Scaling Plan help

Careful with simply scaling because things like curves and radii might not scale properly.  How complex of a layout are you talking about?  If it's a simple square, rectangle or around the room layout you probably don't need any fancing scaling adjustments.  If it's more complex with cut ins, penninsulas, etc., You might want to roughly lay the track on the floor to see what your actual dimensions will be.  I've found, even with good plans or track planning software, you often need to make tweaks when laying the metal.

Why not 1.375 inch  = 1 foot, then?

the plan is like a lazy F with a center island.  The minimun curve radius is 22 and the largest is 32.  I think this equates to 044 and 064 in O scale.  The 1.375 scaling might very well work.  Is it 1/8" = 1 inch?  Im new at this scaling and am not too sure of my calculations.  The layout would probably be abou 16' x 18' around the perimeter and the island about 15' out from the long side.

Patrick

No, not that.

It would mean that 1 3/8 equals 1 foot.

If your paper plan is 22 inches wide and you want that plan to fill the 16 foot width of your room than each 1 3/8" on your plan must be built to be 12 inches (1 foot) in your room.

Thanks .  I understand that each actual inch  on a standard ruler will equal 1 3/8 on the plan.  Where I am confused is the breakdown of the 1 3/8 unit.  In the original plan it is drawn in 1 1/2 scale, so 1/8 inch would equal 1 inch on the actual build, 1/4 equals 2 inches and so on... I know there are odd measurements and I will need to know a small breakdown.  I'm trying to figure this breakdown for the 1 3/8 plan.  Can't figure it out evenly, though.  

Take a 1/4" scale and lay it out using actual dimensions, not conversions.  As far as scaling down larger curves to smaller ones using a ratio or whatever, good luck with that.  Lay out your available space with a 1/4" scale and use templates or a compass for your curves and you'll know what will fit.  Fill in the straights and you've got yourself a layout. Leave the conversions from 1 3/8" or whatever to Einstein.

I, now, have no idea what you are talking about.

Originally, I had no info on what "scale" that the drawing used.  You said you had lines on paper measured in inches, and you wanted to translate that into a room measured in feet.  I multiplied 16 feet by 12 to get room in inches and divided by the 22 inches of the paper -- giving the 1.375 ratio.

What?  I said that 1.375 inches on the plan translates to 12 inches in your room.  Unless the plan is a drawing of ruler, what does the 1 inch division on the ruler have to do with anything?

I don't know what "breakdown" means in the above sentence, so I'm confused, too.

Ignore the scale of the plan.  Ignore any measurements on the plan indicating room feet.

Measure an object on the paper in inches.  Divide the length you get by 1.375 and multiply that by 12.  Use the result (in inches) to build the real world version of the object.

  --Joe

Sorry for the confusion.  My mis-interpretation.  I understand the method now.

Patrick