Nagrom1 wrote: I know what you mean. I like to "burn out the carbon" every now and again, but, if I were to max my locos out, it would take about 10 seconds to cover the loop, so I don't do that often. It is too depressing...
That is one of the nice things about being a member of a large club. The HO club that I am a member of (The Columbia Gorge Model Railroad club) has a large layout, 60x70. I went down on a Saturday and had the layout to myself. I took out one of my passenger trains and running at realistic express speeds, with no station stops, it took a full 18 minutes to cover the entire layout.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
SteamFreak wrote:No, I think they're talking about this...
No, I think they're talking about this...
Thats the one!
Chris
the kids in the neigbor hood say I run them really slow. I tell then it's about as fast as they could go. (I guesstimate 25-45 mph)
I'll drop the hammer usually to break them in.
As for slot cars, my father had a slot car track that he built on the layout. It's gone now, since the layout grew, and the slot car track got beat up.
I have considered putting a dragstrip on the layout at one point, since I have quite a few muscle cars.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
The slot cars bring back good memories. Those crossings are actually old Aurora track that used two pins and a plastic lock to hold sections together, as opposed to the AFX track they made later that had built-in plastic locks that broke easily. I had tons of the stuff, mostly from flea markets. I never had a crossing section, though.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
ICRR1964 wrote: I rememeber my first layout, and what happened when a freind of mine came over for play time. I had a Lima 0-4-0 tanker switcher, this thing I think could reach 200 mph scale speed.
I rememeber my first layout, and what happened when a freind of mine came over for play time. I had a Lima 0-4-0 tanker switcher, this thing I think could reach 200 mph scale speed.
IC:
Sounds like the same model I have. What brings this desolating abomination into the realm of neo-dadaist art is that it emulates the oscillation of a short-wheelbase switcher at high speeds, and not only that, displays some bouncing from poor counterweighting. Ingeeenious. I wish I'd noticed that spur gear between the drivers before placing the bid.
I think I'm going to paint it blue and call it Thomas.
Modeling the N&W freelanced at the height of their steam era in HO.
Daniel G.
I feel the need for "SPEED!"
"just how fast can they go" asked the kid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record_for_railed_vehicles
Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
My Train Page My Photobucket Page My YouTube Channel
loathar wrote: You mean this?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngIuQoBRIsWith Dare Devil Jump! I love the fact that it has a slot car controller instead of a power pack!
You mean this?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngIuQoBRIs
With Dare Devil Jump! I love the fact that it has a slot car controller instead of a power pack!
LOL!!!! I remember that commercial. The funny thing is, that someone would actually put it on Youtube. ROFL!!
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Packer wrote: the kids in the neigbor hood say I run them really slow. I tell then it's about as fast as they could go. (I guesstimate 25-45 mph)I'll drop the hammer usually to break them in.As for slot cars, my father had a slot car track that he built on the layout. It's gone now, since the layout grew, and the slot car track got beat up. I have considered putting a dragstrip on the layout at one point, since I have quite a few muscle cars.
I've seen some nostalgia front engine dragsters with trailer for sale from Walthers.
IRONHORSE77 wrote: I don't think a Athearn Hustler would stay on the track if it was banked anything less than 90 degrees.Chuck
I don't think a Athearn Hustler would stay on the track if it was banked anything less than 90 degrees.
Chuck
Ashamed to admit this ... but in my youth I would set up mom's laundry basket at exactly the right spot a few feet from the layout, crank up the Athearn Hustler, and send it flying into air at the end of a straightaway, and (with luck) it would make a soft landing directly into the laundry basket.
Dave Nelson
Tracklayer wrote: Hi gang.I've had more than one friend or family member over to see my layout that insisted that I was running my trains "way too slow". The fact is I run my trains at scale speed (as best I can guess) between 35 to 50 mph depending on whether it's a steam loco or diesel. Anyways, I keep having to remind these folks that these are trains not slot cars. I do admit however that once in a great while I might goose them up to a much higher speed just for fun but only let them run that way for just a few seconds.Tracklayer
Hi gang.
I've had more than one friend or family member over to see my layout that insisted that I was running my trains "way too slow". The fact is I run my trains at scale speed (as best I can guess) between 35 to 50 mph depending on whether it's a steam loco or diesel. Anyways, I keep having to remind these folks that these are trains not slot cars. I do admit however that once in a great while I might goose them up to a much higher speed just for fun but only let them run that way for just a few seconds.
Tracklayer
Since our mainlines are so short compared to the real thing, a lot of people find it works well to run at less than prototype speed, to make the distances between cities etc. seem longer. In my case my passenger trains top out at around 35 scale MPH, with ore drags going as slow as 12-15 MPH.
Take a look at this month's Walthers flyer. It's got pages of non-train toys. OK, Christmas is coming up, and Walthers probably got this stuff as part of the Life-Like acquisition, but this is a flyer that is pretty much confined to us model railroad types.
I mean, what's with all the fancy tops?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
During our HO scale club's open houses, younger boys frequently say something to the effect, "Is that the fastest the trains can go? I wanna see a train wreck!"
