Scale speed calculation
Doug Coster
Can someone please tell me how I can calculate scale speed in N scale.
Please email me (redr...@pip.com.au) if you have the formula.
To reply, make sure you read below for the correct email address!!!
***** To err is human - to really foul things up requires a computer! *****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doug Coster - redr...@pip.com.au - (http://www.railpage.org.au/hmrs/members/31dc.html)
NSW Branch Manager - Macpro Software (Aust) Pty Ltd. (http://www.macpro.com.au)
Secretary - Hills Model Railway Society, Inc., Sydney, Australia. (http://www.railpage.org.au/hmrs/)
Kevin White
hi,
For N scale 1 MPH is about 1/10 of an inch per second. So a normal
train speed should be between 1 inch a second and 6 inches a second. (10
mph - 60 mph)
cheers
kevin white
MEAT7 wrote:
> Well, in N scale, one mile is represented by 33 feet.
>
> So if you measure the time it takes for a train to travel 33 feet in
> seconds
> (X)...
>
> 1mile/X sec * 3600sec/1hr = miles/hr
>
> Or on a more practicle side, time the train over a three foot section.
>
> 3 ft/X sec * 1 mile/33 ft * 3600sec/hr = mile/hr
>
> Which further simplifies to:
>
> 327.273/X = Miles per hour.
>
> For other scales:
>
> Y ft/Xsec * 1 mile/Z feet * 3600 sec/hr = mile/hr
>
> Where:
> Y is the distance the engine moves.
> X is the time required for the train to cover distance Y
> Z is the number of real feet in one scale mile.
>
> -Scott-
Ed Vasser
I have a small program written in C++ for Windows95 that will calculate
the scale speed for any model scale (G-Z) over any given distance. If
you are interested let me know and I'll send you a copy.
Ed Vasser
Frankfort, KY
eva...@dcr.net
Arthur Armstrong
Sorry - missed the original post.
in the prototype, 60 mph is 88 feet per second. In HO, one actual foot
represents 87 prototype feet - close !
so HO speed 60 mph is about one actual foot per second.
if you have a distance you know (like on a modular setup) to be four
feet, a train will take 4 seconds to travel that distance at a scale 60
mph. It will take eight seconds at 30 mph. etc.
count the seconds it takes the train and form a ratio for your known
distance.
speed in scale mph = 60*[(distance in actual feet)/(time in seconds)]
usually you can estimate close enough in your head. It usually isn't
the exact speed you need to know but what is the max you should be
going.
art armstrong
aarm...@slonet.org
MEAT7
Andy Harman
On Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:34:03 GMT, redr...@pip.com.au (Doug Coster)
wrote:
>Can someone please tell me how I can calculate scale speed in N scale.
60 MPH, or "a mile a minute" is 88 feet per second. A modern autorack
or piggyback flatcar happens to be within a foot or so of this length,
and this will work for any scale. Passenger cars (85' usually) are
also close enough for jazz. If you can count 1-thousand 2-thousand
3-thousand in time with these cars you train is going 60 MPH. You can
guess from there, or for a more accurate measurement just use this
formula and a stop watch:
Mark off a section of track that is exactly four feet long. Time the
train's speed with a stop watch between the two points... divide 436
by the stopwatch reading in seconds, to get your speed. The magic
number 436 is nothing magic... just the conversion of feet per second
to miles per hour 3600 / 5280 = .6818, adjusted for 1/160 scale and
four feet. (.6818 x 160 x 4 = 436). If you can mark off a longer
area accurately, it will make your calculation more accurate because
the stopwatch error will be minimized. If it takes your train 10
seconds to travel the 4 feet, then your speed is 43.6 mph. If it
takes 6.7 seconds, your speed is 65 mph. If you can use an 8 ft.
marked section, use 872 as the base, etc. The more accurate your
stopwatch reading, the more accurate your calculation will be... thus
the longer the distance, the less error (percentage wise) in your
stopwatch reading.
Andy
Visit the Prototype Modelers Group Web Page at http://w3.one.net/~aharman/index.html
Sorry I must resort to anti-spam practice, reply to aharman at one (spelled out) dot net
dmic...@ix.netcom.com
In the US, most passenger cars are about 80 feet long, and freight cars
average about 65 feet.
So, one can count how many cars pass a given spot in about 5 seconds
(Just count "one-chimpanzee, two-chimpanzee, three-chimpanzee,
four-chimpanzee, five-chimpanzee."[Florida people might prefer
alligators <gr>)]). If the number of cars is 5, then your scale speed is
45 for freight trains, and 55 for passenger trains. Ratio up or down
for the number of cars, so to get 60 mph, you want about 6 passenger or
7 freight cars to pass that point in 5 seconds.
This works for any scale from 1:1 to 1:220!
Dan Mickey
Doug Coster
Thanks to those that answered, I neglected to say I was using Japanese
N scale , which 1/150 size, but I can see were to adjust your
formulas.