# How to convert full scale to HO scale?



## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

Recently someone on here was talking about local tracks they had been to. As one of the courses was mentioned I thought how cool it would be to take a course I had been to a number of times and convert it to HO scale track sections. Problem is I do not know where to start. The course I'd like to make into a permanent setup with scenery is Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Here is a link to the track with elevations. 

http://www.roadamerica.com/userfiles/file/2010 Maps/Competitor Map 2010.pdf


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

You'd have to make some scale concessions I think, or have a warehouse to hold it. Based on the link, I think 1/87th scale for the frontstretch alone would work out to about 34' long, if I figured it correctly.

You could probably take a map and scan it into a computer, then have it mapped out for a CNC router. Someone like TKO might be able to do that.

One thing about big tracks, however, is that HO horsepower is king. In my local sports car league we did a small replica of Monza several times and you just can't keep up without a fast car. Offs are punished severely because it is so hard to close back in, however, which is very much like 1:1 racing.

Good luck with your project! I am always anxious to see what someone will build next.


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

34 Feet!!! Thanks for the reply Doba. I guess that is out. Garage is not temperature controlled but would be big enough to house it. I guess if I really down size it to N-scale lengths using Tyco track it may be possible?


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## ggnagy (Aug 16, 2010)

Scale is probably not going to happen, unless you have MAJOR space. More possible would be to figure out how much space you have and shrink the track to the right proportions. If you look really hard, you might be able to find a track map that has some of the engineering details (curve radii and number of degrees, straight lengths, track width, elevations, etc) I have not seen any for Road America, but then again I have not looked very hard.


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

Here's a thought, reverse engineer by driving technique. 

Most major tracks you can find in car video where a driver talks you thru the relevant points of each corner. 

Even better you could make your track a series of famous corners, the laguna seca corkscrew entering into the mulsanne straight leading to turn one of daytona. Put buildings really close to the track in a tight section and race the isle of man. There's tons of fun to be found thinking of gimmicks. Now your famous track can be configured to your preference, yet have strong links to the real thing.

Even better, if a section just doesn't work out for slots after a bit of racing you can still reconfigure, as there will be borders between sections, so they're not necessarily related. 

You could even have a section that's just nutty for kids. Car eating robots, jumps, etc. Personally I love jumps and wish more racers thought they were acceptable on actual racing tracks. That goes for the real world too  Nascar, F1, Indy, ALMS, everybody. They'd all be better with jumps. 

good luck!


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

delete plz


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## Ogre (Jan 31, 2007)

You may already know of these layouts.


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## ggnagy (Aug 16, 2010)

I guess i should have looked at the link posted, as it DOES have some engineering information. Here are the turn radii I would start working with.
I used the station numbers on the track, instead of actual turns. RA is mostly increading radius turns, so I usually went from small to larger radii within a turn

1: 12 15
3: 9 12
5: 6 6
6: 6 6
7: 12
8: 6 6
9: 15 18
10: 18 15 18
11: 18
12: 9 12
13: 18
14: 9 9


Even this is a pretty poor approximation, because I equated the smallest radius with 6", and then worked off a scale where double the real radius was only a full step increase in track size. If I had doubled the scale radius, the carousel would have been a 30" radius track. Someone call Tom Bowman. 

From this, the next step would be to find the combination of straight lengths necessary to connect all these turns together. I leave THAT as an exercise for the reader. Or... just scale up one of those allready created track plans that have been posted and claim "close enough"


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

*Long Beach Set -- Road America Layout*

I have it programmed. The plot's attached.

B,B,B,A,B,B,B,HR,B,B,B,JR,GR,C,JR,B,B,B,NL,B,B,JL,JL,B,C,JL,JL,E,NR,B,B,JL,JL,NR,JR,C,JR,JR,C,JR,C,JR,B,B,NL,B,B,JR,JR,B,B,JR,NL,JL,JR,C,JR,JR

A = terminal
B = 15" straight
C = 9" straight
E = 3" straight
G = 12" turn
H = 9" 1/4 turn
J = 6" turn
N = 18" turn

The "slop" in this layout is just 0.477" at the end, which is easily absorbed by the pieces.

This is a two lane layout. A four-laner would be more complex to program.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I built a massive 4 lane oval in my garage as a tribute to Ontario Motor Speedway.
Long straights, banked curves, on a 16'x4' layout.
When I figured it to scale, I barely had a Bristol. 
=o(


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

Thanks for all the info guys. I did buy the plans that were posted on the bay. I need to find some 6" and 15" turns now for my Tyco track. I hopefully have enough 12" curves.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for all the info guys. I did buy the plans that were posted on the bay. I need to find some 6" and 15" turns now for my Tyco track. I hopefully have enough 12" curves.


I'm no Tyco expert (almost said 'Tyco pro'), but, unless something's changed, I think OEM Tyco 6"Radius pieces are going to be hard to come by. Something about being never offered by Tyco except in a few sets. 

Joe (*GrandCheapskate* :dude: on HobbyTalk) produced a run of original-quality "replica" Tyco 6" curves sometime back. You might contact him and see if he has some left. I think he still sells a wide variety of Tyco track, so you might be able to fill your entire needs list in one place.

Good luck in finding what you're after, [email protected]

-- D


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Dslot said:


> I'm no Tyco expert (almost said 'Tyco pro'), but, unless something's changed, I think OEM Tyco 6"Radius pieces are going to be hard to come by. Something about being never offered by Tyco except in a few sets.
> 
> Joe (*GrandCheapskate* :dude: on HobbyTalk) produced a run of original-quality "replica" Tyco 6" curves sometime back. You might contact him and see if he has some left. I think he still sells a wide variety of Tyco track, so you might be able to fill your entire needs list in one place.
> 
> ...


Thanks D.

Yes, I still have Tyco/Mattel 6" and 15" curves left, along with a lot of other T/M pieces. PM sent.

Thanks...Joe


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

Well I received the layout papers and wish the seller made better copies. Some of the printing is sub par. It shows I need some 6" 1/8 and some 6" 1/4 turns. I think going 6's is going to be too tough. I may change all the 6's to 9" radius and see what happens. Being I'm using Tyco track I do not think they made a 1/8 6" turn radius. I think Iwill just bump everything up to the next radius due to my daughter and Fiancee' still being able to run on it consistently.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Jeepman sez:


> I need to find some 6" and 15" turns now for my Tyco track.


and


> Being I'm using Tyco track I do not think they made a 1/8 6" turn radius. I think I will just bump everything up to the next radius...


Hmm. Of course, that'll almost certainly add at least a foot to the track width and who knows how much to the length. And if you think finding Tyco 6"R curves is tough, wait 'til you go looking for Tyco 18s.

I forget whether Joe's 6"R Tyco-compatibles are 1/4-circle or 1/8. If they're 1/8, you can put two together to make a 1/4-circle of course, and it's really not too tough to cut the center out of a 1/4-circle piece, epoxy the two ends together while clamped flat, and run jumpers across the rail-gaps for a Frankentrack 1/8. Worked fine the first time I tried it, anyway, but YMMV.

--D


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