OK how far is it

[bearcat245]

How do i convert chains into KM - any ideas

[Alan_Yeomans]

google says

http://www.unitconversion.org/length/kilometers-to-chains-conversion.html

works both ways. :)

[DeRiCo]

Are you talking about railway chains?

If so they used 100 chains to the mile, not 80.

Dennis

[WileeCoyote]

Chains? What do you mean by chains?

WileeCoyote:D

[Bill69]

Hi all,

Chains? What do you mean by chains?

WileeCoyote:D
22 feet = 1 chain. To convert chains to Km divide chains by 49.71

Cheers,
Bill69

P.S. 1 imperial mile = 2240 feet.

[teddytoot]

The chain is an obsolescent British measurement. 1 chain=22 yards hence 80 chains to 1 statute mile. It was literally a surveyor's chain consisting of 100 links (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_(length)) for more detail). This is why a cricket pitch is the length it is since they could quickly measure it out with a chain.

Bill69 1 Imperial Mile=5280feet=1760yards

[Bill69]

Hi teddytoot,

Yes sorry I got my miles mixed up with Lbs per ton. And my feet mixed up with yards but the 49.71 chains to a Km. is right

Cheers,
Bill69

[WileeCoyote]

Man and I thought the american measuring system was weird, good thing I use metric:p.


WileeCoyote:D

[Accipiter777]

Hi all,


22 feet = 1 chain. To convert chains to Km divide chains by 49.71

Cheers,
Bill69

P.S. 1 imperial mile = 2240 feet.


5280 feet to the mile.

[WileeCoyote]

5280 feet to the mile.

In America yes but in Britain it is 2240 feet to an imperial mile, that or I need to reread my very long ruler.

WileeCoyote:D

[Tokkyu40]

America uses the same mile as the British. They use a wierd size gallon, but the lengths are the same. We also still use furlongs to measure horse tracks.
Imperial measurements keep the brain sharp. Metric doesn't exercise the mind.:D

:cool: Claude

[laldfordo]

Britains railways still use chains to measure distances from a fixed starting point. One chain is very close to two squares on the TRS baseboard - very handy when modelling UK tracks.

If you want confusion, try bushels.

[WileeCoyote]

Or better yet, cubits, ye olde biblical measurement, it's especially annoying when I am modifying a route and that persons cubit is longer than my cubit. It's a real pain sometimes...

WileeCoyote:D

[BLACKWATCH]

In America yes but in Britain it is 2240 feet to an imperial mile, that or I need to reread my very long ruler.

WileeCoyote:D

In Britain 1 mile = 1760 yards, 1 yard = 3 feet, hence 1760 x 3 = 5280 feet to the mile. ;)

[JCitron]

This site helps...

http://www.unitconversion.org/

John

[RPearson]

In America yes but in Britain it is 2240 feet to an imperial mile, that or I need to reread my very long ruler.

WileeCoyote:D Sorry Wilee 2240 is lbs per ton. In US this is called a long ton and used primarily in the marine industries. The usual ton in the US is 2000 lbs per ton and is also refered to as a short ton.

Bob Pearson

[barn700]

Measurements are always confusing, but if you remember the roots, it partly explains.

Remember in US when land was settled, they used to allocate 160 acres per person (family) and add a percentage for errors (going up and down hills)

So if you have a farm with 160 acres, it could be anwhere from 160 to 180 acres in reality)

All measured in chains and perches (which are really fish LOL)

[WileeCoyote]

Egad, so far I have learned far more about non-metric measurements in this thread than in my measurements textbook (makes good kindling this stuff:D), this is even better than Wikipedia.

WileeCoyote:D

[Accipiter777]

Man and I thought the american measuring system was weird, good thing I use metric:p.


WileeCoyote:D


You "thought" it was weird... it IS weird....I wish metric was the standard here!

[barn700]

You should also look at the currency of the old country, plenty of different things in there from groats, to farthings, halfpennies, pence, threepence, sixpence, florins, guineas and of course most of the trading in USA was done in shillings (look in the old land grants or land sales)

[ColPrice2002]

OK,

Here's my tuppence worth!

The old chain was 4 rods - the rod was the device used to control/guide the lead ox when ploighing a furlong - i.e. about 16 feet long.
It then became used as the width for ploughing, you'll find that the old medieval strip farming plots are about 1 rod wide...

The Imperial liquid system is also quite logical:-

1 gallon of water - 10 lbs weight
1 gallon contains 8 pints of 20 fluid ounces.

The US - (for some reason) decided that the US pint weighs 1 lb - so the US Gallon is 8 x 16 = 128 ounces.

Cheers,

Colin
(who can still add up in £.s.d!)

[teddytoot]

WilleeCoyote

Even the Germans once had miles. I have a photo of a German milestone that I took outside a mining museum in, if I remember correctly, Goslar. Most European contries had similar pre-metric measurements but they were all different. That is why for example Swedish narrow gauge is 891mm as that was 3 Swedish feet.

I agree metric is far simpler. As a scientist I have used it all my life but I still have to use Imperial for some things since political interference stopped our total conversion to metric.

[motorman1066]

"Chains, my baby's got me locked up it chains,
And they ain't the kind that you can see....."
OH BEAR What have you started....:D

My 1972 Paul Hamlyn instant metric reckoner defines:

80 chains = 1 MILE = 1.609344 kilometres

Therefore 1 chain = 0.0201168 kilometres 0r
1 chain = 20.1168 metres