Post by johnbalich on Apr 10, 2008 9:36:48 GMT -7
So ....................How long is an HO drag strip anyhow? I'm glad you asked, I think. My best answer is "no one knows!"
OK, relax all you 'scale rule richards', and listen up. First, take a deep cleansing breath, as this discussion has been known to lead to hyperventilation and other maladies, as well as fisticuffs.
A little history might be appropriate here. When "HO" slot cars first became generally and widely available, they were chassis based. What I mean by that, is the size was determined by smallest practical and economically feasible chassis/ motor size that could be realized. Of course, an attempt to make them close to a known and widely used scale was made, as it was thought that it would enhance the saleability of such cars. Manufacturers envisioned "Model Motoring" (to borrow a phrase) highways, connected to scale model train layouts. Actually, I think this proved to be a minor portion of their eventual sales. (The heck with "motoring" we wanted to race them.) Anyway, it made sense to market them as HO scale. The cars were somewhat nearly "HO scale in size.................HO scale officially being 1/87. (Scale train guys have theior own scale issues. Let's not even GO there. You havent seen hyperventilation til you see a heated discussion between two scale train 'experts' on scale and compromise) 1/87 scale means you could measure any given dimension on a real car and the comparable measurement would be 1/87 of the full size fender or hood or bumper etc etc. Sounds good so far right? Not so fast, Sherlock. Take a look at an Aurora T-Jet chassis, or one from Auto World or Model Motoring or Johnny Lightning. See the holes for the front axle? I count three. The 'upper' hole which would LOWER the cars front end.........is there for oversize tires as used by trucks and
other special bodies. That leaves a SHORT wheelbase, and a LONG wheelbase. Two choices, count them. Among the bodies Traditionally available from the manufactrures, how many wheelbase lengths were used on the the real cars they were based on? Lets just say 'several' and leave it at that. So how to make the different cars all use the same wheelbases? They FUDGED. Take a look at some of the bodies. Without measuring, I'd say that the AMX body looks huge compared to a TORINO. The present day COBRA is way too long which gives it a lean appearance. It looks to my eye that they cheated in the cowl to front fender area and stretched it to fit the chassis. Real Cobra Roadsters are Bull Dog short and tough. The worst to my eye is the Dodge Daytona. Way undersized in all proportions. It looks fine till you park it next to the Cobra. My point is..............'scale' is a relative term. "Sort of scale" would be better. It's a compromise we have long accepted to accomodate many different size cars to two chassis choices. As long as a car pretty much resembles a 1970 Camaro (which is way narrow and smallish to be correct) We accept it as such. As HO racers we long had limited choices of different body styles. WE were/are more than willing to accept some scale discrepancies, in order to have many styles to choose from. So, we can easily agree that 1/87 is kinda of an elusive number. In fact the BEST (most accurately sized) T -Jets are very much oversized. Every one of them!! Go to a model train hobby store some time and look at what a TRUE 1/87 auto looks like.
Ok if 1/87 isn't the Holy Grail of correct proportions, what is? I am glad you asked, I think. (see above for best answer) When Aurora released their AFX line followed by Magna- Traction cars, the scale cat was really out of the bag. Most racers rate them at 1/76 scale. Other think they are closer to 1/72. I have seen racers settle on 1/75 as a copmpromise. WHO is right? The AFX cars took the same liberties with scale that the original T Jets (and others) did. When AFX released the G plus cars, more scale discrepancies arose. Add Lifelike, Mattel, Riggen, Atlas, Tyco all following their respective standards of scale and you can see that we can't even decide what scale our cars are.
Now it gets really fun. Remember I said that manufacturers scaled their cars to fit existing and available chassis'? Well drag racers have done the same thing with available space. Some use 1/4 mile. Due to space restrictions, just like the real cars, some choose 1/8 mile. 1000 foot drags are a good in-between compromise.Then you have thos who ignore the whole thing and choose a practical size for themselves. ( I think PSD drag strip is 16 feet of timed section) Does this matter? Not much. Unless we make an attempt to set a NATIONAL STANDARD, whose only purpose is to keep NATIONAL RECORDS and bragging rights. There is no need or particular advantage to standardizing at this point. There are however, drawbacks to that standardization. (bickering arguing, exclusion of guys whose tracks are the 'wrong' length.) We might ENCOURAGE movement toward a standard, but so far, from what I have seen, this may be wishful thinking. In such an environment of standard track length, tracks would have to be measured certified, voltages used ( a whole other discussion) determined and certified, track levelness certified, track surface standardized and certified etc etc, before any meaningful National records could be kept anyway. That's a lot of plane flights and a lot of fist fights if you ask me..
