smoothest running diesels

[\\\\ToNy////]

hi all, im new here, i like the old diesels, 20, 37, 47, ect, when i was a kid, i started off with an hornby hst set that i got for xmas, then got a lima class 50 and a class 20, much prefered lima over hornby, the class 20 had the motor in the middle and drove all the wheel, i also had a class 31, unsure of the make, but it had 2 engines and the wheels was magnetised, i had loads of coaches and wagons but sold the lot for £17 at the local model shop huhu grrrrrr, wasnt happy about that but needed the cash
anyway, i now have a bachmann class 20, im very impressed with the way it runs, it runs slow and smooth and stays the same speed up hill as down hill unlike my old models,
who makes the smothest running diesels at low speed? is there any that has capacitors inside to keep the motor running smooth even over dirt on the rails

 

[truckman060473]

Most of the modern all wheel drive locos will run smooth at low speeds including some Hornby models, like the class 08, 31, 50, 60. Any of the Bachmann bo-bo or co-co diesels should run smooth too as these designs also use flywheels. There are no "high uF" capacitors keeping motors running over dirty track - the all wheel pick ups employed keep the current flowing. Modern DC speed controllers use a PWM type power supply to the rails and any capacitors will upset its operation

 

[\\\\ToNy////]

Most of the modern all wheel drive locos will run smooth at low speeds including some Hornby models, like the class 08, 31, 50, 60. Any of the Bachmann bo-bo or co-co diesels should run smooth too as these designs also use flywheels. There are no "high uF" capacitors keeping motors running over dirty track - the all wheel pick ups employed keep the current flowing. Modern DC speed controllers use a PWM type power supply to the rails and any capacitors will upset its operation

thanks for the reply, ive seen the flywheels in my class 20, id lke to get a bachmann weathered class 37 next, id like to try the dcc sond but no idear yet how that all works, im guess that dcc locos are basicly remote control, and the power at the rails is a constant voltage

 

[truckman060473]

yes the rail voltage remains constant and digital pulses down the track command each loco. It is one of those things where you either want to do it or not. I have many many locos and I run on DC because of the cost of changing them all to DCC, plus I have a lot of isolated rail joiner Peco electrofrog points, (coz I was fed up with certain locos stalling/derailing on the Hornby points) and the Peco electrofrog points need additional wiring and polarity change switches to work with DCC

 

[O L Leigh]

I'm very impressed with my Heljan Cl15. It's incredibly smooth-running and has better slow-speed control and a lower stall speed than the Hornby super-detail Cl09 I also run, which was a very pleasant surprise.

O L Leigh

 

[Heinz57]

Bachmans are great at low speeds, the Hornby ones I find are ok, but some tend to judder or stop when the controler is low. Meaning you have to give it a bit of a 'push' to keep it going. That is on a fully serviced loco

 

[\\\\ToNy////]

is the fly wheels on the bachmann class 37 47 ect bigger than on the bachmann class 20s due to the 20s narrow body

 

[O L Leigh]

Hornby ones I find are ok, but some tend to judder or stop when the controler is low.

Yes I agree that the stall speed could be better but it still runs acceptably slowly for my purposes, even though the Heljan Cl15 stalls at a much lower speed. If it grinds to a halt on plain track I just give it more juice and off it goes again.

However, I find that mine only requires assistance when it stalls going slowly over pointwork. I put that down largely to the Peco Insulfrog points I have and am wondering if I should replace them with Electrofrog points instead. Given that I only have a 4 foot board with a shunting puzzle, slow speed control is quite important.

O L Leigh

 

[\\\\ToNy////]

how do heljan compare to bachmann quality, price and motor wise, the last time i looked into it was about 5 years ago and heljan didnt have much and was about £80 for a class 47,
all i have at the moment is a bachmann class 20, 3 wagons, hornby controler and 4 pieces of long bendy track, i hope to put flooring in the loft and board up the beems on the roof, but im scared to go up there, i not like spiders , and mom wont be happy if i go up there anyway, but would be great for a layout because is about 25 foot long up there