loco size/speed comparison

[mugwai]

Is there a good way of predicting how fast a loco will be before you purchase it?

 

I currently own the Tornado which is quite a beast, I;m usually scared to put it up to full speed. I also own a couple of the tiny 4-wheel type locos which are snails in comparison, but handle very well and go nicely with the smaller type coaches and wagons.

 

I would quite like something inbetween the two. I have seen 6-wheel locos which are slightly longer than the 4 wheel ones, would it be sensible to assume they are also slightly faster? Im guessing bigger loco's usually have a bigger/faster engine in them!?

 

Also does anyone know the difference between having a 'Scalextrix' type motor or a 'Ringfield' type motor? I have seen two similar looking locos and this was the main difference between them, wondered if one type was better than the other.

 

Thanks!

[Howbi]

Small steam locos and diesel shunters are just that, for shunting and local work so speed is not a consideration...........regarding motors I don't think any new model uses the Ringfield........it seems rather odd that you wish to buy locomotives just to race at top speed.........usually leads to derailments and damage......... 😀..........HB

[LCDR]

 The question about locomotive speeds appears here fairly regularly.

 

You have hit the nail on the head when you deduce that the bigger locos go faster and the smaller ones slower but the size of the motor need not be the reason. Look at how big the wheels are. Big locos frequently have wheels twice the size of small ones. If the motor turns the axle at a certain speed  then the bigger wheels will travel further in the same time  because the circumference is bigger  and covers more distance in a revolution.  Therefore a six wheeler with small wheels may not go much faster than a smaller one with only four of the same size.

 

The type of model can also have an influence. Cheaper ones have coarser gears which do not reduce the motor speed to the axle, and very often the small cheap ones go faster than the small expensive ones which have finer gears.  Slower and higher geared models can usually pull greater loads without slipping.

 

Ringfield motors became popular with Hornby Dublo in 1960s and with Triang / Hornby in the 1970s. Lima also used  a Ringfield motor, often referred to as a 'pancake' exclusively.  Nowadays ringfields are not so popular and most modern Hornby uses variations of the 'can' motor which has seperate magnet pole pieces.

 

Older Triang / Hornby / Scalextric vehicles used a version of open frame motor based on a very durable design from the late 1940s frequently referred to as an X04, although this was just one of many versions.

 

The motor performance is very much influenced by the gearing.

 

Modern can motors are usually more efficient BUT are throwaway items that cannot easily be repaired.

[mugwai]

LC&DR thank you so much for all the information about the motors and I see your point about wheel size.

 

Howbiman I dont usually run at full speed I like lower speeds it's relaxing and you can observe the train better but it's nice to have that option of extra speed sometimes for a bit of fun 😎

[walkingthedog]

You operate locos with a controller. Whether it is DC or DCC it makes no difference, you control it. It is up to you how fast or slow a loco is. If you operate your Tornado at full speed it will travel at a scale speed of over 200mph. A shunter at about 100 mph, depending on the gearing. So how to predict how fast a loco will go before you purchase it will depend on how far you turn the speed control.

 

As has been said many times on here, if it look right it is right.  😆

[LCDR]

WTD  "You operate locos with a controller"  - Very true BUT the point at which a motor starts to turn for a given position of the speed control knob can vary from loco to loco, and also how fast it travels may not always correspond to the same position of the knob either. I don't know how variable this is with DCC or how it can be compensated for in the various settings, but I know that in analogue the performance is none too predictable initially with a new loco and only comes with experience.  It can also vary with the cleanliness if the wheels and track and the condition of the mechanism.

 

One of the plus points for running in a new model is that you get some time to learn how it will perform.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

The earlier Tri-ang "Scalextric" motor (RX?) was indeed a version of the X.04, with a little gear instead of a worm, and a locating "pin" behind the magnet.

 

I believe the armature was also wound differently (Thickness or number of turns?) to deliver high speed but lower Torque ("Grunt" 😉)...

 

Later Scalextric motors of the "Can" variety were also used in some of the 0-4-0 "Starter" locos of the GWR 101 and Caledonian PUG varieties. (And the Diesel versions!)

These have a reputation for fast running!

 

Some of the 0-6-0 locos also received can motors to "replace" the X.04 / Later type X.03 motors.

 

In the case of the GWR Pannier Tank, the body moulding neded modifying to accomodate the greater width of the can motor over the X.0 motors.....