New Bright & Other Inexpensive G-Scale

[Anonymous]

After reading this thread with great interest, I decided to replace my New-Bright Oval with Aristo-Craft track. I had great plans to use the New-Bright Engine and cars for now and upgrade in the future.

I purchased track from ridgeroadstation.com as recommended in this thread, but have had a horrible experience. The photos on the site do not match the item numbers or contents. I ended up spending $90 and can't even make a closed oval, but I do have a pair of switches which go nowhere!

If you are a newbie to G-scale like me, please be wary of what you order online. Ridge Road Station told me that only the "fuzzy" part of the photo is included in the set I ordered. I also ended up with 1/2 track curve pieces while the photos show full pieces. They offered to accept the return, but I'll end up eating over $25 in shipping charges.

I'm thinking of giving up on G-scale and sticking with good ol' Lionel O-scale.

 

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Big Daddy don't give up on G-Scale just yet.  You'll be glad you stuck with it later on as nothing in any of the other scales offers so much.

There are plenty of bargins out there you just have to do your home work before buying.  That's what I'm in the process of doing right now.  For example, I started out looking at Bachmanns web site and thought to my self, "self, you can't affore this stuff!"  Then I started checking e-bay and discovered the same items for almost half of what Bachmann had them listed for.  Then, from an ad that caught my eye in December issue of Garden Railways, I found the very same item I was looking at for even less than e-bay!  Haven't order yet but probably will do so shortly.

Do you mind telling me if your located in Tennessee somewhere?  I'm in M'boro. and was thinking maybe we could get together some time and compare notes.  Comments?

Best Regards, 

 

[Great Western]

Hi Big Daddy,

      I would also say don't give up.  I am also fairly new into G scale.  I did buy brand new Aristo brass track from a very helpful supplier here in the UK.   I gave him a plan he gave me good advice and I purchased.  (Garden Rail Centres of Cheltenham).

  But I am sure in the US there are many good retailers who offer a full (not just discounted) service and will advise you well.  Think about second hand, yeah I doesn't shine but it is OK and the new stuff will tarnish anyway. 

   And read the many Forums, there is so much good advice and help.

     

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

I've decided to go ahead and purchase enough Aristo-Craft track to close an oval. We'll see about engines in the future.

With a young son who is seriously into trains, I've had the opportunity to dabble in all scales and several toy lines this year. We've had a great time cleaning and repairing old Lionel equiment. As we are running out of room inside, G-scale appeals because of the option to move outside.

I reside in Knoxville and would certainly be interested in learning about bargains to be found in G-scale railroading equipment. My local hobby store is helpful, but their prices are almost double what's available online.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello again Big Daddy - Since your in Knoxville I don't guess we will meet any time soon but here is a tip for you.  Take you son to the Children's Musuem at Oak Ridge TN.  I'm told they have a "killer" G-scale layout on display there.  You may find some ideas also............

Happy Railroading.................

[Anonymous]

Dose new bright make any switch track?  I just ran upon this topic and it got the ol' wheels a turnin'. Do they only make one radious of curve track also?

 Kevin G

[RR Redneck]

Much as I hate it, I have to admit that Bachmann is a good brand for newbies, just be sure to get brass track.

[markn]

Kevin-New Bright makes a "switch Track" and "points, or a turnout"-you can usually get them on ebay-but carefully check the photos and description-often a piece (straight) of track that New Bright uses to turn on/off the loco is referred to as a "switch track" and I am assuming you are looking for "turn-outs".  I have only seen their track in 4 ft dia.

[Coogler Rail Line]

Just to throw my 2 cents in....I have been buying used LGB track.  Brass is Brass...

[ttrigg]

What he said
I am the self-professed King of Cheap in this group here.
Good Luck

OK Vic, if you are the King of Cheap, the I guess that makes me the King of Thrifty. Can't have two kings in the same kingdom!

bjohns67 -I'm so cheap-I'm not putting my two cent in,

All right you guys, what are you trying to do, scare the new guy off?

DO IT-maybe spend another $20 on track to double the basic oval . . . .  If you like it, don't spent anymore money on the toy/plastic stuff- start planning/saving for the better stuff-if you don't like it -you're out $50-or sell it on ebay -Welcome and good luck!

