Hornby Smokey Joe | Turbo-Speed Motor Upgrade | How Fast Can He Go? 

"This is not a good idea." Translation: "Sam needs to try it." It's like that Farquaad quote from Shrek. Some of these engines may die in these experiments, but it is a sacrifice Sam is willing to make 😃

You really can't go a week without doing something absolutely barmy and you know what, I've got mad respect for you

Dude, it's not a Chinese motor. It is a Japanese one, a really good brand even. Wanted a review on that motor, can see it just takes off! Thanks man.

Sam that's Japanese, Tamiya is a Japanese World wide hobby company, Great video though

"Tonight on bottom gear, we make a tank engine go supersonic speeds"

As others have said, it's in Japanese, Katakana to be exact since it's for foreign words: グレードアップパーツシリーズ reads "Upgrade parts series" トルクチューンモーター reads "Torque tune motor"

Mallard the fastest steam locomotive. Smokey Joe: "Hold my beer"

I swear if the creator of the OG engine saw this he would have a fit The good kind of fit mind you as this is cool

This should be part of a series called "Pimp my Smokey Joe" lol

For anyone who is curious 2.17 meters/second works out to a OO scale speed of 369.89 mph.

I like this more than any other experiment you've done so far. It's safe and a lot more enjoyable. Keep running Smokey Joe, I've got you in my own collection. He's very cute, but not as cute as my pair of ghostly grey Peckett Engine Twins, Spookie and Spunky. Glad you enjoyed my Day Out With Thomas video, yesterday. You can copy it on to your channel if you like, and share it with your RU-vid friends. Let's face it, if there's one thing we both agree on, it's this: Thomas, we love you.

I know this video is around a year old at this point, but if Sam just happens to read this, there are motors about that size made to upgrade flywheel foam dart blasters, which not only are fast, but there are ones that are made for 3S LiPo mods, which means they'll comfortably operate at about 12.6 volts. The question is if your controllers, track, and wiring can supply something like an Out Of Darts Kraken with the current it needs safely...

Hey Sam, I liked the derailment Smokey Joe had at 6:49. It looked like the locomotive did a flip. That was very impressive!

seems to be a scale speed of 370mph on the straight - quite impressive!

Sam, the resistor limits current. It protects the engine by reducing the power available for the motor. A resistor can help reduce R.F.I too.

Those Tamiya torque tuned motors are tuned to accelerate very quickly to a high speed. They are mostly for RC cars I think as tamiya are known for model kits and RC. I used to use one of their race tuned motors in a 1/10th scale touring car. Also they are Japanese

The great Barrie Davis has just spat his cocoa out seeing you do this Sam!

Glad you tried my idea! ☺️

I love these experiments! Keep up the amazing work Sam.

Epic video! It was going crazy fast 😆 Here’s one for future consideration, loop de loop and seeing if an over-powered train - maybe even super Smokey Joe - can make it!

Always enjoy your videos. This was crazy kid fun. Loved it!

Those tamiya motors are used in Mini 4WD cars. They are 1/32 scale cars that are designed to be raced around a track like scalextric cars. They are customizable because you can change the tyres, gears, chassis, bearings, rollers, and motors. They're very popular in asia but only in few parts of the world actually played with them. I think you should give this hobby a shot, it's really fun and it gets very competitive when you're racing against your friends. However it's getting really hard to find someone or somewhere that has the track for them, because the tracks needs a big space to play on and they're really expensive if you buy your own track, even if it's just a basic oval track.

I can just imagine myself in America going “oh hey there’s a train due through in a minute” and a minute later I see this thing pulling an express train at max speed. LOL

Wow, I’ve watched the first part and I didn’t realise just how fast you can move an object! Once again such a hilarious and quite interesting video! 😄

"It reminds me of my childhood... my original childhood, not the current one..." Gem.

This, together with your mention of Scalextric, takes me back to the late 60s/early 70s when some friends and I used to combine our slot car layouts into a huge circuit (with boosters) at our youth club. We once built a Tamiya Scalextric Car around a three volt tape recorder rewind motor...It went like your loco! It also badly melted the "See through but painted on the inside" Tamiya body before and during it's final burnout! And yes I recall that smell! (The other good one was building an Airfix Vintage Fire engine kit, complete with seated firemen, around a similar kit car - that lasted even less time, but half the fun was in the anticipation anyway!)

Yet again. Mind blown. You're the man Sam!!!

