ok, not really a TOTAL newbie but i used to do some model rr oh about 8-10yrs ago and i was allways moving and just got tired of allways moving around the layout until i sold everything. now i just bought a large 16' x 80' trailer, im single , 37yrs young and now that i have a permanent home, im ready to start again. i have 3 bedrooms but one will be a little shop the medium one will be for the folks when they visit and the master br. will be my bedroom and my office (i work out of my home, im a roof truss designer) sooooo.... so i plan to put a shelf layout in my big master br along with another shelf probably out in the living room and serve them both via carfloat. the main layout will be in the mbr and will be mostly a carfloat at one end and a nice yard at the other end, i hate building structures(i do it when i really need to but...) but i prefer a western/desert kinda look with trees/rocky ground etc. (something simple for scenery, but yet looks realistic) the period?? mmm dont know thats a tough one, i like the old stuff but maybe the 60's so i could run steam if i want to. now the big question is, im pretty much planning to doing this in n scale, however in the past i have done both n and ho and boy i do like ho but i just dont really have the space to do what i really would like, with n i have the ability to turnaround on the shelves, by making one end come out 24", however i do remember that n was quite fiddly and i do remember how i really like the size and "big" feel of ho, but im so limited in what i could do in ho but i keep thinkin' well... maybe some shelf switching would be ok, im just afraid it would be boring, with n i could run nice passenger trains, etc. so maybe some of you could give me some insight and yes i read the big thread on here about ho or n and to my surprise i was amazed how most everyone recommended n over ho now some questions. the n scale accumate couplers on atlas freight cars are these REALLY compatible with the microtrains couplers? or am i setting myself up for a nightmare? and what about these new slow engines for atlas whats that all about? and im tempted to go with a swxxx switcher from life-like but how do these run, in the past ive allwasys gone with kato and wow i remember them to be smooth as glass even at the slow speeds. i was lookin' at all the stuff on the online stores and man so much stuff its very overwhelming im planning to start with just a little inglenook switching layout in 1 x 4 in n or i might try it in ho at maybe 1 x6 or 1 x 7', i have allways ocilated with ho/n and everytime i allwasy think i make my mind up the i think.mmmm has n really improved? sorry for rambling, but any help you could give me would be great. like i said i have done some model rr in the past so i don know how to lay track, etc and all the basics but just need to be caught up to the latest current stuff thanks i noticed there is another BrianS on here? i usually sign off with Brian S, im going to mabye use my full name initials, which is John Brian Sommers jbs
I have a Life-Like SW1200 and it's the best 90$ I've spent on motive power. It's smooth and nice, although it requires the occasional budge to get moving. I've had a couple pick up problems but they fixed themselves after a minute running. I guess that'll go with use. Now for the Accumates, I don't have any but I heard that they do work with MTs. I have heard that there were some flaws in those couplers and that they were not as reliable as Micro-Train's. Hope that helps
I'll qualify my comments by stating that I model in HO, although I am helping a local modeler build a large N railroad, so I know a little about my ramblings... N scale has improved dramatically over the past ten years. The engines from Atlas and Kato are by far the best ever made, and they're getting better! Micro-Trains cars have the same great quality, and the selection keeps growing. If you take care in laying your track, and keep it clean, you should have little problem operating a switching railroad in N scale. That is the most important piece of advise I can give. I'm laying track on upguy's N empire, and 1/8" gaps that I can get away with in HO, just will not cut it in N. The old addage of "measure twice, cut once" really applies. Of course, track is cheap, and you can always do it again (but it's not a lot of fun ). The reasons you may have had ten years ago to select one scale (HO) over another (N) don't really exist anymore (such as operating qualities and ability to switch cars around). The size itself is the biggest difference, which is why I have chosen HO; but that is based on personal preference. You should decide what kind of railroad you want to build - then pick the scale that best suits your wants and needs. It sounds like N does that for you. Good Luck! Pat
If you model today's engines and cars, you will discover that in length at least (but not height) they are as long as some HO items. For example, if your run SD90's with Con Cor auto racks, you will visually have a trains set that is approaching HO in size. The same applies for other modern equipment. I saw two HO auto racks in a package and they were huge. The SD90 in HO is huge. YOu might try, if you can, to get a little bit larger loops at the end - maybe 13 - 16 inch radius.
