Category Archives: Model Operations

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Digital Fast Clock

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A couple weeks ago, I added the “Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock.” Since then, I’ve created a digital version in Microsoft PowerPoint for those interested. It’s ultimately simpler than the analog version because it’s all text, but it works in essentially the same manner. You can change the fast clock ratio by adjusting the transition time between slides (instructions included), and you customize the appearance as much as you like by changing the colors, size, fonts, etc. in the “Slide Master” templates. For the calendar version, you can easily … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

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Poor Man's Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

Many who build a layout aspire to realistic operations with their trains. One of the staples for realistic operation is a “fast clock” that displays time at faster-than-real-life speed so that a “model day” takes less than 24 hours. The fast clock is usually expressed as a ratio where the first number indicates how much faster the clock will run compared to actual time. For example, 2:1 indicates a 24-hour model day will take 12 hours (30 actual minutes per modeled hour); 6:1 indicates a 24-hour day will take 4 hours (10 actual minutes per modeled hour). The ratio is usually driven by how compressed the layout is and how long it takes to do the work, but 6:1 is … Read more →