Hello to the board. I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible. My model RR history is in HO scale. I had a nice size layout my Dad built when I was a kid in the 70s. We had a full basement in the house and did 3 different layouts over the years. Had fun and frustration with them at various times. Present day I'm all grown up and have my own home. Downside to the current situation is I don't have a real 'basement' but an unfinished room my spouse is nagging me to turn into living space, which is almost done. So I can't build a typical Taj Mahal layout (probably a good thing). As I get really bored over the winter months I've been looking for a hobby, and think returning to my model RR past may be in order. Due to size limitations, N scale makes the most sense, but I'm a little hesitant as HO has spoiled me a bit with its level of detail and availability. What I'm looking to do is about a 3x5 or slightly larger layout with two main loops and a few sidings, with allowance for future expansion. I've read with interest the thread on which locos are best, and am impressed with photos posted by the board members and the quality of the layouts. I've got a zillion questions, and I always research heavily before I take the plunge into most things. So I'll start off with a few. My plan is to purchase a fair amount of used stuff to get me started, so in case I decide this wasn't such a good idea, I won't be in too deep. 1) What should I look for in a power pack? I'm probably not going to be interested in digital any time in the forseeable future. 2) I've read that certain rolling stock and track are incompatible. What do I look for? 3) I had a lot of trouble with brass track in HO; I assume I'd want to avoid it here also. Suggestions? 4) Are engines fairly reliable? Is the liklihood of getting one used that runs well good or poor? 5) Is there an online swap meet area that I may find things other than Ebay? 6) Any other advice for someone who has forgotten most of what he once knew about model railroading? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've run any type of train, so I'm sure things have advanced quite a bit. N scale "back then" was pretty unimpressive to me, but what I've been finding on the web has dispelled that myth. TIA for any assistance.
Welcome aboard!! It's good to have more folks in the hobby, more specifically, in N scale! As for detail, take a gander at the latest Atlas new releases,a nd compare them to HO, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! I'll reply later, when I have a bit more time.
1) Go with an MRC Tech 4 2) Basically the incompatiblility is with older wheels with LARGE flanges operating on newer Atlas Code 55 track. The Code 55 track is a more prototypical size track...the downside being that some of the older cars "bump along" on the track spikes because of this. Just make sure you buy current locomotives, the wheelsets on the cars can be exchanged fairly easily. Most new rolling stock in the past year or so won't be an issue. 3) Not sure you could even FIND brass track, but do not consider it an option. 4) New engines are pretty reliable. Stick with Atlas, Kato, Intermountain, SOME Life-Like, SOME Bachmann. Figure out what you want and run it by us first, somebody here will tell you the truth! The LL GP20 or some of the Atlas 4-axle locomotives (GP38, B23-7) are a good value if you're wanting to get your feet wet. (NOT the LL GP38!!!) 5) Either here at the Yellow Pages section, or http://groups.yahoo.com/n_scale are good places to start for swapping n-scale stuff. 6) Advice (strictly my advice, and of the free variety, subject to debate, of course): (a) N-scale is a good choice, light years ahead of 15-20 years ago. (b) Since you're starting anew, NOW is the time to ensure all your cars/locomotives are the magnetic knuckle type couplers (i.e. Micro-Trains or Accumate) before you end up with 50 cars that need to be converted from the older Rapido style (c) if you get a few trains running and are really into it, consider looking at DCC sooner than later...buying the decoders as you go is a much better plan than deciding after your 10th locomotive and having to pony up the cash then. (d) stick with your plan to start with a 3x5...it will be enough to get started and not too big as to frustrate. (e) ask as many questions as you want...doesn't cost anything and others' experiences can save you a lot of frustration. Good luck!
Welcome aboard Dwight I concur with Doug's excellent reply to your questions. If you have any more queries, ask away
Hi Dwight. Glad to have you here! Well said, Doug. That could almost be made into a FAQ! Read. Ask questions. You'll pick up N scale knowledge very fast. I've been in 1:160 for over 30 years. And have loved it! Made long time good friends. Had great fun. Boxcab E50
Just checked in quickly, thanks for the warm welcome. This board seemed like a nice place to hang out, which is why I signed up. Comments: yeah...the DCC thing is probably a good idea. I remember when my HO stuff wasn't, and it was rather frustrating to try yard/switching type stuff without it. Guess I should just pay the piper. Do you think I should just spend the $ on a new engine vs. used? I have very little idea what type engine I'd want. For the 'theme', I'm probably going to use something in the 50s-60s era. My HO stuff was all Conrail (since that was local to me) but this time around I'd like to experiment with a different region, maybe Maryland, Virginia or something. I have no idea what's out there. Are there certain roads that are easier to model, as far as availability of locos and rolling stock? I notice most of you seem to model diesel...is steam significantly more expensive or harder to find stuff for? No burning desire to do steam, just (again) thinking of something different. I think model RRing is the answer to what I need to amuse myself. I previously have built car kits (I'm a big car junkie as well), but they are hopelessly motionless, and take up a lot of space to display. I thought about R/C, but the cost is pretty high, and it won't be enough to do over the winter months. Model RRing is just such a versatile hobby. P.S. I tried the Yahoo link, but it isn't working for me.
