In this video, I’m going to run my fastest model train on a layout through my house.
This particular model train is Toby, from Thomas & Friends.
With the shape of a brick, you wouldn’t think he’d be particularly fast…
But he really flies through the layout!
And there are a couple of tight curves on this layout…
Which are interesting when taken at high speed!
Also, I’ll show you the results of a challenge I gave myself:
To try to get one long continuous video shot of Toby running through the entire layout…
Which is way harder to get than you might think!
Now in a previous video, I raced all 19 of my G-scale model trains…
To determine which one was the fastest…
And the winner was Toby, much to my surprise!
I had never run him at full speed before, and had no idea he was as fast as he is.
Now that I know, I thought I’d do a video just featuring Toby.
So, I set up a layout running through the house…
With a dedicated set of tracks just for Toby…
So he wouldn’t have to slow down for any of the other trains.
And to make it interesting, I put a few very tight curves in the layout!
I want to play that last clip again, but this time I’ll turn the sound up…
So you can hear his wheels squeal as he goes through that very tight curve!
Let me show you that same curve, from a different camera angle.
Did you see it?
Two of his wheels actually lifted off the rails… he was going so fast!
That was pretty cool!
Now pay attention to the camera work here.
I wanted to try to see if I could get one continuous shot of Toby going through the
layout…
Without having to do any edits…
And I managed to pull it off for not just one lap around, but two!
Let’s also see one lap of the layout from the perspective of a camera mounted on Toby’s
roof.
Now when you mount a camera on top of a model train…
It changes the train’s center of balance…
And that tends to make the train tip over around tight curves.
So to keep Toby from tipping over…
I actually had to turn the speed control down to less than full speed for this shot.
Watch what happens when I turn the speed control all the way up…
Just as he’s heading in to the tightest curves on the layout.
He’s just too top heavy with the camera on the roof.
Well, I hope you had fun watching Toby run through the layout today.
Thanks for watching.
I’m Jim Zim.
Spending a lot of extra time at home these days…
And having a lot of fun with model trains.
I know this was kind of a short video.
If you’re in the mood to watch a longer model train video,
I’m putting up links on the screen for a couple of longer ones.
Just click on one of those thumbnails to get that video started.
And have yourself a little model train video marathon today!