N Scale Quality??? N Newbie...HELP!

[emdgp92]

I have a small N scale layout in addition to my HO one. Since most of my N scale stuff was salvaged from a flooded store, it's already weathered :p

I don't detail most of the equipment, since any added details are pretty fragile. Just the other day, I accidently snapped off one of the nose-mounted lift rings on my LL E7 as I was trying to rerail it.

I know that Kato makes quality (if pricey) stuff, but I don't know much about them. My roster is LL (SW900 and E7), Atlas (U25B, and a pair of Trix F units.

[Wdlgln005]

N gives you more railroad for your space. What you saw is a typical Ntrak modular layout. THe fun part is you get to run whole trains on the system. The quality of products depends on what choices you make.
1) Atlas Choose between code 80 or 55 flex & sectional trak. Atlas has a fine line of freight cars, now Accumate equipped. Good selection of diesels, some DCC equipped for a price. You get the decoders from the DCC mfr's. Atlas 2 steamers, the 2-6-0 Mogul & Shay make sweet & cute little models.

2) Kato Plastic Unitrak good alternative to Atlas flex. Poor selection of freight cars. Good selection of passenger cars, if you can find them. Don't have as many releases as Atlas. Most have lightboard conversion to DCC. Kato has their own system for couplers, but do convert to MTL.

3) Lifelike: THey make some trainsets with their own Powerlok trak. some cheap freight cars. Diesels produced since 2000 with split frame have performance similar to A/K. Must convert from Rapido to MTL. Their 2 steamers look good, but need traction tires to pull anything. With the purchase by Walthers, I don't know how things may change.

4) Bachmann: The other trainset maker, with a line of EZtrak and crude freight cars. spectrum line steamers are fine models, but QC can be a problem. They do stand behind the warranty. Standard line steam has improved recently, with new packaging. Difficult to convert to MTL.

5) Model Power: this Mfr used to import a lot of Minitrix product, now forced to develop their own product. Pacific 4-6-2 & Mikado 2-8-2 steamers had some development problems, but seem to be fine models. Recent steam models sent back to Korea due to defective product. You may find some cheap passenger car sets from old dies.

6) MicroTrainsLine produces the best Kadee automatic coupler system. since the 70's, they have produced fine freight cars with 100 body styles. Huge collector market. Newer cars tend to be special runs with higher prices. THey do make a FT diesel.

7) ConCor is a name you may remember from times past. They may have been market leader in the 70's or 80's. THe Rivarossi bankruptcy may have hurt them the most, since they imported the passenger car sets. New ConCor steam appears to be a winner. Their MP15 should have been released 10 years ago

8) Athearn/MDC: THe purchase of these companies by Horizon appears to be a big help to the former MDC product line. Athearn has upgraded the freight car fleet with screw mount trucks& Accumate couplers. New paint schemes & other details on the 2-8-0 Consolidation. This may be the best steamer on the market, for a 1890 era design. Nice looking Overton passenger cars. Should announce new Mogul 2-6-0 & Overland passenger cars shortly.
The Athearn N has produced a line of modern diesels. Watch them closely!

9) Intermountain: A new maker of FT & F3 locos with some freight cars.
New tooling with finer details.

[Adelie]

DCC in N falls into two categories: Decoders that are replacements for existing light boards and those that will require some surgery to install. I believe all recent Kato releases have drop in (replacement for light board) decoders. Atlas is another story. Some are drop in replacements, some require surgery, and some have Atlas decoders available, but the decoders are not for sale anywhere I have found. That includes the Atlas web site as a spare part. If any Life-Like or Bachmann have drop-in decoders available, I have not seen them. Perhaps somebody else out there knows for sure.

Other than the decoder installation issue, the DCC is the same. A little lower voltage (12v), but the same otherwise. I suspect it takes more N scale locomotives to max out a booster than HO, even though some of the newer HO locomotives are pretty lean in what they draw.

[Anonymous]

One more thing i forgot, how about DCC in N? I know it can be done but, is it the same. I havent gotten into DCC, yet, with HO but was looking into it and it seemed like there wernt too many choices for decoders and such. Thanks, Ben

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! I understand about the weathering and detailing fully. I figured that, but it seems a little hard to do. Hopefully I'll get a knack for it!
Also, when people have said Life Like, do you mean Life Like or P2K? Just checking! Again, thanks alot! Ben

[TrainFreak409]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Normal scale. N scale is a Natural choice for those who want more railroading in a small space.

My preferences are Atlas, Kato, and Bachmann Spectrum. They all make excellent locomotives. Atlas has a great variety of high quality diesels, with awesome detail. Kato doesn't have as large as a selection, but their quality is absolutely superb in most cases. Bachmann Spectrum has great steam locomotives. Their 2-8-0 consolidation won product of the year. And their 4-8-2 light USRA Mountain is a great locomotive as well.

Con-Cor products look and run pretty good, but they can get pricey. They have a sale going on right now. They are the only company that has a plastic turbine model, for only $100. allrailroads.com.

The newer Life-Like models have good looking details, but I can't say anything about their running characteristics.