If you go the way Mark has suggested, then spend the time reading the many, many pages here dealing with track and the volatile question "which is best".  Determine your requirements and wants, and what the wife will like.  Then make your choice of Brass vs Stainless vs Aluminum & Sectional vs Flex.

You are already on your way to doing the most important thing,

Get Outside And Have Fun!

[Anonymous]

Another of many questions, no doubt, as I wander into the workd of graden railways.  On another forum I aksed for information regardig battery powered locos.  We'll see where that goes.  My quest today is about trak.  I agree that the plastic track looks like a very temporary solution and am going with metal track. 

I have a few sections of brass Aristocraft track.  Heavy and pricey.  At a train store in Jackonville, AL (Model City Models) I found some (stainless steeel?) track with no manufacturer name on the bottom - only 'made in China'.  It mates with the Aristo-Craft just fine, even though the ties are a bit narrower.  They are about 4.5 feet long.  Can anyone tell me the brand, or another source, so that I don't have to drive 100 miles every time I have a few bucks for track?

Best of the new year to y'all.

[REI]

I'm really interested in knowing if anyone else has New Bright G-scale battery trains and Scientific Toys trains. Anyone?

[FJ and G]

why pay all that money for NB track? when you can get it nearly for free...

I'm helping a fellow build a strap iron railroad like they had in the 19th century. Using strap iron and sticks, you can cut the strap iron lengthwise (from construction projects) and silicone glue attach to sticks to make rails. If one of the straps becomes loose, it could puncture the underside of a passenger car and skewer some of the passengers, adding to the prototypical operation

 



 



 

the iron straps, btw, conduct electricity if using track power, but they do get rusty, adding to the rustic flair; so if you want track power, lightly grease the rails with oil; but less hassle with battery. For curves, cut angles and fit or simply cut curves in the straps

[REI]

Well, for the record, the New Bright G-scale track is much better  than the Scientific track. That is why I chose to use NB track because they join better, are much stronger and durable than Scientific track, and they made more variety of track. Scietific only made one type of straight and curve track, on the other hand, New Bright made 2 types of straight track, long ones and shorter ones, curve track, crossing track with a post and a lever that lowers every time train passes, crossing track without posts and also used to rerail train (mine NEVER derail), left and right switchout tracks for putting them away in my roundhouse (storage facility), swith tracks for foward,reverse, or stalling and made a type of staition that looks really nice with a rustic, western look. There is one staition in my Railroad (so its not a comuter Railroad). And its the New Bright staition, I put two separate staitions into one to make the loading platform longer for the string of cars, here are pics:

[CCSII]

REI-

As I understand it you are coming to Oklahoma. If that is correct, "Howdy Folks" needs to be at the TOP of your posts. At the BOTTOM, it should say; "Y'all come back, hear?"

[Anonymous]

 

Have to ask what size is the water tower as to the houses? Or houses to the water tower?

[REI]

They're all G-scale.

[Semper Vaporo]

The best thing to use to 'size' the other objects is the door to the building.  I assume it is the door to the freight room of the station.  This door would probably be 7 ft tall.

Thus, the building is about 14-Ft from the door sill to the peak, which is about right.

The steps, below and to the right of the door, do not meet the national building code because the risers are 12-inches.

The water tower is 80.5-ft tall.  The rungs on the ladder are 3.5-ft apart.  The tank holds 167,000-gallons.

The red barrels on each side of the track hold 467-gallons.

The gauge of the track is considered "Broad gauge" at 7.5 ft.

The blue uniformed individual in the foreground has an arm that is 8 ft long.  The top of the hat is almost 4-ft in diameter.

 

[REI]

REI-

As I understand it you are coming to Oklahoma. If that is correct, "Howdy Folks" needs to be at the TOP of your posts. At the BOTTOM, it should say; "Y'all come back, hear?"

I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying but if you're reffering to my signature at the bottom of my window, that's a quote from the begining of the speil at the Walt Disney World Railroad.

[Anonymous]

I had one of the New Bright engines, made a really bad attempt at a
kitbash and threw it away in disgust. (MOST UNDESIREABLE MISTAKE,
should ahve kept for parts at least).

