Standard/Recommended Speeds for Locomotive Database

[Adrian L]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know of a website that has recommended settings, by Marklin model, for the Minimum, Maximum, Acceleration and Starting Speed?

Thanks in advance
 

[Andreas Hänsch]

Hello Adrian,

I’m sorry for my English. This is my first entry. You must test the models, they don’t drive equally. I have a speedometer on carriage. You must whrite same valence for Starting Speed. It coulds come to problem with street in WDP. The models don’t break right. They drive to much.

Bye
Andreas  

[Adrian L]

Hello Andreas,

Thanks for your reply.  

I have seen this problem. Even the c-sine models have some variation.

I was trying to set a scale speed for the locos as a starting point.  I have mainly Swiss 460 (all C-sine) and a DB 362 (like a V60)  I think that they all move too fast.
Thanks again  

[Andreas Hänsch]

Hello Adrian,

I don't have Maerklin. I drive with DCC, therefore I can write generally message. I see. Your Models drive so to fast. I have brake my models at the decoders. I don't know how on Maerklin. You can brake your models in WDP with the option Maximum. The option Minimum is for the even run. To test, you to let the option Acceleration of max (18). You’re completed, you can adjust Acceleration. You can test alone. It must like your.

I hope, a Beta and Maerklin driver writes your too. My English is not the best.

By the way. WDP has speedometer too. It is under speciallys.

Bye
Andreas

I like the steam locomotive Br 95 and the diesel locomotive DB Br 219 (DR Br 119). I know they from my home country. I come from the DDR.
 

[Dietloff]

Hi Adrian,

by default I always start with "30" for all 37xxx-locomotives of Maerklin and with approximately "50" for Sinus-locs.
With a little bit of fine-tuning (depending on the gears) I slightly increase/decrease the starting speed for each loc.

A good hint is to use the speeding-tool of WDP to identify if the locs are much too fast (as usual  ).

Regarding acceleration personally I use (always) the built-in-decoder within the loc (37xxx+39xxx-loc) to avoid stressing the data bus too much. Therefore I keep the acceleration on "18" within the loc-database (default setting). Exceptions are with decoders which cannot be configured to accelerate smooth. In such cases I decrease the acceleration for that loc within the loc-DB (e.g. to setting "14").

For max.-speed I keep (more or less) the default setting by the manufacturer. In my case this is regardless, because I never ever drive at such "high-speed". Keeping this setting gives me the opportunity to configure a homogeneous and versatile automatic operations due to the fact that the settings within the routes can be used for each loc.

Of course there are several other (and different) approaches and each and everybody has to find the optimum for himself.

Regards

Rüdiger
   

[Adrian L]

Thanks for the update Andreas.

Your English is much better than my ability to write in German.  I only learnt French at school many years ago.  When you live on a big island where everyone speaks the same language it is hard to make to effort to learn a new language.

I will experiment with the acceleration option.  It is a very good idea.

I have only tried the speedometer once and got different result on the same lok everytime.  My guess is that my test track length was too short.  So I will have another go at this soon.

The BR95 is very good looking lok  , but I don't know the BR 219.

Thanks again for your help  

[Adrian L]

Hello again Rüdiger,

Thanks for the start settings. It is a good place for me to start.

When running a 37xxx and c-sine in the same route (using demand contacts) it is going to be very hard to choose the right StartV minus settings. Otherwise I may need a separate route entry for 37xxx amd c-sine for the same route.  

The timetable does not have this problem as I set the speeds based on the lok that I have chosen to run the timetable entry.  Of course, I can't swap a 37xxx lok with a c-sine when I do it this way.

I agree that running at high-speed is unrealistic (except maybe for an ICE?)  

I know that the marklin decoders have adjustable maximum and acceleration settings, but how can you adjust the speed of two loks for the same IB or 6021 setting. That is, I can set 6 on the IB throttle for two loks and one is obviously faster than the other. Does the max speed seeting on the decoder allow me to slow down the faster lok at speeds less than maximum speed?

As I mentioned to Andreas in the last post, I also need to have another look at the speedometer with a longer test track.

Thanks for your suggestions.  

