I really didn’t know how to ask this question,but I was at a train show this past weekend and observed how fast some of the operaters were running their trains,and some seemed so slow.
I also reviewed some of the past videos in the CTT video section and noticed the same thing,some seemed fast,others slow.
I run the real thing at work it really didn’t dawn on me until now.Because you always hear the saying “You can’t judge a trains speed because of it’s size”.
So,do we run are model trains too fast or too slow ?
I know Lionel has the speed indicator that’s suppose to tell the speed of “O” gauge trains.But does anyone else notice this ? Or am I asking a dumb question [?]
I’m guilty of running my trains too fast. But unless you have engines with constant speed control technology they tend to be a little fast. But thats O.K. because I dont want to watch a train run at a scale 10 miles an hour for too long. I think it would put me to sleep.
When CTT reviews a new engine they usually test its low speed to give you an idea of how prototypical it will run. Slower speeds means slow start and pick up rather than jack rabbit starts and stops. But in O gauge, running on O-27 or O-31 curves, our passengers are experiencing severe whiplash anyway. So if my engine starts out at a scale 20MPH its O.K.
In my opinion 3 rail O is a toy train. Not to be run prototypically. The HO crowd will run theuir engines very slow to be prototypical.
A hobby shop employee once informed me that “They’re Lionels. They are supposed to be run fast.”
To me, it doesn’t matter because my trains are not the real thing. I’m not endangering anything. So what? I say. If real railroads could run their trains faster than they do, they would. I run my trains fast because I can. Anything less than 140 smph is boring to me.
I run mine slower - I lean more toward prototypical operations despite running a mix of Lionel 027 and O scale cars. I prefer it because this way it takes about 3 minutes to get around my layout excluding any switch maneuvers. Since I like to run two trains on one main with passing sidings simultaneously, slower speeds mean I’m better able to plan meets without disasters!
I like seeing them run fairly slow, which is one of the reasons I like speed control. It seems to me that most O gauge folks like to run them pretty darn fast, which is certainly okay, but in my opinion makes them look more toylike (which is, of course, what they are).
Look at some TM videos and see how the trains are operated vs. some Allen Keller videos of scale pikes in operation. Big difference!
Slow is BORING! My kids and I visited a layout recently that had trains running at prototypically slow speeds. They hated it. So did I. It’s like watching a turtle cross a street or grass growing.
Me too! In fact my favorite loco is the oldest of the lot, a real beater but it hangs on like nothing else! That was what convinced me how good FasTrak is, especially those turnouts, just try taking any other at those speeds. In the De CTT issue on making railroads safe for kids I saw that captioned picture of two with TMCC having a ‘race’ and thought “Now that looks like fun!”
I live near FEC and CSX in Florida on the east coast and FEC runs their frieght trains about 50 miles per hour unless near a curve or coming to a passing zone or bridge. If it is the local frieght doing the cement plants it is very slow as it has to do switching about every half mile or so.
Have observed Amtrac on the other side of town between Lake Okeechobee and Indiantown doing around 80 miles an hour on CSX track. CSX runs thier frieght trains slower than FEC around 35 to 40 miles per hour and has more cars than FEC.
Seems that passenger trains always run faster than frieght.
On the train layout what ever speed seems to please you is what you should run, and at what ever speed the trains stay on the track
I have DCS so can get an idea of what scale speeds I run. Sometimes I like to crawl (especially when I want to keep the noise down) at about 2 scale mph. Sometimes I like to fly (for the excitement) but top out at about 80 scale mph.
The correct answer to your question is “yes” … we run them too fast, too slow and at prototypical speeds.
I like to run the trolleys a bit faster than the prototype most of the time but scale speed is kind of relative to me - it depends on your perspective as both the operator and a viewer.
A lot of what I own only has two speeds: off and ludicrous speed, so if they’re going to run at all, they’ll run fast. I run the train around the Christmas tree a bit on the slow side because it upsets my dog less that way, but even that low speed is much faster than a real train would run.
But as others have said, these are toy trains. Simulating real railroads isn’t my idea of fun (I do way too much paperwork at work, and a fair amount of it at home too). Watching an old train highball around the tracks is relaxing, although I think the dog disagrees with me on that point.
It does pay to remember that real railroads will run their trains as fast as they can, all things considered. As fast as they can may be 20 mph, but they don’t run them slow for the purpose of enhancing the enjoyment (tourist/excursion trains being exceptions). Even drag era freights were pushed to up their speed until drag engines were no longer adequate. Getting tonnage over the road is the goal. In that sense, running our trains fast IS prototypical.
Since I don’t do the product videos on the home layout anymore, I can’t “open’em up.” My rule of thumb is that if the locomotive stays on the track on a curve, the speed is “just right.”
I still think that many conventional 3-rail locomotives are geared too high. What’s the use if the engine will fly off the track at 14 volts? Engines that are geared lower are not only easier to control and less slippery on starts, but also maintain a constant speed more easily around curves. Fast is fun, but it seems to me one CAN have too much of a good thing.