 

Now I have a
Scientific Toys, RC train, and have made a much better attempt at kit
bash. to a small industrial switcher. Problem is, that I forgot which
wires go where, can someone take a minute and tell me (or draw up a
quick and dirty wiring diagram) of which wires go to which spots on the
circut board? and where those wires go.

 

Much apprecaited, and I cannot wait for spring to start laying outdoor track!

 

Dwayne Miller

MD & S Railways,

Akron, Ohio

 

[vsmith]

Sorry Dwayne, I dont know of any source or diagram for these cheepies. Best I can suggest is get another one (cheap off Ebay or $40 for the whole set from KB toys online) openi it up and use that one as a guide to rewire the beasty.

On other engines I have taken apart with alot of wires, I always cut the wires midway so I can rematch the wire colors, if mutiple same coloring use masking tape with matching numbers written on each end, I then just twist connect the wires and use heat shrink wire insulation.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking about doing just that.. I guess my next load of scrap metals goes to buying one.

I
wonder how tough modeling a 0-6-0T from that would be. Could use boiler
and Cab thats there.. but it seems overscaled for what I have in
mind.... (think Thomas the tank, and your not far off, but without the
silly face)

 

 If anyone happens to be willing to help.. drop a line here.. I check back often

 

Thanks!

 

[vsmith]

The one I kept for a kids train I pulled the pilot wheel off just to keep the danged thing on the track thru switches, so removing the pilot only improves its performance, so does adding self adhesive tire weights to the inside of the boiler. If you add side tanks, add some weights inside, these locos are very light and adding a few oz of weight helps tremendously.

[Mr_Ash]

I had the one engine eh... 2-6-2 i think it was just an engine no coal car would spin around and make noise... had that when I was like 5 or somthing, Got a new bright set from my grandma some years later. It had a engine/tender, boxcar and caboose, only thing left is the caboose and box car thats been sitting in my back yard for about 20 years, plastic isnt very faided and the wheels still spin

My sisters kid plays with the caboose every time he comes over so I'm thinking about picking up a set off ebay for him to play with on my tracks

[REI]

I had the one engine eh... 2-6-2 i think it was just an engine no coal car would spin around and make noise... had that when I was like 5 or somthing, Got a new bright set from my grandma some years later. It had a engine/tender, boxcar and caboose, only thing left is the caboose and box car thats been sitting in my back yard for about 20 years, plastic isnt very faided and the wheels still spin

My sisters kid plays with the caboose every time he comes over so I'm thinking about picking up a set off ebay for him to play with on my tracks

 That engine you first mentioned is a bump-and-go engine.(can't run on tracks or anything)

By the way those pics at the top are my old layout photos before I moved. The layout at the new house is a bit smaller (about 10 ft. less) since it's located at my room, but the scenery has really improved with polyturf rug, more trees, and more lighting on the saition.

[baberuth73]

I noticed on ebay a NB loco that runs on track power- thought all their stuff was battery only. Anyone have one of these?

[REI]

I noticed on ebay a NB loco that runs on track power- thought all their stuff was battery only. Anyone have one of these?

 I don't have any but yeah, New Bright made a few models of electric train sets starting around mid 1990s. Most of the electric train set engines were given the more "modern" look from the 1920s or 30s. And there was one made that was a wood-burning 4-4-0 American from the late 1800s that had a large diamond stack and long, pointy cowchaser. That one was made in 1997. New Bright also made that hidieous "Holiday Express" product line that a lot of hobby web sites have been selling for quite a while now.

[Moosie]

eToys sells Scientific/EZTec train track. It's listed as G Gauge-expansion train track for Coastal Express Train Set. Retails for $9.99 and you get 6 straight, 6 curved and a 90 degree cross over. Go to eToys.com and see for yourself.

MOOSIE

[Moosie]

I also find that the RC operated Big Haulers by Bachmann (4-6-0) .needs extra weight over the pilot wheels. Found the peel & stick weights work well here. 

[cortelrb]

 I run new bright loco's (Have 4 of em) .  The only drawback is the rubber on the loco wheels eventually fall apart and I can't find replacements anywhere .

 I tried several sizes of rubber bands and sink washers but none really fit. Other than that, I find them more convienent to run them the Bachman and Aristocraft engines I have . Plus I don't mind if my grandkids drop them when thy're playing with me.