The "N" Crowd

[R. T. POTEET]

Bump

That comment is worth repeating!

[nscaler711]

new project a GP60M

[Canondale61]

Bump

[Dave Vollmer]

I do want to do one.  I communicated with Max about it.  I just got the RMC issue yesterday.

It looks challenging, but doable.

My only concern is that even with the blind center driver, the loco handles 18" curves.  My inside track is 13.5" and outside track is 15".  I would have to monkey with it more to get it to make my turns.

Max had a little slippage at first until he got things properly sprung and balanced.  He's an experienced loco tinkerer; I'm but a novice.  I'm thinking of hacking another Minitrix/Bachmann Pennsy 2-8-0 out before I attempt the I1s 2-10-0.

[R. T. POTEET]

I suppose most of you N Scalers have seen the Modeling a PRR I1 class 2-10-0 in N Scale article in the November '07 RMC by a Max Magliaro. Interesting article with outstanding photos of his construction techniques; these techniques could be utilized in almost any kitbash. His Bill of Materials is pretty lengthy but except for the two tender shells from the Minitrix Pacifics most are readily available!!!

I seem to recall a kitbash article from way back when Edgar Allan Poe was a cadet at West Point about shortening the frame of one of the old Atlas 2-8-2s and cutting a course out of the Minitrix Pacific boiler to make a Pennsy 2-8-0 of some identification. If I recall correctly this modification required the motor to be relocated to the tender but the author said that it ran great.

Anyway there Dave V., you have done a kitbash or two; are you gonna do one of these? I sure want to see it!

[fluff]

yes...that brings back memories. i still have my original set, sure wished i would have kept the box though. back then, the sears christmas catalog had 3 pages of model trains! i was fasinated with mine because the santa fe f7 was the passenger scheme warbonnet instead of the freight colors. i would like to know how many miles it has on it! must have been among the first year or so because it had no headlight, i think the later ones did.... 

[Blue Flamer]

fluff.

 I remember those Postage Stamp train sets. Here in Canada they came in a box that opened like a book cover and the trains were packaged inside little cut-outs and sealed with plastic wrap. The outside lithography gave the impression that the box was a stamp. 

Blue Flamer. 

[fluff]

EDIT... It is now TWO WEEKS without The "N" Crowd. This is no good for this thread. Where have all the "N" Crowd gone???                                                         

i will gladly post on this. i have always loved n scale since 1969....for some reason, i decided i needed to switch to ho and bought track, cars and locos. they run great! takes lots of space to run them also. thats ok too! after reading "the n crowd" thread in its early days, i decided to bring out the best i had, kato f's, atlas gp 60, micro trains, lifelike fa's and decided i need a medical checkup!! theres just something about those little trains i cant shake, dont want to either!!! they have came along way since 1969 "postage stamp trains"...nothing wrong with ho, dont want to imply that, but n scale will always be my preference. thanks dave ...

[Dave Vollmer]

No news, sorry.

Kato's site is acting flakey, so I wasn't able to get an update on the GG1/Broadway Limited status.

[Blue Flamer]

Anybody have any hot smokin' rumors to pass around? Anybody heard anything on the GG1s?

If anyone will have heard any rumours about the GG1's, it would be the young feller who started The "N" Crowd.

Where are you Mr. Vollmer??? Do you have any news???   

Blue Flamer. 

 

[R. T. POTEET]

You know, this topic would sure pick up a lot of steam if we renamed it Weekend N Scale Fun.

Anybody have any hot smokin' rumors to pass around? Anybody heard anything on the GG1s?

[Blue Flamer]

BUMP.   

 

Blue Flamer.

[Blue Flamer]

EDIT... It is now TWO WEEKS without The "N" Crowd. This is no good for this thread. Where have all the "N" Crowd gone???                                                         

Blue Flamer. 

[Cederstrand]

rtpoteet, hmmmm...interesting idea there. Could work.

Or, how about I buy her a pack of HO Woodland Scenics cows to add to her little herd? I know, that would be mighty generous of me considering the cost of cool N Kato and Atlas diesels, but perhaps she wouldn't know the difference!?! Uhhh, make that several packs of cows, horses, cats & dogs, and some extra fencing to go with one of her model barns. (There was a very good reason I got her into HO stuff a few years back) Rob

[R. T. POTEET]

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. Any suggestions on the best way to sneak them into a stable of mostly steam locos without the wife noticing them?  

Those I listed have been tugging at me too long so I am going to have to have at least a couple of them. I suppose it's like an addiction, but it only harms ones wallet.

 Rob

Explain to your wife the economies of leasing; tell her they are on a long-term lease from one of your model railroad cronies and this lease will expire three days after the next glacier inches its way above the northern horizon. Tell her that built into the leasing fee is the requirement that you treat her to a steak dinner and a show once a month and, son-of-a-gun, tonights the night.

[Cederstrand]

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. Any suggestions on the best way to sneak them into a stable of mostly steam locos without the wife noticing them?  

Those I listed have been tugging at me too long so I am going to have to have at least a couple of them. I suppose it's like an addiction, but it only harms ones wallet.

 Rob

[navygunner]

The Atlas dash 8's will run a good bit slower than the mentioned Kato units.  I have several models of each and have to mu the dash 8's with themselves and the Kato SD 70's, 80's and 4400's all play and run well together.

 

Bob

[mavrick0]

Most Kato's I have run before dropping in a decoder all run around the same, specially if they are around the same production dates.  But with DC close enough is good enough it's really only with DCC that you don't want them fighting each other because that will cause issues with the decoders.

I have found the older Atlas without the scale speed motors are close to the Kato's but the new one's with the scale speed aren't even close and won't be able to run together.

[Cederstrand]

Very nice, Dave. Also goo dto see The N Crowd back on page one. 

