What’s the overall consensus on scale speeds? DO “we” care? I’m in N scale and I’m supposing I should be running them REAL SLOW to achieve anything approaching “scale” speeds. At 1/160, I figured 33 feet to be a scale mile…RIGHT? So, if I want my train to go 60mph, it should take it 30 seconds to go around my (approx) 16 foot, basic loop…RIGHT? Who goes scale speed and who likes to see their train “go fast”???
I usually go under scale speeds. For example, I run a reefer block headed by some F-units at about 20 mph. Most every thing I run pretty slow. Even the trains that are supposed to wabash.
Me too!
Everyone else seems to go much faster, though. I run into the same thing on the Interstate!
Maybe it’s me.
Depends. In a yard 1 or 2 smph. On the mainline diesels 50 mph max. Steam slower, like to see the rods moving, not just a visual blur. One way to make the layout seem bigger is to run the trains slower to make a circuit take longer. In reality, real trains run at all speeds, so should models. There is nothing wrong with a creeping freight so a viewer can enjoywatching it’s passing for a longer time. Heck, the prototypes run that way at all the grade crossings I wait at!
I just run at whatever speed looks right depending on my mood.
Enjoy
Paul