Posted By Madstang on 09/10/2008 10:04 AM
Ok....think about this....real trains power up going up grades, and brake downgrade....back emf make trains react like toys....trains....no characteristics....even speed....not realistic.
I deal with this every day at work. I'm an engineer for NS, and I do enjoy excercising the skill needed to safely handle a freight train over varied terrain. I've tried to figure out a good way to give a model railroader the same degree of control that I have in the cab, but it would involve completely redesigning the entire system. First, the locomotive needs to be able to free-wheel - there goes the worm drive in 99.9% of models. Then there needs to be some sort of brakes, on both the locomotive and the train, preferably actuated seperately. I've got some ideas on how to make that happen, but it involves a lot of extra components, time, work, etc. for not a lot of real gain.
So, on a model railroad, I want to play the part of the chief dispatcher, if you like, and assume there's an engineer on the train, keeping it running at a constant speed. Simply adjusting the throttle up and down is no more prototypical that setting it once and leaving it alone.
In any case, if one is running any great distance, I would prefer to be watching, and save the hands-on 100% attention to things like switching. Just my personal preference.
Now for turning on a train and letting it run....maybe BEMF is what you want....not sure.
See above.
I see BEMF as having several advantages outside operation, mostly when integrated with a sound system.
Maybe if this is a issue the problem could be too much of an incline...grade...enough to make this a real problem....maybe decreasing the grade would help solve an big issue with this.
My device of choice is Air Wire...and my layout is pretty much level, and if not, there is not enough grade for a large difference of faster and slower.
I think you've hit the nail on the head, Bubba. Most layouts I've seen are caricatures of the real thing. Curves are sharper, grades are steeper, trains are shorter, etc. Thus, a control system that would work perfectly on a prototypical railroad will likely not give the same results on a more typical, exaggerated layout. I would be very interested to know the details of the situations people have complained of regarding Airwire - grade, train weight, etc.
G-Wire...sold it!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif" border=0>
Just my 2 cents.
Bubba
Your 2 cents is appreciated, Bubba, as is that of anyone with an intelligent comment on the subject. By the way, you seem to think little of G-Wire. Why? Is it because of the BEFM and steady speed, or something else? I have not seen any direct side-by-side comparison of G-Wire and Airwire yet. Can you comment?
