A Couple of "Stupid" Questions

[DSchmitt]

Couplers   https://www.micro-trains.com/  best or compatable

https://www.nscaledivision.com/information_on_couplers.htm

Track

Code 80   Long time standard.  All code 80 can be connected together

Code 55 Popular with people who want closer to scale rails.  

Code 80 and code 55 can be connected but requires conversion rail joiner.  Here is one brand  https://www.handlaidtrack.com/26-004

PECO Track  Makes PECO55  compatable with code 80,  Peco55  Compatable with Code 80, not comparable with real code 55. 

All the brands of locomotives and cars work together, but may have to replace couplers in some cases.   See the MicroTrains site for conversions to MicroTrains  (MTL) couplers. For some coupler conversions (if operating couplers are not important) dummy couplers can often be used http://www.foxvalleymodels.com/NParts.html  They can be hand coupled to MicroTrains. 

 

[riogrande5761]

Steven Holt

Some random questions I have are: 

1) Is there an easy way to make sure you are sticking with a specific era/date for not just the trains but the scenery?

For my purposes, I'm not narrowing things down too tightly to give me a little flexility.  I'm covering a seven year period from 1977 - 1983 to allow me to run trains that fit any year within that.

It's a personal choice for each modeler.  Easy?  The more research you do the more you can narrow things down.

2) Are different brands of track compatible? What about different brands of engines and cars? 

In general, yes to all of the above.  For track it may be easiest to stick with one code for a section of a layout.  N scale has code 80 (the most common for a long time but oversized) and code 55, which is finer scale and more realistic looking.  You can join them but may need to shim the smaller code 55 rail up to match the taller code 80 where you transistion. 

[xboxtravis7992]

Doesn't Peco N-Scale track have some funky cross section that only works with other Peco track? The benefit is it's durable while still representing smaller sized rail. 

Most of what I know about N-Scale comes from David Popp's New Haven layout he covered in his how to books. Those might be worth picking up if your interested. Two prominent N-Scale modelers in my area I know (but have yet to see their layout in person) that I can recommend as possible examples to look at, is Adam Pinales's N-Scale Soldier Summit and Chris Brimley's Hudson Terminal Railroad. Both have Facebook pages you can contact them by. 

[SeeYou190]

to the Model Railroader discussion forums. Your first few poists will be delayed by the site moderators, but that will end pretty soon. Please stick around, join the discussions, and keep us updated with your progress.

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Your space sounds good. I would drop the width to 30 inches to make it easier to reach all the way across. My first N scale layout was 30 by 72 and I had a great time with it.

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1) Good Luck! I model a specific day, August 3rd, 1954, and I still find anachronistic mistakes here and there. Just keep researching, but don't become paralyzed by uncertainty. A few mistakes will creep in.

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2) In N scale, most everything that is not "code 55" has compatibility that is really good. Some really old stuff might give you problems, but overall, everything works together well. I would suggest Kato Unitrack for your first layout just because it is almost foolproof and reduces a lot of tedious work.

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Enjoy!

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-Kevin

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[dknelson]

The problem with relying on Google and for that matter, even these forums, for advice is that they are unedited and everything comes across as equally plausible.  There are good books available from Kalmbach and elsewhere that deal with basic questions a begginer has.  Don't rule them out.

Being consistent with era is important and a great way to save money and effort but even some of the finest layout owners stub their toe on that.  There is a lot to know and to learn about era.  Of course it helps to have lived through several eras yourself 

the manufacturers are doing a better job at stating eras for their stuff.  The Walthers sales flyer is too, for that matter.

Dave Nelson

[NeO6874]

Tinplate Toddler

Code 80 track is mainly compatible, unless you chose to go with Kato Unitrack, which has a molded on roadbed and a bespoke rail joiner system. Linking up with other btands requires a piece of transition track. There is also code 55 track available, which is much finer looking than code 80 track, but compatibility may be a question here.

 

Yeah, that's a good point -- although from what I remember with generic track (i.e. none of the molded-on roadbed stuff, which is all pretty much "stick with one manufacturer" ) that it all worked as long as you stayed in one code.

Transition from C80 -> C55 can be done relatively easily through the use of "transition joiners" IIRC.  

[Tinplate Toddler]

Hi and welcome to this forum!

It´s the place to come to to get your questions answered - and sometimes to get answers for questions you have not asked.

From your post, I gather you model in N scale. Contrary to what others may say, not all track is compatible. Code 80 track is mainly compatible, unless you chose to go with Kato Unitrack, which has a molded on roadbed and a bespoke rail joiner system. Linking up with other btands requires a piece of transition track. There is also code 55 track available, which is much finer looking than code 80 track, but compatibility may be a question here.

All north American N scale locos and cars use a type of knuckle coupler, which should be compatible. Older equipment from the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s may still be fitted with the Rapido-type coupler, which has been adopted as a world-wide standard outside of the US, despite is rather unsightly, bulky appearance.

As a new member, your post will be on moderation for a short while, so don´t get angry when your posts take some time to appear in the forum.

Good luck!

 

[BigDaddy]

Steven Holt

1) Is there an easy way to make sure you are sticking with a specific era/date for not just the trains but the scenery? 2) Are different brands of track compatible? What about different brands of engines and cars?

Welcome to the forum.  We are all ignorant of something. 

For scenery, you have to use common sense.  You are not going to have a UPS building in the steam era.  Bridges last for decades, the Thomas Viaduct for centuries, but wooden bridges aren't part of the modern era.

Learning what rolling stock is appropriate is much harder if you are leaning toward being a rivet counter.  Your general knowledge of the past isn't helpful in knowing what developmental changes or legal requirements happened in any given time frame.

Couplers have changed overtime, talking model railroad couplers.  They now are much more protypical in appearance.  Older cars and engines will have non-compatible couplers, but these can be replaced.

A common mistake of newbies is to squeeze too much into too little space.  I suggest you read John Armstrong, Trackplanning for Realisitic Operation

[ROBERT PETRICK]

Steven Holt

Is there an easy way to make sure you are sticking with a specific era/date for not just the trains but the scenery?

Hey Steven-

For me, automobiles on the layout are the clearest indication of era/date.

Robert 

[kasskaboose]

Welcome aboard!  You've turned to the right place for helpful advice.  The suggestions offered here are quite valuable in keeping your enjoyment high.  To keep it at such levels, I suggest doing some reading online about what you want to model in the layout (just running a loc, switching, operations, etc.).  Associated with that is considering how much time and money you have to devote.

Great questions about what you're looking to model. 

1. To keep with sticking to a specific era, look at pictures of what was around in your era and location.  You also can read on walthers.com web page to some helpful introductions on their structures by looking online at the instruction manuals. 

2. I use Micro Engineering code 83 track and its completely compatible with my Atlas turnouts.  HO cars generally run on HO track.  Some cars derail if you make curves too tight.  Also, some here experience issues when two cars are next to each other. 

~Lee

[NeO6874]

1. Old photos, lots and lots of old photos. (thank you, google )

2a. Yup

2b. Yup - although this has some caveats.

 -- Couplers => Last I looked, N scale still kinda defaulted to whatever the N scale variation of "Horn-Hook" couplers was (rather than say Microtrains knuckles).  However, if you're picking up stuff from say a trainshow, you may get a bit of a grab-bag.

 

 -- Locomotives -> Your biggest problem is going to be gearing and motor speed (even two identical models by the same manufacturer), so if you're planning to run multiple-unit lashups, things can get tricky.  This can be mitigated pretty easily with DCC (you can program the speeds for each locomotive), it just takes some time.

[G Paine]

first, in this forum, there are no stupid question. Please keep asking

for an N scale starter layou, a hollow core door makes a good base.

most tracks  are compatible, an exception would be those that have plastic roadbed attached.

most locomotives and rolling stock are compatible, with the exception of some couplers. I will leave that discussion to an N scale modeler

[Steven Holt]

Good Afternoon MR Community, 

I am in the early stages of planning my very first layout. I have a handful of questions that I wanted to run by the communiy. I could probably research them on google but I've always been a big fan of forums and the input/insights anactive commity can provide. 

To start, I would love any input anyone has for a layout. I've started to bookmark layouts I've seen online thay I like. I'm going with an N scale and have a maximum layout space of 8'x3'. I could go slightly larger than 8' if needed but want to stick with 3'. I would like something that will have an enjoyable continuous run that I can sit back and watch. I'd like at least one tunnel and one bridge and hopefully a small town/village/industry. If possible a street car (i know this might be a stretch given the small space). Let me know what you think. 

Some random questions I have are: 

1) Is there an easy way to make sure you are sticking with a specific era/date for not just the trains but the scenery? 

2) Are different brands of track compatible? What about different brands of engines and cars? 

Any general suggestions you may have for a complete beginner are greatly appreciated. 

 

Thanks!