adding engine

[rookie]

Is there a trick to using two engines together? Do both work at the front, one at both ends, or one in the middle and one in the rear? Will they work together? I assume i need two(have two up's) in order to use an incline. What works best? thanks ahead of time.

[ABC]

I assume i need two(have two up's) in order to use an incline.

No one good pulling loco will suffice, and most decent locos can pull at least 10 (no-NMRA weighted) cars up an incline.
And when double heading usually it is best to put them at the lead end. Although in real life railroads have units dispersed somewhat evenly throughout in really long/heavy trains.

[Jim Banner]

I often use two locomotives to get trains up the 3-1/2 % grades of the helices on my layout.  Each locomotive alone will pull 6 to 8 cars weighted to full NMRA specs, but on occasion, a train gets too long and stalls on a grade even with two locomotives on the point.  What I like to do then is send out a pusher for a little more power at the rear of the train.  For this purpose, I have a couple of switchers on standby that have modified front couplers.  The couplers are glued open so that they can push a train without actually coupling on to it.  Then at the top of the hill, I can just reverse the pusher back down the hill without ever having to stop the train.  Needless to say, all the locomotives are running on DCC to be able to do this.  Once in a blue moon even the pusher is not enough so I use it as a brake to keep the rear half of the train from rolling backwards down the hill while the lead engines double the hill (take half the train up, then come back for the other half.)  By using a modified coupler on the pusher, the lead locomotives can pick up the rear half of the train and carry it away without having to try dragging the switcher as well.

Once in a while the urge strikes me to run a long train so I string about 40 or 45 cars together with typically 3 locomotives on the point and 2 more about 60% on the way back.  If all five locomotives are speed matched, this works quite well.  But I have also played around with the front three all matched to one another and the mid train ones matched to each other, then using two separate throttles, one for the lead three and the other for the mid train duo.

Run multiple power can be lots of fun, but a bit nerve wracking too.

Jim

[ABC]

I was running all of my Atlas AC&Y FM H15/16-44s on the point down at my club on Friday, and there was over 300 hundred cars (w/ free rolling wheels approx NMRA weighted, for the most part) in the train, running up around a 4% grade, but on very gradual curves, tighter curves cause more friction and hurt "pulling power." I got stuck in a tunnel though when they cut the power briefly to work on something while I was on the 4% grade, so I ran 2 Athearn W&LE units and 1 Athearn and 1 P2K OHCR unit, from another part of the layout and after all the additions finally got the train started again. As it turned out the problem was that 1 of my Atlas H16-44s was running in the "wrong" mode you have to set it to DC or DCC, it can't be set for both and it was not actually running, but after I switch it to the correct mode I could add some more rolling stock.

[Heave]

In HO Scale I had 4 BLI F7 Units in ABBA consist working together as a brute engine.

Kaydees wont break, all other couplers will. Maybe 35-50 cars uphill.

Quite frankly 700 dollars worth of DCC and sound engines were better served as a pair of A-B road engines than one big engine trying to pull everything I own.

Maybe the Club could have lugged them down, but the Club just aint got the amps over that far of a electrical run to feed all of them worth a damn.

LOL.

Having came back to earth I will say that the 2-6-62 in On30 will handle maybe 6 cars uphill (Have not tried it yet.) and may need a helper to bank the train in the future.

Until then I use a Bullfrog Snot Compound that you can buy for 20 dollars and treat one axle with a sort of a sticky greenish traction tire.

[rookie]

So much to learn, so little time. I have seen on30 a lot, what kind of engine is that? Also, i have a new Bachmann and a old Rivarossi and they aren't close to the same size or speed. If i buy two of the same type engine will they run together? How are you able to speed match two or more? I am learning some things on my own as i experiment with my layout but i can really cut off some wasted time and effort by asking simple questions on here. Thanks

[ABC]

On30 is narrow gauge O scale trains that run on track the same size as HO. So you buildings, people, and other scenery would be O scale.
If you buy two of the same locomotives made by the same manufacturer and both are either DC or DCC, then they would likely run well together. The only way you can speed match non-identical DCC locomotives is by changing CVs using an advanced DCC system such as the Bachmann Dynamis, the Bachmann E-Z Command cannot change advanced CVs.

[rookie]

Thanks, abc. By the way, the Bachmann engines seem to be very loud. I am only trying to run dc engines. Where do the Bachmann engines stack up against other models? How much would a decent engine cost and what is a good model, other than Bachmann? p.s. the two that i have is an older ahm rivarossi sante fe emd gp18 and a new Mackinley express emd gp40.

[ABC]

Bachmann Spectrum locomotives are good quality engines and will not give you many problems. Most are equipped with DCC decoders (dual mode-that is can run on DC) and run quiet and smooth. The Bachmann standard line is the "economy" line and as such, one wouldn't expect as much out of them. The Bachmann standard line locomotives may be a bit noisy at first, but after a good break-in and a little lube here and there it will quiet down considerably and run just as smooth.
The particular locomotive that you have, the Bachmann GP-40, is roughly a $20 locomotive, so don't expect miracles, you get what you pay for. But if you were only going to buy one more Bachmann loco, I'd suggest the Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation, which is now available for less because it is now part of the standard line. It is a really smooth runner, good puller, and pretty quiet.

Where do the Bachmann engines stack up against other models?

If you buy a Bachmann Spectrum, you won't be disappointed especially for the price. Of course I'd take a Athearn Genesis, BLI, or Atlas' top line over Bachmann's, but Bachmann's prices are hard to beat and are well worth it for the quality (referring to the Spectrum line).

[rookie]

Good info, thanks abc