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Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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My world just got flipped upside down and backwards. I got inspired to do a “what if” layout based on Athearns not-so-soon to come out (November) AC4400 in Milwakuee Road paint. That was HO, and would require the entire 10 x 11 foot room, double decks, a helix to connect the decks, and removable bridge tracks to make it conituous. I planned a roster made of newer locos. AC44’s, GP50’s, GP and SD60M’s, and just to make it tie together a few MILW FP45’s and SD40’s. Well that all go turned around.

I decided to do a search in N scale. Good thing I did. I found what I wanted and will now go with N scale. I can now fit basically my entire planned HO double track layout in a single deck around the room. No more double deck, no more helix, just a single removable bridge track to make it continuous. It won’t be fancy, maybe a T-beam made from 2x6’s I have laying around, some foam board so I can do some scenery, and probably a back drop to help block the door. But back to the point, I can do my hole entire modern day MILW in N scale, and all between 3 manufactorers. To tie it into what really did happen I will have some GP40-2’s, FP45’s, and SD40-2’s on hand, and maybe even a GP30. Here goes the list.

Bachmann: GP50

Atlas: early and late style cab SD60M’s, GP40-2, GP30

Athearn: SD75M, SD70M, FP45

Kato: SD90, SD90MAC, SD80MAC, SD70MAC, AC4400, and SD40-2

So now I have the wonder of figuring out which engines I want. All will be DCC, but I don’t know about sound. The Athearn FP45’s will come with DCC/sound but they’re also almost as much as an HO one. I may just use the engines I want in pairs, have one straight DCC and the other with sound. Then I could get the sound and only half my engines would need it so it would be cheaper.

This also lets me take more advantage of the layout. With HO I wasn’t going to

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Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?[^]

I presume that you don’t have a many kilobuck investment in HO rolling stock - or that you and E-bay are on good terms…[:-^]

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in HOj/twice-N scale)

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Welcome to N scale! I love being able to fit so much into spaces b/c of the scale.

One thing though; the bachmann GP50 is their standard line, which isn’t really up to snuff. I’ve always wondered about bashing the shell onto an atlas GP38-2 and using the Atlas handrails. If I do this, I’ll tell you how to do it too.

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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah I love that show. There’s a local channel called RTN (Retro TV Network) that so far is the only good thing about switching to digital TV. reception can be a bear to get, and it’s more annoying now than with analoge. At least with anologue you still got something in, now with this digitral crap when reception is back it’s like dish, it’s there or it’s not. Heck a few channels even cut in and out when an airplane flies over head. We live close to an airport, and one of the routes goes over the house.

Actually I’m going with N scale. 130-140 bucks for DCC engine, compared to around 280. But there is a snaffoo.

As of last night my “brother from another mother” best friend had problems with his father. He took the option of moving out. I’ve been in that situation before (lived on a buddies couch for 4 days, used his basement as a storage unit) so I offered to let him live with us. We’re really close so it won’t bother us at all. So now my plans have been swapped. I still plan on having all the engines I said, just a lot less operating, and no realy big scenic hauls. He did say I could still build the layout in the other bedroom, he would even help “build trains together” as he put it [(-D] (he doesn’t realize the scope of things) but I can’t. I don’t want to intrude on his soon to be livign space, not to mention he needs the closet space. My layout went right acro