My wife has told me in order to have a model RR in the bedroom, I may have to go to N scale. After careful thought (and perusing thru the Walthers and Atlas catalogs and reading the notice of Atlas code 55 in N scale, I may just do it. I started out in this hobby in 1975 in N scale, so I'm not a stranger to N. Besides, with the space I've got, I'll be able to put more RRing in. Freight cars I know, so what do you recommend for a good-running, fairly inexpensive diesel?
Bob, I hope we can welcome you back to N scale! You ask about a good, not too expensive Diesel. What era are you modeling? Any specific railroad? What minimum radius do you propose to use? If you are into the modern era, Atlas has just released GP38's, unless you want to go the "monster" Diesel route with Kato's "80's" and "90's". To me (I model PRR in the 1950's) these are the equivalent of a steam articulated. Life-Like is re-releasing its BL2 if you want an earlier era. I was at a train meet in Tallahassee yesterday and ran 2 SW9's MU'd on my layout and an E6 on the NTrak layout virtually the entire day and everyone remarked how smoothly they ran. I will admit, one of the SW9's did take some "filin' and fiddlin'" to get it to work right. The latest Life-Like power runs as smoothly as Atlas or Kato and at a more prototypical speed, it is less expensive, but is catching up pricewise. I think you will find N is the scale in which to build a model railroad, not just build railroad models.
Hi Bob, Please do convert to N scale! We have a lot of variety and options..... As far as inexpensive loco recommendations, that all depends on where you are buying.... I just saw Atlas GP40-2's sell on eBay this past weekend (new) for $29.50... flywheel equipped and DCC ready, what a bargain. It depends on if you want to go the DCC route, (I never thought I would, but am now a strong promoter of such!). Most of the newer Atlas & Kato locos are DCC ready and have Plug 'n Play decoders available. Lifelike units, although much cheaper do not. ( I don't want to resurrect the Kato vs. Atlas dispute) Some of the LifeLike units are great values for the $$$; I bought E8's from a reputable dealer for less than $20 each.... were they as good as Kato? No,,, but I only paid a fraction of what the Kato units cost. As far as the SW9's (LL) I found them to be a little lightweight (although, like non-DCC ready, everything can be corrected with time, skill, or $$). One of the main questions is : what do you intend to model? Modern freights? Intermodal? 80's freights? or steam? That has a great bearing on your decision, (coupled with your financial wishes AND ability to scratchbuild). More info, please! Harold
Once N is up and running with scenery, I really enjoy N (I am modeling in N). But I dislike N on bare plywood so to speak, it needs the done scenery to help it out. As for modestly priced engines, well the truth is, in N forget modestly priced engines. You want the better running engines as they are the proven "runners" over time. Life like from the sw9/12 onwards, Atlas and Kato. Now before you have a cornary over the prices of these engines, remember those of us in other countries (I'm in Canada, but also true of Australia, etc) have to pay even more for the same thing. Get out your pen and paper and post your layout dreams, hopes, desires in the layout design section. You can get support and help there. You can have a wonderful layout in N in a bedroom. If this is to be your lifetime masterpiece, you might want to think of two levels instead of one. If you detail the room in the layout design area and are looking for ideas, make sure you include the door into the room, where it is located, how it opens, closet space and whether that space can be liberated for the model railroad, and windows - how high, wide, and off the floor, etc. Welcome to N. I have learned that the most powerful tool we have as model railroaders is our imagination. And you can run freight and passenger trains, with branchlines, mainline, and even services a narrow gauge if you want to. The imagination is "guageless."
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by friscobob: I may just do it. <hr></blockquote> <font color="336633">Dont Do It! </font>
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by StickyMonk: <font color="336633">Dont Do It! </font><hr></blockquote> Take no notice of these hardcore HO types! N Scale is the place to be, quality and range is very good these days, and getting better all the time. Plus lots more railroad in the same area
I feel.....drasn by.....the light......must go......to the light....... Fear not, Matt, I'm keeping most of my HO goodies around, but space restrictions are pointing me back to N scale (I first got into model RRing in N back in 1976, and again in 1987. Needless to say, loco quality had improved between those two decades) What I'm looking to do is perhaps a short line, set in the South, serving a paper mill, sawmill, pulpwood yard, perhaps chicken feed mills- the kind of stuff I used to live near in Oklahoma, Arkansas & Texas. The timeline would be from the 1980s to today, but I would STILL run cabooses (c'mon now, how do you expect to model an N scale FRED? ). Something laid-back, not too busy, a railroad that would make me reach for the Jack Daniel's bottle every now & then. Since Atlas now has pulpwood flats and kaolin tank cars, and hopefully I can kitbash a Walthers GSC flat in N scale like I did several in HO for pulpwood service, it's a possibility. I've got a plan sketched out in my mind of a layout with hidden staging, a spur to a paper mill, interchange with a Class 1, and pulpwood yards and a sawmill, plus maybe a grain elevator. Off to the (electronic) drawing board...
Since you like the Frisco, why not one on the new Atlas GE's in Frisco??? If your short line is to be a "poor cousin", how about a Life-Like GP-20? They're going for about $30. on eBay.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Gregg Mahlkov: Since you like the Frisco, why not one on the new Atlas GE's in Frisco??? If your short line is to be a "poor cousin", how about a Life-Like GP-20? They're going for about $30. on eBay. <hr></blockquote> Thanks Gregg! Yeah, I've noticed the loco proces on eBay. I'm also looking at Atlas Geeps- would fit either a Frisco secondary line or a regional RR (Frisco liked using Geep 7s on their secondary lines until they were all gone in 1979). As far as GP20s go, I took a Mantua GP20, fixed the nose, removed the turbo exhaust, added a paper air filter and non-turbo exhausts, and voila'- a GP20M! It may be a while before I start superdetailing N scale diesels
N.... model railroading on a bactera level. Stick with HO and build a switching layout Ever notice its always the little things that get ya !
And it begins....... I have an Atlas GP7 on layaway at my local hobby shop, and I'm also looking at a LL SW9 (yes, it may be light, and it IS a tad noisy, but it looks great & runs decent, so for the price....) My comment about FREDs was in jest- I'm a caboose man myself, so I'm modeling in the caboose era. Most likely, it'll be a shortline in the Southeastern US, so feed mills, paper mills, pulpwood yards, and the like will be the order of the day. And, it'll be around the late 1970s to early 1980s.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chessie_SD50_8563: N.... model railroading on a bactera level. <hr></blockquote> Gee, wonder what's "bugging" Chessie? Actually Chessie, I've had nothing but switching layouts for years, and I'm itching for something I can run trains on as well as do switching. The HO's going into storage for the day I get more room (bigger house).
Bob, If you need some inspiration for your shortline, check out this website. There are lots of pictures taken along branchline and shortline operations in Arkansas. Here is a website that lists all active shortlines in Texas along with the industries they serve. Dwight
Thanks, Dwight! I've checked out Andre Ming's site- it has some great shots of Frisco goodies on the former Central Division. I lived in the Ft. Smith area from June 1979 to February 1982, and in the Hugo, OK-Paris, TX area from April 1986 to January 1999. I got to chase BN, Kiamichi, GN&A, and TO&E action. Those memories, plus the sites you told me about, will be the reference for my new railroad.
Frisco Bob, Repeat after me, " the light is good, the light is good, I will go to the light, I will go to the light." Welcome to the scale of N-lightenment.
