I was reading Eric's post. Dat Diminutive Dockside, over at Trackside Treasures and I got to wondering how slow my old Dockside Switcher would go.
I got "Ma" off the shelf, gave it a drop of oil on its gears, and took it for a spin on the Way Out Layout. After some break-in time from sitting on the shelf for so long I gradually turned the throttle on my power pack (a Kato Standard SX model) lower and lower. The video shows the lowest speed I could obtain and still do complete loops.
It turns out the switches were the limiting factor. The speed would get so low that the loco didn't have enough momentum to carry it over the non-conductive plastic parts on the switches. The loco is a 4-wheeler with only 23mm between axle centres, so it stalls out on those Atlas switches if it's going too slow. I could make it go slower down the switch-free main street, but as I said, it wouldn't do full laps of the layout.
i watched the YT video before realizing there was an update here.
ReplyDeletemy first foray into HO was a bureau to circle of track in my cousin's bedroom. it must have been 12" or tighter radius to fit, and i half that age to watch at driver height. i only remember the engine and a yellow westside style caboose going round & round. started a lifetime interest not in trains, but in diminutive things. thanks for fetching it down off the shelf.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post and that it brought back some pleasant memories. Thanks for sharing your story.
DeleteHa! Ma! I think there are likely a covert coven of Dockside[r] posts on blogs and social media everywhere. YouTube! I sense some sort of online community forming around all versions of this model. This little lokie was so cheap, mass-produced and ubiquitous and I definitely recognize the AT&SF version!
ReplyDeleteMy Pa! liked our tank engine's Locomotion! He was a schoolteacher not particularly A Rolling Stone!
Thanks for sharing your excellent experimentation experience, JD!
Eric
You're right, there's likely a secret society of there somewhere :-) To paraphrase Stan Lee, Excelsior! :-)
Deletewhat's next: Athearn Li'l Hustler?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to say yes, but I don't have one. Although, my RDC-M makes use of an Athearn RDC shell....
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