Outstanding video Sam very cool

Love sams experiments

Sam , you are the best show for taking me away from my worries and watch you play with trains

Great video, that’s the fastest pocket rocket ever!!! More of these crazy experiments please👍🏻

I really enjoyed this one Sam

1:35 That's actually Japanese writing. All it says is "Grade up parts series Torque Tuned Motor" Under your finger in orange it says Three, two, four" and I can't make out the last one.

Thanks for that sam haven't laughed so much in ages !!!

Mah boy Smokey Joe! I need to get one for whenever I start my own railway fleet.

Amazing video! I watch your videos all day long! Whenever I play on the layout I have your videos playing in the background! So Sam you are the man! 😂 can you please do a video explaining how you use the multimeter and how you measure if a motor is good different things about the multimeter in connection with model railway.

You sir are a mad lad and it's absolutely beautiful. Because let's face it you are making inavations to the modal railway community that some may scuff at but, it's still good to see people trying stuff like this.

When my sons were little they had an engine with a burned out motor. I replaced it with a 6 volt tape recorder motor. It was so fast that it was hard to keep it on the track. The kids loved it!

Sam, is there a link where I can buy the 5 pole motors? I can't find that exact one. I wanna upgrade my Mehano steam engine to a 5 pole.

it interesting how much of a change there is when you upgrade the motor (or just change the motor in the case of the torque tuned one). i have a 7 pole motor that i plan to put in an older locomotive that had a 5 pole motor (yes both are pitman motors). just need to figure out how to do a shaft extension since it appears the 7 pole shaft is just alittle to short.

Smokey Joe was my first ever train that I ever owned, got him nearly 17 years ago and I still have him today

You are insane sam , great experiment I was waiting for you to dicect the tamiya motor 😀

hi sam. well that was fun. and a improvement to boot.cheers tom.

This was a pretty interesting experiment!

do you have a link I can go to to get the 5 pol motor or of a name to use to search for one. having difficulty finding one online that could work.

I love train science! Thanks!

Having a few of them I can say that every single one of them runs differently, some better than others. Having only four wheels it's the pick-up that lets them down, especially over frogs. 🐸 Oh, and none of them could pul the skin off a rice pudding...Cheers Sam!

Smokey Joe is so legendary. We've all had one. Like a United Dairies wagon!

lovely model, lovely video

What was the 2.1 mps in scale miles per hour again? I’m not quite sure where to look.

wow that is fast great video sam

Sam did you knock one of the handrails on the side tank whenit backflipped?

Hi Sam. Where do you get your 5 pole motors from? Thanks

Great video as usual! Could you please share a link to the motor you used? I have an 0-4-0 chassis I'm refurbishing and this seems like a good swap to make.

6:52 don’t think we’ve ever heard you laugh that hard before 🤣

That's amazing sam

The waiter after saying "follow me to you're table": 8:14

That Torque Tuned motor is not Chinese but Japanese. They're sold by Tamiya (though actually manifactured by Mabuchi Motors) for their Mini4wd cars, which are 1/32 scale cars used for racing in special tracks, a bit like Scalextric slot cars but with the cars running in trench-like tracks and using horizontal rollers to steer by leaning on the walls. Fun fact is, the Torque Tuned is perhaps one of the slowest motors available for mini4wds (12.000 rpm under load at three volts) as it is one of the oldest models designed - if you really wanted insane speed, you should've gone for one of the Dashes, not the Tuneds. In particular, either an Ultra Dash, Jet Dash or Plasma Dash. The latter not only has more than double the speed of the Torque Tuned (25.000 rpm!) and two times the torque, it actually has cut-outs in the casing for cooling... which kinda make sense as the thing actually draws a staggering FOUR amps. Even in unlimited classes the Plasma Dash never got any favor as two AA batteries are simply not enough to feed that beast, even with powerful rechargeable ones.

Is it possible to convert an old hornby model like the old jinty pannier E2 or in general any loco with a similar motors run with modern motors ?

Smokey Joe literally smoked the top speed of any model loco, Fantastic video!

The newer 0-4-0's from China have impeccable performance! The best slow crawlers I have are my newer 0-4-0's. They get such a bad wrap because they used to be pocket rockets

never stop doing crazy stuff like this is awesome. i would never do that to my smokey joe ;). thanks

I saw the past cab of the new 9f from hornby and I saw that the gear train is in the back wheels and I am getting the evening star are u getting one I would love to see you review it and how it looks when it gets to if you are getting one cuz I am

Most entertaining. Thanks. Simon T

I also like to point out that this video is inspiring me to replace the motors in tyco/mantua locos to see if that not only improves their performance, but also opens up their cabs for customization.

Hi Sam, where have you been getting 5-pole motors with the correct shafts? I've been struggling to find ones with any shaft out the wiring connection end of the motor.

