Stupid question warning! Don't say I didn't warn you! I may be interested in buying a Kato AC4400CW. If I do, it will only be 1 purchased, not 2 or 3. Now keep in mind I'm not only new to model railroading, but I'm still trying to learn about 1:1 trains as well. Unfortunately, most of the trains I have seen have been on video. I can't remember ever seeing one of those AC4400CW or similar locomotives being used by itself. It's always lashed to 1 or 2 more. So I thought I'd ask, do they ever run those as "singles" pulling a train??
They do but it's rare, atleast around here. Only time I've seen an AC4400 or even a C44 running single is on the CN line pulling a string of roadrailers or with on a short CP mixed freight which was an express. They are usually teamed up to be able to pull longer freights and need the power, traction and braking to control everything safely.
Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that. I kinda want one. The thing is, my railroad is in the benchwork stage getting ready for track. I have decided it's not important to me to go with any particular road name because I want to run whatever I see I like which I realize is not what you guys normally do. I don't really care what is prototypical to a point, but at the same time I don't want to run anything that is totally unrealistic. I figured those engines were kinda specific to a certain situation like when they were the only thing that would get the job done. Maybe someday I could buy 2 or 3 but not now for sure. How about 2? See that much? I just had a feeling they weren't used in "singles" much. Thanks for the help! Bill H
ACeez are seen on coal train out of the Powder River Basin running 1x1 (one leading, one pushing on the tail end of the train).... Generally, they are seen in multiple.
CP coal trains in British Columbia have one pulling on the front and one pushing on the rear with the cab to the rear. They don't need to turn the train as there is always a locomotive with the cab facing out on each end of the train.
I think there is very little single loco running anymore. The way I understand it, multiple locos are insurance if one fails, they aren't tying up the line because they have additional power to keep the train moving. At least in my railfanning, the only thing I have seen at all with a single loco is switching in a yard. Everything around here, even for short trains has at least a pair of loco's on the point.
Two can be very common but don't single yourself to two AC4400's. You could have one AC4400 with a pair of SD40-2's behind, or SD40 or a C44 or a SD70 series engine. I have one CP consist that I like to run that has a SD40 in the lead, then a SD40-2, followed by a SOO SD40-2 then trailing is the AC4400. I've had people ask me while running it at a show as to why I did it that way and not have the newer engine on the point and the answer is I've actually seen this consist run through town here and just loved the looks of it.
Precisely what I was thinking. Besides, even is only only have one AC4400, you can use it as a leader, or even a DPU, with different lead power. Here's a few with a single AC4400 as DPU power: Tunnel 7, D&RGW Moffat Route: Tunnel 8, just up the line about a 1/4 mile from Tunnel 7: Tunnel 27, another coal load: And just to show that not only coal train rate AC4400's, a CEFX AC4400 leads a mixed bag of BNSF Dash-9's at Cliff, CO, a mile from Tunnel 27:
That a great point that I would have never thought of. Puts me in mind of a post I read on here somehwere awhile back. Someone said in the earliest days of Conrail they would have as many as 6 locos on a train because everything was in such poor condition it's the only way they could assure enough engines would still be running when the train got where it was going. Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think that's what I read..
Another good point! Seems the more obvious something is to you guys, the harder it is for me to see. I'm hoping that comes with experience? Yeah, I have actually seen lashups like that of some of the Norfolk southern dvds I have and never even thought of that.
Hemi that's great! Thanks for the pics! This is another reason I think I'm sold on going DCC from the start. If I want to MU different locos together I don't have to worry about them fighting each other. As far as Kato goes, The AC4400CW chassis is different than the SD40-2 right?
A lot of the Green Frog videos I have refer to some of the big 6 axle locos as "GE Wide Cabs". Could the AC4400CW be what they are ferring to in some instances? What else would fit that description?
The chassis's are different between the AC4400's and SD40-2's but the motors aren't which is the biggest thing. Normally speed matching Kato to Kato is usually simple specially after breaking them in a bit before trying. Pretty much "GE wide Cabs" probably refers to anything that has what is more commonly known as the Canadian Cab or Safety Cab. Not sure when GE started doing these cabs but I'm sure they were custom ordered for CN or CP in the beginning. But anything modern has standard this type of cab whether it is GE or EMD.
I think you can easily get away with single running due to the power of these locos AC4400 and C44-9 's) in real life. The kato model versions are equally poerful so single running is prototypical. It's your power and your railroad
Mav, thanks for clearing that up! Train1, yep that is a big advantage to owning your own railroad. Doing what you want!
Fear not running one loco. I can assure you from too often and unfortunate experience that the beloved BNSF runs one unit on a regular basis for auto racks and empty hopper drags much to the chagrin of many of us. And more than once it's been a single 40-2 with over a hundred empty hoppers. So go ahead and share our fun and just run one.
Could be way off here, but I seem to recall reading something either here or in the comments on railpictures.net about how UP was/is using the newer locos (like the AC4400) on smaller locals in california because of something do do with the emissions standards, even though they were way more power than the small train needed. Even if its not true, that could be the story for your railroad...
Um, there is one more reason to run just one: We "selectively compress" everything else. It makes sense to compress the number of locos. That said I tend to almost always run my locos bookend fashion in tandem and that is a visual decision. The only ones that are run "elephant style" are my FP45s with CP multi marks..
