Slow & Smooth Power

This one is an MTH New York Central Mohawk made in the mid to late 1990s as I recall. It has run flawlessly for over 20 years. Its price was reasonable too.

Arnold, very nice, I agree TMCC makes a big difference, total control of slow, realistic operation.  Great video’s....Thank for sharing. I like those coal dump cars...Very nice.

Arnold,

A little DCS power, four MTH engines, two tracks, on the overhead layout.  I like to run them between 18 and 22 SMPH.  There are a lot of cars, and the poker group gets a better look with the slower speed.

Jerry

TedW posted:

 

Ted, that is an awesome slow, smooth SF diesel passenger train as it passes by that gorgeous red and white convertible.

Arnold

JerryG posted:

Arnold,

A little DCS power, four MTH engines, two tracks, on the overhead layout.  I like to run them between 18 and 22 SMPH.  There are a lot of cars, and the poker group gets a better look with the slower speed.

Jerry

I love your slow, smooth overhead railroad empire,  Jerry.  Great strategy having the trains running while playing poker with your friends: that should distract them so they don't keep their minds on the card game. Then, you can win more money and buy more trains!

For relatively economical slow smooth power, consider LionChief Plus. Below is the NJ Central Pacific:

Arnold

PS: Does anyone have the new $2,000 Lionel Visionline steam engine that has smoke coming out of its ears?  I would love to see a video of it in action. For that money, it should be a great slow, smooth puller.

Love the choice of music in that video.

My mth fleet ...very smooth full video has 3 MU's.

willygee posted:

My mth fleet ...very smooth full video has 3 MU's.

Well, you can't get trains to run slower and smoother than those in Willy's video. And they sound so real. Very, very nice. Must be top of the line modern MTH.

One more...

Thanks Arnold..they also do scale 1mph very nicely..about 1 track tie per second . All my engines go through full service : commutator service , truck axle and gear shimming and spacing,signal gen and cap orientation multi pin connectors and more. Typically when i'm done an engine will do 1 smph with a little stutter, scale 2mph and above smooth. MU power smooths out real well esp 2 rail MU's.

TedW posted:

 

Very nice..the driver of the dodge convertible must have left to get a coffee

willygee posted:

TedW posted:

 

 

Very nice..the driver of the dodge convertible must have left to get a coffee

Heh heh heh, yeah, I need to have John Rowlen hit me up with some peeps in there... 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

For relatively economical slow smooth power, consider LionChief Plus. Below is the NJ Central Pacific:

Arnold

PS: Does anyone have the new $2,000 Lionel Visionline steam engine that has smoke coming out of its ears?  I would love to see a video of it in action. For that money, it should be a great slow, smooth puller.

Arnold - did you install LED lighting in those pass cars? They seem to be bright, even and flicker free.

George

GeoPeg posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

For relatively economical slow smooth power, consider LionChief Plus. Below is the NJ Central Pacific:

Arnold

PS: Does anyone have the new $2,000 Lionel Visionline steam engine that has smoke coming out of its ears?  I would love to see a video of it in action. For that money, it should be a great slow, smooth puller.

Arnold - did you install LED lighting in those pass cars? They seem to be bright, even and flicker free.

George

No, George, there are no LED lights in the passenger cars. They have conventional lights. The reason the lights are bright is that the track power is set at 18 volts, which is what is done to run the LionChief + engine using the remote unit.

Arnold

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

GeoPeg posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

For relatively economical slow smooth power, consider LionChief Plus. Below is the NJ Central Pacific:

Arnold

PS: Does anyone have the new $2,000 Lionel Visionline steam engine that has smoke coming out of its ears?  I would love to see a video of it in action. For that money, it should be a great slow, smooth puller.

Arnold - did you install LED lighting in those pass cars? They seem to be bright, even and flicker free.

George

No, George, there are no LED lights in the passenger cars. They have conventional lights. The reason the lights are bright is that the track power is set at 18 volts, which is what is done to run the LionChief + engine using the remote unit.

Arnold

Interesting. My grandson has a Thomas engine which is just Lion Chief, no plus. It runs on the same track as conventional engines, at the same time! In fact we play tag in our big circle of track.

I guess the 18 volts would explain things in the lighting 

George, when running the LionChief Plus engine in remote mode, the transformer is set at 17 or 18 volts, and that causes the smoke production to be prodigious as well as having bright lights in the passenger cars. However, you can still run the train nice and slow using the remote unit.

Incidentally, this engine is the same one that I will be returning to Lionel because it derailed and lost its chuffing sounds, which I explained in another thread this evening. 

Arnold

Understood. What I am saying is that I can use my transformer to vary the voltage on my track, thus controlling the speed of my conventional engine, while at the same time running Lion Chief Thomas on the same track, and using his remote to control his speed. This works within limits of course, if the voltage gets too low, they both stop running, but as long as I keep it in the 10-18 volt range, everything works pretty well together.

Ted, great video.  Looks like those are the new F3s from Lionel, but what’s the beautiful passenger set? Thanks

Chris Dunn

Chris Dunn posted:

Ted, great video.  Looks like those are the new F3s from Lionel, but what’s the beautiful passenger set? Thanks

Chris Dunn

From Lionel 2003, 6-15312(4 pak) and 6-29152(2 pak).  I’m missing an important car from the 4 pak, the off set dome #500.  Still looking for that one.

Slow, smooth MTH Proto 3 Great Northern  smoking diesel power:

NJCJOE posted:

Beautiful trains, Joe. Are they standard gauge or O Gauge?

                             MTH DCS operation with PS-2 & 3 diesel lash-up

I second that Lionchief Plus has great slow speed control.  Here is a video of the LC+ RS3 hauling a heavy train up and down a little grade with a smooth, slow, and steady speed. This was from a few years ago, so pay no attention to the speeding steamer on the inside loop. I think that the Lionchief Plus might even have one speed step less than that.  

Having had LC+ first and then having bought a few good but cheaper conventional engines since, I think I plan to go back to LC+ next.  I just wish they would put front electrocouplers on the larger steamers.  Disappointed to not see any Lionchief Plus in the Lionel 2018 v2 catalog but excited to see what is next for the line.

Lastly, Wow! What an amazing coal train by SIRT.

Here's one that recently came through the NJ Hi-Railers club.

I love slow.  Here’s 60 seconds of the new F3s at speed step 1.  The sounds kick my butt.

TedW posted:

I love slow.  Here’s 60 seconds of the new F3s at speed step 1.  The sounds kick my butt.

 

I agree, Ted,  that slow and steady is the way to go. My only concern is for that gorgeous red and white convertible you need an automatic crossing gate to keep it from getting hit by a train.

We can start s new post under Scenery & Structures showing crossing gates.

Arnold

I'm also a fan of slow trains.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

NJCJOE posted:

 

Beautiful trains, Joe. Are they standard gauge or O Gauge?

Both.