Model Railway Speed World Record

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

I would like to hear the views and ideas, of those who like the concept of setting a model rail world speed record!
I've seen many model railway world records but not one for speed. Where as other model categories, ie R/C cars, planes, slot cars etc have official records.
With schools around the UK (and abroad too I hear) getting involved in the Bloodhound SSC 1,000mph+ supersonic car project, I would like to make a mini copy of such enthusiasm.
But in this case for model engineering and model railways.
To set a very very incredible speed would hopefully cause a little media interest.
I want to try promote model railways as an exciting hobby and learning ground.
So far I've made a 00 gauge model that is breaking the 500mph barrier along my long straight test track.
3metres per second +
And I've run a catapulted 21t mineral wagon progressively faster until breaking 1,000mph
6metres per second barrier. (13mph+ actual speed)
I see potential to greatly better these figures. As in maybe beyond 10,000mph at the very top end.

To run the model through a scenic test track with onboard camera and through a measured mile is the goal.
21metres 17.5cm per mile in scale.

If anyone would like to help or to build a rival model to compete or tell what speeds they can achieve then I'd greatly welcome that.
Also ideas on how to increase speeds.

Additional trivia;


Over 100,000 rpm (blown with two airbrushes running on 90psi ish), the mineral wagon wheels wear out their plastic axle boxes in about 40seconds.

Obviously superior engineering is required.
My 18,000rpm Hornby slot car style motor drove the 3.7cm wheels to near 36,000rpm with two wheel turns for one motor turn.
Each 1gram weight reduction made the powered model roughly 0.1seconds per 6 metres faster.

About 10 years ago I started my interest in this when I painted a Hornby HST up in early crest BR green and upped its grearing by 18 times!!

There is a Lima loco on YouTube that runs very fast using several power controlors wired in serise hitting somewhere around 50to 60 volts I think!

Edited February 22, 2018 by How about a Dictator Loco Class?

[inglenookfan]

What fun! I was only thinking how one could do a wall of death with a model train the other day. Since then i have thought of building the worlds fastest ride on lawn mower and dreamt up an electric drag bike that will run in a future class called Top Volt. All this after reading about the Straightliners UK weekend at Elvington.

 

Do you have pics and vids?

 

Inglenookfan

[bertiedog]

Interesting, a model HST with suitable gearing and a decent motor should achieve about 110mph, as I have had 1:24 and 1:32 slot cars in the distant past at that speed or more, but the motor was a beast at drawing about seven to ten amps + at 20volts. Rubber tyres against steel or brass wheels, which might slip at these speeds, and the pickups would have to be all wheels and dual from each wheel set to take the currents involved, perhaps with woven metal tape pickups as per the cars.

One case where bigger flanges and a courser standard track would be required.

And no plastic near the motor, they run hot! It might even need fan cooling. The motors could stand quite long use, as I used them in 24 hour races at reduced currents and speeds, still over 40mph in banking.

[bertiedog]

Thinking about it, it may need two power cars, plus extra pick up coaches, and the weight would be many times more than a slot car, but I think about 50 to 60 could be achieved with a racing motor wound to suit the job and about two to one gearing. The unit might need a push to get it started due to the weight.

 

It would certainly need an all ball race outfit, both the motors and the wheelsets............and an awful lot of straight track on a level surface. I cannot see a train tackling any sort of curve at those sort of speeds.

 

You will have to interest James May in it for one of his TV programmes..............

 

Stephen

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Haha yes Everyone is saying get James May involved.

Wow what excellent input!

(Sorry for all the spelling mistakes by the way!)

I work for TMC (The Model Center) so getting hold of silly amounts of track and parts has been a doddle.

The wheels do wheel spin like mad on set off, acelerates like a top fuel dragster!

Needs full reverse power to stop at those speeds.

It gets burning hot in no time so has a cooling fan on it. I want some of those beasty powerful 40,000rpm + slot car motors on it.

 

I love the idea of the railway wall of death! Genius! I'd be up for doing that too. A 00 Guy Martin can be in the cab.

