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How to Figure Scale
Fred asks readers for help:
"What is the correct way to figure scale? I have used three methods, and get different answers. I would like to get the correct answer. What is the correct height of a six foot fence post in ho 1.87 scale."
Comment below.
4 Responses to How to Figure Scale
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If you divide your proto scale by 87 you would get the HO scale height.
As an example a 6 foot height is 72 inches: 72/87=0.827 inches.
Fred,
HO scale is roughly one scale foot equals 1/8″ or 3.5 mm.
Hope this helps,
Geof from the US
Purchase or find a calulator you can use on line that construction contractors use, will change feet into inches when you divide by 87. Six feet = 3/4 of a inch.
Hope this bring a simple solution.
HO Scale is defined as 3.5mm to the foot (exactly, not roughly); so that a six-foot length in reality is 6 x 3.5 = 21mm = 0.8267 inches on the model, and if you make your fence post eight-tenths of an inch long you won’t be able to tell the difference. (Can you model to two hundredths of an inch?)
The definition works out at 1 to 87 (as near as), or one foot (or one millimetre) on the model represents 87 feet (or 87 mm) in real life.