Large Scale Central

Scaling speed question

General Discussion
#21

I used the slip-stick, too. There was only one guy on campus that I know of who had an electronic calculator. It was an HP-35, it cost him $235.00, and the calculators on wrist-watches of today have more functions on them that did that HP-35. It’s biggest use was as a cribbage board. It preformed superbly in that role. :smiley:

I took a medical terminology class for nurses and pre-meds. The Professor was the head of the Biology Dept. It actually was a fun class because the prof made it that way. We were expected to write the Greek words in the Greek. On my Microbiology final (not from him) I found myself writing the answers in Greek where appropriate. I didn’t notice it until I had almost completed the test. So, I figured, what the heck, and continued. She, the Assistant Head of the Biology Department, took my test paper to him to verify that I had actually written the correct answers. Of course, they wanted to know why I had done that. When I told them that I didn’t realize I was doing it until the end, the Dept Head started ROTFLOL.

#22

…to try to overly simplify the whole thing; just count how many bheer caps are on the table, after watching the train go around that oval; multiply by three and devide by at least one.

That should give you several options on where you go from there.

One option is to call Bruce, and invite him over with his track measuring car. This will involve enjoying several of the good “Stouts” that he is likely to bring with him.
Add those bheer caps to the pile and figure out what scale you really want to be in at that point.
Have 1 and 1/2 more bheers and factor in your mood for the day and Bruce’s motivation factors. His are usually very good varieying from 10 through 23.
At this point, go back to the 'puter. sign on to the LSC chat room; have a glass of any holy water of your choice; kick the cat and find what in heck is for dinner.
…next morning; find where Bruce slept; hopefully not near the cat litter box, and send him home.
At this point does it really matter that the train is still going around the loop and has actually travelled 1, 304 actual miles by the counter car that Bruce forgot to take home with him.
There you go…count the hours since you put the counter car into action and you have the milage and the time, along with the scale you always wanted from the research that you and Bruce did before falling asleep.

The other way is to just look at the train as it leisurely ambles along around the loop, and decrease the spead by 1/4, and you probably have somwhere near a speed of some sort of sane operation.

I hope this helps.

#23
Steve Featherkile said:
....................

I used to be able to do a lot of calculations in my head, until they invented the electronic calculator, then my brain got lazy. Now I am lucky if I can add 2 + 2 and get 5. That is the right answer, isn’t it? I’m never sure, anymore.

I understand that if I am in the Southern Hemisphere, I have to work the problems backwards. It tends to make me dizzy.


Sheesh, between that and the horses getting out, bad scene, man, bad scene. :lol:

#24

…horses do get out after the barn door is left open; or the fool that left the gate open didn’t think about the horses.

We all have problems at times, but that’s what friends and holy water are for…both in moderation…!!!

#25

Fred, your contributions are proof positive that the interest factor of an answer is directly proportional to its moisture content!

#26

…Thanks, Dave…almost forgot the “Moisture content” variable…

#27

Ahhhh, Dave;

The “Moisture Content” variable; almost forgot about that.

A most insightful observation on your prart.

If the persons observing the actions and figures, of any experiment are properly lubricated with a certain moisture content; whether from rain; ice water thrown in their direction, or water properly mixed with a predetermined amount of a substance known to spur on the actions of ones' mind; they will in all likelyhood find all kinds of great information from a train running in circles.......

I suggest that Dave has hit on a very important aspect of this great hobby.

#28

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa…

Aahhhhhhh…:slight_smile:

#29

(hic)

#30
Fred Mills said:
.................................

The other way is to just look at the train as it leisurely ambles along around the loop, and decrease the spead by 1/4, and you probably have somwhere near a speed of some sort of sane operation.

I hope this helps.


Fr. Fred,

Yep, it helped right up to what is left above … now where does “sane operation” come in?

