Passenger Trains

[grumpy]

I just bought a larger power supply instead of a booster. It works fine for me I can run 2 F7A's with DCC and Sound in consist without a problem.
Don

[WGL]

 How many amps is your larger power supply?

[Guilford Guy]

SD45's came along about the time milk traffic dried up. I don't know if GN had their own fleet of cars, but wood milk cars were gone by the 1950's. FP7's would be more prototypical. Milk cars usually ran in high priority unit trains directly to the dairy plant. In Boston, Hood Milk had a large fleet of their own cars, but B&M also had a good sized fleet(several exist strewn about the system). All in All, the FP7's would be more prototypical.

[Yampa Bob]

WGL,

Before you invest in a booster, perhaps some preliminary testing might be in order.

I don't have any sound locos to test.  Would it be possible for you to turn off the sound with your EZ Command, then test the current draw of each individual loco, on a DC powered track,  with a DC ammeter?  Again, refer to my thread for distributive and accumulative current testing.  Of course, if you have the RRAmpmeter, you can test on DCC power.

Your comment that the locos wouldn't move at all without a little push confuses me.  I would expect them to run, but just at a reduced speed when in consist. Perhaps Intermountain locos are more current demanding, though they probably use similar motors as Bachmann.  I'm thinking your locos might have excessive drag or binding.  That's why I run any DCC loco on DC first, and monitor the current to be sure it is fully broken in.     

I was hoping someone with sound locos had made these tests and would comment here.  I researched several sound decoders, but none give any information about estimated current draw in actually running.  Modelers are getting more concerned with technical aspects these days, the factories should include this information in their spec sheets.

The technology is here, but the information we need is being withheld. I feel every locomotive should have specs on the box: "This locomotive was tested and found to draw an average of X amperes of current at X voltage, as supplied."

[WGL]

Guilford Guy,
I coupled my milk tank car to my F7B.  What does FP7 mean, passenger?

Yampa Bob,
I did read your thread on measurements of power use.  I don't have any gauges for measuring power usage.  I can turn off the sound with EZ Command but I don't know how I could turn it off on DC.  My Bachmann & Intermountain locomotives came with little or no specifications, other than a manual from the maker of the sound system.  These items are expensive enough to rate more information to be included with them.
I already ordered the 5 amp booster for EZ Command, because some have said that 2 DCC with sound locos are too much for the 1 amp power supply.  I could not avoid getting my F7B unit with sound, if I wanted a DCC match for my Intermountain F7A.  Sometime, I'd like to add sound to my Spectrum EMD SD45, which would mean running 3 sound locos simultaneously.  I really like hearing the UP's horn when it passes north of town several times day & night.
  The Intermountain F7A & B I ran separately on a DC track only 1 on the track at a time, after I'd initially run them on the DCC track.  I did not push them; they just would not move until I turned the 7VA DC power pack's throttle to about 2/3 (My cheap F7 DC raced around the track).  They run much better on DCC power.  The SD45 now pulls 19 cars fast enough for me, about 80+ HO mph.  I just wonder why the F7A & B aren't as fast.  If their DCC sound drains power from their speed, then I hope the power booster will speed them up.  If a passenger train is supposed to be faster than a freight train, I'd like mine to be so.

[Guilford Guy]

FP7's had a Steam Generator to provide Steam Heat, towards the rear of the Units. The few railroads who still ran Passenger Trains in the 60's/70's bought EMD's SDP35's and SDP40's, and CNJ used GP40P's on commuter trains. New Haven's FL9's were originally designed to have extra large Steam Generators so they didn't need to stop and top them off at one point during the trip. New Haven didn't need this so they ditched the Gennies and put 3rd Rail Hardware in its place.

[sverigesson]

Model Railroader Magazine has an occasional feature on "Pike-sized Passenger trains" which has been very helpful to me. There were many shorter yet still exciting passenger trains in The Official Guide. My small layout is based on passenger operations with a run-through passenger station and I've limited my trains to five cars maximum.  Some of my trains are mostly head-end with a rider coach trailing the lot.  This allows me to have the operation I like without my locomotives chasing their own trains' markers around a loop.
Now, some day, when I have more space....

[pdlethbridge]

A typical commuter train on the B&M was a steamer ( a 4-6-2, 2-8-0 ) and 5 coaches. A 2-8-0 was very useful on the lines that had stations very close, they were good at accelerating. Branch lines had the 2-6-0's with a coach or two and combine.

[grumpy]

WGL
The power supply I am using is a Digitrax PS515Class 2SELV Supply- 15v  5 amp. It works fine to give me the extra power I need.
Don

[WGL]

 Thanks for the information on FP7s, number of cars in passenger trains, & power supply.
  I'm finding that, when the locomotive has plenty of power, the weak links are some of the couplers.  Last night, I had to move a Bachmann boxcar with truck-mounted couplers from the front of the train to near the back so that it had less weight to pull.  It was okay until I tried putting a hill under my track.   

[SteamGene]

The Kadee clones are not the same as Kadees as they are plastic, not metal.  Talgo (truck mounted) should be converted to body mounted if possible and clones converted to Kadees as they wear out. 
Gene

[pdlethbridge]

Be careful of metal couplers causing shorts between engines, make sure they are electrically insulated or you'll go nuts trying to find the problem

[SteamGene]

Steam locomotives solve that problem. 
Gene

[Yampa Bob]

I think if you turn the sound off with EZCommand, it will still be off if you switch to DC power.

Since no one has tested sound locos and reported their findings here, and until someone says I'm wrong, I'm thinking that with sound turned off, you should be able to run 2 or 3 locos at good speed with EZ Command.

I could be wrong on both counts, let's see if this new "bait" catches any fish.