thinking about N-guage

[Anonymous]

i ahve bee naway from the model railroading hobby for MANY years. i havve done some O guage stuff and now i am looking at N guage (space is at a premium). i am going to make some measurements of an area in the basement that i plan to use. where is the best place to start looking at how to get started, wiring, layout basics and such. also what are some good companies that make engines, switches, transformers and the like (i hope that my lingo is not too dated!).


thanks

john

[Kent]

Kato and Atlas make the best locos as far as I'm concerned. Buchmann also has some good stuff.

WHen you go looking for track, for the most part you'll probably find mostly Atlas, it good. another company is Peco, I've heard good stuff about it but haven't bought any myself as it cost a fair bit more then Atlas track..

You may not have heard od DCC yet, but you may want to check into it at http://www.lenz.com or www.digitrax.com . It a digital way of controlling many locos, and accessories on the same track without the need for block wiring.

[Anonymous]

i measured my area that i have to work with. it is shaped like the letter "b" (lower case "b" that is. think of it as two sections placed together. one is 4'x4' then there is a 5' long by 19 inch wide section. it is wraping around part of my oil heater and wall. i am pressed for space and i am looking at the basement for ways to fit it in. i have many shelves set up that is preventing me from using space (i do not want to have the layout below shelves. that just spells disaster.).

so is this a do-able idea or should i look for a dedicated wall space for the train.

john

[MAbruce]

QUOTE:
so is this a do-able idea or should i look for a dedicated wall space for the train.

john

It really depends on what you want. In N-scale, there are certainly layout possibilities for the space you detailed, but it isn’t going to be a large pike (Maybe more of a switching layout than anything). If this is what you are looking for, then fine. If not, then see if you can look for a larger space. There is a nice layout website that can give you some ideas:

http://www.layoutdepot.com/view.ihtml

As for equipment:

LOCOS (Diesel): Kato is considered the best, but will also command a higher price and less of it is available. Atlas is a very close second (or is on par these days), and they have much more availability and selection. Lifelike is a close third (only on their recent releases in the past five years). Athearn, Intermountain and Microtrains are newer entries, and reports have been mostly favorable so far. I’d stay away from Bachmann & Con-cor.

TRACK, ETC: Atlas is the largest player here, with two types of track – Code 80 & 55. Code 80 has been around since the beginning of N-scale, is pretty much “bullet-proof”, and there is a wide selection & availability. Code 55 is more recent and looks better, but there is not quite (yet) as big a selection as with code 80. (but certainly enough is out there to get started). Peco, Kato, and Micro Engineering are the next tier. They tend to command a higher price. I’ve heard some good things about Peco. I would purchase the November issue of Model Railroader magazine, as they have a special article on N-scale track!

ROLLING STOCK: Micro Trains is the grand-daddy here, but they command a premium. Others have caught them in detail & selection (like Intermountain, Atlas, Red Caboose). There are others that are good as well: Bowser, Kato, MDC/Roundhouse, Deluxe. The low end stuff is: Industrial, Bachmann, Lifelike. AND STAY AWAY FROM HIGH SPEED “READERS DIGEST” CARS (SOUTHERN PACIFIC). They are knocking around ebay under the guise of operating rolling stock. They were free give-a-ways from Reader Digest that were not intended for MRR use.

POWER PACKS: MRC is king for block DC operation. I have no experience in DCC operation, so I will leave it up to someone else to address your options there.

This only scratches the surface of what’s out there in N-scale. I suggest you read through some of these forums for further information:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/n_scale/
http://www.the-gauge.com/forums/
http://www.trainboard.com/

You can always visit your local hobby shop for some books (but I’d go on-line first because the information is always free there).

[coalminer3]

You have ample amount of space for an interesting layout.

I went from O to N in the early 70s. It's a lot better than it used to be as previous posters have suggested. The key to getting things to work right is spending time to make sure you properly lay track. The possibilities for scenery, structures, etc. are limitless. Woodland Scenics has a lot of good stuff.

Structure kits by DPM are a good bet. They also have all sorts of panels and fittings available to bash into other buildings. This is especially important as I model urban scenery. Walthers Cornerstone kits are also good starting point for urban buildings.

Micro Trains, Atlas, Intermountan are all good choices for rolling stock. There's lots of freight cars out there and not as much passenger stock, but that's whay I bash and build my own as needed. BTW, ConCors models of Budd fluted sides are top notch (but what am I going to do with all those PRR dome cars?)

Locomotives are much better than they used to be. Even the steam engines are getting better (never thought I see that happen).

I'd take a look at some of the N track planning books that are out there and see what you can come up with.

Enjoy and keep us posted.

wok safe

[Anonymous]

I am into HO but my wife is into N gauge. Her experience has been that Kato and LifeLike Heritage steam are absolutely fantastic in operation as well as detail. She has some Bachman diesels that run pretty good most of the time and a Bachman Steam that she had to send back for replacement because it ran so badly right out of the box. She is currently using Bachman track (with the roadbed) and Bachman power packs but is strongly considering DCC after seeing how mine operate with it. She is undecided in what track to use on her final layout design at this time. Just running a couple ovals with turnouts right now. She has a couple older Diesels of unknown maker that run very well also, just having a hard time converting to Micro Trains couplers and getting rid of the Rapidos. (Can u believe the Heritage Steam came with only Rapido couplers? Strange!) Kato's couplers are very reliable also.