I said all that to say this: If you are planning a strip at home......................
There is "NO CORRECT LENGTH FOR AN HO DRAG STRIP!!!"
Repeat that if you need to and be liberated!! Make your strip a length you can live with and go forth and have fun. 'This is one of the very premises of NTRA's mission statement. "No Universal track standard." If you wish, look at the 'standard' lengths employed by any of the current 'other bodies' and use one of those standards. We have no beef with bodies that DO set one standfard as correct. Its worth mentioning, differences over track standards have split racers more than once. At some point, NTRA MAY make a 'recommendation' as to an "ideal' track length and then only after much discussion with current track owners and other sanctioning bodies. Then again NTRA may NOT! (the only reason to decide either way, would be for the good of the sport at large, not to satisfy our personal egos)
NTRA events, participation, etc etc......any standards adhered too will be voluntary in nature. Among the board members you will find differing track lengths. Any NTRA event will disclose track particulars well in advance so competitors will not be surprised.
We are going to go into several track configurations, with "how to's" as they have been realized by different racers. Anything from sectional track portable/ temporary strips, to custom made 'professional quality' drag strips. The point of this series is to show you, that you do not have to BOW to a particular standard to enjoy this activity. (Heck, in my opinion better still would be a 3/8 mile strip, so that the e.t's would be longer and the reaction time a smaller proportion of the total run time, but how many have room for THAT?) The comments offered here about scale size and appearance are in no way a complaint. I am delighted with wide variety of choices we now have for our 'HO" slot cars!
We will discuss track voltages and class structures etc in the next installment. The goal here is to provoke thought and comment, and see how many areas and in how many ways we can come together in the enjoyment of this hobby. I am currently seeking input from drag strip builder/owners who use conventional sectional track, either 'O' scale or HO, and would be willing to share what they have learned. Contact me at the "Getting Staged" thread or send me a personal message via "Psychoslots."
OK, relax all you 'scale rule richards', and listen up. First, take a deep cleansing breath, as this discussion has been known to lead to hyperventilation and other maladies, as well as fisticuffs.
A little history might be appropriate here. When "HO" slot cars first became generally and widely available, they were chassis based. What I mean by that, is the size was determined by smallest practical and economically feasible chassis/ motor size that could be realized. Of course, an attempt to make them close to a known and widely used scale was made, as it was thought that it would enhance the saleability of such cars. Manufacturers envisioned "Model Motoring" (to borrow a phrase) highways, connected to scale model train layouts. Actually, I think this proved to be a minor portion of their eventual sales. (The heck with "motoring" we wanted to race them.) Anyway, it made sense to market them as HO scale. The cars were somewhat nearly "HO scale in size.................HO scale officially being 1/87. (Scale train guys have theior own scale issues. Let's not even GO there. You havent seen hyperventilation til you see a heated discussion between two scale train 'experts' on scale and compromise) 1/87 scale means you could measure any given dimension on a real car and the comparable measurement would be 1/87 of the full size fender or hood or bumper etc etc. Sounds good so far right? Not so fast, Sherlock. Take a look at an Aurora T-Jet chassis, or one from Auto World or Model Motoring or Johnny Lightning. See the holes for the front axle? I count three. The 'upper' hole which would LOWER the cars front end.........is there for oversize tires as used by trucks and
other special bodies. That leaves a SHORT wheelbase, and a LONG wheelbase. Two choices, count them. Among the bodies Traditionally available from the manufactrures, how many wheelbase lengths were used on the the real cars they were based on? Lets just say 'several' and leave it at that. So how to make the different cars all use the same wheelbases? They FUDGED. Take a look at some of the bodies. Without measuring, I'd say that the AMX body looks huge compared to a TORINO. The present day COBRA is way too long which gives it a lean appearance. It looks to my eye that they cheated in the cowl to front fender area and stretched it to fit the chassis. Real Cobra Roadsters are Bull Dog short and tough. The worst to my eye is the Dodge Daytona. Way undersized in all proportions. It looks fine till you park it next to the Cobra. My point is..............'scale' is a relative term. "Sort of scale" would be better. It's a compromise we have long accepted to accomodate many different size cars to two chassis choices. As long as a car pretty much resembles a 1970 Camaro (which is way narrow and smallish to be correct) We accept it as such. As HO racers we long had limited choices of different body styles. WE were/are more than willing to accept some scale discrepancies, in order to have many styles to choose from. So, we can easily agree that 1/87 is kinda of an elusive number. In fact the BEST (most accurately sized) T -Jets are very much oversized. Every one of them!! Go to a model train hobby store some time and look at what a TRUE 1/87 auto looks like.
