Antiques Road show has a model train

[jwr_1986]

Last night my father yells to me to come into the living room quick, Antiques road show had a train on. The train was of the toy variety I believe but what was really amazing made me think of our DCC. Some people thought that the 16VAC was dangerous from many of the topics I read. This train had the number 110/220 underneath it. It was actually made to run off of house voltage. Could you imagine what a short circuit would look like. I guess the cool thing is that whenever you needed light to work on the layout all you had to do was attach alligator clips to the track. The appraisor summed up the situation by simply saying VERY DANGEROUS. I can see the headlines now[xx(], three killed in tragic model railroading accident. Sorry if I rambled but I thought it was interesting[:D]

Jesse

[Anonymous]

I think this might well have been an early Hornby product - their first electric 3-rail O set ran at the same voltage as British mains electric - 240v (it's now dropped to 230v, no noticable difference!). It's thought there were Government objections to this (stories of cats walking on the rails and becoming airborne are widespread, so imagine what it might do to a person) and Hornby quietly changed over to 4v supplied from batteries. The set had a Metropolitan Railway (now London Underground) electric loco and one or two passenger cars if I remember rightly (it's in a price guide I have).

[cacole]

Now that's what I would call really getting a charge out of model railroading.... know whut I mean, Vern? [:D]

[Anonymous]

Better not derail and short it. It would weld the thing to the rails!