I just received my first SD75. Is it correct for my SD75 to run only about half the speed of my GP35? I have my Jorger controller set at the max of 8.0V and it draw a current of 62mA (which according to Robert Pray’s earlier posting this is good). It takes the SD75 about 2.5 sec to run 12 inches. The GP35 does that in half the time. Is there something wrong with my SD75? Thanks Tsa
No, Tsa. It sounds like you have a really fast SD75. The SD70's cannot run with the GP35 without DCC. I clean out the wheels of the thick lubricant, and reoil it, It seems to run a little faster.
Yes, it sounds like you got a real nice one. They run much slower, and pull a lot more cars than the GP35. 65ma at 8 volts is real good for brand new, but after you run it for a couple hours it wil draw even less current and run even faster. -Robert
Yes, these engines run at a prototypical speed under their max input. Mine run at sthg like 60 scale mph....One should take care to apply the maximum allowed voltage and not to exceed it, it's far more sensitive than for an average 140 scale mph loco.... What does inply this low speed? -Cons: you can't put them in a various lashup unless you're DCC, so you have to purchase a few of them if you want a MU lashup (but is it really a drawback?:angel: ) -Pros: what a pleasure to see a Z scale loco crawling at the speed of a 1:220 man walking! Dom
Sounds about the same as my two do, much better than the real thing though, i drive 1/1 trains and it can take 10 minutes or more even on level track to attain top speed and then at the slightest hint of a hill you watch the speedo wind backwards, with speed restrictions for curves, through curved turnouts and for track repairs etc you spend very little of your journey doing the maximum speed allowed, i wonder how many modellers put speed restrictions on their layouts?
Thanks Elliott, I will apply slow speed restriction on my next operating session. Dont worry, my Z scale trains slow themselves on curves and grades.
Hi, which kind of trains (and which kind of engines) do you run, and for which railroad? Sounds interresting! Dominique
Goodaye Dominique, like so many RR's of late we have changed owners again recently, we were with Genesee and Wyoming for five years but we are now owned by the Queensland Government rail company who operate as QR, but our logo is still ARG. Confusing isn't it! If you haven't already guessed i am in Australia,or to be more specific Western Australia. My depot runs both narrow and standard gauge ( 3' 6" and 5' 8 1/2" ) or for the metrically minded 1067mm and 1435 mm. Narrow gauge is all about grain, and we cart it from outlying receival points to the main depot in Merredin where the grain company CBH ( Co-operative Bulk Handling ) tranships it to standard gauge on which it is carted to the coast about 300km's away. We use two classes of narrow gauge loco at the moment, both GM triaxle diesels with an axle load of only 16 tons (metric), one rated at 1700 hp and the other at 1900 hp. There are three branch lines radiating from Merredin with the furthest point being about 130km away. The steepest gradient is one in sixty which may not sound all that challenging but it reduces the lower powered loco to about 12 km/h when hauling a full load of only 1100 tons. The maximum speed allowed on our area of narrow gauge is 50 km/h (30 mph ). Standard gauge involves more of the same in regards to grain haulage from locations east of Merredin with one two or three trains a day (depending on the success or otherwise of the season ) leaving for the coast. These trains can be 5500 tons hauled by a single (4000hp ) loco or close to 8000 tons if hauled by two loco's, and these can be 4000 hp, 3000hp, 2200hp or any combo of two. Our organisation believes in working everything to the max all the time! There are also two daily trains that we work on standard gauge to Kalgoorlie ( about 370 km's ) and back ( with a camp at the barracks between the out and back portions ) and are operated as driver only ( one driver on the whole train ). These trains are general freight and provided the load doesn't exceed 5000 tons we can travel at up to 110 km/h. The same type of loco's as used on the grain services are also used on the freighters. Narrow gauge uses train orders while standard gauge uses three aspect type signals. If there is anthing more specific you would like to know, just ask away and i'll do my best. Eliot
