Creating my first N scale layout

I have scanned some of the comments, but may have misssed this somewhere. I see you are thinking of a 36" wide layout against the wall. Most folks find 30" about all they can reach safely, remember there will be scenery elements in the middle to reach over. Your actual reach depends on your height, hight of your layout and type of scenery you are planning. Setting up a mock up at the height you are planning, will give you a good idea how far you can reach.

Just a thought to keep you from getting frustrated not being able to reach something or breaking something as you reach.

Good luck,

Richard

My 32" wide door layout is against a wall but I was able to pull it out for construction. I could not have built it otherwise. Also all turnouts can easily be reached, an important consideration.

I second the Kato track recomendation.

CN Charlie

Good point Richard. I need to lower my expectations And the size of my layout.

Charlie what do you mean by you second the Kato track recomendation?

Right now I am just building structures kits because I don’t really know what to do next.

I can’t build a benchwork because almost all the stores, except groceries stores and drugstores, are closed due to our lockdown. So I need to buy everything online.

Any suggestion on what I can do in the meanwhile? Eventually, I will need to order a few colors of paints so I can continue to build my structures but after that I don’t really know where to go.

Gidday, well, IMO, you’re off to a good start by actually building structures, and while I’m not an N scaler, you’ve already received some good advice from those who are!

But to answer your question.

“Any suggestion on what I can do in the meanwhile?”

OK, so what do we know about your modelling interests from what you’ve told us.

“What I know for sure is that I would like to create a layout from the 1950´s.**”

That’s fair enough, but now, unless you already have, you need to do some homework.

What is it that attracted you to the 50’s?

[quote user=“”]
“Any suggestion on what I can do in the meanwhile?”

OK, so what do we know about your modelling interests from what you’ve told us.

“What I know for sure is that I would like to create a layout from the 1950´s.”

That’s fair enough, but now, unless you already

By saying I second the Kato track recommendation, I just mean I agree with it.

My layout is CN but set in the '50s so it is green and gold.

I think those locos are RS18s. True Line Trains did one about 10 years ago but rhe only source now wold be ebay as TLT is out of business. The model was made by Atlas and runs well. I have one but in green colours.

CN Charlie

Gidday Stephen, I fear that the red and black colour scheme and the “wet noodle” logo evolved in the 60’s, so you may wish to move your time frame forward.

However, I’ve done some research [swg] and see you’re interested in WW2 history so…?

See what I mean by going down the garden path! [(-D][(-D]

Here’s a good site, mainly on Canadian Railways…

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/whatsnew.html

Keep Having Fun.
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]

Edit. I see Charlie has addressed the colour scheme while I’ve been writing.

Hi Stephen,

I have a copy of a free article which may help you decide what sort of operation you might like and easily adaptable to N scale as well as allowing you to “grow” your layout… if you send me a Private Message with your email address on it, I will send it on as well as a few links that you may find helpful…

Regards from Australia

Trevor https://sites.google.com/view/stagnesrailway for your interest

Associate Editor, Rail Modeller Australia magazine www.railmodelleraustralia.com

Ok then I will focus on the sixties instead. I was searching for pictures of CN throught the years but never found whatI was searching for.

xdford I will send you a private message. I am very curious to learn more about operations.

By coincidence my N-scale DCC layout is 36" x 80" – the door from Atlas N-11 – Unhinged & Horizontal. Meets most of my needs with this size limitation.

Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t/shouldn’t run long cars or engines on tight radiuses. Yeah, they’d look better on 36" radius but ya gotta use what realestate you have available. Since my area is wider than the 30" plan width I have 5 rather than 3 long tracks in the yard with the longest holding my Amtrak P42 and 8 full length passenger cars while another holds a GG1 or 4-6-4 Hudson and 7 full length passenger cars. Night running the passenger trains is just as fun to watch as they were when I was 10 years old. The other tracks have full and empty coal hoppers and mixed freight. Freight engines are 2-8-0, 2-8-4, and a couple diesel road engines. Too many engines!

The reveresing section is handled by a solid state “reverser.” The reversing blocks are much longer than the plan to handle these long passenger trains.

Less than 6 months back in the hobby. Sometimes I wish I could fit a double track mainline and just watch more than one train roll. I can squeze a coal train or mixed freight in with the passenger schedule.

The reversing loop "doubles’ the mainline length. Coal empties go one way, loads the other. All the passenger trains back into the “main station” (just like at Tampa FL).

SoundTraxx decoders and MRC Prodigy^2 DCC system.

Have fun!

– Chuck

Thanks Chuck.

I am trying to figure out how big of a layout I can build. I have made some simple plans and indicated the measurements.

I saw a video from Youtube in which the man explained how he joined together some Ikea tables to create a simple layout. Since I don’t have powertools and his idea is simple to implement and not expensive at all, I will also use Ikea tables named “Linnmon”.

There are three size of “Linnmon” tables I can use.