N gauge & steam

[Anonymous]

As you can tell from my spelling I'm in the UK.

Am I right in assuming that N gauge is not as popular in the U.S. as it is in Europe?

I'm hoping to collect steam locos ( for display only) from around the world, no problem except for the U.S. High on my list was all the big stuff but can't find very much, I felt sure Big Boy would be available somewhere but can find no trace.

Without a good selection of classic american steam, the collection would be incomplete, I've searched loads of suppliers in the U.S. and come up with very little, can anyone point me in the right direction please.

[IRONROOSTER]

The large locomotives are produced in batches with quite a bit of time between batches. There may not be a Big Boy in production at the moment in N scale. You might check ebay.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Not American.
Only on place comes to mind, ebay. You can find autions for big boy in plastic as well as brass.
Richard

[1shado1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joeman

As you can tell from my spelling I'm in the UK.

Am I right in assuming that N gauge is not as popular in the U.S. as it is in Europe?

I'm hoping to collect steam locos ( for display only) from around the world, no problem except for the U.S. High on my list was all the big stuff but can't find very much, I felt sure Big Boy would be available somewhere but can find no trace.

Without a good selection of classic american steam, the collection would be incomplete, I've searched loads of suppliers in the U.S. and come up with very little, can anyone point me in the right direction please.

So what you are inferring is that because your spelling appears to be impeccable, you couldn't possibly be from the United States, right?[:0] I think I resemble that remark![:D]
Yes, between folks spelling gauge and diesel incorrectly (although technically, it's n SCALE, not GAUGE), and the guy that thinks an apostrophe belongs in ANY word that ends in the letter "s", we Americans can sometimes be a pretty sad bunch when it comes to spelling.

As for the Big Boy issue, none have been made in plastic in n scale for a few years now. Whether or not they will ever be rereleased by Concor/Rivarossi is unknown. Very likely not.
Your best bet is to look on Ebay for a Concor/Rivarossi version in n scale. Expect to pay in the range of $400US for one. The only major problem with these is that the size of the driving wheels are about a scale foot too small. The wheels for the pilot truck are also undersized (but can be replaced). It's either that, or be willing to cough up big bucks for a brass version.

[Anonymous]

There is a shop in columbus, ohio that has N scale steamers. Last time I was there I about flipped when I saw them. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name or number. As for N scale being popular.....I'm into N scale exclusively. Anything larger and I'd have to literally buy a bigger house...lol. A 4x10 ft. layout pretty much takes up my entire dining room.

owning 33 loco's =nothing
owning 212 cars =nothing
Watching someone's jaw drop when they see em all= priceless

[Wdlgln005]

As for N vs HO for popularity, it seems many Americans have spce in the basement to do an empire. Moving into an apartment or condo with a 12ft room changes things a lot. I think Nscale will grow in the future as living spaces decline.

If you want a display only loco, you could go for any offering by Bachmann, LifeLike & Model Power. Bachmann's Spectrum line have excellent details. For an old timer, you will want a Bachmann American 4-4-0.
You will want a model of LifeLike's Polar Express Berkshire. Model Power make a Pacific 4-6-2 and Mikado 2-8-2. A good mix would have a variety of roadnames, like Santa Fe, Union Pacific, PRR, etc. You could stage your own Pagent of the Iron Horse for all these roads to get together & display developments in steam. Chicago had a fair like this in the 1930's just before the World's Fair of 1933.

[Jacktal]

I have accumulated a few N scale steamers (11) over the last two years and I had to rely on Ebay for most of them (9).Present production of N scale steamers is almost inexistant so older productions,most privately owned,is the only source.An generally,the rarer models are held on to by their owners as cherished jewels,so that they call for hefty prices...when available.The only way I could get a Big Boy without visiting my savings account was to settle for one that needed to be worked on.$300. U.S. is a minimum you can expect to pay for a nice running unit,whether a Big boy or a Challenger and even in this price range,don't be surprised to see it sniped in the last thirty seconds.You really want one...bid heavily...and cross your fingers.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies, I did hope but did not really expect, somebody would know of a little shop that would have everything I could possibly want.

I lived in the U.S. for 4 years in the late 50's and did wonder if the reason for what seems like a lack of interest in N gauge was due to larger houses, so no real need for the smaller scale.

I'm surprised the Germans have not seen the gap in the market and filled it, quality would be great (don't think about the prices though).

Just to finish, I hope no one took my comment about my spelling of gauge to mean anything more than just pointing out that I'm in the U.K..

Thanks again

[Anonymous]

Found one BIG BOY for you Joe....please see this URL and check it out!!!

http://www.nscalesupply.com/pon/Preowned.aspx

They have one big boy listed for ya......knew I'd find one it just took me some time!!!


LSW33
[e-mail]

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: I lived in the U.S. for 4 years in the late 50's and did wonder if the reason for what seems like a lack of interest in N gauge was due to larger houses, so no real need for the smaller scale.

N scale has increased significantly in popularity in the past 25 years. Partly due to more people living in apts or small houses. But space alone isn't the reason. If it was, we'd just have more people in HO with small time-saver switching layouts. But the manufacturers have made great strides in improving operation and detailing of N scale locos and cars. That, combined with space issues, has fueled N scale's rise in popularity.

QUOTE: Just to finish, I hope no one took my comment about my spelling of gauge to mean anything more than just pointing out that I'm in the U.K..

That's the way I took it. But I'm glad you pointed it out as I didn't find a single centre or colour in the post to give it away.


Speaking of larger N scale steam locos, it occurs to me that Bachmann has a 2-6-6-2 available in it's Spectrum line. And I think that Life-Like has, or recently had, a 2-8-8-2 Mallet available. Oriental put out a brass 4-6-6-4 Challenger a while back, but you'd have to search for one now.



Regards

Ed

[Anonymous]

Joe,

Also, check out ebay auction # 5978576476 She's a real looker....you might just get lucky, but check the reputation of the engine before bidding!!!!

If I had the cash...I'd grab her......awesome little puffer.

[Jacktal]

Just checked it...interesting so far...bids will likely go up though...and seller says "U.S. only shipping........

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for your help.

The collection I'm intending is my retirment gift to myself and I chose N gauge because of space limitations.
This comes at a time when we are looking to move, hopefully for the last time and I have finally convinced my wife that a house we viewed last week is the one for us, she thinks it's too big but it has, which is very unusual in the U.K. a 38 X15 games room, we made an offer, which has been accepted.
I am now going for HO, which is what I would have prefered all along, much better choice.
So no more work (yippee), playing with trains all day, does life get any better.

Regards Joe

[Anonymous]

I owuld have to agree, nowadays ebay is your best bet!