SIGforum
Shoutout to ryan81986

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/320601935/m/7200046315

February 13, 2025, 11:55 AM
PHPaul
Shoutout to ryan81986
Didn't see an email in your profile.

I'm building a scale model of a railway speeder but I'm guessing at most of the dimensions. Cab and stuff looks right.

Sticking point is the diameter of the wheels. No need to get a specific measurement, your best guess would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 13, 2025, 12:16 PM
HRK
quote:
railway speeder


Hope this helps Google says:

Dimensions

Approximate dimensions of a common speeder car are given below. Due to the variety of base models and customization these are not fixed numbers. These values are from a Fairmont A4-D.[5]

Rail gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge (56.5 inches)
Weight: 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg)
Width: 64 inches (1,626 mm)
Height: 60 inches (1,524 mm)
Length: 9 feet 2 inches (2,794 mm) (~110 inches)
Wheel diameter: 16 inches (406 mm)
Floor height: 80–120% of the wheel diameter; 11 inches (279 mm)-17 inches (432 mm)
February 13, 2025, 12:21 PM
PHPaul
Huh. I guessed pretty close on everything. Actually went with 16" wheels but they look awfully small.

Thanks!




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 23, 2025, 09:46 AM
PHPaul


Here's the first pass at a speeder for the diorama. Seems out of scale but that may be perspective.




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 23, 2025, 10:38 AM
ryan81986
quote:
Originally posted by PHPaul:


Here's the first pass at a speeder for the diorama. Seems out of scale but that may be perspective.


Love it! Give me a few minutes and I'll take some measurements for you.

Sorry I totally missed this thread the first time it was posted.




February 23, 2025, 10:52 AM
ryan81986
Here you go! If you want any more don't hesitate to ask. Please ignore the fact that my garage and the speeder are a disaster right now. If these are too small to see the measurements i can resize them, I just didn't want to blow up people's browsers.

Wheel diameter, keep in mind the flange for the wheel is an additional 3/4"-1"


Wheel flange:


Ground to cab height. Keep in mind the speeder is sitting on it's flanges right now, not on a rail or block.


Ground to roof height


Side width


Front/Rear width





February 23, 2025, 11:02 AM
ryan81986
If you need any measurements of the stuff mounted to it as well, or anything else let me know. I can also get you measurements of the engine tunnel on the inside of the cab once I get it cleaned up a bit.




February 23, 2025, 11:17 AM
PHPaul
Much appreciated!

Seems the only dimension I'm seriously off on is the ground clearance. Pretty much everything else is close.

Given the 16" wheels and the 13" ground clearance, I assume the wheels protrude up into the floor/cab? When convenient, can you give me a side shot of the whole speeder?




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 23, 2025, 11:26 AM
MikeinNC
What is a “speeder” used for ?



"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker
February 23, 2025, 11:27 AM
ryan81986
Yes they protrude up with fenders, similar to a car or truck.

And ill do you one better, here's the entire album of all my pics of it

https://imageshack.com/a/JYzW7/2




February 23, 2025, 11:39 AM
PHPaul
Most Excellent, Thank You!




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 23, 2025, 11:44 AM
PHPaul
quote:
Originally posted by MikeinNC:
What is a “speeder” used for ?


Among, I'm sure, other things, track and Right-of-Way inspections, transporting crews for repairs.




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 23, 2025, 12:39 PM
MikeinNC
I thought they had trucks with rail wheels they lower down to travel for inspections-or are the speeders a precursor to that tech?



"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker
February 23, 2025, 12:57 PM
dsiets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_speeder

I don't ever recall seeing a speeder (until Ryan posted his in another thread) before, just the trucks.
February 23, 2025, 01:38 PM
ryan81986
So they came after the pump carts that you probably remember from old cartoons and shows and were eventually replaced by the pickup trucks with rail wheels on them that were mentioned. They were used for track inspection and maintenance, signal maintenance, etc. They were phased out in the late 80s/early 90s. Here is my full thread on mine:

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...935/m/9540095205/p/1




February 25, 2025, 06:34 AM
PHPaul


Version 3 of the speeder, based on measurments and pictures Ryan so kindly provided.





The remainder of the unfinished area has been dedicated to a rifle range. More detailing needed, but the main scene is there.




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 25, 2025, 08:28 AM
ryan81986
Looks great! HO scale I assume?

I had a layout a long time ago but I don't have room for one at the moment. I've been tempted to just get another Woodland Scenics scenery kit and build a little diorama with a speeder model on it. Building the scenery is the most fun part.




February 25, 2025, 08:50 AM
PHPaul
quote:
Originally posted by ryan81986:
Looks great! HO scale I assume?

I had a layout a long time ago but I don't have room for one at the moment. I've been tempted to just get another Woodland Scenics scenery kit and build a little diorama with a speeder model on it. Building the scenery is the most fun part.


Bulk of the diorama (including the speeder) is 1:64 which is common for diecast farm toys which were the basis of the diorama in the beginning.

Some of the structures are HO which is 1:87 As long as they're not placed too close to other structures in 1:64 it's not really noticeable. 1:87 figures and vehicles really stand out unfortunately.

Finding vehicles in "S" scale (which is also 1:64) is difficult and expensive. Anything I print I can scale up or down as needed. I cranked out a spreadsheet converting 1:1 to both inch and metric 1:64.

And I agree, the scenery is the best part which is one reason why I went with a diorama instead of an HO layout.




Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
February 25, 2025, 09:58 AM
ryan81986
This book was my bible as a kid. The imagery in it is great. One thing I always strived for was for something that if you took a photo of it, you wouldn't be able to tell if it was real or fake.

Another big thing is weathering of cars and locomotives to create the realistic vs toy look.