Updates..... Talked to Bryan from the above link and he has given me solutions to sound and I am on to the next problem now. I have all my track laid..... Atlas Code 80 with each joint soldered. I have cleaned up the joints and sanded them all smooth and flat. I have tried to run a few cars and I am getting derailments. I have fixed most of them but I think I am down to needing a good number to use for wheels and rail spacing. I know this is N scale and that means 9mm or 0.354 in standard numbers. However it seems like my track is under that right out of the box. What is the minimum and maximum number?? Can someone please give me a good number for the gap between the flanges and the rail spacing?. Thanks again Barry
Okay...... I am still a newbie! Lol I have fixed most of the issues of derailment now. I decided to look at the little packet of parts that comes with a locomotive and realized that this neat LONG coupler is included. I swapped it for the cute little short one that comes on it and Wah Laa! Now I have flexibility and the cars stay in the rails! The short coupler was just pulling the trucks and wheels right out...... I know...... Newbie alarm is going off! Okay, now how do I adjust the height of the couplers? Is this a matter of buying different height ones?
So..... Wanted to make a caboose and ordered a NS decal kit. Here are all the cars I have...... And none looks right! I guess I need to look around Ebay again......... All of these seem like the same one roughly.
I am needing turnout help please...... I have a simple Atlas right turnout and it was giving me problems. The plastic frog was too shallow for the wheels to run smoothly and the manual switch was ugly. After all evening and half the night I have a replacement throw and something that works. Now the frog has lost its point from too much file work and a wheel can slightly fall into the "hole". I can use a Bachmann turnout and not power the frog and be DCC safe, right? So.... Try and fix the Frog? Use a Bachmann in Right style? Scratch build something nicer? Lol
Look at Youtube.com Look up David Vollmers Fantasy Pennsy layout. It is N-Scale on a hollow core door. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC-yJucEXK8 http://thevollmerfamily.com/Pennsy/ His web page to his model rr.
Success!!! Finally got a smooth running track. I have been fighting turnouts for a week. I know anyone else would laugh but I hope I am among friends...... N Scale Hand Laid turn out..... Success!!! Finally: http://youtu.be/fX8i-WNorLI
Next problem........ I finally have a track smooth enough for a long train but anything above 20 cars and I have coupler failure. I have some Rapido but my preference is knuckle style couplers. Suggestions for keeping them connected?
On level track? The same coupler each time? 20 cars aren't that heavy in N. As for the caboose, there are definitely cabeese out there closer to your prototype, or you have enough there that a little hacking and whacking with a razor saw and miter box could get you what you want.
Atlas has made the caboose you are trying to create. It is their NE-6 caboose. You may want to track one of them down to use. I see that is is in stock at several online shops, but they are not the ones listed in advertisers.
No..... 2 percent grade (2" over 8 feet) and no..... Different cars but both had Atlas couplers on them. I also was switching Rapido over to a card full of these....... Suggestions? Thanks...... I will look for those. Atlas seems like a good running car and wheels from my limited experience..... Now if I can figure out the couplers they make. They seem to be the ones that can't handle a load
If the knuckle itself is failing by opening unexpectedly, it sounds like merely a bad coupler, but two different ones makes me think it is something else. If it is happening with different cars on the same grade, I would start looking at the track. Even a visibly imperceptible dip can cause a vertical misalignment of our tiny couplers. If that totally checks out, then perhaps you did get a bad batch of Atlas couplers? I don't have experience personally with their replacement couplers, I use MTs for replacements.
Jeepy, If I could figure out what MT couplers to order I would. I get baffled every time I look on their website. I found Atlas ones and they came with new dark steel wheels. Every MT is see have plastic wheels. Anyways, I looked closer and maybe it was that car. I found a coupler that I remember coming apart. Apparently I placed the clip in backwards and the knuckle stuck out farther. I will test it later and see if I have found the problem.
Next issue...... Anyone know of any building details for hand laid crossovers? I have a drawing and I have watched the Fast Tracks videos but I have not found anything on crossovers. With the name...... Searching is really tough. Help....... I have a Kato right now but it is the source of derailments and I would like to have a quiet, handlaid one to match the rest of the track.
Oh well....... I have given up on the double crossover. I just couldn't get consistent results and clean running and I don't feel capable at this point to make a hand laid one. I have made 5 hand laid turn outs and the first one is working beautiful. The other 4 make up the yard. This weekend I finished laying all the track and have the rails painted and a good start on one mountain and a second one started. Next job...... Switches and starting some scenery.
I need suggestions for landscape design...... I have no idea what I am doing! I think the right side mountain needs to loose some tip and the back left seems to be too long and circular. Suggestions on dealing with the raised track climbing up the left inside of the layout? Back side.......
My guess on why you aren't finding a double crossover other than Kato's is that they aren't a domestic track arrangement. The Japanese use them a lot, but you won't find them stateside. I can't recall any in Europe or South America, though I feel sure there are a few outside Japan, just not here. The carved rocks you have already will look much less overwhelming when you add some other colors, either by paint, dirt, grass, etc. The grade with yard tracks that close however is a doozy. Sent from the magical mystery box
Thanks for the help Jeepy. I gave up on the double crossover and replaced with plain track. I now have an outside mainline with no connection to the inside line. I had originally wanted to be able to run one train on all the track but it never worked well and was just noisy compared to everything else. This was one of the videos that I used for inspiration...... It has the double crossover n scale railroad layouts: http://youtu.be/b9xiMyl4DkI Then I tried to use this layout to make it happen........ After I flipped it and put the bridge in the rear between the mountains. n scale layout 3x5: http://youtu.be/YwJZD9hXdCo
Okay....... Switching regions. I was getting into making the jagged mountains of CO but my wife had a profound statement last night. I have been working on building some Norfolk Southern locos and even went so far as to talk to a local operator 7 miles away and photograph his rides. .... I already have two Kato SD40-2s and the decals to paint them. I have done up a Atlas gp40 but now I can't get it to run as smoothly as the Katos and they will have to go or be dummy locos. I also have a local scenery train in Etowah that runs steam and passenger cars so I am working to bring the layout more local...... I got destructive feeling and started shrinking my mountains into rock bluffs and will turn them into sandstone or red chert rock. This will also leave more of the mainline in view and give me room for some trees on the hill tops....
Jeepy, I hear you......I struggled with what I was going to do to blend the grade into the yard right beside it. I think I have a working solution now. I could not see using pink foam for all that transition work and I have been trying to stay away from plaster for the weight and I think I came up with a good solution. I used Great Stuff and carefully filled in the area. After it dried overnight I did some carving and shaping and I like the results. I am not sure the camera can get the shape with the color but here is where I am now. I am not sure what to do next........ Lol. I am used to seeing a lot of "rip rap" rock used for embankments and I want to add some weeds or bushes to the transition area. I would love suggestions....... I am new to this and don't have a good idea to work with.