We sometimes have problems with them changing switches when we're not watching and causing head-on collisions, but because we're not running fast no serious damage has occurred yet (knock on wood).
Sometimes we have problems...
Haven't figured out how to make malt spill out the top of the covered hoppers yet...
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
I have the occasional neighborhood kids that stop by if the garage is open and I'm running trains. Because of the topography of the Yuba River Sub, I usually run as close to scale speeds (35-40smph tops) as I can.
One of the kids asked me if I could make the trains run faster. His older brother whacked him up-side the head and said, "You DORK!! You see the size of those CANYONS?" I wanted to give the older brother a Medal of some sort, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Even with oily rails, my Live Steam Mikes are so sure footed that it is hard to spin the drivers when reversing direction unless I get up to "SPEED!!!" first!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
I followed John Allen's example and geared my locos for a proper scale top speed. My shays will do a blistering 15 scale mph and rod driven locos and my Heisler are good for about 25. With gearing this low and coreless motors, most of the shays will run at a scale .06 scale mph (2 seconds from tie to tie) - it's like watching the minute hand on a clock. It makes for very realistic starts and stops.
Visitors usually comment that they are slow. I point out that my layout is roughly a scale mile long, and if the train was going 60 mph (like a modern freight train) it would still take a minute to reach the other end. I also explain that most steam trains were only capable of speeds lower than that, and that shays were slow moving heavy haulers that could only go about 15. Some of my tunnels are long enough that they do comment that "it's been in there a while."
They also get bored and leave within a few minutes. I'm OK with that, too.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
I have a shelf type urban switching layout; 10 mph is the rule. I have complicated trackwork as used to exist in the midway area of Mpls./St. Paul (MN Transfer Railway/ now MN Commercial) with 3 grade crossings and numerous industries to be serviced. I enjoy the switching "puzzles" and watching switching locos do their work!
Jimmy
ROUTE ROCK!
hcc25rl wrote:I have a shelf type urban switching layout; 10 mph is the rule. I have complicated trackwork as used to exist in the midway area of Mpls./St. Paul (MN Transfer Railway/ now MN Commercial) with 3 grade crossings and numerous industries to be serviced. I enjoy the switching "puzzles" and watching switching locos do their work!Jimmy
Hey -
I once seriously considered modelling parts of the MTRY/Minnesota Commercial. Got any pictures (or track plans) of your layout anywhere where I can see the pictures ?
Smile, Stein in Norway, also a fan of shelf switching layouts set in the Twin Cities
shayfan84325 wrote:Visitors usually comment that they are slow. I point out that my layout is roughly a scale mile long, and if the train was going 60 mph (like a modern freight train) it would still take a minute to reach the other end. I also explain that most steam trains were only capable of speeds lower than that
marknewton wrote: shayfan84325 wrote:Visitors usually comment that they are slow. I point out that my layout is roughly a scale mile long, and if the train was going 60 mph (like a modern freight train) it would still take a minute to reach the other end. I also explain that most steam trains were only capable of speeds lower than thatReally? You might want to re-think that statement! :-)Cheers,Mark.
How about "most steam trains were typically operated at speeds lower than 60"?
I suspect that the original statement is actually true, but I'm not going to take the time to add up all of the steam locomotives in history that were unable to do 60 mph and calculate the percentage of the total number of steam locomotives they represent. I invite you to do it.
shayfan84325 wrote: marknewton wrote: shayfan84325 wrote:Visitors usually comment that they are slow. I point out that my layout is roughly a scale mile long, and if the train was going 60 mph (like a modern freight train) it would still take a minute to reach the other end. I also explain that most steam trains were only capable of speeds lower than thatReally? You might want to re-think that statement! :-)Cheers,Mark.How about "most steam trains were typically operated at speeds lower than 60"? I suspect that the original statement is actually true, but I'm not going to take the time to add up all of the steam locomotives in history that were unable to do 60 mph and calculate the percentage of the total number of steam locomotives they represent. I invite you to do it.
While yer at it, you can add up the speeds of all Diseasals to get an average too.
Tracklayer wrote:I keep having to remind these folks that these are trains not slot cars.
I keep having to remind these folks that these are trains not slot cars.
Remember how a Hot Wheel zooms through the loop just before it accelerates into the wall?
(...tongue in cheek...)
The "speed spectator" could sign a release whereby they will take all responsibility for "falling to the floor" motive power injury by exceeding curve prototype speed, or; you could give the observer a fishing net while they stand guard at the curves to catch the derailing engines & rolling stock before they hit the floor.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
shayfan84325 wrote:How about "most steam trains were typically operated at speeds lower than 60"?
I suspect that the original statement is actually true...
Trains on my railroad tend to have a maximum speed that is inversly proportional to the cost of the loco. The plastic atlas locos run around 80 while the brass imports max out at 30.
Unfortunately my wife has caught on to this formula and can tell when I have spento too much.
Check out the Deming Sub by clicking on the pics:
Locos with dual flywheels and powered trucks are not meant for running full throttle. I don't even run 'em half blast.
Pancake motored locos (Botchmann, Death-Like, etc.) on the other hand, are meant for racing. I thoroughly enjoyed cranking those pancake motored junkers full out and running them into the ground.