 

I have pictures and videos but don't know how to upload them as I'm new to rmweb sadly.

I'd talk of ride on lawnmower speed record related knowledge I have but don't want to annoy the moderator and railway fans with my deviation.

There was a scrap heap challenge program on the subject btw.

 

 

At work we have in the passed built what was the longest scalextric track in the world but it has been surpassed now. Was early in the morning repeatedly going up and down the isles of the Trafford Centre all around the building.

So TMC will support a nutts record attempt.

 

I agree with having multiple coaches for power pickup. The lima loco on YouTube (under; worlds fastest model train) makes huge sparks and arks that Noah would be proud of!!

And multiple coaches makes it actually class as a train by a more true definition.

Plus more power for the same frontal drag.

If we get a model going over 70mph or more aerodynamics comes into play ontop of the increasing wheel drag.

Principle; a 4 man in a line rowing boat goes faster than a 1 or 2 man boat of the same width.

 

Interestingly I tried larger wheels and in this application surprisingly smaller wheels run way better!!!

If you try take a monster truck then a shopping trolley up a kerb the huge wheels are over it with ease and the little wheels can almost not do it.

The larger wheeled model derails easily on its Duchess driving wheels. I think the prototype has 9ft driving wheels. 3.6cm tall on model.

Thank you both for your great answers, knowledge and enthusiasm!!!

I may want to pick your brains some more before I move on to cad designing my next units!

Rob

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Bertiedog 60mph is good!!

X 76 for 00 gauge = 4,560mph in scale

If the speed of sound is maybe 747mph at a believable ground level that would be over Mach 6!!

Technically a train (rocket sled) on conventional rails, has in real life done Mach 8.5 over 6,000mph at Holloman Airforce Base USA

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holloman_Air_Force_Base

 

But my ultimate future dream is 22,000 mph in 00 scale the same as a Saturn 5 rocket, the fastest thing humans have traveled in. It would help me to visualise what 22,000 mph looks like!

289mph in scale.

Models don't have to deal with the mamoth impossible centrifugal G loadings of real life size wheels.

I have rocket motors in my bedroom that would fit an 00 model with ease that can push near those speeds.

The more pure electric, wheel driven slot car records and data must come first though before dreaming of such (possible) lunacy.

129metres per second.

Devided by

21metres 17.5cm per mile in scale is 6miles a second if I'm correct.

Dear me!

So I can't just hire the indoor 100m running track near my home!

But the 60mph model shouldn't be a pipe dream!

Think of the Donald Camble, Richard Noble, Andy Green, Guy Martin, James May, Sir Nigel Gresley

type British charactors who pioneer speed records. We should have this record!

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

1 second 32frame video of mineral wagon launch on a short 7m track.

This was one of the only times it derailed annoyingly. Due to a wobbly launch.

trim.DFF096AB-A356-416A-BDE8-81D8070D80AC.MOV

Edited September 21, 2016 by How about a Dictator Loco Class?

[royaloak]

Just use one of the Hornby 0-4-0 steam engine models, they do a scale 1000mph out of the box!

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Ok lol I may as well time one and try that. I can put an uprated motor in and run it at higher power.

I'll try my 0-4-0's tomorrow.

I've seen the tv suppressors smoke and burn when I push models too hard.

Thanks!

Some slot cars run at 150mph I've just read!

11,400Mph scale speed if a 00 model did that.

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Hahaha, how do Hornby get the top speed and savage acceleration of their little 0-4-0's so prototypically accurate?!?!

They put so much effort into the product design!

Bacmann oil models blindfolded from 60ft away with a high power fire hose and Hornby make ultra high detailed parts out of .1mm strands of mouldy cheese.

If they got their strengths/best skills together they could make near perfect wonderful models!

[Zomboid]

Use a HO model. It's essentially the same size as 00, but you get to use x87 as the multiplier rather than x76.

Plus the rails are the right distance apart.

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

That's a good point!

If the gear can be fitted into the width it does ramp up the scale speed.

Thank you!