While I have some N scalers here, two question:

1) Do the more recent (to me anyway) Kato diesels run well together in DC mode (AC4400, SD90Mac, C44-9W)?

2) Would an Atlas DASH 8-40BW run with any or all of those above mentioned Kato's in DC mode?  

Thanks for any first hand knwledge on this. Rob

[SecretWeapon]

Very Nice Dave

[Dave Vollmer]

My latest project...  This is a Fine N Scale Models resin/brass Pennsylvania RR X31a 40' double-door roundroof boxcar kit I finished in the original 1934 PRR circle keystone "Automobiles" scheme.

These are great, easy little kits.  Cheap, too!  Fine N Scale also has great customer service...  one of the kits I bought was missing the steps.  The owner called me at home to confirm where to send them (free of charge, of course) and even sent additional free parts!  We had a very good chat about the N scale freight car market.  I highly recommend them.

The X31a is the current project for the PRRPro Pennsy prototype modeler's Yahoo group.

[Blue Flamer]

The "N" Crowd has been in the dark long enough. It is time to BUMP it into the light.

Blue Flamer.   

[nscaler711]

*pats RT on the back* Its ok man you will get your chance too. ;)

As for Me i want that BB, in fact i will be applying for a job on the local RR here to get it!

And Nirvana Is AWESOME!! lol ( i am listening to it and KoRn at the same time, odd arent I?)

[tattooguy67]

Count me in on that dave, although i doubt mine will ever look as nice as yours, that is sweet dude!

[Dave Vollmer]

I've been working on a pair of Fine N Scale Models PRR X31a resin boxcar kits as part of the PRRPro Yahoo project group.  I finished a double-door X31a in the original Circle Keystone "Automobiles" scheme and am working on a single-door X31a in the 1954 Shadow Keystone Phase 1a (SK1a) scheme.

I'll post photos when they're both done.

Thank God for my Optivisor.  I don't have the right dimensional data for the SK1a X31a, so I'm having to cut and arrange the dimensional data from a Microscale X26/X28/29 variant sheet.  These numbers are literally less than a millimeter tall!  I wouldn't bother except that I take high-res photos of my stuff, and they never lie!

[R. T. POTEET]

I made the last entry on this topic but I'm going to make another one at this point.

Two things!!! Firstly, the National Train Show coverage in the October '07 MR addresses the GG1; and secondly I am impressed with the detail on the preproduction sample of the Kato GS-4; I do not want to make any disparaging comments on Con-Cor's model of this iconic locomotive but this new GS-4 measures up to the expectations we have come to saddle on Kato.

You Espee and Pennsy and Onion Specific modelers need to bow your head in humility that you are getting a great number of quality - as least as far as cosmetics are concerned - locomotives to add to your stable. I am indeed envious; first you got the Challenger; I am also hopeful that when all of this shakes itself out - Big Boy; Cab-forward; GG1; perhaps even an FEF and a K4s - you will be satiated for awhile and the rest of us will see something offered to our likeing and the "Why doesn't XYZ make a PDQ?" weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth will grow quiet, at least for awhile anyway!

[R. T. POTEET]

There is still nothing official from katousadotcom pertaining to a GG1 but the NSR Horizons feature in the Sept-Oct N Scale Railroading says that

Kato also announced that the next train will be the PRR Broadway Limited and it will be pulled by a GG1.

and

the official announcement of the GG1 and 15 car Broadway Limited should be made late 2007.

As I have said before on numerous occasions, as soon as we get this and the Big Boy and the Cab-forward and this GS4 - have I missed anything - out of the way then maybe the manufacturers can settle down to some serious and rational modelmaking! 

[mls1621]

It's official.  My SD-24 cannot be speed matched to my turbine.

I spoke with David at DigiTrax this morning and followed his reccommendations with no positive results.  I asked if one of their decoders would help, but he assured me that the scale speed motor was the problem.

I emailed Atlas to see if another motor was avaiable, that would fit the chassis.  Amazingly, they responded the same day, but again, no positive outcome.

My beautiful SD24 will run alone on my layout, unless I buy another era correct locomotive from Atlas to double head with it.

 

It's fixed

Today I got a Digitrax decoder for my Atlas SD24.  I was able to adjust CV's 2-5 and 6 to speed match it to my Brass Turbine.  I'm a happy camper once more. 

For those of you planning on buying a new Atlas Locomotive, I recommend getting it without the decoder and installing a Digitrax decoder once you get it home.  The Lenz decoders supplied in these locomotives will not accept changes to the above mentioned CV's.  I've experienced this with every decoder equiped Atlas N scale locomotive in my and my neighbor's roster.

These comments are just my personal opinion.  I'm just posting to save the rest of you this wonderful, character building experience.

 

[Blue Flamer]

Just a reflection: unless someone makes a response before I get this posted this should be the last item on page #59. Next entry should be on page #60.

 

Well R.T. If you got the last word in on page 59, then I MUST be getting the first in on PAGE 60. Here's looking forward to the next 60. 

Blue Flamer. 

[R. T. POTEET]

Just a reflection: unless someone makes a response before I get this posted this should be the last item on page #59. Next entry should be on page #60.

Where do we stand on the following:

1. Uncle Irv's F45/FP45;
2. Intermountain's AC;
3. I read in one of the N Scale mags that someone was supposed to be developing a body shell for a GE 44 tonner and the likes but I have heard nothing else about it for the better part of two years;
4. Kato's GG1 - this is not a jibe - I am definitely interested if anyone has scared up any new info since our brouhaha of a couple of weeks ago;
5. Kadee - I'm sorry, MicroTrains; old habits die hard - passenger cars - I read about these over on idiotboreddotcom; and
6.  anything which aroused heart palpitations or heartburn and which I may have overlooked.