Abstract: A high speed garage door system and related methods of operation with a garage door working in conjunction with a counterbalancing spring. The high speed garage door system can include an operator configured as a high speed jackshaft opener or alternatively, with a high speed trolley opener. The operator can includes a three phase brake motor that receives a simulated three phase signal from a variable frequency drive. Using a series of shafts and a torque limiter, the motor can quickly accelerate and decelerate such that the garage door can open and close at an average speed exceeding about 2 feet per second. A system controller communicates with an encoder mounted on an output shaft of the motor such that the position of the garage door remains known to the system controller even in the event of slippage caused by the torque limiter.