[John_Miles]

You can't do this sort of thing in a Health and Safety conscious age without providing suitable containment in case anything comes off the track and wearing special protective clothing - oh yes also a hi-viz vest. Having fun is not allowed.

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Ha yes that's so true!

Do it in a country that promotes danger.

Otherwise bulletproof contact lenses, napalmproof suncream, carbon-Kevlar maths teacher style elbow patches, with a flint weave etc for every living thing in a 60mile blast radius.

Well school kids throughout Britain are allowed to run model rocket cars in their playgrounds in the name of science atm!

Before I got serious about railway modeling, it was messing about with model trains at high speed that got my interest going.

All my mates would come around and we'd race our trains.

Racing around a giant layout between it's stations, with near impossible timings to meet.

Each had a rival rail company and got monopoly style money for each successful run between stations, without derailments of all the coaches. Then fines to the bank were imposed and a model break down train had to arive and manually sort the carnage.

Then came shunting yard challenges and gradually a true, mature appreciation for the hobby.

We want to keep young ones coming in to this wonderful hobby.

Learning all the history too.

So much fun and skills can come from it.

[Southerner]

Great idea! Joueff did an HO version of the HST for Hornby before Hornby did their own OO version, if you want to keep it more prototypical a second hand model would fit the bill nicely.

 

Doug

[Horsetan]

Why not have a drag race, whilst you're at it? There must be some sort of model railway standing quarter-mile record out there.....

[Nearholmer]

Magnetic rail gun, or rocket power, they're the ways to go fast. Either could be applied to a model railway.

 

But, what constitutes a "model railway speed record", by which I'm not asking what a speed record is, but what constitutes a "model railway"?

 

If I somehow contrived to connect a 0.303 bullet to a lump of lead, mounted on two 00 wheel sets, then fired it down a dead-straight track, would that be a model railway?

 

Or, simply generated a decent explosion inside a closed vessel, with a plug, tightly fitted to a hole, as the only outlet, with said plug being connected to 'vehicle' as above?

 

Kevin

 

(My ideas should not be tried in a garden shed, without deep forethought)

Edited September 21, 2016 by Nearholmer

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Wow I've never heard of that HO HST!!

I'll look on eBay.

And yes a drag race sounds good!

I want competitors ideally.

We set a crazy record and see what the US has to answer!

Would be fun to have an extreme model railway records event!

I've been doing loop the loop and wall of death calculations this morning.

Wall of death looks easy.

6mph on a 2metre diameter loop. An 0-4-0 could do that bend. And flanges give an advantage!

Does anyone want to try beat my current 1:76 500mph?!?

If you need help with getting the calculations and measurements done, just ask me.

Good look. Please try! Think of Britain and go for it!

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Well Kevin if you have the means to try that then please let rip!!!

We can have categories just as the land speed records have.

Wheel driven

Thrust driven

Any motive power type.

Custom built.

Modified off the shelf models.

Absolute fastest.

Varying scales.

 

Tip; elastic bands round pulleys, or greater voltage is an easy way to get a prototype built and running in under an hour!

Try beat a scale 500mph.

And see who gets the 747area, scale supersonic barrier first!

[inglenookfan]

For drag racing you could have Slamdoorers. For cars it is Doorslammers

 

Inglenookfan

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

Ha good word play!

I had to google it first. Didn't know what a door slammer was.

[Loconuts]

You are all looking the wrong way, the old Triang Dean Single and Caley 123 would beat them all if you could get them to stay on the curves.

 

Loconuts

Edited September 21, 2016 by Loconuts

[peanuts]

this is all well and good but arent we forgetting steam if its about educating kids 

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

I just think there aren't many live steam modellers out there, so it's unlikely to find any that would help.

A bigger gauge, fuel burning, live steam model that can break 126mph (actual speed) or even the sound barrier in real life would be greatly exciting!!!!!

[How about a Dictator Loco Class?]

After playing Jenga with Loco's I eventually found some of my speedy shunters.

Now for higher voltage 0-4-0 testing!h

Edited September 21, 2016 by How about a Dictator Loco Class?