Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions |
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Below are a few questions that on a regular basis I get asked. If you have a question that hasn't been answered on this site or you just need a bit of advise please get in touch. - Paul
Locomotives
Q. How many people can your engines pull?- Ans
Q. How fast can your engines go? - Ans
Q. Do you do ready to run engines? - Ans
Q. How tight a corner can your engines go around? -Ans
Q. Can I test drive an engine? - Ans
Q. Why are there two hand controllers in the control package? - Ans
Q. Why do you not fix the ball race bearings in the holders? - Ans
Rolling Stock
Q. Why are your coaches around 1100mm long, should they be longer? - Ans
Q. Do you do braked bogies? - Ans
Other
Q. Why don't you advertise in the press? - Ans
Our coaches are designed to take two adults. Even if the coach was 1200mm it would be hard to fit three adults. Nearly all sheet material comes in 8' x 4' sizes. If we were to pass the 4' (1200mm) length then material costs for the body would double. Under 1100mm also fits across the boot of most mid sizeds cars.
As the wheels can move independently it means that the bearing has to move slightly in the holder. If it was fixed the holder would have to move. In the case of the bogies this is simply not possible. I have been told of stories of bearings jamming and wearing out the steel on a set of another manufacturers bogies. If this was the case than presumably any fixing would have worn out first.
If the bearing was rotating in the holder then surely the increased friction would be evident. We have been running bogies with loose bearings for nearly 8 years and they still free wheel as if new.
The hand controllers take quite a bit of abuse. Being plugged in and out everytime you run your engine can lead to broken wires. From experience not only have we seen wires in the back of the plug break but also broken wires from being run over. These things are not un common so rather than lose your days running, for the additional cost of £11, carry a spare.
If you are are able to get to Romford then you are more than welcome to visit the line. The best time is during one of our two open days as we dedicate the whole day to the railway. At other times we may only be able to spare a short period of time. If you are not near Romford there are many locomotive owners who have offered to demonstrate their locomotive should anyone be interested.
We have had our Hercules around a 6'6" radius but we wouldn't recommend this. If you look on our video page you will see our engines whizzing around 10' radius curves with little problem. If putting an 8' radius curve means you can get a loop on your line then go for it. A bit of water on the line can help lubricate tight corners if neccessary.
We currently have a fairly full order book. When we are not working on customer orders we are working on development. If after that we get time we will spec build items which may warrent advertising for sale. Simply put we do not wish to advertise products that we cannot deliver in an acceptable time period
We have built a couple of prototypes but not had time to follow development through. Having brakes on bogies is simple, it is the next stage of how to apply the brakes that causes the problems - cable pull, mechanical rods, vacuum or air cylinder, location of a lever etc. Driving a 4 motor engine you will find you will hardly ever need brakes. In the long term we are aiming to build a braking system based on our standard bogies. No dates yet.
Yes we can do ready to run but we are not able to do paint work to a high professional quality. Prices are listed on the prices page - remember to add the kit price, a control package, and the rolling chassis service.
It is not as simple as quoting a number of people as there are so many variables - gradient, track type, type of rolling stock, weight of people etc.
Basically a garden railway such as ours is far more demanding than most club tracks.
Hercules |
Trojan/ 24v 4 motor Jasper |
Jasper 12v |
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Number of passengers on a Club Track |
10-*15 |
6-8 |
4-6 |
Number of passengers on Our Garden Railway |
6-8 |
4-6 |
2-4 |
Max Speed |
10-12 mph |
9-10 mph |
4-6 mph |
The above figures are a rough guide
* one Hercules owner reported that often pulls up to 20 people on his club public running days.
Paul Middleton