Hi from down under,
I know what has the world record for the fastest train, but what is the fastest speed a model train has run? Of course this is not a question about good modeling, just a fun thing. maybe each major scale could have their own record. I prefer to run at slow speed on my layout. but we did have a rubberband drive 4 wheel Hustler that used to almost fly around our club layout. Never did find out what actual speed it went.
cheers
Alan Jones in Sunny Queensland (Oz)
In HO, seems like any 4 axle Athearn Blue Box locomotive with no flywheels from the 1970s could qualify as some could run a scale 150 scale mph and with a "tuned up" motor, close to 180scale mph.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
AntonioFP45 In HO, seems like any 4 axle Athearn Blue Box locomotive with no flywheels from the 1970s could qualify as some could run a scale 150 scale mph and with a "tuned up" motor, close to 180scale mph.
I think the Athearn Hi-F (aka rubber band) drive would beat the geared models. I had an F7 rubber band loco as a kid - it would fly, like the Hustler mentioned in the original post. I also had at one point a couple of mid-60's vintage Rivarossi Krauss-Maffei units that ran very smoothly but very fast.
George V.
Fleishman makes an HO model of the German ICE train that can go a scale speed close to the actual speed of the prototype.
One of our club members who has since moved had one that went so fast we all thought it was going to fall off the track on a high, curved trestle and held our hands out to catch it, but it didn't derail. I think the wheels were magnetic and it had a very low center of gravity.
But, I think the old Athearn Hi-F rubber band drive was actually faster.
I hesitate to admit this ....when I was a lad I used to set up my mother's laundry basket at a strategic spot and let the Athearn Hustler fly off the end of the layout and sail through the air, landing -- if i did my planning right -- in the soft confines of the laundry basket.
In every other respect however I was and am a VERY serious scale model railroader.
Dave Nelson
I would put my sons dual motorized Hornby Eurostar up against anything! It is far and away the fastest of our locos. Here it is running on at a fairly crowded operating session with not much opportunity to open it up. It is going about max in the last few seconds of this short Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opvfuj_pHFk
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I am not quite sure whether you mean actual speed or scale speed.
I have a N scale Minitrix 0-6-0 from the early days, which is topping a scale speed of 200 mph, yet it is slower than my HO scale Heljan BR class 26 Diesel doing a scale speed of 130 mph.
Good point Ulrich. The Marklin N scale ICE absolutely flies, as do many of the Kato N scale Shinkansen models. I would suspect that in scale speed these are quicker than the HO high speed trains.
Is kinda like, the "slot car" how fast can it go thing... My son's first cheap trin set Bachman Santa Fe pancake was the fastest thing ever run on the layout. Srceaming around w/ nuts and bolts sometimes rocks in the gons. Kept a 6 year old happy for a while, or until he wanted something more like Dad's stuff. Got him his first real decent running (an Athearn CR SW1500). It still runs great 20 years later.
But the absolute, "Fastest" thing was a modified piece from a club member. We called it the "Batmobile" This thing was basically a motor w/ propeller and a black batmobile shell. It would usually become airborn. Was only allowed to run on straight sections and where it wouldn't wipe out scenery and structures. It was more like a rocket sled. The older club members never ever wanted to see this thing put on the layout. Never knew what happened to it. Just disappeared one day.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
We had a American Flyer New Haven FA or PA growing up that was an absolute rocket. I bet that thing would do 120 sMPH - easy!
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngIuQoBRIs
It HAS to be this one: Tyco Turbo Supertrain set, its just plain nuts!
Have fun with your trains
Hi!
I've been around model trains since the early '50s, and easily the fastest I ever had (or saw) were the Athearn rubber band drive locos of the '60s. The GPs and Fs would easily flip on a curve so you had to be really careful.
When I was 15 or so, a friend and I set up a RR dragstrip, laying out a double main of two tangent tracks, about 25 feet long to the best of my memory. We would play with the motors and axles and did whatever we could to defeat friction, and then watch them fly!
As I understand, the PRR and NYC did something like that in real life on some trackage between Chicago and NYC.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44 Hi! As I understand, the PRR and NYC did something like that in real life on some trackage between Chicago and NYC.
The fastest thing I have ever owned was an Athearn rubber band drive GP7. It would run faster than I wanted it to on about 5 volts...
