Actual Scale train speed has always interested me as something that might be fun to see. TDP & Assoc. makes a unit called Trainspeed for 1 or 4 locations. It is digital and seeems like it could do a good job. Does anyone use it? If so, comments as to it’s usefulness and reasonable accuracy? If not, does anyone else know of a unit that would display a digital model scale speed? Preferably without a large standing unit I’ve seen before that you put over the track to sense & display the speed – I like it to be a little more hidden. Any electronic circuits available for building your own? Thanks. Ken
Does this company have a web address?
Earlier this year I posted a question on a thread asking if something like this is possible.
This would really be neat for my club’s layout. Even with DCC (NCE), we still have no realistic “speedometer feature” so the best we can do is to “guesstimate” the scale speeds of our trains…
We usually keep our passenger train speeds at 70mph or less, freight trains 30mph to 50mph.
Real railroad men used their watches!..chuck
The TDP product is very nice. I don;t have one yet, but I spent a good bit of time at their display at one of the Timonium shows talking to one of the principals in the company.
If you have a DCC system with a computer interface and block detection, you can also use JMRI, there is a speedometer built in there, you just set up the two detection zones and enter the distance between them, and the program will calculate the speed for you. Very nifty.
–Randy
Here is the address www.trainspeed.com
The Train Speed link seems to be down at the moment. Here’s a blurb about it from Tony’s Train Exchange web site:
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/trainspeed-hints.htm
Actually, I’m leaning towards Chuck’s comment. If you set up a known A-B distance and create a speed curve for the distance in whatever scale you are in, you can easily calculate your locomotive’s speed with a simple and inexpensive stop watch. Simple but effective. Talk about “prototypical operations”…
Tom
I know my QSI equiped Atlas will tell me the scale speed in a verbale respose. But how close it is i would like to find out…
Antonio:
HO train speed devices are sophisticated timing devices, over a measured distance - with a digital readout.
They run $40 - $50 - about the price of a Radar detector (which won’t work). I agree. Every club should have one to avoid arguments.
Too bad they’re not offered as ‘kits’ to clubs.
A stopwatch over a mile or HO foot is a mechanical equivalent, for 60 MPH. but doesn’t give in-between readings such as 45 mph or 25 mph, plus involves constant manpower to do.
For a 3’ section of HO track:
Rate (MPH) = [Distance (feet)/Time (sec)] / [Feet in mile/Seconds in hour] X Scale (87.1)
Let’s say it takes 6 secs. for a given locomotive to traverse a 3’ section of track. Then:
Rate = [3/6] ft/sec. / [5280/3600] X 87.1
Rate = 0.5 ft/sec. / 1.46667 X 87.1
Rate = 0.73334 X 87.1
Rate = 29.7 MPH
Calculate it in 1/2 or 1/4 second intervals, draw a series of points on a graph, and - BINGO - you have yourself a speed chart. Now all you have to do is time your locomotive and glance at the speed chart for a close approximation.
Tom
Sample speed chart |
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Seconds |
MPH |
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1 |
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You could always make your own speedometer car. [8D]
http://www.geocities.com/OzDCC/speedo.htm
This will work in the dark unlike Trainspeed, however is has to be mounted in a car.
I might make myself one of these some day. I plan on building it into a car instead of setting it on top of one. [:P]
Calculating it over a measured distance, it seems to be pretty darn accurate.
–Randy
I use a couple of momentary magnetic reed switches mounted beside the track 1/10 scale mile apart (6 ft. 3/4 in.) and wired in parallel with the “start-stop” button of a cheap electric stopwatch. Old open frame motors would throw the reed switches by themselves but now with can motors I couple the loco being tested to a work caboose with a bar magnet mounted crosswise.
Divide the resulting time in seconds by 3600 to get hours than divide that figure into 0.1 miles to get scale miles per hour. Save calculating time by making a table and mounting it by the stopwatch under the edge of the layout.
MIN SEC. MPH
1 360
&nbs
Here is an odometer that you can build yourself: http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/Odometer.html
I can’t find it right now , but I once saw a speedometer that had a wireless transmitter to a remote display.
After I get my main balested (if ever) I plan on setting telephone poles at one foot intervals, my strike fence will be at 6 in spacings as both will be used for timing trains. Simple easy to read speed charts along the layouts facia will make this extreamly easy to use on my layout.
I personaly feel as per Toms calculations above, if two seconds is close to 30, then a quick stopwatch timing down the main is a piece of cake.
Electronic devices are real neat and fun to use. Perhaps im just on ald fouggey, i like to use what grey matter I have left to stay in the loop LOL. I time trains now with just marks and it is fun and as someone said above one kind of gets a feel for it, No matter how you achieve it i think timing for better speeds is an excelent thing to do if your into operations.
Using mile markers and pole setting for distance, I will also schedule speed reduction in certain areas…just my 2 centavios…John
Thanks Randy for doing the dirty work for me LOL