And please don’t tell me it is N scale. British N gauge is 1:148 scale using 9mm or N scale track.
I am pondering using using British plant on my daughters new layout. She likes the look of the little steam loco’s ( Jinty’s, 0-4-0;s, 2-4-0’s and 0-6-0’s usually in tenderless tank engine styles) that we see in the UK shops. The passenger cars are way shorter too which interests me.
I am planning 4% grades but only 4 unit trains - loco, passenger car, flat car or gondola, brake van (caboose). Two, possibly three trains on a layout roughly 2.5ft x 8 ft or so.
Is their anyone here who does anything with British N gauge? In particular I would like to know about using DCC! Despite the loco’s being so tiny.
Hi John
That should be loco open and flat wagons with a brake end coach if you are talking a mixed train
A jinty is a very specific locomotive of the LMS
I am afraid it is N scale as far as the English are concerned just like there is O scale and O scale you need to remember that English locomotives are a lot small than those in the US.
I would think those locomotives of recent manufacture would be DCC compatable
some of the small steamers may not be it all depends on if they are still made the way they where when I modeld British N scale
If they are no room in the body its full of motor and the body may well be die cast metal
for weight so if you want DCC check before buying.
regards John
There’s two easy-to-find loco manufacturers at the moment - Graham Farish (now owned by Bachmann) and Dapol - the former is made in China, their build quality has improved dramatically since they were bought by Bachmann (they used to be terrible - of the locos I bought from them only one still runs out of five…). Bachmann have apparently fixed the mechanisms (which used to be the problem) but they’ve not improved the look and detail of the models by much to my mind. Adding DCC is possible but tricky due to the chassis design and the metal bodywork. Dapol have only started making N recently but have made a major impact - their GWR 14xx 0-4-2 tank loco is a superb loco, runs smoothly and has good detailing (better than the Fari***ank locos and slightly cheaper too). Add one of the GWR Autocoaches (cab cars) that they also make, a couple of Peco vans (boxcars) or cattle wagons and a Farish/Bachmann GWR brake van and you have a perfect GWR branch line train. Take a look at www.dapol.co.uk and see what you think - they still make all their products in the UK.
That is what my daughter saw and fell in love with
I was recently driving from Paignton to London and decided to detour to Watchet and visit Mainly Trains. I got into serious trouble (joking really) and was told on no uncertain terms that ‘N’ scale is 1:160 on 9mm track. British ‘N’ gauge uses ‘N’ gauge (9mm) track but is 1:148 scale and 2mm is 1:152 scale with 9.45mm (if I recall correctly) track…
This is what I was worried about. The specific reason I am thinking of British models is because of size and ‘cuteness’ value for Brenda. SHe loves the Briti***rains and when “British Railway Modelling” magazine arrives I can’t get near ot for about two days while she digests everything in it. MR on the other hand passes with hardly a mention these days. She also loves the styling of the newer British diesels. To here things like the Class 37 and Class 60 are wonderful. The only North American diesels she likes are the newer Amtrak ones with the styled ‘nose’.
I looked at a pre-Bachmann Farish, gee, what a disappointment. I have heard good things about Dapol and am actually contemplating the 14xx 0-4-2T that Railroading_Brit mentions, I didn’t get t
Thanks DSchmitt. I haven’t seen that one here in Canada, I will have to ask at the train store next time I am there. I can pick up British Railway Modelling in the local magazine store. Maybe time to send off some subscriptions.
John, you might not need to use the van behind the loco - the cab is pretty much empty and I think I’ve read about people managing to fit a Lenz Gold N decoder into the loco. Those things are about the size of a thumbnail so that would make sense. I can post a photo of my 14xx if you want a closer look? If you do decide you want one, move quickly - Dapol have announced that they’re going to retire the tooling soon and make a Southern Railway “M7” 0-4-4 tank loco instead. Most of their models are made in limited runs of 250 or so of each livery/number combination.
Runs of only 250 eh! I had best go study the website and see exactly what I can use. I haven’t looked at the Lenz Gold decoders, I will go have a look at the website now. I think my local trainstore has them in stock anyway. That would be a perfect solution.
John: are you really in the Toronto area? I can suggest a number of dealers that handle British N. Also a few modellers. I don’t know any that use DCC.
I’ll be at the Xmas Train show at the end of the month and the Great Briti***rain Show end of April.
Sorry, but I left N scale and N gauge a long time ago. And I think it should really be OOO.
Yes David, I am in Toronto, Leslieville area (by Greenwood Park, Greenwood and Dundas).
