This morning, I was testing out a 2-8-0 I recently put together, adding cars to the train one at a time. As the train got to 15 cars plus a caboose, I realized the train was reaching more than 1/3 of the way around my 4x8 layout. This reminded me of being a kid trying to make a train as long as the loop - where the engine can nearly couple to the caboose. I don't recall ever making a train that stretched more than halfway. Those lightweight bachmann cars didn't do so well around those 18" curves . So who has done it or tried doing it? Surely one of us was successful at making a train that literally caught it's own tail .

I tried it about 6-8 years ago. Maybe more. I had a 7X24 track that I put down purposely to find out. I have a P2K E8/9 that seemed pretty potent. I put metal wheels on all cars, weighted them to spec, and made sure they rolled good. I put 102 cars on and that P2K walked right around with them. Only one other loco could do it, and that was an IHC Challenger. It pulled 101 because I had to take off one car because it was longer. Technically it was 102 because it had a tender.

Once I satisfied my curiosity, I changed to a 5X20. Don't you all wish you had space like that, a room 12X38?

Lynn

I did it last fall...! I had a small loop (4x3 table) and for the amusement of the kids (and myself ) I added enough cars to complete the loop. I don't think it coupled to itself, but it was pretty close...!

Andrew

I'm guilty of this. 8-) We do it on our Christmas layout, It's just a simple loop. If I fool around with different car lengths I can get the caboose to the engine.

I've done it with a large-scale Christmas train traveling a circle around the Christmas tree. It's easier to do on a circular track than an oval.

I did it with my boyhood 4X8! Fun!
Ralph

Many years ago I had what I believe is called an inverted figure eight and coupled Engine to caboose several times

LOL. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! I managed to get to about 18 cars plus caboose. That was just about half way around the loop. The good news is the 2-8-0 pulled them flawlessly. The bad news is, I ran out of standard gauge freight cars!

As a kid? I did it last week

I was working up to it on my layout, but when the train approached the length of one side (16 feet) the first car started pulling over on the curves. I don't know if I have anything that will pull 60+ feet of cars and the British idiots don't like to put couplers on the front of locomotives.
What I do is put cars at the top of a grade and watch them race around to see if they can get to the up grade on the far side. My new water can tank car does it a treat until it hits a narrow clearance.

Busted...from about 4 months ago...

I couldn't afford that much rolling stock!...................until recently, I tried that on the modular layout...got to sixty feet of train, and, yup, ran out of rolling stock again. The train was, "never out of a curve", the longest straight section of track was 52'.
I did see an N scale train that almost had the caboose coupled to the pilot of the loco.....on a modular layout at a show. That, was a l o n g train!!

that's an awesome video!

I got dizzy just watching the video!! Cool!!

Thanks guys...when I settle into the new house, I'll run one about four times the length of that on my N scale layout