Choosing scale speed (& distance) on mixed HO/OO layout?

Red_Rattler

Since 09 May 2003
NOTE: The following may make the rivet counters cringe! :hehe:

Approximate measurements only (unless you would like 13 numbers after the decimal!) and metric used, unless stated.

In HO (3½mm = 1ft) a scale speed of 60kmh equals a model doing 11.48 real metres in 1 minute. For OO (4mm = 1ft) it's about 13.16 real metres in 1 minute.

So since this person's layout is a mixture of HO/OO, especially when HO & OO operate at the same time!, would you work out the scale speed (& distances for that matter) using 3½ or 4mm to the foot?

You wouldn't believe how long it took to work out the speed of his models over one metre of track.

This comes about when we recently saw a HO tram layout (they use mostly OO buses, along with a HO bus or two), using HO sized trams. Since some OO trams are also available, after watching these OO trams on another layout, they seem to be very slow, although I was told that that was deliberate to represent scale speed. If I can remember, having the OO tram on the same speed setting as for his trains, the tram took about 11 seconds for one metre. That equalled somewhere less than 30kmh.

I suppose we're just curious more than anything.

PS: Is it me, but do some HO vehicles and buses look slightly underscale for HO scale?

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We have already worked out how to work out scale speed for HO/OO, so don't really need that, & don't think that would really help, since his layout is a mixed HO/OO, but what he is asking is what scale-distance/speed would, or should be used on a mixed HO/OO, and the rivet counters aren't going to like this (again), but he doesn't model by one region, and can at times, run trains from two countries.

For example, and in very rough & round figures, but shows what I mean. Say you have a OO tram that goes 1 metre in 10 seconds, and a HO train running beside it that also does 1 metre in 10 seconds, would you be doing roughly the HO scale speed of about 30kmh, or the OO scale speed of about 25kmh?
 
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