My regular haunts are the locals - Georges Trains (all North American but lots of good supplies), John’s Hobbies (seems to be mainly Continental), Hornet Hobbies (mainly military, bit of trains). Haven’t been to any of the toher trains places. We will probably go to the Christmas train show on the Saturday afternoon.
After some searching around I found that Signal Box Model Railways down in Kent had a ‘clearance special’ of the Dapol 14xx in lined green livery with a maroon autocoach on eBay, for a total of GBP 40. So I bought one. I am going to see if I can get a brake coach and a flat wagon to complete Brenda’s first train.
Good buy! For the brake van I’d suggest one of the Farish ex-GWR vans (this is one of their better mouldings and looks a lot nicer for the improved finish it now carries). Wagons would be best bought from Peco - they have some very nice mouldings and the paintwork has improved a lot in recent years. You already have a classic GWR/BR branch line train there with the 14xx and autocoach (these ran as a push-pull set - the coach has basic engine controls in the cab while the fireman stayed on the footplate). I’ve seen photos of a consist of this plus a pair of cattle vans and a brake van (the autocoach being used as a normal coach rather than as a driving trailer)
If you get a chance, buy or rent “The Titfield Thunderbolt”. It’s a scream of a British flick about a group that’s trying to save a railway line slated for closure. Stars Stanley Holloway. One of the prime players is a 14xx 0-4-2. There’s also some good shots of what appears to be a Western Region locomotive depot.
I think I have seen this one. My dad loved Stanley Holloway (as well as the Goons and all of that British humour) but despitre travelling a lot to North America he has never been to the UK. On the other hand, in 1970 I went ot the UK and experienced so much of it ‘live’ so to speak. I was based there for nearly 13 years. Sadly the (apologies everyone) heathens of North America don’t appreciate real humour so my enjoyment is confined to the “Lower Lakeside Toronto Goons Apperciation Society for Consenting Adults in Private”.
I have a PAL VCR and TV, but I was planning to pick up a DVD player next time I am in the UK so I can buy lots of those nice BBC DVD’s. I will add this to the list, as I remember it is one of the beautiful little Ealing Comedies you can watch over and over again.
I haven’t had a chance to have a really good look at the newer Farrish product. But the onlder stuff was not nice at all, very roughly finished. Thanks for the tip.
Thank you for the suggestion, I will have a look at the sellers website and see what he has to offer so I can combine the postage.
Like my daughter, I fell in love with Briti***rains as soon as I got to to Britain! I was based initially at Bovingdon (Herts) and used to see trains on the various tracks in the area. Sadly I know very little about the protoypes themselves - just what I read in the mags., but it is certainly becoming a fascinating field of exploration.
It may be John’s but there is a place east of downtown, unfortunately I can’t think of the street but it is in the Greek section of town which has European stuff. Usually stop there when visiting Toronto from the states. Also always stop at George’s.
I have a Grahm Farish HST in BR livery which I bought several years ago from a shop in Brighton (UK) and they shipped it to me. I can’t say if the shop still exists.
The train is a full rake either nine or ten cars with two HST power cars on the end.
I agree about the older Farish products - most of their steam era freight range hasn’t improved much. The GWR brake van was always one of the better mouldings in the range and now looks a lot better. Peco make much more realistic-looking wagons with better-looking paintwork and close coupling (nothing high-tech about it - they just use a slightly different design of the Rapido coupler with no spring and a shorter shank, which works very well). Try www.ehattons.com if supply is a problem - they are very reliable and have great customer service, as well as high quality photos of the items for sale so you can have a good look before you buy. Hope this is of use!
Hi neighbor. I’m just a few blocks west of you in “The Pocket” (Danforth-Jones-Leslie-Gerrard). I’m also probably going to the show next Saturday.
I’m still in start up phase (the CBC lockout reduced my income for the past months [:(] . ) I am creating an N Scale railway in Southeast Asia my late father worked on. Has Japanese, American and British locos, British, European and Japanese rolling stock. Mixing and matching the 1/160 and 1/148 isn’t that much of a problem when I compare with photographs of the original which also has all different sizes and types of rolling stock.
I bought one set of boxcars direct from Dapol from their website. They have a system where for overseas orders they eliminate British VAT, which means with shipping the price is about the same as for someone in the UK.
Everything else I have bought from Ebay UK. Your Canadian (or American) registration works on the UK site and as long as you check to see that the seller “Ships Worldwide” you should be fine. (In fact I have had stuff arrive quicker from UK than the US). “Rails of Sheffield” is a large EBay UK shop which I have monitored but have not yet bought from since I what I have been looking for has been specific to my planned railway. You can save “watch this item” and “favourite seller” from the UK site to a N A site but for some reason searches don’t seem to work.