This simple, short, demonstration video above shows two coupled, standard, 36 ft, Proto:87 Box Cars running continuously at excessively high scale speeds around streetcar radius curves, under the force of gravity. The cars intermittently exceed approximately 75 scale mph around the 60 scale ft radius curves. Note: 1 car length in one second equals about 25 scale mph.

The video file is in the form of an animated .gif, runs for about 50 seconds and is unfortunately around 8MB in size. So unless you are looking at this page with a broadband connection, the video will take anything from 30 to 90 minutes to fully download. We recommend you access this page again when you can afford to leave you PC connected for that length of time, right click on the picture above and choose the "save image as" option. When the picture has downloaded, you can then view it later on your own machine,  off line, at full speed.

The combination of these speeds and curves are at least an order of magnitude over the operational limits allowed by any prototype, except possibly a specially constructed "Roller Coaster"!  They are also around twice the expected safe limits for the reliable operation of standard "toy trains" in HO scale.

The car bodies are unmodified, standard commercial 36 ft MDC kits, with NO extra weight added. (They weigh approx 3 oz each). They are fitted with Kadee sprung trucks and 33" NWSL Proto:87 wheelsets. The two cars are linked by standard, body mounted, Kadee couplers.

The trackwork is "Precision Strassenbahn tm" Proto:87 simulated girder rail, laid (glued) in short lengths of approximately 4", on a small 3' by 2' sheet of unsupported, untreated,  3/16" foam core board.  The outer and inner ovals used 10" radius and 8" radius curves respectively.

No special construction technique was used and the track gauge was set without any gauge widening.   Gauge errors of approximately +/- 0.005" were noted at many intervals on the curves due to imprecise installation.
The rails at the rail joints were elevated approximately 0.005" for about +/- 0.5" along the direction of the rails, due to the use of oversize alignment pins.  There were NO transition curves, so the track was either straight, or curved at 8" radius.

In summary the track work was of slightly variable gauge and bumpiness, at least of the order which would be expected in any typical other Proto:87 model layout. However, in this case, the girder rail did provide the effect of a continuous check rail around the entire circuit.
 

This WEB page last updated on 1/31/04. All illustrations, products and product designs are copyright of their respective owners, whether acknowledged or otherwise. All rights reserved.