The PRR and NYC had parallel starts (Broadway Limited and 20th Century Limited) out of Chicago. IIRC, the PRR K4 had slightly faster initial acceleration, but the NYC Hudson would finally pass and pull away. There are things to be said for a bigger firebox. Of course, any ten-year-old on a contemporary Schwinn could beat both trains cold for the first quarter mile...
Back to the original question. In all honesty, I've never been tempted to find out.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - track speed, 70kph minus)
vsmith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngIuQoBRIs It HAS to be this one: Tyco Turbo Supertrain set, its just plain nuts!
I don't know about Tyco's Supertrain, but pretty much ANY locomotive from Tyco would qualify as a "slot car on rails". My son used to make them go so fast, they would literally tip over on any 18" curve following a long stretch of straight track.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Thanks everyone,
I remember the Krauss Muffiei diesel hydraulics too. Our club had a display layout with 28foot long straight track and 2 ft radius curves at the ends. Ee had to slow both the hustler and the Kraus Muffei's so they wouldn't tip over on the curves. The hustler had an interesting action if it only tipped a little the resultant loss of power would slow it enough to drop back onto the rails and it would do that around the 180degree bend at one end, but not the other end. Obviously the track at one end had smoother curves.
I thought I might have got a reply about one of the propeller driven trains, but it looks like rubberband drive wins the speed record.
In regard to scale speed vs actual speed, I was asking the question in regard to actual speed. Perhaps I should sent a request to Mythbusters or James May.
I would vote for the Hi-F Hustler as the fastest loco I have seen. I would make mine go even faster by removing one rubber band. The band would slip at first, but when it caight up with the motor the thing would fly - both on and off the track. There was one place where it would go off teh track and fly about 4 feet before hitting the cellar wall about 2 feet fron the floor.
Another potential fast mover I have seen recently was a G scale thing with a propeller as a driver. Slow to start, it would get moving quite fast with litttle rolling resistance. The guy operating it would have to cut it back to get it around the corners on the portable layout.. It seemed to have a low center of gravity
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
The World's Fastest Model Train is.... the one you are trying to chase across the club layout because it's decided to go full tilt for the horizon, all obstacles be damned.
The RR GGI that i got in 1977 was fast and now it is wore out.Now i have one of those Kraus Muffei so i will go and dig it out and see if it still runs and give it a try.
Russell
Real MPH would be fun to know. While I was in to HO slot cars I had some that would do 350 sMPH plus.
Lets see if this works.
http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/cudaken/Videos/?action=view¤t=IM000037.mp4
I was not running it as fast as it would go. Trying to hold the camera and control the car was hard. OH, being a Mopar Guy, it is a 1970 Super Bird.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Hum, plays much better on the computer here at the house.
Ken
Ken, was that the Superbird in the video? Looks "Petty Blue" to me.
Medina1128 Ken, was that the Superbird in the video? Looks "Petty Blue" to me.
Ken, All I can see is the" Blue Streak". That garage has seen quite the transformation in the past few years!!!
It is Petty's 70 Superbird. While the link on Photo bucket does not work real well, in person it was pretty much nothing but a blur. Straight is 14 feet long.
Far as coming a long way, the slot cars is what got me into trains.
I'll try to bring Liam to a show so you can show him TA462.
Then again, maybe not, then he'll want ALL of my locomotives doing that!
Gord
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
If I remember correctly, the Athearn Hustler (4 wheel rubber band drive) was clocked at a scale 400 mph in one of the MR mags (most likely Model Railroader since that is the only one I read!) of the 70's. I have several and they will leave the tracks on a 24-30" radius curve when fully opened up. I am still planning to remotor one with the NWSL Staton drive. Wish Athearn would redo them with DCC and todays drive trains.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
In my experience, it would have to be the Life-Like Amtrak F40PH. I still have one in a box. I bet that thing could easily do 300 scale mph.
Will
Today at the K-10 layout, one of the guys had a scale MPH meter. Here is the fastest run of one of the Hornby Eurostar drive units http://youtu.be/6p9xhzdV8_A It was much faster in one direction. This is on the DCC track not the DC portion of the layout,
Simon, you know I still have the RDC car with rubber band drive. Maybe it is time for a show down at K-10?
Sound like a plan Ken... Do you really think it could top 300 odd MPH?
simon1966 Sound like a plan Ken... Do you really think it could top 300 odd MPH?
Have no idea Simon, but might be fun to see how fast a Rubber Band drive can go. Besides, have not seen you or the lads in months.
I am off this coming Thursday, PM me if you are going to be in town.