GO N SCALE![:D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rlandry6

I replaced all of the plastic wheels with Micro-train metal ones.

I wasn't aware that Micro Trains made metal wheels? Do you happen to have a part or stock number??

[BRAKIE]

IMHO the best of the N Scale engines is:
Atlas..Atlas also has the largest selection of engines.
Kato..Second to Atlas..Doesn't have a large selection.
Life Like: The switchers and GP20s are hard to beat..I know about these units because I have owned them..Others can fill you in on the other LL engines.
IMHO your best overall choice is Atlas.

I still have a collection of N Scale that is currently being stored.

As far as detailing and weathering..If you can detail and weather in HO you can do in N Scale except the finer details..Not to worry..Even in HO some finer details never get notice under normal viewing conditions.

[Adelie]

I agree with rlandry. I have a couple of Life Like SW9s and a trio of their FA2/B2 pairs, but everything else with a motor is Kato or Atlas. If you want F units, Intermountain and Micro Trains are said to be good, too. Most of my freight cars are either Intermountain or Micro-Trains, with a good number of Atlas and Kato on the roster.

If you want deals, do an ebay search for any of these brands while in N-scale.

[rlandry6]

"again, who makes great and affordable products for N??? Ive seen Intermountain and Kato that are good, how bout Atlas and other main stream HO dealers in N? "

Atlas, Kato, Intermountain, Micro-Trains... These are the best IMHO..

Atls and Kato locos are the toppest of the top-notch..
Affordable? As in everything else, you're going to get what you pay for.

"The best is barely good enough."

[rlandry6]

I too have begun weathering my N-Scale rolling stock. Because of the size, you won't see a lot of the weathering as it rolls by. I've found that a little dirt on the sides of the cars and on the trucks, and a coat of Dullcoat really goes a long way. I replaced all of the plastic wheels with Micro-train metal ones. The faces of the wheels are painted with a dirt color acrylic to remove the black shiny appearance they come with.. The Mig Pigments covered with a coat of Dullcoat work very well..

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: ive been recently contemplating switching from HO to N. WHY? For one reason, space, i would have more room, obviesly, for an N layout than HO. Second, DWARFING!!! I want my trains to be to scale to the scenery around them

Yeah, those are typical reasons for going to N.

QUOTE: Anyway, as I look at some of the N modular layouts at GATS and such, to me, they lack quality and realism (to any Ntrak modelers out there please do not be offended, this is my opinion.) What i mean is, when you look at the loco, it is kinda shiny and unrealistic!

As Jay said, a lot of that is due to simply a lack of weathering. Even a little chalk and a coat of dullcoat goes a long way towards eliminating that. Locos and cars today in N scale are pretty detailed.

QUOTE: What im trying to get at is...from experienced N modelers out there, who makes the nicest, realistic, AFFORDABLE, N rollingstock and locos???

Everyone has their own personal favorites. Imho, Atlas makes a well detailed car at a very accessible price. Most of my recent purchases of rolling stock (since I restarted in the hobby about 3 years ago) are atlas.

Their locomotives are also well detailed, good runners, and reasonably priced.



Welcome to Normal scale.


Regards

Ed

[modelmaker51]

I think what you may be refering to is a lack of weathering and detailing. I too, have noticed a durdge of shiney locos and rolling stock in N scale. It is a simple thing to rectify though, just weather them and add appropriate details as you see fit.

IMHO, with all the RTR products out there today, many people in the hobby have gotten lazy, they've forgotten that "model" in model railroading, means "modelling", not just "train collecting".

As far as brands go, the same companies that produce high quality HO that also produce N, produce N to the highest degree that technology allows to date. If a "modeler" doesn't like something it's up to them to hone up their modelling skills and change things to their liking.

Just my humble opinion, Jay.

[Anonymous]

OK, ive been recently contemplating switching from HO to N. WHY? For one reason, space, i would have more room, obviesly, for an N layout than HO. Second, DWARFING!!! I want my trains to be to scale to the scenery around them. Anyway, as I look at some of the N modular layouts at GATS and such, to me, they lack quality and realism (to any Ntrak modelers out there please do not be offended, this is my opinion.) What i mean is, when you look at the loco, it is kinda shiny and unrealistic. I have been critisizing N for years and now I am looking to harbor it in my own house! What im trying to get at is...from experienced N modelers out there, who makes the nicest, realistic, AFFORDABLE, N rollingstock and locos??? I consider in HO P2K, Atlas Silver and Gold series, Kato, Walthers, Athearn Genesis, and Stewart, Intermountain to be the middle, upper class RR products to choose from. Bachman, Life Like, Athearn BB kits(that arnt detailed), and other similar, "cheap" items to be on the lower scale. OMI and Hallmark and Broadway Limited, for me, are a little TOO high up there for me, right now...SOOOOOOOOOO, you are probably sleeping by now...again, who makes great and affordable products for N??? Ive seen Intermountain and Kato that are good, how bout Atlas and other main stream HO dealers in N? Thanks alot, Ben