Ok if 1/87 isn't the Holy Grail of correct proportions, what is? I am glad you asked, I think. (see above for best answer) When Aurora released their AFX line followed by Magna- Traction cars, the scale cat was really out of the bag. Most racers rate them at 1/76 scale. Other think they are closer to 1/72. I have seen racers settle on 1/75 as a copmpromise. WHO is right? The AFX cars took the same liberties with scale that the original T Jets (and others) did. When AFX released the G plus cars, more scale discrepancies arose. Add Lifelike, Mattel, Riggen, Atlas, Tyco all following their respective standards of scale and you can see that we can't even decide what scale our cars are.
Now it gets really fun. Remember I said that manufacturers scaled their cars to fit existing and available chassis'? Well drag racers have done the same thing with available space. Some use 1/4 mile. Due to space restrictions, just like the real cars, some choose 1/8 mile. 1000 foot drags are a good in-between compromise.Then you have thos who ignore the whole thing and choose a practical size for themselves. ( I think PSD drag strip is 16 feet of timed section) Does this matter? Not much. Unless we make an attempt to set a NATIONAL STANDARD, whose only purpose is to keep NATIONAL RECORDS and bragging rights. There is no need or particular advantage to standardizing at this point. There are however, drawbacks to that standardization. (bickering arguing, exclusion of guys whose tracks are the 'wrong' length.) We might ENCOURAGE movement toward a standard, but so far, from what I have seen, this may be wishful thinking. In such an environment of standard track length, tracks would have to be measured certified, voltages used ( a whole other discussion) determined and certified, track levelness certified, track surface standardized and certified etc etc, before any meaningful National records could be kept anyway. That's a lot of plane flights and a lot of fist fights if you ask me..
I said all that to say this: If you are planning a strip at home......................
There is "NO CORRECT LENGTH FOR AN HO DRAG STRIP!!!"
Repeat that if you need to and be liberated!! Make your strip a length you can live with and go forth and have fun. 'This is one of the very premises of NTRA's mission statement. "No Universal track standard." If you wish, look at the 'standard' lengths employed by any of the current 'other bodies' and use one of those standards. We have no beef with bodies that DO set one standfard as correct. Its worth mentioning, differences over track standards have split racers more than once. At some point, NTRA MAY make a 'recommendation' as to an "ideal' track length and then only after much discussion with current track owners and other sanctioning bodies. Then again NTRA may NOT! (the only reason to decide either way, would be for the good of the sport at large, not to satisfy our personal egos)
NTRA events, participation, etc etc......any standards adhered too will be voluntary in nature. Among the board members you will find differing track lengths. Any NTRA event will disclose track particulars well in advance so competitors will not be surprised.
We are going to go into several track configurations, with "how to's" as they have been realized by different racers. Anything from sectional track portable/ temporary strips, to custom made 'professional quality' drag strips. The point of this series is to show you, that you do not have to BOW to a particular standard to enjoy this activity. (Heck, in my opinion better still would be a 3/8 mile strip, so that the e.t's would be longer and the reaction time a smaller proportion of the total run time, but how many have room for THAT?) The comments offered here about scale size and appearance are in no way a complaint. I am delighted with wide variety of choices we now have for our 'HO" slot cars!
We will discuss track voltages and class structures etc in the next installment. The goal here is to provoke thought and comment, and see how many areas and in how many ways we can come together in the enjoyment of this hobby. I am currently seeking input from drag strip builder/owners who use conventional sectional track, either 'O' scale or HO, and would be willing to share what they have learned. Contact me at the "Getting Staged" thread or send me a personal message via "Psychoslots."
very nice john ;D