My return to N gauge - Arrgh!!

[Anonymous]

I have been in O and Large scale for the last few years. I got tempted when a N-gauge suitcase layout came up on Ebayi for a low price. I had a place in my train room where a little layout would look good. Well, it was a nice little setup and I put the engine and three cars on the track. Wouldn't you guess that was the little engine that COULDN'T. The slight grade just made it spin it's little wheels. As long as I run it without any cars it does fine. Don't they test them at the factory to make sure their engines can pull cars up the grade? Well it does fill up the space nicely. It's back to the big boys.

[Bob Keller]

I don't know man....N scale?

Thought I will confess that yesterday I was in the local O gauge shop.

I ended up rummaging through, of all things, his "used" N scale. I almost picked up two SD40-2s for $10 each, figuring I could spray paint'em black...but then it dawned on me I probably couldn't even READ the N scale New York Central decals I was going to apply....

In the end, I bought a Weaver O gauge flatcar w/two NYC Pacemaker containers. I could read those!

[Anonymous]

When I run the trains on my min-layout, they make a terrible racket considering their size. This is going to encouage me to complete my O gauge layout PRONTO!!!

[cnw1995]

I had the dangest time getting my N scale engines to move through standard turnouts without derailing or haning up on the frog - I'm still so happy every time my engine crashes through our old Lionel turnout...

[okiechoochoo]

Oh boy, I decided I would go into the N scale collectors market. I had seen where some of that Micro Trains stuff can really escalate. I got a few cars and engines and then decided to get some track. Nice stuff until I had to put it on the track. Gave up, sold it all on ebay

[Anonymous]

N scale is way too small for me. However, I do have a table that I built in a woodworking class at school a couple years ago that I built with the intention of having room for a train inside. I would like to buy a cheap N scale circle set and build a little layout inside of there. I was thinking of buying a TT gauge set that came up on ebay for it instead, but the curves had too wide of a radius. Beyond that, I wouldn't consider going any further into N scale.

[Anonymous]

I use a little N scale Thomas the tank engine around my Rico station--kinda like a ride for the kiddies. And like most children's rides, there almost always a sign hanging on it that reads, "Sorry. OUT OF ORDER" I don't know. Those HO and N guys must have the patience of saints.

[dougdagrump]

I've got some N stuff sitting in the closet. On my "to do" list is making a glass topped coffee table for the N stuff. It seems like that list keeps getting longer by the day.[banghead]

[Anonymous]

I tried N scale.... then I threw it all in the trash. I am sure glad for O gauge!

[Dr. John]

I have a small, 2x4 N scale layout sitting on a shelf in my shop. The Kato Unitrack works well, but it's pricey. The Kato and Atlas engines work well, but the track must be immaculately clean.

My problem is my eyesight isn't what it used to be. N is fine but finicky and not for those of us that keep moving the newspaper back and forth until it comes into focus! That's one of the main reasons I went back to S and O gauges a few years back.

[Anonymous]

N Scale dontrainman, my God that really falling over the top. I tried N-Scale once and true it allows you to lay alot of scenery in a small space. But who wonts to hold a twelve inch magnifying glass when you run them.

As for dependability, forget it. If one of our O-gauge manufactures tried sell us some of the crap HO and N scale items we would tar and feather them at York.

I was talking to a couple of two rail O-scale guys at a train store and I could not believe some of the problems they had to correct on their thousand dollar pluss engines. They had to work on everything from detail to motor shimming and wireing issues.

They where sort of condescending to me in a friendly way, you know the old story we scale people are artist and you big kids who play with toy never grew up.
Ya right! I looked at them a laughed and told them we kids would never put up with such nonsence.

We said our good-bys and agreed to hook-up at York. My wife was with me and I expressed to her how thankful I am for the service I get from the toy train people. She simply smiled and said, "and they think they are so smart".

I'll never go back to the tiny tiny world.

N- don't work,
HO- is soso,
S- is OK
G-is to big for my basement.
But O- ah O, it rolls when you say go and your hart rumbles when they pass.

Keep on Tracken,
Mario E.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, my rose colored glasses have faded. I've had to send engines back to MTH, Williams and Lionel and some of the engines cost more than 1,000. Some were DOA and others had problems such as bad plugs and who knows what other electronic problems. One had a binding problem that caused a rod to pop off and bend in half. Some of this may have something to do with the luck of the draw but 3 rail certainly is not immune to problems. And the garbage that goes on between the camps at MTH and Lionel, OGR V. CTT and others is really ugly. I don't know much about the other scales but this makes me second guess where I am today.

[Anonymous]

Boy, this thread went on longer than I thought. I was just venting on N gauge and how I was spoiled with O and large scale. I pulled out some of my n scale engines to see if they could navigate the layout and finally a KATO did the job. I will only operate this unit when somebody wants to see it run.

[Anonymous]

Forget N Gauge:
One of the little heralded joys of the O-gauge hobby is its larger size. You don't think much about that when you are young but when you are over 40 and your peepers don't work as well as they did before its important to model in a scale that's easy on the eyes. So for me, I'll leave the N Gauge stuff for the real miniaturists. Besides I like the heft and feel of O-gauge engines, locos and rolling stock.
BillFromWayne
www.modeltrainjournal.com

[okiechoochoo]

Although I wouldn't leave O I will certainly take issue with those who think the big two produce quality tiems. Too much stuff has to be returned on arrival or shortly thereafter for repair. This should not happen with locomotives that cost this much