Janelle is working with her hubby on their new HO layout and asks:

“I gather real railroad trains run with a mix of fully loaded tankers and cars and lighter empty flatcars without adverse results like derailing? My guess also is that running lighter-weight cars would be more at risk of causing a derailment than heavy cars. If my assumption is correct, how then will this apply to trains on our new model railroad, and what would be the ideal weights and position for cars behind the locomotive? Any sharing of knowledge would be greatly appreciated.”