Model Railroading > Bowser HO Roadrailers?

Any body out pulling LONG Trains of the Bowser HO scale Roadrailers?
How many trailers have you pulled, any damage to equipment due to train being to long/heavy?

coaltrain45

When I use to belong to a HO club I use to run a 40-50 trailer train, one time we tried a 150 trailer train, didnt work , they tiped on their side going thru a curve, now I would run a 20-25 trailer train max when I have a home layout

Mike

My friend has pulled more than 50 got to watch throttle up on curves
Steve

I used to run about a dozen of then behind my rendition of Amtrak's Three Rivers. My version had 31 cars with the roadrailers. Problem was the athern P42s couldn't move it.
Cheers,
Nick

That's why I use my Pepsi cans and Kato's F40's

I used to pull a 16 car train at a club layout in denver a few years ago without any problems what so ever. Of course they were setup for close coupling, (30" minimum radii curves on the layout) and I added an ounce and a half of weight to the floors of the trailers. I also put semi-scale wheel sets on them. They ran beautifully!!!!

The Iron Horse

---

I have a 35 car set of the triple crown. I have no problems pulling it even on 18" radius curve. You have to slow it down a little bit. I found that reeming out the trucks works well and putting a little graphite or silicone in the trucks makes them free roll alot better. Just have to watch you don't use too much silicone and keep the dust off the trucks.

I ran about 48 trailers on mine, weighted with 2 ounces in each trailer. Full speed forward or backward no problems.


TCS - switching was a little difficult ...

Try weighing them heavy in the front and decreasing the weight throughout the train until you reach the end and run them with little to no weight. I worked when I was in HO.

-clinch670

I run 8 cars on my layout with no problems, when I ran them on the modules I can run 20+ roadrailers with no problems

Jason/Chessie2018

Prototypical legal limit for me, all 125 cars in TCs !!! Only did it for a day at a show though. I would like to do it some more, but we just don't get the space needed at shows any more. Boy did they look sweeeeeeeet !! I add additional weight and IM 33" wheels. I really need to re em the trucks with the "tool" though to get a little more performance. I run 60 (ICE, Swift) all the time at the club. With the extra weight they really track well. But just don't have a derailment though. If one falls over, they all do.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that extra weight in the lead trailers does help as they'll want to lean in the curves. Plus, smooth startups helps too.

Kevin
http://chatanuga.org

I run 30 Swift all the time at the East Bay club in Richmond CA. It used to be 48 (2 trains) but was to long for the layout. I weighted the first 6 to NMRA weight,the rest were stock with the last 4 without any weight. They all have IM wheels & run very good. I also changed the road wheels with Trucks & Stuff ones. I did have a rocking problem when I first put them together. I run the trucks as tight as I can get them with out derailing,this took care of the rocking. I have also shortened the coupler mates (nothing to do with running) because I have never seen one like what Bowser makes. The rear one has a Ring Engineering EOT in the Bowser side frame. I would also order extra tongues (#74221 short or #74223 long) & the part #74220 that has the tab that goes through the tongues to connect the train together from Bowser. Bowser/Cal Scale just released brass tongues ( #190-526) but I think it would be better to do part #74220 in brass or any metal then the tongues. I haven't detailed the coupler mates yet but am planing to.

Tim Hanesworth

Many thanks to all that have sent there comments, I have done many of the changes that some of you have mentioned. Added weight to head end trailers, 33" metal wheels and have gone as far to detail the trailers, I have also built 10 or so with the SPREAD AXEL set up from the old Mark III's? I'm a paid Firefighter and have spare time at work to work on trains, got 11 Roadrailers built last eve.
My chief concern was the plastic draw bars and or the rear pins failing under the weight of the longer trailer sets. I'm a 25 year member of a Large HO club in VA, the RR layout has some grades meeting 2.4%, proper weight per car is a standard or as some have advised the motors will pull the train off the RR on the up grade curves!
As for the Perot's they are now running at least 150 trailers per train, will check video I got on my last trip to the NS West Slope and advise here on TO.
Thank you all.........

coaltrain45

I have yet to have any of the hitches on the front of my trailers or the pins on the rear fail on me. Granted, that's always been my concern, but I have yet to see it happen. Of course, I saved all of my spare parts from the 62 trailers I've purchased (40 for rail, 22 for road/terminal) so I have extra parts if I need them.

Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html

coaldrag Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Prototypical legal limit for me, all 125 cars in
> TCs !!! Only did it for a day at a show though. I
> would like to do it some more, but we just don't
> get the space needed at shows any more. Boy did
> they look sweeeeeeeet !! I add additional weight
> and IM 33" wheels. I really need to re em the
> trucks with the "tool" though to get a little more
> performance. I run 60 (ICE, Swift) all the time at
> the club. With the extra weight they really track
> well. But just don't have a derailment though. If
> one falls over, they all do.


What kind of power did you use? And how many units to pull 125 trailers?

SantaFeRuss