Anyone risk running their expensive steamers at full speed?

Why?

Dave

I don't,  but my 6 yr old grandson is fearless..."Highball" is his nickname.  No catastrophes yet.  

Price of the engine involved in any high speed running is relative.  A $500 or $600 engine may have the same impact on my train budget that a $1500 engine has on someone else’s train budget.

Anyhow; to answer the question; I have not experimented with full speed running according to my DCS remote but, I have on occasion jacked the speed up on my trains to the point they are streaking around my layout and just barely holding the track through curves and turnouts.

Why do I do this?  I have no explanation other than “children” in my age demographic who had trains in the 1950’s have a tendency toward “Gomez Adams” episodes from time to time.  Psychiatry could probably address this but, why spend money that could be better spent on more trains.  😉

Curt

First of all, those $1,500 locomotives are scale models geared lower to run better at slow speeds. Most don’t run at toy train speeds anymore.

Second, many of their owners like running at realistic speeds because realism is what attracted them to those models. Top speeds? Little interest.

And third, the risk of damage is a factor. Kids didn’t worry about such things. Adults shelling out $1,500 do.

Your 736 Berkshire was a traditional-sized toy train not based on any prototype and meant to be played with like a child’s toy. Even with inflation, it wasn’t a $1,500 equivalent in its time.

I know of several members in my club who still run their old Lionel models at thrilling fast speeds. Why not, if that’s what they enjoy? But that’s a different world and thrill that doesn’t generally apply to other club members running their scale equipment alongside of the traditional stuff at much slower speeds.

When I was about seven, I ran my Lionel 2026 through my 027 curves at top speed.  Once.

Of course, it went tumbling off the Christmas train platform -- to my utter amazement and shock.  Luckily, the platform was only about 6" off the ground, and there was a braided rug there to cushion the fall, so no damage was done.  But I learned my lesson, and never did such a stupid thing again.

I am having a hard time understanding why you would even think of running an engine so fast it would derail in a curve.

Makes no sense... 

Lol I was ten!

My VL Big Boy has run at top speed many times!  In fact most of my engines have been run at full tilt.  The only one to have left the track (O72) is the recent LionMaster Class A, and that wasn't even at 75% of full speed.  Lionel messed up when that did that one, it's way too fast and the only one I have a speed limit on (50% speed on it is faster them most of my locomotives at 100% speed.).  It's great fun to hear them run fast with full labor fx on.

I have run my Dreyfuss Hudson at 120 SMPH as per my DCS remote, it did not seem any faster to the eye at 120 then it did at 70.

FORMER OGR CEO - RETIRED posted:

I am having a hard time understanding why you would even think of running an engine so fast it would derail in a curve.

Makes no sense... 

C’mon Rich; your age is showing.  😉

Besides; the point is to see how fast you can run them WITHOUT derailing them.

Curt

Considering my layouts high degrees of curvature track and short straight sections, I have imposed a maximum speed of 9 mph (scale speed). The railroad owner has the right to exceed speed limits at his whim, knowing that the railroad is self insured.

I often run my MTH PRR and LIRR G5s 4-6-0 steamers (with PS1 and PS2) at 15 or 16 Volts AC on my 0-72 outer loop. Why? The chugging sounds and whistle evoke a steamer at high speed. It's nice to watch and listen to. I haven't timed it, but this seems to be about 70 mph scale speed. And these engines did run that fast, especially on Long Island, so it's realistic. But, my limit is 16 Volts.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

 I haven't timed it, but this seems to be about 70 mph scale speed. And these engines did run that fast, especially on Long Island, so it's realistic. But, my limit is 16 Volts.

MELGAR

Next time you run, measure inches traveled in 2.5 seconds. that'll give you the scale MPH.

To the original question: Nope

Actually there is one steamer that I'd run at full-tilt on my test track loop, but it's not an expensive unit. The K-Line 4-6-2 derived from Marx tooling. It has the distinction of being the only locomotive from my floor-layout days to have never derailed. Maybe it's top scale speed of 40-45mph has something to do with it  

---PCJ

Only by accident.  My curves are wide enough as to keep my engines from derailing.

"I am having a hard time understanding why you would even think of running an engine so fast it would derail in a curve.

Makes no sense...  "

Precisely.

"Lol I was ten!"

But you are not now.

Just saying in almost all the videos I see people run em so slow

20centuryhudson posted:

Just saying in almost all the videos I see people run em so slow

That way they don't go past the video camera so fast that nobody can see them!  Duh.

Norm charbenau has some videos of express passenger trains going fast you can see things just fine