Are you a good engineer on the layout?

[wctransfer]

how do you control your train?

[Anonymous]

Just call me Gomez Adams.

[Anonymous]

Since my trains run on DCC, I have the locos programmed for gradual acceleration, so they'll always run out the slack before building up to the speed set at the throttle.

[Anonymous]

I love slack action[:)].

uspscsx

[wctransfer]

Yup me too, because you cant always be gentle with em, but i chsoe number three because when i pretend to be a good engineer and a "reckless" one.

Alec

[eastcoast]

I have an excellent knowledge of how each engine will
operate. My DC units are put on pulse action so I just
program and watch the action. It also depends on the
coupler types. I do not get any slack action from the
units with drawbars.

[Anonymous]

Lets just say my passenger trains go about 90mph at an average but my freight I give it all the slack I got, S_____L______O______W !

[UP Deano]

i wish you had the "both" option. the N "empire" is DC, so i"m the worst on that, half the engines dont move till the throttles at 20-35 and then thier moving at that. on the HO layout, it"s DCC, ALOT easyer to start out s-l-o-w. [;)]

[ClinchValleySD40]

I run the model trains the same way I ran the real ones.

[Anonymous]

Remember that the brakeman and the cunductor in the crummy don't want to wear their hot coffee, and didn't sign on for "your" amusement park ride. Now if it's just FRED or EOTD, go for it.
Will

[ChessieFan13]

gotta have fun ................also depends on which engine im useing at thw time............

[wctransfer]

Overduff, NICE ONE! It depends. If you want realism, your gonna bang a cut of cars if your picking em up once and a while. And if your in a hurry, you notice they go a bit faster , the joints may be harder, and so on. Im starting a new poll for 'realism". But keep this one going.

Alec

[Pruitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GearDrivenSteam

Just call me Gomez Adams.

"BOOM!" on the bridge....

[Anonymous]

I run DC with a Troller Autopulse Momentum 2.5 and 1. With the momentum on it will make your trains crawl, so I run pretty realistically. The controllers also have a brake, so you can slow down very smoothly.

Do any of the DCC systems have any momentum controls?

[Texas Zepher]

In our operation circle some of the members just coined a new term "Quality Throttle Time". An operator that pulls a drawbar or spills the soup in the diner gets last choice of assignements at the next session.

[AntonioFP45]

I enjoy the challenge of operating locomotives realistically, moving them as if they weighed "TONS" instead of ounces. Especially heavy road and passenger engines.
I like to ease an E-unit hauled passenger train out of a station and make it struggle to work its way up to 75 or 80 mph.

Switchers,on the other hand, like EMD SW9s and Alco Baldwin S12s can be operated more quickly. Because of the low gear ratios, switch engines can take off almost as quickly as a pickup truck. As a teen I observed this in SCL yards.

Sometimes the operations seemed "Brutal". Empty frieght cars would often not be "gently" coupled. The sound I often heard was "KABAM!"

I wondered sometimes how couplers didn't break off! [(-D][:P]

[Anonymous]

You read about the miniaturized water, well the secret is that real railroads do the opposite to Kadee couplers and use them on their equipment.

[Junctionfan]

Some times when the club runs 70 car trains, hard slack action is the last thing you want-believe me. (Particularly near grades).

[espeefoamer]

"Hang on back there,it's going to be a wild ride"![:D].

[Junctionfan]

Some of our supply trains were getting mighty too long. Abitibi-Consolidate (12 cars), ADM (14 cars), Georgia Pacific (5 cars), General Mills (10 cars), Lubrizol (7 cars) and 9 other industries.

We run 4 in total and trains 446 and 448 were know without a doubt our longest often requiring 4 or 5 Athearn Genesis or 2 to 3 SD60 Proto 2000s.

[jwr_1986]

You need an option for trains that are too short for any real slack action

Jesse

[IRONROOSTER]

I use the MRC power packs with momentum. Gives a nice slow start and stop. I usually set the speed and watch the train slowly accelerate or coast to a stop. The pack does a it lot better than I can, working the throttle.
Enjoy
Paul

[wctransfer]

Yea i have the , oh boy , forgot it now , but i have momentum to. Slack action is when im shoving back to get a cut of cars, and some times you wind er up and make a good hard knuckle! But ya, when im just starting out i use momentum!

Alec