Double heading trains on DC – the ‘dummy loco’ debate

[geoffc]

I have three pairs of locos that run as powered plus dummy, albeit they haul one or two wagons.
The dummy Farish class 20s and 37s have had the motors and gears removed and haul one and two nuclear flask wagons respectively.
The Dapol class 153 defied all attempts to remove the faulty motor so the gears were removed from the bogies so that they free wheel but I left the pickups so I could have lights on the unit, this is hauled by another class 153.

Geoff 

[Trainfish]

Speed matching for me is putting two locos on an oval of track and seeing whether one catches up with the other. Even if they're close, it's still not something I tend to do. Just take a motor out of one of them, I hear you say. Simples.

This is exactly what I do, run 2 on the same track and see if they run at similar speeds. Here are some very old videos of my double headers which run absolutely fine using this method:

Anyone who watches my videos will know I have a 'thing' about car transporters, usually Ford cars involved, and with my Cartic rake which is loaded with 112 Oxford Diecast cars and my Kato rake with 104 OD cars I often use double heading as it definitely helps with what are very heavy trains.

I have also used the 1x powered, 1x dummy method and in this case I usually push the dummy with the powered loco as I find they run better that way especially if the dummy is a Dapol 73 which is very light.

I may video some more later today (depends if I go to the pub instead). Or tomorrow (depending on whether or not I go to the pub instead). Or maybe another day (when I'm on call and not allowed to go to the pub).

And finally. I think I have only ever run 1 train top and tailed and it seems to run fine by me. Some of you will have seen it before but here it is in case you missed it:

[PLD]

The problem with factory dummy locos is modellers that expect the dummy for the price of a coach... With economies of scale,  per unit, it's probably only pennies difference to produce 500 motored and 500 dummy as it is to produce 1000 motored...

As to double-heading on DC, unless the locos are substantially different, I think the issue is over-thought. I've never found two of the same type that were sufficiently different to worry about (if they are it probably means the slower is in need of a good service!) but I'd always put the slower loco as the pilot and the faster inside having the couplings between the two compressed rather than stretched.
Top & Tail admittedly might be more of an issue because of the dynamics of forces on the coaches, especially on tight train-set curves...

[Chris Morris]

I have been double heading with DC for years and so long as the loco speeds are reasonably similar there is absolutely no problem. There are a few examples, both diesel and steam, to be seen in this video. You have to watch carefully or you will miss them.

Here's a few more.

You can even do banking with DC. Go to 1:06 on this video.