In this manuscript the relative performance of a variety of model railway controllers is tested in real-world conditions. Model railway locomotives use permanent-magnet, brushed, dc motors. Series resistance in armature windings, brushes and the rail, and magnetic losses in the armature all contribute to non-ideal operation. This manifests most annoyingly as moment by moment variation in locomotive speed. The effect is more noticeable in smaller scales. It is more noticeable on vintage models. Speed regulation performance is compared for a number different controllers using different technologies. Some interesting conclusions are drawn.