robbostrains Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Now I know this has been asked before but I can't find it.How do you scale down or scale up track plans?Have been looking at some O gauge plans but would like to see what they work out to in HO and N gauge.Thanks Rob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 4mm is 57.1% of 7mm or each foot of a 12" grid overlaid on a plan would equal 6.85" (174mm). 2mm is 28.6% of 7mm so each foot of the same 12" grid would equate to 3.43" (87.1mm) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 HO is, of course, by definition, Half O scale, at 3.5mm/ft, so plans can more or less just be halved for the HO size; it's N scale you have to watch, as it's not half of HO. Then as well don't forget that US & EU N scales are different scale ratios to UK N scale (1:160 against 1:148 IIRC?)... we just use "2mm" as a 'cover-all' shortcut term, as they all share 9mm track - UK models running on a 'narrow gauge' as in 4mm and 7mm.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The other thing to watch, is that RTR turnouts very rarely "scale" eg an OO scale turnout isn't 4/7 the length of an 7mm one and a 2mm turnout isn't 2/7 the length of a 7 mm one or 1/2 the size of an OO gauge one (and radii rarely match either!). As a rule of thumb an OO layout will be around half the size of an O gauge and an N gauge around 70% the size of an OO/HO track plan when scaled down - but having picked a plan get some templates, and lay them out - prevents nasty surprises when you have built the base-board - or redraw it in XTrkCad, of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 If you're scaling down, it would be prudent to consider easing some of the clearances and using higher no. turnout radii to make the plan look more prototypical if possible. Some plans might work, but once you consider your car lengths and operational needs might be different then the odd tweak at the design stage will prevent issues further along. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Also remember that people don't scale so aisles in an O scale layout will be too narrow in HO scale, etc. Also HO isn't half of American O scale. American O scale is 1/4 = 1 ft, while British O scale is 7mm per foot. The difference will be negigible for a layout, but for structures and rolling stock it can make a difference. In 7 mm they changed the scale to match the gauge and in 1/4" scale they changed the gauge to match the scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Layout design is as much an art as it is a science. What looks effective in one scale won't necessarily be so in another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 What is sometimes a better idea than reducing a plan from a large to a smaller scale, is to find a nice plan and do it in a similar actual area but to a smaller scale, if that makes sense. I did it years ago where I planned an HO layout but eventually built it in N scale on the same board, and it worked far better as I could use larger radius points for one thing, and naturally also run longer trains. I didn't regret it. I'm currently facing a similar dilemma; although I'm now heavily into O scale, looking at a space I hope to make available later this year I've been working on some plans, but doing it in HO would, I feel, make for a 'better' layout, for the same reasons as before - easier radius points and longer trains... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 What is sometimes a better idea than reducing a plan from a large to a smaller scale, is to find a nice plan and do it in a similar actual area but to a smaller scale, if that makes sense. It makes perfect sense. One thing I've often noticed seeing layouts in the flesh as opposed to photos is that the larger the scale the more compression you seem to be able to get away with. I think it's all to do with how much you can see in a single glance. There are BLTs in 0 scale that are completely convincing though the same plan scaled down to 00 would be dubious and absurd in N. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meil Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Then of course there is TT which is 1:100 here and 1:120 on the continent. It has always puzzled me why H0 is half of British 0 at 1:87 rather than half American at 1:96 or half continental 0 at 1:90. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 There are lots of puzzling things about Scale/Gauge that can be overthought......... People think that OO/4mm Scale and gauge is weird but I think that O Gauge is stranger in the relationship between Scale/Gauge in both the GB and USA.........mind boggling almost. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 It has always puzzled me why H0 is half of British 0 at 1:87 rather than half American at 1:96 or half continental 0 at 1:90. Probably because it was actually invented in Britain..?!? Which makes it all the more curious why the UK ended up rejecting it so comprehensively..? (and yes, I am aware of, and used to be a member of, the British 1:87 Society...) Anyway, that's not the issue here, so apologies for straying slightly OT... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Many thanks for all the replies,would be lost without this forum sometimes! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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