h a l f b a k e r yThis ain't rocket surgery.
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Model trains are great, but most of them are depictions
of
a bygone age. Trains in advanced countries like Japan,
China, and France now travel at close to 300mph. These
speeds are now reflected in the new T Gauge Model
Bullet
Train. There are some model bullet trains already in
existence,
but they don't travel at a realistic scaled
speed.
In order to properly scale the speeds, and ensure these
trains stay on their tracks, they travel inside clear
plastic
tubes that have the tracks, and power delivery built in.
This means that the tracks can be bent to a degree and
laid everywhere in the average domestic setting. These
'clear tube tracks' are the real innovation that makes this
model train different to all others. Each tube section
terminates in a male/female connection, meaning that
they snap together to form a continuous looping layout.
Because the tubes are watertight, they can be sent
outdoors and through any water features.
The trains will then hurtle along at realistic scale bullet
train speeds. Station stops allow open inspection of the
detailed models, where the trains emerge from the clear
tubing. Two way tubing enables a comprehensive
network
to be developed. The entire system is naturally
controlled
from a phone app.
Deluxe version has illuminated carriages, and lighting up
signals etc in the tubing making for an exciting night
time
display.
Ultra deluxe version comes with track
munching
Godzilla attack robot toy figure. (can only be used once
as total destruction results)
Walschaerts valve gear
https://en.wikipedi...schaerts_valve_gear
Elegance and Beauty - yet, unbelievably, from Belgium ... [8th of 7, Oct 07 2019]
T Gauge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_gauge
[hippo, Oct 08 2019]
See (2) - James River Branch
https://www.popular...ngest-model-trains/
[hippo, Oct 08 2019]
[link]
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If the tube is airtight and there aren't any points, you could propel the train by pumping compressed air through it, which would let you get up to much higher speeds than with teeny electric motors. |
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//realistic scaled speed// |
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Depends how you scale the speed. |
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300*(1/450)miles per (1)hour = 0.666mph (about one foot per second)? |
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Or are you thinking 300 scale miles per scale hour? |
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300*(1/450)miles per (1/450)hour = 300mph. |
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The former; the speed scales linearly along with the size. |
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Since air resistance is significant to high speed trains (note the "kingfisher" nose profile of the latest Shinkansen) the point about evacuating the tubes is important. |
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Curves on high-speed lines are Very Bad, so quite how this is addressed is open to discussion. For the true model railway enthusiast, the answer is simply to live in a very long, thin house. |
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//the point about evacuating the tubes is important// But
not at a scale speed of 1mph. |
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Incidentally, one obvious advantage of this tiny model scale is
that it allows anyone with a large living room to set up a track
which is in scale for length as well as width. |
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So can someone enlighten us, how fast do the currently commercially available model bullet trains and/or T gauge trains actually travel? |
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I don't want to poop all over this idea, but a little bit of plastic that moves along a plastic tube at one foot per second probably wouldn't impress me particularly much. |
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T gauge live steam would be quite something to achieve ... |
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Sadly, live steam at that scale is impractical. |
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But what would be practical would be a minature locomotive with a tank filled with liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen would boil off and the extremely mobile, low viscosity gas could operate reciprocating pistons. The exhaust, being extremely cold, would condense atmospheric humudity as water vapour as it left the chimney giving realistic "steam". |
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The locomotive would, of course, have to have full Walschaerts valvegear, and be reversible. Simple Stephenson or Joy valvegear would be a cop-out. |
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//live steam at that scale is impractical. // I thought we
laughed at practicality? |
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//Simple Stephenson or Joy valvegear would be a cop-out.//
Obviously. And I wonder if a miniature Bulleid system might
work. |
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I wonder what the smallest possible gauge model rail system is? - i.e. there comes a point at which engineering constraints will make the model railway impossible or just not work (e.g. small, very light trains will have a tendency to become airborne), but could you go smaller than T-Gauge? |
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//small, very light trains will have a tendency to become
airborne// Apparently, the T-guage trains have magnets to
help them adhere to the track. |
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That's hardly new; some OO gauge locos have had magnetic adhesion for decades. |
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It does mean that the bigger, heavier ones can pull the track about on corners, though. |
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The <link> says that someone has created an entire model train layout which measures 1/8th inch by 1/5th inch... |
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A Shinkansen bullet could be a hit signature. Travels a lot faster than 300miles per hour,though.... initially anyway. |
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That would be useless - what good is a bullet when you can tell exactly where and when it's going to arrive ? |
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Not when it's a carved Oh train model. It would take ballistic testing to know the probable path. |
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// Walschaerts valvegear // |
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If this is a way to add afterburners to a steam piston
engine, then [+] |
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