Hi All. First post here. I am trying to get a better feel for the different manufacturers of locomotives etc and a question I have had is how all the locomotives are rated, if there is such a thing, to power/traction. Are there different motors that are known to be more powerful than others? Any drive axle configurations? For example I would assume 6 wheel trucks would be bigger pullers than a set of 4 wheel trucks? Or does that still come back to the manufacturer and what kind of "guts" it has (motor, electronics, etc)?
For a frame of reference lets leave the layout out of the equation so we're comparing apples to apples strictly speaking of the locomotives and not layout considerations (power through the rails as opposed to leading off to a power buss, poor quality contacts, poor connections through track joiners, etc, etc).
Are there any "rules of thumb" for car count for certain makes/models of locomotives?
I am getting back in to model trains here from 15-20 years off. I have a 3x4ft oval layout for N. However, the locomotives and rolling stock are still MIA. They will turn up somewhere I'm sure, its just a matter of looking in the right place. A friend of mine took me to a club a few weeks ago and what really intrigued me was the DCC set up and wireless cab controls. Things are a world different than what I remember.
My goal is to experiment with wireless DCC. I figure I can start with the 3x4ft layout and expand on it with a yard. Then maybe keep it as a programming track. At some point I want to look in to a dual main line set up of some kind - perhaps a mountain scene. I am not sure what kind of space I will be able to work with yet.
On a side note, I have been intrigued with the SD70 model locomotives - specifically the Canadian National railroad with the black and red paint scheme. Does anyone know who makes locomotives in N scale for this model locomotive and rail road? Atlas does not, I got an email back from them - no SD70's in N period from them. I am trying to get a better mind's eye of what capabilities the locomotives have. I want to do a long freight train and maybe run dual locomotives at some point but I guess I don't have a good frame of reference to start with yet.
For a frame of reference lets leave the layout out of the equation so we're comparing apples to apples strictly speaking of the locomotives and not layout considerations (power through the rails as opposed to leading off to a power buss, poor quality contacts, poor connections through track joiners, etc, etc).
Are there any "rules of thumb" for car count for certain makes/models of locomotives?
I am getting back in to model trains here from 15-20 years off. I have a 3x4ft oval layout for N. However, the locomotives and rolling stock are still MIA. They will turn up somewhere I'm sure, its just a matter of looking in the right place. A friend of mine took me to a club a few weeks ago and what really intrigued me was the DCC set up and wireless cab controls. Things are a world different than what I remember.
My goal is to experiment with wireless DCC. I figure I can start with the 3x4ft layout and expand on it with a yard. Then maybe keep it as a programming track. At some point I want to look in to a dual main line set up of some kind - perhaps a mountain scene. I am not sure what kind of space I will be able to work with yet.
On a side note, I have been intrigued with the SD70 model locomotives - specifically the Canadian National railroad with the black and red paint scheme. Does anyone know who makes locomotives in N scale for this model locomotive and rail road? Atlas does not, I got an email back from them - no SD70's in N period from them. I am trying to get a better mind's eye of what capabilities the locomotives have. I want to do a long freight train and maybe run dual locomotives at some point but I guess I don't have a good frame of reference to start with yet.