HO scale speed

[Anonymous]

I recently read some place how you calculate HO scale speed. It was a very simple formula. One would time over a measured distance the spped of the train and the time wasa divided by a number. For the like of me I cannot remember what the number was. Did anyone else read this? I think it was in MR
Miatic Central, Nova Scotia

[cwclark]

(feet/seconds) X 60.69 = HO scale mph.... I hope i got this right..anyway..there are 5280 feet in a real mile..there are 87 ho feet in a real foot (1:87)..so if i divide 5280 by 87 that equals 60.69 real feet in an HO mile..there are also 60 seconds in a minute so the calculation is pretty easy (lets round it off)..it takes 60 real feet to make an ho mile so if it takes 1 minute to move 60 real feet than the train is traveling at 60 mph and if there is 60 seconds in a minute than the train moves 1 real foot a second then the formula comes out to (feet / seconds) x 60.69 = ho miles per hour.....lets check it out...a train takes two seconds to move a real foot so 1 / 2 x 60.69 = 30.34 or 30.34 ho scale miles per hour...sound right to you?

[Mark300]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

(feet/seconds) X 60.69 = HO scale mph.... I hope i got this right..anyway..there are 5280 feet in a real mile..there are 87 ho feet in a real foot (1:87)..so if i divide 5280 by 87 that equals 60.69 real feet in an HO mile..there are also 60 seconds in a minute so the calculation is pretty easy (lets round it off)..it takes 60 real feet to make an ho mile so if it takes 1 minute to move 60 real feet than the train is traveling at 60 mph and if there is 60 seconds in a minute than the train moves 1 real foot a second then the formula comes out to (feet / seconds) x 60.69 = ho miles per hour.....lets check it out...a train takes two seconds to move a real foot so 1 / 2 x 60.69 = 30.34 or 30.34 ho scale miles per hour...sound right to you?

cw.....
The math seems 'right.'

1 foot (real world) = about 87 feet in HO or.... 1 inch (real world) = about 7.25 feet (Remember HO stuff is all built in metric) .

I remember a traffic planner/engineer once saying that if you're doing 55 MPH then you're moving about 88 feet per second. So.......if your train is running about 1 real foot per second, then it''s doing a tad faster than 55 scale miles per hour.

Measuring time against longer measured distances instead of measuring time with shorter distances will give a more accurate result.

Now,.... a real hour is a long time to be running these little guys.....

HTH

Mark

[lonewoof]

88 ft/sec =60 mph (only thing I remember from HS physics...).
5280 x (mph) / 3600 = fps

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. I have a large layout and knowing how to determine scale speed was of interest. Roger Eisner, Middleton, N.S. Can.

[Anonymous]

Cheat sheet.
http://www.mcr5.org/articals/speed.htm

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by locomotive3

Cheat sheet.
http://www.mcr5.org/articals/speed.htm

Great application Chuck, it's a bookmarked now,e ven though I do have an excel version, but this is faster ;)

[gvdobler]

What if you are on a fast clock, say 4:1

Does that mean to be correct, you would divide the distance by four.

Instead of 1 second to go 12 inches equaling approx. 55 mph, shouldn't it take one second to go 3" to equal 55 mph on a fast clock???

On a fast clock at 4:1 if it takes 1 second to go 12 inches, wouldn't you really be going 220 mph. I can even imagine a 6:1 clock.

Yikes

Jon - Las Vegas

[Don Gibson]

1 Ft / Second comes closeest to 60 MPH. Close enough for me since I can travel - the length of of my layout - 24' - in less than 30 seconds. Too quick.

[Anonymous]

I don't see any need to get overly technical about this. NMRA says approx 60' = 1 scale mile. If you use a common 3' section of track on a flat portion of your layout, and your loco takes 6 seconds to traverse that distance, you are moving about 30 smph; 4 seconds equals about 45 smph which is a good speed for freight; and 3 seconds equals about 60 smph good for passenger trains.
We have taken a 3' section, marked the beginning and the end and use a stopwatch, or even an ordinary watch with a second hand. We can closely estimate train speed for all intents and purposes. We like to spend more time enjoying our operating sessions than getting caught up in measuring decimals. Hope this works for you.

[dwRavenstar]

Too funny gvdobler [:D]

Don't forget : When you call up the stairs and tell the wife you'll be there in a second you better haul it if you're running a fast clock!!!!

Dave (dwRavenstar)

[Anonymous]

Hi, This is my first ever posting to this site---at Christmas, my two grown daughters each bought me a model train set so I ended up with two sets--and set them up on a table in my room and watched them speed around until they flew off the tracks and landed 3 feet below on the floor--but I do believe they momentarily achieved a rate of speed uncommon for the common train. And I put them back together again and they are now on a controlled platform with a protective barier to keep them from becoming airborne. Hello to all. I have really enjoyed reading a lot of the postings on different topics (?) all on model trains. Thanks for being here. [:)][:X][:)]

[AggroJones]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson

1 Ft / Second comes closeest to 60 MPH. Close enough for me since I can travel - the length of of my layout - 24' - in less than 30 seconds. Too quick.

Then slow it down.

[Anonymous]

Don's HOT!

[ksax73]

I like that cheat sheet, that is getting bookmarked

[Anonymous]

I've been looking for something like this for a while now, thanks!

[NZRMac]

[#welcome] gemkiddo

Ask all the questions you want , someone will know the answer.
mayby start a new post and just say hi and let the guys know what your into!!

Ken.