Hi Sam, Nice one 👍, mad but a good bit of fun , All the Best Brian 🤗

Could you share a link to where u got the 5 pole motor from thanks 👍

Have you recorded the speed of your bigger locos like the coronation class or the p2

Now that is incredible once again another great experiment. You should do that with the Bachmann Thomas lol

Still tryna make this 50s jinty run smoothly, any tips?

Hi Sam love the videos

Where'd you buy that 5 pole motor?

Sam, ask Gaugemaster for a suitable NSR highest performance slot car motor that would be a direct fit. The Shark 46 EVO is 46,000 rpm 290 gmcm at 12 volts version of the about 15 to 18,000 rpm standard Hornby motor. Hornby do not state the torque. Double shafted too, so can drive or end bell drive can be used.

Do you have a link for the 5 pole motor?

Is that as fast as that HST set you had with the CD player motor installed?

Another insane experiment. Faster smokey Joe?!?!?! Great video. You can't go wrong with a Hornby 040. My GWR 040 goes over 1m/s normal motor! That 1st derailment XD

Calling Tamiya "Chinese" did make me twitch, I admit... But others have already given you a hard time about that! What is a bit weird is I have a Smokey Joe, which we've owned for a long, long time, with the same livery and it's really fast. As in, way too fast to be realistic. In-fact, it's probably comparable to your Torque-Tuned Joe. If I remember correctly, I think it has a Scalextric motor inside. It hasn't been messed with, because our Hornby "Monty" and "Loch Ness" were just as mad fast and I've had them from new.

Can you buy after-market brass connecting rods?

Hi Sam, I am having issues getting motors, would you have a site you could suggest please`? thanks tim

Those Tamiya motors are of Japanese origin and used in their "Mini 4WD" cars, which are powered by 2x AA batteries. In the right application they can be exceptionally fast, but there's a huge range of options available from them on a spectrum between speed and torque.

I'm sorry for this comment, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I feel as if should point this out. The writing and Tamiya by extension is Japanese. The unusual writing you see below the "torque tuned motor" label is most likely Katakana. A specific type of alphabet used for foreign words in Japan. And below that is Kanji which is a writing system taken from the Chinese. Again sorry for the comment, I just feel as if I should point it out. Slight side note, I enjoy seeing modified stuff like this so, good show.

8:44 sam remember these words "growing old is required, growing up is optional, as kids we can't wait to grow up but once we have we decide its more fun to act like a child again"

Hi Sam. What was the rpm of the 5 pole motor you fitted to Smokey Joe?

I can’t wait for mine

The adventure begins was a great movie. 1) get a Bachmann black James. 2) do a motor transfer from Smokey joe to James. 3) buy the same motor you just put in James, and put it into Thomas 4)put Thomas and Edward on the track in the station area. 5) put James and a bunch of trucks, and a brake van on the track. 6) couple the trucks to the back of James. 7) couple the break van to the back of James. 8) start recording Thomas and Edward in the yard 9) start James up at 50% power, in making him go past Thomas and Edward 10)make Thomas Chase James a few laps around the layout 11) just before a turn, make James move at 100% power, derailing himself. 12) now you have a remake of that one scene from TAB. Upload it yo youtube!

Smokey Joe the curve master has finally return

Incredible.

Called it on that one stream, I knew it! I've modded one myself too, great fun because now you can break the speed of sound on scale miles. Although most controllers wont like it because to motor draws more than one amp so they think its a short. Other than that great fun! would recommend!

So would a coreless motor affect it much?

Jealous of you guys, on this side of the pond we don't have anything budget that's near as good as those little 0-4-0s. Love these wacky experiments Sam👌

Why don't you fit it with the much taller gearing that the earlier versions of the 0-4-0 chassis used to have?

If the turbo motor burned out: And now Smokey Joe has lived up to his name

5:44 LOL. Love this.

To stop the connecting rod rising, could you insert a strip of styrene or something between the piston and body using a tacky (non-permanent) adhesive like Micro Liquitape?

Interesting one this was Sam, I myself would not have dared to use the centenary Smokey Joe for an experiment so that was a very bold move on your part! -TheImperialDiamondSpinosaurus

How do you feel when you put rolling stock on speedy smoky Joe will it feel like the Thomas and friends Thomas in the trucks show using the private wagons

Hey Sam do you know when hornby will restoke their mallard train set

Hi Sam, you must be the must craziest model railway collector that I know. You always attempt to do the most bizarre MODs test to his rolling stock. It is easy to see that you have gone completely of the rails again, LOL.

Awesome video today Sam very interesting I think you’re the first person to do a train flip challenge