tank_car--caboose. I found that my single motor GP-30 couldn't pull
the train well, it was underpowered, and the wheels slipped too much. My
dual motor SD40-2 pulled the train just fine.
http://users.rcn.com/cjmasi/lego/trains/engines/engine_gallery.htm
Incidentally, I designed technic based couplers to overcome the
magnet decoupling problem, but we didn't have a problem with the magnets
decoupling during that show. I should note that we ran the big train on
the straightest main-line that we had. At home on shorter curvier lines,
the magnets don't always hold.
http://users.rcn.com/cjmasi/lego/trains/tech/technology.htm#truck_anchor
Chris
http://users.rcn.com/cjmasi/lego/
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | basic train questions (power, mostly)
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| Hello train folks. I haven't done any Lego train building before, but I have an Idea for a Project. I've gotten a couple of train sets and have a few more on order, but in the meantime, and before I get too far with building, I've got some questions (...) (20 years ago, 30-Jan-04, to lugnet.trains)
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