Welcome - advice from another noob, I believe the code 80 track has more turnout/crossing styles... so although I love the look of the code 55, I kinda wish I could have the flexability of trackplans available in code 80 (I could have REALLY used a 30 or 45-degree "X" crossing ) Anyone else with additional info that contradicts, plz info! At 35, my links below show my re-emergence into model RRing with my 1st layout.
Sorry, I messed up the link. Try this... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/n_scale Steam is a little bit more, but not off the charts. Only recently has steam kinda "taken off" in N-scale, so that has a lot to do with it. I wouldn't be too concerned about a used locomotive as long as it's a fairly recent release (last 5 years or so) and you can test it out first. But you can get pretty good deals on new ones off eBay or through some of the online merchants. Check out the following to get an idea on prices... http://www.wig-wag-trains.com http://www.4nscale.com http://www.nscalesupply.com http://www.blwnscale.com and of course our house dealer... http://www.internettrains.com Also, go to http://www.atlasrr.com and go to their New Products section. There you can see what's been released from Atlas in the past couple of years.
Dwight- Doug accidently omitted part of that URL It should be: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/n_scale/ There is a down side to that Group. Being all messages are reviewed for approval. When they get time to do it. Posts, and responses some days can be less than timely. Posts here are instant. And any responses are only delayed by the time it takes for someone to have the answer, and send it in. There are some very talented N people on Trainboard! Boxcab E50
Dwight, Firstly welcome to trainboard I'm sure you will find this place a friendly place to visit. If you check back through the n scale forum you will find 100's of topics that maybe of help to you. I will try and answer some questions for you but as you can see opinions may differ. 1) What should I look for in a power pack? I'm probably not going to be interested in digital any time in the forseeable future. This will depend if you go for traditional operation or DCC. If I was starting today I guess DCC is what i would purchase but for a firts layout if you are only giong to buy one or two locomotives you couls use dc then go to dcc later on. If you buy new release locomotives they are DCC compatable. 2) I've read that certain rolling stock and track are incompatible. What do I look for? Once again it is a matter of choice, I have used Atlas and Peco 80 code rail which everything will run on but if you want a true prototypical look then code 55 is the way to go but I have to say it has never been a problem to me using code 80. 3) I had a lot of trouble with brass track in HO; I assume I'd want to avoid it here also. Suggestions? Most modern track is nickel silver 4) Are engines fairly reliable? Is the liklihood of getting one used that runs well good or poor? Stick with Kato, Atlas, Intermountain and the later versions of Lifelike and you cant go wrong. I would recomend buying new but buying Kato and Atlas should be ok secondhand 5) Is there an online swap meet area that I may find things other than Ebay? We do have a yellow pages forum here on trainboard where you can swap or sell. I do regularly buy on Ebay and have bought some great bargains. As for steam yes there are less models available and they are more expensive but there are a few new steam locomotives about to be released. Hope this is helpful to you.
The link to the locomotive site was awesome, thanks! First step is getting my hands on some track...no sense winding myself up over a loco if I can't run it. I've been out of this hobby for awhile, and I see everyone is using foam for roadbeds and scenery, which is new to me. How do you go about making up the roadbed? Is the track simply glued to it? Anyone have some in-process photos I could check out? I have a leftover sheet of OSB I thought I could use as a base and build up from there. Sound reasonable?
I have to agree with the colonel about the engines with one exception.Bachmann came out with a 2-8-0 connie in the spectrum series.If you want a nice lil steam loco this is a good one at a reasonable price. Code 80 will probobly give you less headaches on your first venture back into Model RR ing and if you ever decide to add to with a shortline ,perhaps the lighter rail will look good next to a heavier mainline.Atlas has some nice diesels out there and a few that are dcc ready which makes this option much easier.the U25b comes to mind and the vo 1000 is coming out soon with an installed decoder. Digitrax makes a nice entry level DCC unit called the Zephyr for about 160.00 that will do a nice job and you can get automatic reversing sections as an add on to simplify wiring y's reverse loops etc.Good Luck to you and Welcome Back!!
Hey guys, On the subject of power supply, I've got lines on two: MRC Tec II Troller Autopulse Any preference? I know I could probably do better, but just to get things up and running... And are HO and N transformers different? [ 20. October 2003, 17:07: Message edited by: Dwight ]
Go with the MRC. I have a T2 2500 from 8 years ago, wne I bought it new, and it still works great. Not the same can be said for the train set controllers that I have been given. In fact, one gave out on me during a show! How enbarrassing!!
