These are common questions and issues among us model RR types. To provide you with a quick and semi-comprehensive reference, here are five tables:

1. Table 1 converts prototype dimensions into scale dimensions for all popular scales.

2. Table 2 shows scale speed. Nearly all of us tend to run our trains too fast. To measure yours, mark off a 2 to 6 foot length of straight, flat track, and time your train thru this "trap;" divide the trap length in inches by the time in seconds; then find the closest match in the column for your scale. For example: if you mark a 40" trap, and your N-scale train covers the distance in 9 seconds, that's 40/9 = 4.44 inches/second; from Table 2, in the N-scale column, that's exactly 40 miles/hour.

3. Table 3 shows the NMRA-recommended weight for rolling stock. For each scale, there's an "initial weight" plus an "additional weight" for each actual inch of car length (NOT scale length, but the length you actually measure on your little ruler/scale). Properly weighted cars look better, run smoother, and derail much less often. You'll need an reasonably accurate scale to do this right; I use a 16 ounce kitchen scale (from the local kitchen shop); if you're in O-scale, you may want a 32 ounce scale -- otherwise, 16 ounce is ideal. I use both ¼ ounce stick-on lead weights (from the Train Store), and thin lead sheets (from the plumbing supply store) to get the exact weight; just remember to attach 'em well so they don't slip around. I use cyanoacrylate (CA).

4. Table 4 gives you grade percentage; the "rise" vs. the "run" for grades from 0.5% thru 5.0%. Remember that grade is scale-independent. Also, keep in mind that a 100% grade is equal to a 45° angle. Grade is the "rise" (how much the track rises vertically) divided by the "run" (the horizontal distance over which the rise occurs); hence, if the track rises ½" in 36" (that's 3 feet, but we gotta' use the same dimensions for both numbers), the grade would be 0.5/36 = 0.01389, or 1.4% (remember to multiply the decimal grade by 100 to get the percentage grade.

5. Table 5 shows copier settings for resizing the scale of a drawing. Using you local Office Depot copier, you can easily convert a drawing rendered in any scale to a drawing in (almost) any other scale. A step-by-step procedure is outlined for drawings requiring multiple enlargements or reductions.

Finally...if you'd like a printout of one or more of the above tables on a sheet of paper all by itself, just click on the table you want below: