Test Track: Williams NW-2 + 21 Cars (1 of 3)

Making use of the long weekend, I gave my Williams NW-2 a spin on the test track. Not that it really needed one--Williams locomotives have a reputation for being nearly bulletproof, and this one is no exception. This run is also educational for newbies to O Gauge, showing how even a small-ish locomotive can haul a train bigger than most beginner's layouts can ever hope to accommodate.

For this train, I simply pulled together a bunch of freight cars I had acquired from recent train shows, so there isn't any thought put into the makeup of this train. It provides a visual demonstration of scale and non-scale freight cars from various manufacturers that nevertheless still couple up and run together in the same train, with a locomotive made by Williams pulling cars from Lionel, Ready Made Toys, and MTH, ranging from one of the most El-Cheapo starter sets of the 1980's (Black Cave Flyer) to recent premium-class seperate-sale freight cars. For that reason, I'll describe the consist:

--C&O Autorack, Lionel, non-scale
--Conrail 9700 series boxcar, Lionel, non-scale
--Conrail "027" boxcars, Lionel, non-scale
--CSX gondola, MTH, non-scale
--CP flatcar, MTH, scale
--undecorated depressed-center flatcar, MTH, scale
--Black Cave Flyer starter set cars, Lionel, non-scale
--Chessie cylindrical hopper, MTH, scale
--DCS and OGR Tour boxcars, MTH, scale
--Bethlehem hoppers, Ready Made Toys, non-scale
--Consolidated Waste Ind. trash-container flats, MTH, scale
--BNSF and Conrail auto carriers, Lionel, non-scale
--Consolidated Waste Ind. hoppers, MTH, scale

You might have noticed the three Black Cave Flyer cars trailing the flats carrying their locomotive and tender. You might also notice how much larger the cars behind them are. You might wonder how those (extremely) lightweight cars stay on the track with all that weight behind them. You'd be correct to wonder. The caboose (which only weighs 3 ounces) cannot be backed through the 072 curve with those cars behind it, and it barely stays on the track being pulled with that weight behind it. This takes careful train handling, made more difficult by the NW-2, which lacks speed control, isn't straining to pull this load, and is rather sensitive to track voltage variations, which you'll see as it approaches the transformer connection. The caboose only derailed once, and off-camera, so it's all good.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Tags:
• model
• train
• freight
• O-Gauge
• MTH
• Lionel
• Ready
• Made
• Toys
• CWI

[grizzleybearz282004]

thats pretty good you got that little switcher to pull all that was it a twin motor switcher? or any xtra traction setup added

[RailRide]

@grizzleybearz282004

Twin motored with a die-cast metal chassis. Straight out of the box it pulled this train without any slipping or strain.

[Southerntreatment]

Does that switcher have a horn?

[RailRide]

Just a bell. It's a canned recording just like the "True Blast" horns on their diesels.

[gtasandman]

@RailRide does the train on the faltbed run 

[RailRide]

@gtasandman

It does, but it's an DC-only model. I will eventually restore it to go along with a similar starter set loco in my collection.

[Shenandoah58]

I gotta tell you, I was a died in the wook Lionel person but those Williams locos are GREAT.

They run smooth and QUIET. And the price is right. I am sold. Too bad they are now made China. I got mine in the late 80s and early 90s.

[yardlet6]

Nice train. I bought a Williams Berkshire for my birthday and it's burning up my Christmas layout while my Lionel LIRR M7 died again. Nice that Tony Lash got free advertising.

[stationmaster12]

I love Williams trains! they're great and relatively cheap

[Jimmyyaesu]

cool i'll check them out and maybe buy a loco sometime because if its better than lionel which is giving me plastic gears that wear out and break in the first 10 years!!