WOW, just goofed around with that third link, about 33 seconds is the time a train would take to travel three feet to equal 10 SMPH! Right now I don't think the IM FP's will reliably creep at this speed without being jerky... Don't have a layout right now and complete novice to DCC, so this is the main reason I am doubting this. I remember running on DC and the trains would barely begin to creep and were very very jerky. To alieviate this it seemed to be about 30 smph and they would straighten out.
The new Atlas Locos with Scale Speed Motors eliminate this problem, and why a lot of people are purchasing the motor and replacing older Atlas and Kato motors. This makes there old locos run 85% better. I love to run my trains scale speeds, especially when entering a yard, the new Atlas locos are a dream come true! The new DCC decoders with BEMF will help locos run slower but do not eliminate the problem completely.
Wow Marty this is an interesting thread. I never thought to actually measure it, I’ve always just run them so they looked right to me unless I was doing some kind of test. I watch a lot of train videos on YouTube and I did notice a lot of people must running at the correct speed especially on the DCC videos where the trains gradually pick speed as well as braking. I have watched a few videos where I did not realize that it was model railroading until about half way through and I just was amazed. Then the next video would be from someone running their trains as fast as they could without derailing and I just couldn’t take it and would just have skip to the next video. Well now that you have me interested, I’m going to have to invest in a stop watch just to see how close I am and how accurate my eyes are.cool:
I run them as fast as they go. Extra bonus points if they crash into each other, especially on a bridge
We had a similar discussion a few months ago, soon after I joined Trainboard. While there are ways of finding the scale equivalent of a particular real speed, and I've used them, most of us seem to work on the principle that 'if it looks right, it is right'. Sadly, this doesn't always work - take architecture, for instance. There are schools in Southampton that have won design awards because they 'look right'. Their roofs leaked like sieves, though!!!!! [repaied now] Regards, Pete
Saw a preview for a movie called "super8" tonight. Amazing train wreck, you might want to model it!! cute:
I used that principle in college.... Good times, but it seldom worked out! Seems to for trains though.
Food for thought: I just made a quick round trip to Denver. As I was driving up I-25 near Raton NM I spotted the Amtrak train. At 80 MPH I couldnt catch it! Near Raton the tracks go from the East side...under I-25 and over to the West side. Once there...they curve off into the distance...still parrelell to I-25. They run about 1/2 to 3/4 mile away. At that distance...that train sure didnt look to be running 80 !! AND...I still couldnt get even with it. My Point Being: Think of yourself in a helicopter the next time you run your trains. From that distance back < and up ^...your trains will look to be running slower then if you got down to eye level/close up. Conclusion: In our little train world...It's what 'looks good' from our "Jolly Green Giant" sized vantage point...JMO. .
I like to run close to scale where practical. It just looks better. But every once in awhile you just have to find out what the loco is capable of !!
That's a nice sized layout for N scale. I think the thing that I focus on is the "weight." 1:1 scale locos glide ponderously on their little rails--because they are very, very heavy. N scale locos can be as realistic as you want, but they will still never be heavy enough to give that gliding, graceful look unless I go at slow speeds. If they start going too fast, they begin to look "light." If that makes any sense at all. :tb-wacky: When it comes down to it, each modeler is trying to replicate something different. If some one is looking to replicate a train roaring past at top speed, then weight isn't going to matter: they'll look good roaring past.
Even on (our) bigger (modular) layouts there is the problem of too short distances between the towns. And since DCC allows to run slow in N scale and using a good way of the thottle knob, there is no reason for running in express speed over an operation orientated layout. BTW our standard demands to trim the locos to a maximum speed of about 60mph. So the locos are comparable in their operation characteristic, what is not unimportant when you often have to "ride" a foreign locomotive in a realistic manner.
I noticed that people who commented that their "looks right" speeds seemed slower than the measured speed prompted me to explore internationally for "the answer." I found it! OK. I didn't have to look too hard 'cause I already remembered that I had read a Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen (Think German NMRA) standard on scale speed. This hits right on what Flash said about "scale" color. The math doesn't work. Take a look at http://www.morop.org/de/normes/nem661_d.pdf for the mathematical recommendation. Paragraph 3 shows a table with two rows - one is "scale" and the other is "percent increase." The increase is 60 percent for N. So, multiply the measured speed by 1.6 to see "what it looks like." Or, divide the desired speed by 1.6 to see what the measured speed should be. It's out there... Terry
Short explanation for all other readers: Some of the americaN guys and I had the pleasure to meet Terry last year when he was on vacation in Europe with his family. Here you can see Terry at the throttle: http://www.nscale160.com/amerikaN/ Terry, as I have posted here, we have a gathering at the first weekend of June. The actual layout plan is attached. So we all are looking forward to this event. Non railroad related issues per private mail...
