N scale - Initial impressions

thestumper Feb 5, 2011

  1. thestumper

    thestumper TrainBoard Member

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    Hi all,

    An update on my progress to date:

    My foray into N scale is going pretty well. I'm impressed with the quality and the detail of everything I have a acquired so far. I'm actually even more pleased with my decision to go with a modern freight setup as opposed to a "Golden Era" passenger setup. I have been able to acquire different things from different vendors and judge likes and dislikes between the brands, which is nice. My thoughts on the various pieces:

    Kato "GEVO" UP 5515: Smooth. Thats the first thing that impressed me about it. Nice detail for something so small. The fact that the ditch lights work and the number board lights up impresses the heck out of me, but I guess I'm not hard to please. It's a strong runner - it will pull a consist of 10 cars around my small layout at ridiculous speeds. I will likely consist another GEVO with it for aesthetics, but functionally there is no need.

    ExactRail Trinity 5161 Hopper (3): I got a three pack, and I am thoughoughly impressed with them. Smooth running and easy coupling. Nice detail as well. The three pack is a pretty good deal; I will buy more of these.

    Athearn 30K Gallon Tanker(3): I really like the detail of this piece. I was pleasantly surprised because my previous experience with Athearn has been hit or miss. They seem a little on the fragile side, but it's all fragile at this point so I can't really fault them. Again, I would buy more of these.

    Intermountain Trinity 5161 Hopper (2): Nice to compare and contrast to the ER above. Great detail, and extremely smooth runner. Not crazy about the MT couplers - I haven't had any serious issues with them, but they seem harder to hook up than the other stock. Once hooked up, they're fine. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

    Atlas Trinity 25500 Gallon Tanker (2): I like these a lot. Got them with the ADM "leaf" on the side so to me, they just look cool, but they roll well and couple easy. Good quality overall (seem well made), and good detail as well. Would get some more of these as well.

    A note on Kato Unitrack: All snap together track should be this easy to use. I don't mean to dig on Bachmann, but I literally drew blood a couple of times over the holidays trying to get some EZ Track pieces together (once together it was ok...). Unitrack has been somewhat of a revelation for me. it's a joy to work with and at least for now provides all the options I need.

    Overall, I'm happy with how things are going. I'm able to get a lot of train into a relatively small space, and it doesn't seem like I'm giving much up in terms of quality or detail. My next venture looks to be another loop of track and another engine; can't make up my mind right now between UP/Intermodal (SD70ACE) or NS Coal (Intermountain GEVO). I love intermodal, but I also really dig NS and I'd like to compare and contrast the GEVOs. Of course I could always do NS Intermodal, but it will probably come down to what I can do cheaper - which will probably be the NS GEVO/Coal.

    And then on to DCC :)

    Thanks to all for the help/insight so far!!!
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    It's good to read you are pleased. Not just as I am a fan of N scale, but also then knowing you are having fun. Which is the object of it all.

    Boxcab E50
     
  3. billmtx

    billmtx TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Stumper,

    I am elated on your enthusiam with N Scale. Have you considered doing T-Trak? Its a great way to build a layout in small spaces.
     
  4. jagged ben

    jagged ben TrainBoard Member

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    Maybe what your doing wrong is not replacing all your other cars' couplers with MTs. ;)

    Seriously, MT has a lot of trouble hooking to Kato couplers. If this bothers you a lot, I would replace the Kato couplers on the locomotives with MTs. (It's a bit stupid, you have to put the MT 1015 shanks inside the 2004 box, but that's another thread...)
     
  5. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    I would have to second the change out to MT couplers. I have seen so much trouble with the Kato couplers I just buy the repalcement MT's in bulk and never even think about using the Kato couplers.

    I will agree with a lot of your statements above. But is the case of te ExactRail, the McHenry couplers are so large that I can litterally set an N scale car sideways between the cars. I just got a large batch of these yeaserday and on the track to day, they are perfect except for the ultra wide coupling distance.
     
  6. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    I'll have to partially side with thestumper, I find MT couplers today sometimes need more of a shove to couple up, when they first came out you could just nuzzle up as gently as you liked, I think they have sacrificed some of that quality over the years for the ability to stay coupled in long trains better.

    The reason ExactRail and Athearn cars with McHenry couplers couple so far apart is that instead of designing a new truck for the couplers they just botched up the trucks they used with Accumate couplers that already coupled too far apart. If they had taken the time and effort to design a new truck for the new coupler McHenry equipped cars would couple as close as MT's but I guess they thought it's only N scale.

    But back OT, there are other threads full of debate over couplers. Welcome aboard thestumper, good to hear you are enjoying N scale. Starting out with quality equipment pays off in the long run.
     
  7. subwayaz

    subwayaz TrainBoard Member

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    Welcome "The stumper" glad to hear your having fun with N scale; I must agree it's nice being able to model a Railroad and not a train. Some good points made above that I also agree with both yours and the others.
    Even though MT couplers aren't what they might have been in [ast years I must say that they are still the best in the scale. I'm sure someone will come out with a better coupler one of these days but for now MT is it.
    Njoy it's built rite in
     
  8. Richard320

    Richard320 TrainBoard Member

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    You'll draw plenty of blood, and ram rail joiners under your thumbnail using sectional track, too. Don't believe me? Come help the next time we set up an Ntrak layout! :we-laugh:
     
  9. brakie

    brakie TrainBoard Member

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    I notice that didn't happen to me till I got older and my fingers fatter..
     
  10. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    One of the reasons we've ditched Ntrak for show layouts and gone T-TRAK.
     
  11. FloridaBoy

    FloridaBoy TrainBoard Member

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    Future Fun

    If you drew blood when piecing EZ Trak together, take some relief in we all have drawn blood in one form or another in our respective N scale careers.....sorta goes with the territory, no matter what the scale, what type of modeling, etc.

    If you still are having fun after burning yourself with either a soldering iron, or the solder itself, or an accidental spritz of cryacetate glue in the eye, or acetone on a sore, or even a slice from an xacto knife, or getting wheezy with paint fumes, you are in store for a blast.

    And, as a bonus, throw in a MicroTrain coupler assembly and installation to tax your frustration quotient and ability to cope.

    Right now it is SuperBowl Sunday morning, and I just had a breakfast with friends, and now am attacking a box full of car orders (repairs, adjustments, replacements, etc) and being the clumsoid I am, expect some physical damage somewhere on my being. But I will be having fun, and even more fun getting some of my locos and rolling stock back to original condition.

    It goes without saying that the level of fun and satisfaction from this scale and hobby exceed the pain and frustration by hundreds of thousands every day of the week.

    Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
     

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