#31

Dave, Here’s two charts that are were created to simplifiy the time speed calculation. I. They were created using 1:24 scale. 2. I only carried the speed calculations out one decimal point (this is heresy for any mathemetician). 3. This was designed for those that didn’t want to do any math while running trains, but to give a general idea of the trains speed. 4. You are running 1:29 scale equipment. Since this is 82% of 1:24 scale, you would need to increase each time listed by roughly 18% for each speed. i.e. 5 MPH would become 18 seconds. 5. These calculations can be done using your wristwatch or a cheap stop watch 6. All speeds are approximate not perfect. 7. Refer to # 5 8. Don’t worry about it being absolutely perfect. Now go and run your trains and have fun.

…

LV_Tom

#32

If I’m walking at exactly 2MPH along side a straight stretch of track with a 1/29 unit traveling at precisely my speed, isn’t that unit going 2 mph also?
If I’m walking at exactly 2MPH alongside a 1:1 loco traveling at 2mph, isn’t that full size loco going 2MPH also?
Or pacing my 1:24, 1:20, 1:22.5 etc etc at 2 MPH, aint they also doing 2 mph?

If they aren’t going 2mph, what are they doing?

You can’t scale time and distance. It is a constant.

TOG

#33

Yes, JB, your train that is accompanying you at 2 mph is doing 2 mph in the real world. However, in its 1:29 world, it is doing 2 divided by 1/29, or 2 X 29, which equals 58 scale MPH. Pick your poison on scale, then use that scale as the multiplier.

Another way to think about it is a 40 ft 1:1 boxcar takes 1 minute to pass a point. How fast is it going? Answer, 40 ft per minute. To find out how much time a 1:29 40 ft boxcar would have to use to pass that same point in a scale one minute you would have to multiply that minute by 1/29, so it would take that 1/29 scale 40 ft box car slightly over 2 seconds to pass that same point.

Have I totally confused you?

How about me. My brain hurts just from trying to set this down. I just hope that I did it right. I think I did.

Perhaps someone who is more used to this exercise can help us out.

#34
John Bouck said:
If I'm walking at exactly 2MPH along side a straight stretch of track with a 1/29 unit traveling at precisely my speed, isn't that unit going 2 mph also? If I'm walking at exactly 2MPH alongside a 1:1 loco traveling at 2mph, isn't that full size loco going 2MPH also? Or pacing my 1:24, 1:20, 1:22.5 etc etc at 2 MPH, aint they also doing 2 mph?

If they aren’t going 2mph, what are they doing?

You can’t scale time and distance. It is a constant.

TOG


Sorry TOG

You can scale speed and you can scale time, add to that the scaled distance. And you’re all set in the scale world.

#35

Thanks for the charts, Tom. It looks like this thread is treading a well-worn path!

So far, the top scale speed I’ve been game to get to is just over 60 mph. The goal is 70, only because I read somewhere that this is the maximum speed at which American railroads actually run their freight trains. Does anyone know if this is true?

Maybe this Friday evening, after I’ve augmented my moisture content variable . . . .

#36

Dave;
In the real world, it is very seldom that an average North American freight train exceeds 50 MPH. In fact most operate in the range of 30-40 MPH.
To add to the picture, you must remember the “Slow orders” issued due to track conditions.

Yes, there is track that is rated for 70 MPH, but is not in any way the norm for freight traffic.

The NE corridor, for Amtrak, would be one of the fastest pieces of track in NA, along side the CN main between Montreal and Toronto.
Even then there is seldom a freight on these tracks that exceeds 60 mph.

#37

Fred, we do have some stretches out here in the west that see 70mph by freights. We had a rather nasty accident along one of those stretches several years back. The train was entering a speed restricted curve and couldn’t slow down. They laid it over on it’s side. Seems that a hobo riding one of the grain cars shut off the air to the brakes. They’re not sure which hobo did it…they found 3 bodies in the wreckage. :confused:

#38

<<However, in its 1:29 world>>

You see, Steve, that is the world of the imaginary.
Not reality.

TOG

#39
John Bouck said:
<>

You see, Steve, that is the world of the imaginary.
Not reality.

TOG


.
TOG

You are over 60 and are still playing with electric toy trains, and you are chiding me about “reality???” :lol:

madwolf

#40

2nd childhood…:smiley: