I'm re-doing my entire layout.
It's a nice warm summer layout with farm lands and rolling hills along with a small area of desert.
As I sit here and look outside the snow is half way up the kitchen window (thats about a 7ft drift.) I'm wondering if I should change to an all winter layout? LOL
The blizzard is supposted to last until around noon tomorrow.
i take your not going to work tomorrow Dewayne?? more time to work on your layout!! denver is getting socked pretty hard..
i dont mean to change any subjects but, i am getting back into railroading (with my sons)after a 12 year time out. we are looking at power rite now and i was wondering what does lifelike, rivarossi, and bachmann have for a track record?? i know kato and atlas are pretty high on the list. i just have a problem letting my 7 year old son run 300.00 consist, or a 500.00 train. ya know what i mean?? we are looking at 4 axle units, and possibaly a steamer or 2. your 2 cents will be more than welcome... thanks for your time... donnie
In pursuit of deciding whether to switch from my 25 years stored HO trains over to N scale, I ordered a small yardmaster train set made by "Life-Like" with a diesel switcher and a few rolling stock. (It's for the tree, honey. Not for me....)
My question is are all N scale locos this freaking NOISY? You can barely converse at normal levels with this thing running. It's not the track noise (which is also bad enough with its "Power-Lok" track). I cannot recall any HO loco that makes any where near this much noise.
So, how much noise do N scale locos make normally? (and what's the deal with "power-lok" track, good, bad or just plain ugly?)
Thanks
NSnscaler wrote: I like Con-Cor's autoracks, walthers usually has them and they're common at train shows. I'd agree that atlas and kato are very good. May I also recommend DeLuxe innovations' cars; they make a lot of modern cars like wood chip cars, spines, and stack cars. Life-like is serviceable, and i know nothing of roundhouse, but haven't seen anything from them in a while.Hope I could help!NSnscaler
I like Con-Cor's autoracks, walthers usually has them and they're common at train shows. I'd agree that atlas and kato are very good. May I also recommend DeLuxe innovations' cars; they make a lot of modern cars like wood chip cars, spines, and stack cars. Life-like is serviceable, and i know nothing of roundhouse, but haven't seen anything from them in a while.
Hope I could help!
NSnscaler
Yuck! Con-Cor makes the worst autoracks! They ride high, come with Rapidos and the stirrups look more at home on an HO car! There's a reason why you see Con-Cor autoracks in train shows :) No one wants em anymore! Best autoracks are Red Caboose's - you can see through the grill panels and put some cars inside if you want to. Micro Trains' autoracks come in a close second, they have nicer-looking stirrups. Roundhouse is good, but I think they got out of N scale since being bought by Athearn/Horizon and are now basically Athearn's steam-era sub-brand. If you can find Roundhouse cars on eBay or at shows, they're worth it. I picked up a bunch of boxcars and reefers for less than $5 each!
spindoctor wrote: My question is are all N scale locos this freaking NOISY? You can barely converse at normal levels with this thing running. It's not the track noise (which is also bad enough with its "Power-Lok" track). I cannot recall any HO loco that makes any where near this much noise. So, how much noise do N scale locos make normally? (and what's the deal with "power-lok" track, good, bad or just plain ugly?) Thanks
It really depends...I have 4 N scale locos currently: An Atlas SD60M and Dash-840B, an Intermountain SD40T-2 and an Athearn F59PHI. All of them are rather noisy save for the Atlas Dash-8, that one runs as smooth as butter and rolls down the track like a pair of roller skates.
Look on the bright side, you might not really need that DCC sound decoder after all :)
spindoctor wrote: In pursuit of deciding whether to switch from my 25 years stored HO trains over to N scale, I ordered a small yardmaster train set made by "Life-Like" with a diesel switcher and a few rolling stock. (It's for the tree, honey. Not for me....) My question is are all N scale locos this freaking NOISY? You can barely converse at normal levels with this thing running. It's not the track noise (which is also bad enough with its "Power-Lok" track). I cannot recall any HO loco that makes any where near this much noise. So, how much noise do N scale locos make normally? (and what's the deal with "power-lok" track, good, bad or just plain ugly?) Thanks
spindoctor,
I too switched from HO to N and have Atlas, Kato and Life-Like engines. All of them are really quiet. I have heard of some bad LL engines though. I'm not really sure about the track. I use Kato and love it. I bet if you get some decent engines and track you'll like what N-scale has to offer.
Rob
UNIONPACIFIC4018 wrote:So my wife and I are looking at a new house. Currently I have the entire 2 car garage for my HO scale empire. Its Green River, Wyoming 40's-50's Union Pacific so Big boys, Northerns and Challengers. are the big wheeled monsters. Well the new house I could have the formal living room for my train room. Let me list the plusses first. #1 Inside the house with A/C Heat #2 Flat floor no sloped garage floor #3 No more window units Negatives #1 small room 12x14 So I am thinking maybe I should switch to N Now I am unsure if there is lots of stuff available in N scale Not newer diesels, maybe 1st generation E-Units and F-Units. Also steam of the time period. I have about 100 pieces of rolling stock 4 or 5 buildings 300 ft. of code 83 track with 30 turnouts. All of this can be salvaged easily actually I can even get the cork up without any damage. I really like having 36" radius curves and running 15-20 car passenger trains and 30-40 freight runs. Any thoughts?? thanks
As far as first generation diesels go, there's no problem. You can get just about any first generation unit used by the UP (including a sound equipped E-7's, E-8/9 and PA's by PCM) in N scale. F units by Intermountain (F-3 and F-7), Kato (F-3). GP-7's and 9's by Atlas. SW switchers by Life-Like (P2K).
As for steam, you're a bit more limited. Athearn has a Challenger in N and I believe they're coming out with a Big Boy. Bachmann has an N scale version of their Spectrum 2-8-0 and Life-Like has a diecast metal USRA light 2-8-2. It wouldn't surprise me if someone like PCM did a 4-8-4. OTOH, there's not that much more in HO, either. It's not clear if Hornby will re-issue the UP 4-8-4 and nobody (yet) makes a Harriman Mikado or Pacific.
Freight cars won't be a problem as there are lots out there by Microtrains, Intermountain, etc., and there are several sources for passenger cars.
Hope this helps.
Andre
claymore1977 wrote: Thanks Mike and I do apologize to all readers for this 'cat fight.' I am glad to see that I am not the only one with opinions to the contrary. New subject. Since I am still 'new' to N scale what would the experts recommend for good quality modern day rolling stock?
Thanks Mike and I do apologize to all readers for this 'cat fight.' I am glad to see that I am not the only one with opinions to the contrary.
New subject. Since I am still 'new' to N scale what would the experts recommend for good quality modern day rolling stock?
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
As to noisey locos, it depends on the brand. Kato, Intermountain and Atlas make some pretty quiet stuff. With LifeLike, it depends on the model, their heritage steam is pretty quiet. I have never had a Bachmann model that wasn't noisey. Athearn's SD70M was so noisey that I took it back to the LHS and swapped it out for a Kato SD70 MAC.
LifeLike and Bachmann unitized track are poor versions of Kato Unitrak. The Kato stuff has been the most reliable for operation that I have ever used.
Bob
R. T. POTEET wrote:I am sure I am going to get beaten to death on this one and I should stay out of it.UNIONPACIFIC4018, I have some bad news for you - the most à propos label which you can be apply to an N-Scale steamer is "dog".Unless you are prepared to run double-headers - rare for steamers - you ain't gonna lug 30-40 freight cars up any kind of a grade. Period, quote, and a report!!!!NOTE: I know!!! Somebody out there has an N-Scale steamer which will lug 538 cars up an 18% grade!!! PLEASE!!! SPARE ME!!!
RT, why so negative all the time?
Double heading was very common in some areas of the country.
I model only steam in N scale and I'm quite happy with it. I don't think I can muster 538 cars up an 18% grade, but I'd like to see ANY model loco in ANY scale do that! My larger loco's do quite well hauling 20-25 cars up a 2% grade with little effort though, and that's good enough for me. They run very well at a dead crawl with no cogging (i.e. they're very smooth), don't stall out all the time, and they look good I think. They're very quiet too.
Perhaps your experience with N steam has not been as positive as mine. I'm sorry that is the case because there are many excellent choices out there for steam in N. The old days of N scale are disappearing quickly, and thank goodness! Some of those older steamers WERE dogs!
My bigger concern though is why you seem so antagonistic in a lot of your posts. Do you not mean to come off this way, and then you wonder why everyone is ganging up on you?
Have you taken some vacation time lately? Both from the hobby and from work?
Perhaps you might concider it.
Well, I took a leave of my senses last night.
Seems that my Christmas bonus this year was bigger then expected. I recieved it yesterday and found myself (I'm not quite sure how this happened. The details are a little foggy you know! ;) ) at the local hobby shop with a large wad of money in my pocket. "Somehow", in the course of events, I ended up walking out the door with a new Digitrax Super Chief Radio setup. I awoke this morning to realize that this was not a dream! So,.......I guess it's to the test bench with the Bachmann setup, and hello bells and whistles!
Do you think I can plead temporary insanity?
RR Redneck wrote:Yes it was pardner. What does your frieght scheme look like?
Yes it was pardner. What does your frieght scheme look like?
Right now it is undecorated gray! It is still on the drawing board, but my initial thought was to use light gray (not undecorated gray) bodies and a knock off of the CSX striping (scheme prior to the Dark Future). I'm rethinking that and could use the arrowhead I used on the PA with no tail. Still on the drawing board, but the lettering will be black.
- Mark
pcarrell wrote:my Christmas bonus this year was bigger then expected.
NS2591 wrote:Mark: I do 1:55 Scale drawings as another hobby, and I thought of a RR name but I couldn't think of a paint scheme. I saw the Arrow on your PAs, and I thought that would make a great paint shceme for the a shortline on a pair of Switchers. I changed some colors to others and I modified the arrow I'll post the Drawing when I complete it.
Paint scheme looks great, and I like the name.
The inspiration for the arrows came from the slant of window/windshield of the PA. It may get retained when I start on the freight locomotives.
We moved back in mid-September and I've been spent what little time I've had for MRRing working on a trackplan. I've been battling a mental block that lifted in the last week or two. Alas, I'll be traveling mostly to Alaska for work the first 4 months of 2007, so any actual construction will have to wait. The good news is I will probably wind up with a decent track plan by the time the travel is over.
pcarrell wrote:Well, I took a leave of my senses last night. Seems that my Christmas bonus this year was bigger then expected. I recieved it yesterday and found myself (I'm not quite sure how this happened. The details are a little foggy you know! ;) ) at the local hobby shop with a large wad of money in my pocket. "Somehow", in the course of events, I ended up walking out the door with a new Digitrax Super Chief Radio setup. I awoke this morning to realize that this was not a dream! So,.......I guess it's to the test bench with the Bachmann setup, and hello bells and whistles!Do you think I can plead temporary insanity?
I made a pre-bonus buy when I walked into my LHS a couple weeks ago. I just wanted to say hello because I haven't been there in about 6 months. I wasn't planning on spending anything, you know how that works right? Well anyways, there it was, a new Atlas GP-40-2 in SP colors marked at $49.99. I just couldn't let it sit there at that price. Online, the same exact engine, lowest price I had seen at the time was $69.99. Today I see them for $59.99 @ M.B. Klien.
My LHS gets good deals every now and then, and then he passes them on to unsuspecting visiters such as myself. Now, If I had gone in a few weeks earlier before the Train show, there were alot more of a selection at that price. Then I really would have had a problem. I hate impulse shopping, it's just that I'm so good at it. Because my teachers always told me , find something your good at, and then do your best at it! LOL.
Craig
trainfreek92 wrote:How many of you guys like Intermountain N scale locos? I got one the other day for my bday. (Maine Central F3A) And it runs very good and quiet. Is this the norm with Intermountain. Honestly it runs better then some of my Atlas n scale locos. What about you guys?
Unfortunately I have two of the early units, tunnel motors, and they don't run very good at all, especially together. I have heard that there were some runs that did not come out so good. I do have a set of black widow F3 AB and they run great.
I will most likely buy more IM units in the future as everybody gets a rotten egg sometimes.
John
I run steam and diesel in N. Any performance problems I may have with any of my engines are my responsibility. The Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 I got and am converting to a Pennsy H10 had a slight "chug-chug" stagger to it so I took the drivers out and reinstalled them in better balance. It's not the easiest thing to do in N, but it runs much more smoothly. I've also been thinking about a getting quartering jig.
But then I started, even in the midst of a major steam project, calling it quits on additional 1956-era stuff and instead focusing my new purchases on 1970s Penn Central and Conrail euqipment. GACK! The grass is always greener, huh?
The plan would be a dual-era layout with trains, vehicles, and certain structures to be swapped out for each era. Why such a dramatic change?
1. I'm not sure I'll be happy with having to bash a full steam roster. The first one is a challenge to say the least.
2. I remember PC and Conrail, not the 1956 PRR.
3. 1956 PRR was classy and well-dressed, but not as interesting as early Conrail's crazy collection of Northeastern bankrupts.
4. The 1970s were the last gasp of old-style railroading with cabooses, manual interlocking plants, and jointed rail.
I love them both, so I plan to model them both. Plus, my little N scale layout will be it until I retire from the USAF (another 9 years), so I'll have to do something to keep it interesting. Swapping out trains, vehicles, and structures is a good way to keep it interesting.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
Otto Ray Sing wrote:Dave what are some of the problems that you run into in modeling in the military? I know that you get trasferred quite often (hopefully not to a war zone). Are you able to build a layout? If so I'm sure that a large one must be totally out of the question. I didn't have to worry about that problem; I was in Viet Nam for most of my service. I still got Model Railroader magazine. It didn't last very long. Everybody there was so starved for something something to read, and especially something peaceful that it got passed around until it was nothing but rags.
The only two problems I've had are portability and space. Switching from HO to N solved both problems!
I have a 36"x80" layout; click on the URL in my signature if you'd like to visit it.
I did a lot of modeling even when I was stationed in Korea, though at the time I was between layouts. My deployments (Iraq, Bosnia, etc.) were mostly train-free save for Model Railroader, like you. I used some of the combat pay from Iraq to upgrade my MR equipment.
Thanks for your service in Viet Nam!
modelalaska wrote: pcarrell wrote:my Christmas bonus this year was bigger then expected. Ahhh, the private sector... No bonus in public service life... I am just hoping we get a little bit of a raise this year. Man, has energy cost gone through the roof too! Cost too much to run a heater in my train room. But life is good. Peter
You want to see the energy costs here in the UK, I use 3 ceramic greenhouse heaters to keep my room at a comfortable temperature and then use a small fan heater when I am in the room (if needed). The ceramic heaters cost less than a lightbulb to run. My layout room is an outside wood building (insulated & lined) and I went in there this morning and I could wear a T shirt and the outside temp was 23F.
Shaun
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
whywaites wrote:You want to see the energy costs here in the UK,Shaun
You want to see the energy costs here in the UK,
Ah yes, us Americans often forget we have some of the lowest energy costs in the world. Sorry for the whinning.
Peter
By the way, I have an Atlas MP15DC (DCC onboard) I bought this spring. It was one of my best running engines. Now however, it squeals and is very sluggish. It stops immediately when I press stop where as before, the momentum in the DCC would carry it a ways. I assume it needs a lube job. But I am surprised, I only have about an hour may be an hour and a half total run time on it. My Katos (4) have much more time on them and they absolutely run fine and have not lubed them.
So do I have a lemon? Since my trainroom is cool (40-50 degrees) I am sure I will need a lightweight lube. I was told ATF synthetic. Does that sound good? Do I just hit the exposed gears or will I need to disassemble and get everything? It sure would be nice if Atlas would provide at least an exploded view of the locos like Kato does.
modelalaska wrote: By the way, I have an Atlas MP15DC (DCC onboard) I bought this spring. It was one of my best running engines. Now however, it squeals and is very sluggish. It stops immediately when I press stop where as before, the momentum in the DCC would carry it a ways. I assume it needs a lube job. But I am surprised, I only have about an hour may be an hour and a half total run time on it. My Katos (4) have much more time on them and they absolutely run fine and have not lubed them.So do I have a lemon? Since my trainroom is cool (40-50 degrees) I am sure I will need a lightweight lube. I was told ATF synthetic. Does that sound good? Do I just hit the exposed gears or will I need to disassemble and get everything? It sure would be nice if Atlas would provide at least an exploded view of the locos like Kato does.Peter
modelalaska,
I would not use the ATF synthetic. Instead use Mobile 1 Synthetic. I race slot cars and Mobile 1 is used by many slot heads to reduce friction while not blobbing up in the gears. Also remember that less is best. Do not over oil. You don't want any oil to get on or in your motor. Just my 2c worth. Others may have some good ideas too.
Rob Newman
modelalaska wrote:Rob, Is that motor oil? If so, what weight? My source on the transmission fluid said that is was plastic safe. Is the motor oil going to be safe for plastic? Thanks Peter
Yes, the Mobil 1 is motor oil. You can get it at most auto parts stores or Mobil gas stations. Get the 10-30 weight. It is perfectly safe on plastic. I have never seen it damage anything. I use it on plastic, synthetic and metal gears and it always gets on the plastic chassis and bodies of my slot cars. I've never seen tranny fluid eat plastic but I know it can eat paint. I once soaked a F7 unit in it to remove the paint and it worked great. A follow up with a warm water and soap bath and the body was ready for a re-paint. Hope this helps.
NOW R.T.POTEET I DONT MEAN TO BE RUDE SO BE QUIET AND STOP TICKING OF EVERY ONE ELSE ON THIS FORUM WE WERE FINE UNTIL YOU STARTED TALKING!!!
Also on another note thanks for the picture on railpictures.net but thats not what i needed i need the font or santa fe's lettering ex. comic sans MS
Army National Guard E3MOS 91BI have multiple scales nowZ, N, HO, O, and G.