How fast do you run your trains?

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  I am just wondering how fast does everyone run their trains?  I run mine about the medium range of about 40-50 scale MPH.  Seems like when I run them at this speed I never get PILE UPs.

  On the other hand we know BUCKEYE usually runs them at break neck speeds.

 

laz57

[jmkk]

 When its just me in the basement its slow and steady. Probably like 25-35 scale mph.  As you put it "no pile ups".  When the kids are in the basement it seems like anything goes. Although I will say my son who is getting a little older likes to run them slower and do switching duties now.

[Major]

I like to run my trains as slow as they can go smoothly.  For some of the older trains from the 40's and 50's that means at a moderate speed.  For the newer ones with can motors that means at a crawl.  Since I was in High School back in the 60's I have preferred operating as close to prototypical speeds as possible given the limitations of the locomotives.

[Train-O]

Merry Little Christmas To All,

Hi Laz,

I try to run no faster than 25-30 s.m.p.h. on the main.

In sidings and yards, nice and slow as it will go.

It's unfortunate that the older engines are not able to crawl, so slow as possible without stalling.

Ralph

 

[LocoPops]

I usually have two running simultaneously.  I don't know how to estimate scale speed.  But  I'll keep one very slow, and the other much faster.  The contrast gives a nice a general effect. 

 

[Texas Pete]

Usually not too slow, not too fast.  Sometimes pretty darn fast.  Rarely slow.  My 3-rail trains are toys, not scale, and you gotta thump 'em pretty good to make the cars couple.

Pete

 

[sir james I]

Medium, I think. Except when Charlie's here, he likes them slow.

[cnw1995]

I run them at a speed consistent with what looks 'good' to me - like we all do.  That said, I also run four trains at the same time, on separate loops, all conventionally controlled, on a layout with elevation changes - in other words, it's not flat. So I usually have to jockey each throttle initially to get a standard speed to handle the ups-and-downs without derailing on 027 curves. Each 'run' is different so the trains may catch up to one another on some points where tracks near each other, but that's just something fun to look out for. There's only one 'run' when running the 520 with a freight that I have to always personally 'manage' because the 520 gains more speed on the 'downhills' than is safe to take the subsequent turn without derailing. I'll continue to experiment with its train to make one up heavy enough to go slower downhill but still be pulled uphill. In general, they all probably run a tad faster than in Sodor...

[runtime]

Correct me on this if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that scale speed is MUCH faster than we can run our trains around 027 or 036 curves. It's a function of scale time, ie- a scale second is 1/48th as long as our sized second.

Nevertheless, I run trains on my poorly wired (lots of voltage or current changes between blocks) ,conventional layout as slowly as possible without fiddling with the throttle to keep them moving. Then I tempt fate by leaving the room (briefly).

runtime

[azflyer]

Using Lionel ZW transformer on American Flyer cabinet-top layout I can run four trains at the same time. (Its a lot to watch a one time) This means running them as slow as they will go with out stalling. The older trains from the 50's I have to run faster. The the newer trains with can motors I run the slowest. I use these for switching, and action accessories.

[Timboy]

For me, speed is a function of who is in my train room.  I have a chart.  If the room is occupied by non-train people, then I run them fast because that is what thrills them.  I also blow the whistles a lot and operate the accessories a lot because that is also what thrills them.  Now, if it is just me alone in the train room, then I run them fast because that is what thrills me.  I also blow the whistles a lot and operate the accessories a lot because that is also what thrills me.  Oops...

Regards,

Timboy

[ADCX Rob]

runtime

Correct me on this if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that scale speed is MUCH faster than we can run our trains around 027 or 036 curves. It's a function of scale time, ie- a scale second is 1/48th as long as our sized second...

The time is not scaled, only the distance, which is one dimensional.  It's directly proportionate to the scale being modeled... 1/48, 1:48,  1/4"(to the foot) etc.

If it takes a "O" scale model 120 seconds to travel 1 scale mile(110 feet), the scale speed is 30mph.  If you can envision that, this is a nice speed to operate at.

[Demay]

I try to run mine as slow as they will go.  As previously mentioned, my older steam locos will not go very slow, but my newer diesel will.  I also run them only in conventional mode and have one incline and decline to navigate.  My layout is not very big either; it's only 5 1/2' x 10'.  I enjoy manning the two transformers I use to run three trains at one time, along with flipping up to three manual switches as well.

My 7y/o son helps out a lot, and even though he is a kid, he gets worried if I get those trains going too fast. 

Timboy - We both love to hit the whistles, bells, and accessory buttons a lot. 

Joe

[11th Street]

A slow, relaxed ramble: watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE&feature=related ...

Arlo Guthrie speed.

[vsmith]

All my stuff is clockwork mechanical, so its 0 or 200mph, take your pick

[fifedog]

Tortuous, twisting mountain grades + double-headed engines pulling a modest string of freightcars (15) = Slow & Steady.

[richhotrain]

11th Street

Arlo Guthrie speed.

One of the all time great songs.

 

[lionelsoni]

What you consider scale time to be depends on what you're trying to do.  If you want the trains to appear that they are moving at appropriate speeds as if they were real trains watched from 48 (for O) or 64 (for S) times as far away, then Rob is right--don't scale the time.

If you want the trains to respond to accelerations, like gravity, in a realistic way, then speed time up by a factor of the square of the scale, or about 7 (for O) or 8 (for S).  The drawback here is that everything will appear to happen very quickly, with the trains appearing to move very fast.  But, if you were to make a video and then slow it down by that factor of 7 or 8, operation would appear very realistic.  You would also be forced to use realistic curves, to keep the trains from derailing from the centrifugal force.  (But, when they did derail, they would fall over in a very convincing way.)  This is what they do (or did, before computer graphics) in movies, with, for example, model ships in sea battles.

Modelers who like to operate their layouts according to a timetable have yet another approach to scale time.  They run the trains as Rob describes, but run the clock on the wall fast, so that the trains seem to arrive at their destinations after more realistic trip times.