[Dietloff]

Hi Adrian,

 

In Antwort auf:
 When running a 37xxx and c-sine in the same route (using demand contacts) it is going to be very hard to choose the right StartV minus settings.

Therefore I suggested to use (e.g.) "30" as starting-speed for 37xxx-models and (also e.g.) "50" for 39xxx-locs within the loc-database.

If you then take a "normal" route you can use "V=0" at the start-contact and (e.g.) V=-20 for the break-contact.
Ususally both trains will move smooth and normally not too fast.

 

In Antwort auf:
 That is, I can set 6 on the IB throttle for two loks and one is obviously faster than the other.

Even if you take two identical locs you might recognise slight differences between both models. In my personal opinion this is nothing to take into account, because even if you spend a lot of time in "synchronising" both models, you will quickly recognise that "minutes later" there will be some (slight) differences again. But this has nothing to do with the software.
You can limit the max speed by using the setting in the loc database, but the disadvantage is that you will lose speed-steps. Therefore I recommend to decrease max.-speed by the attenuator on the built-in-loc-decoder.

Regards

Rüdiger

 

[Adrian L]

Thanks Rüdiger,

What you suggest makes good sense..  I will now turn the theory in to practice and let you and Andreas know how things work out.

Thanks again  

[Andreas Hänsch]

Hello Adrian,

I will report me again. Thank you for the compliment. I will go to school again and I’m learning English in a crash course. You’re my first foreigner, who me “comprehend”. By the way. Australia is a beautiful continent. It is not a big island.

I can’t help you. I drive with DCC. Ruediger can help you better. For the speedometer my length about is 1 metre (39 inch). Ever lengthen, the better. (Is this wrote correct?)
Attention, but one way only. In other way be other contacts.

To final. I have a personal question. How do you come to German model train? There are not Australian trains? The trains shall be beautiful and long. I know. There are road trains. I was a German truck driver. And my dream is work as engine driver or I drive a road train one time.

I’m sorry, that you‘re my test person. My problem is the English grammar.

Bye
Andreas from Germany
 

[Adrian L]

G'day (That's Australian for Hello) Andreas,

There are many different versions of english.  Reading and writing English is much easier than listening to an Australian trying to speak to a person from Scotland. "Ever lengthen, the better" might also be "the longer, the better".  Thanks, I will make sure that my track is longer.

When I was 6 I had Triang trains.  These were a cheaper and Australian made version of the UK Hornby.  When my daughter wanted a train set, I decided to see if I could get it running again.  Unfortunately, after 30+ years, the tracks were very rusty and the plastic pieces of the locomotive (lok) were broken.  Lucky for us, my brother-in-law gave us his old Marklin set.  It was an analogue Santa Fe on m-track.

I noticed that his set was in much better condition than the old Triang set, so I thought that it was worth buying some more Marklin bits.  After 12 months, we now have 5 x Swiss 460 locomotives, 2 x DB v60s and 1 Br 01.10 steamer (Dampflok ?).  We also purchased an Intellibox as I  knew that we would use computer control eventually. It took me 4 months of trying many products to decide to buy Windigipet.

Australia does not have as many trains as Germany. But it does have very long coal trains than move the coal from the mines to the ships for export to Japan and other Countries.  If you are interested I can find some Internet sites for you that will have more information on these trains.

Road trains are mostly used to transport cattle and fuel in outback areas of Australia. I have attached a picture of the front of one that we saw at (roughly) latitude S19°13.718' and longitude E140°20.674' - You will need an atlas to see where it is. There were three other trailers attached to the one in the photograph.

I hope that this helps you.
 

[Andreas Hänsch]

Good day Adrian,

I’m sorry  I don’t have you leave but I have no time more. My school begin shortly. We in Germany are learnig British or American English. I know in Australian you speak “Good day”. (Guten Tag)

Thank you for the information. The picture is very good. It like me. I can show your a picture from a German train. When you will have.
 

In Antwort auf:
 Br 01.10 steamer (Dampflok ?).  

That’s corect.
 

In Antwort auf:
 If you are interested I can find some Internet sites for you that will have more information on these trains.

 

Yes please. I thankful ahead.

I will report me.

Bye
Andreas