What would you do?

I had an N scale layout many years ago that I never finished. When I say many years, I'm not kidding: It was before DCC, before pink foam, even before the internet. But I saved some rolling stock and buildings.

Okay, so the bug hit me again, and naturally I am thinking N scale. Some intense, nay, obsessive, internet research made me think that a module would be the way to go.

I am engaged to be married in 2 months time. Now here's the problem: she has indulged me in visiting hobby shops and layouts, and fell in love with the G scale garden railroad at the Pomona fairplex. I am actually more interested in modelling buildings, and G scale scratchbuilding looks easier than N scale. I'm used to plywood and table saws and such. But G scale stuff is expen$ive!

What would you do? Build an N scale module or get the wife interested with a garden railroad?

 

G with the wife will be better than N alone. It'll take a lot longer to get started, but I suspect it will be worth the wait.

 

What would you do? Build an N scale module or get the wife interested with a garden railroad?


I think the proper answer here is "both".

An N scale module won't take up much space (gets stood up in the closet when not being worked on), allows you to participate with a local N-Track club, allows you to use the locos and rolling stock you now have, and doesn't cost much to construct.

Having a wife interested in the hobby is worth its weight in gold. It's probably a good idea to encourage that interest. Building a garden railroad in G is a major undertaking, and will occupy the majority of your modeling budget.

But the two could be done simultaneously.

Regards

Ed

 

I'll go with Ed and say both, too. If the wife is interested in G, then go with that option. Better with two hands building.
But if you are in the colder climes an inside option, i.e. the N module, could be a good idea. I would imagine running a garden layout in less than ideal conditions a bit of a chore.

 

Well I'd say go with G scale. I have been working with it now for 3 years after many many years of HO. I have had more fun bulding G scale buldings from scratch then I evergot from any HO kit. But be prepared to spend a bit of time on each bulding. I spent 6 months on My round house. I have a yelow house that took 2 weeks. But all in all, no one has the exsact same buldings I have. Stop by my web site for a look see whats going on: http://www.eclipseauctions.us/davp/

 

HAHAHAHA

I just updated my location to answer the climate question. Outdoor railroads are a year-round proposition where I live. Frost line? Wazzat?

 

After last night, at least down here in Carlsbad, you'll get a reminder of what frost is like.

Ugh.

 

With a garden RR there will be some (or more) "gardening" involved. If your wife-to-be is into plants, you are into buildings and you're both into trains - I think you've got heaven in G scale

 

What do YOU want to do? Garden railroads are nice and you can get what you want out of them too.

 

My answer is the link in my sig.
Rrrr adopted my hobby because I found a way for her to relate to it. I probed, exposed her to as much as I could and took my time. The result is more than I ever dreamed of including not just permision, but partisipation, (including an around the livingroom and diningroom layout some day).

 

GO, that link doesn't work for me. I get a 'permission' warning, probably because it's in the Cattle Car which I haven't been in for years, but IIRC is password protected.

If it's not too long can you copy it here? It sounds like it's relevant

 

What do you like about trains? If you like 100+ car coal trains then G scale is not what you want to do. If you like narrow gauge steam trains or 440's G scale is the way to go.

N scale allows for indoor fun at night when you are home from work.

 

A while back, I saw an article where a couple had built a sizable G layout around the back yard/garden, but also had access into the house (basement?) for a small loop, a storage yard, and a workbench. The wall access could be sealed from varmints and weather when not running. IIRC, the wall access was double-tracked for continuous running using the indoor loop. This allowed them to run in winter and at night.

 

Letting the imagination run a bit wild....consider a G-Scale UP 844 as a radio controlled live steamer running around the back yard. Nothing elaborate, just an acre or so to give it some running room, a few 2% grades, and lots of tunnels, just for Geeky.....SIGH!

 

Tunnels out of doors

Tunnels might not be a wise idea in the great outdoors. Recall a photo of the Tocopilla Light Railway, a G gauge line, in Model Railroader showing a gopher turtle exiting the tinnel on the line. Hate to think what would have happened to a train encountering the turtle in the tunnel. mg: Snakes, cats, rabbits and assorted other varmints will also consider a model railroad tunnel an ideal "hideyhole". :cat:

 

Varmits Like Skunks

Sigh - Guess you could put concrete doors on them.

 

WOOO!!! And here I thought dealing with bugs, spider webs and a mouse or two was bad! I’m glad my G scale is in the basement!

I was thinking though, a bought the 100 car coal train, I don’t know many HO scales who run a 100 car coal train. I saw it on a portable modular layout once. I have found the average scale train is from 5 to 20 cars long, so eight isn’t to bad.

G scale isn’t a bought quantity, but rather quality. For those of us who like to see steam locomotives and working side rods, valves and so on, its really something. I cant help but think of when I back one of my locos out of the roundhouse, to whatch the tender sway a bit and hear the wheels pass over the joint in the rails. Some times you can even here the cars creek and grown like the real cars do when they go threw a tight siding. My longest train is 8 to 10 cars. That’s a bought 18 feet or so, give or take a bit. For me that’s ok because the branch line I’m modeling, never ran really long trains any how. The grades would have done them in. I have hared many storied a bought trains stalling on the hill between Fredonia and Cassadaga and out by Falconer. I can come up with many reason to model in G scale, But I’m sure an N scale could come up with many reasons to not model in G scale but rather N scale. I will say this though, 1) When I’m 60 years old, it will look like HO so I’ll be fine. And # 2). G scale seems to run so much better the HO ever did. I had HO Athrens and Atlas and a few Spectrums. None of them would tolerate dirty track and still run like the locomotives I have in G scale. Cleaning the wheels?, Well that requites a Q tip and some GOO BE GONE and a bought 30 seconds per side of the loco.

Spend one afternoon switching cars in a G scale yard and a few industrys and youll understand.

I almost left out derailments and wrecks. In G scale they can be pretty spectacular. A simple well of the rail is quite noticeable and when you go backwards threw a closed switch, well it makes a bit of noise, that’s for sure. Now don’t get the Idea I’m playing Grand PA Admas here. I’m a big fan of slower speeds. 35 MPH is the max for me. Its more realistic any how. It just so happens that I was working in the yard and my daughter had taken the passenger train out of her siding and gone off to Fredonia. I wasn’t thinking and began working in the yard. The passenger switch is at the mouth of the yard and is one of the few switches that the high stand flags do not really work. All the other switch stand flags show the switch’s position. The fact that this switch is hidden some what by the coal tipple didn’t help much ether. So as I went back to work, I pulled out of one of the yard tracks with 2 or 3 box cars in tow. I was well with in the 20 mph yard limit when I hit that open switch. ( Remer I’m coming at it against the points and they ant lined for me! ). Now some of what happened next was partially due to the fact that the tenders have all had pickups installed on both trucks. As the 4-6-0 hit the points they derailed but the loco kept going as the drivers hit the points the locomotive gave it a good shot at climbing over them. With a hop and a not so bouncy bounce and then a thud she came down straddling the out side rail. The crash was load enough to bring the daughter running from the other room. Now I have a real good idea of what it would look like if you took a steam locomotive off road 4x4-ing.