I’m a newbie and have just subscribed to “Model Railroader” after a ten year hiatus.
(I’ve been an “armchair” modeler for the past 25 years and have been a subscriber in the past).
Anyway, I’m an old man and just moved into a old mobile home and I have an existing shelf in my living room that is made of 1" x 4" (actually about 3") and 15 feet long. It is very sturdy and reasonably level and straight, about 4 feet off the floor. (Apparently, it was put there to conceal the seam from a new sheetrock wall).
Although I have always loved the HO scale, I was thinking that this could be the beginning (finally) of a possible shelf layout in N scale. . . . ???
I would like to ask our Forum members if it would be possible to construct a double track N scale shelf layout in a 3" width using the “Bachmann” nickel-silver track with their built in gray plastic roadbed (EZ track)?
I was thinking of putting in a couple of crossovers so I could run trains back and forth, using the crossovers as a “runaround” track for the engine. I know this isn’t much, but it could be a start! [:D]
I’m a beginner so I’d like to use the “new” (to me) DCC stuff. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I thank you so much for your advice and look forward to FINALLY getting started in this hobby!
Atlas does not make N scale integrated roadbed/track(just HO). Bachmann makes the N scale EZ Track. I am not sure what the track spacing is, but I suspect the two tracks may fit on that shelf(I would this it is about 3.5"). You might want to send a email to Bachmann to confirm what the track spacing is for thier #6 cross-over.
A second possibility is to use Kato Uni-Track if you want to use the integrated roadbed/track type of product. As far as HO, you will be limited to a single track.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this site before, but it has just about every type of small layout imaginable in the archives, especially sections devoted just to shelf layouts. You may not find exactly what you want, but it will get the juices flowing and give you a lot of ideas!
Yes, I corrected my post . . . I meant “Bachmann” and not “Atlas” for their “EZ track”.
I saw that Bachmann makes a “crossover” unit in N scale with their EZ track system ( for ~$78!!) and that would probably fit on my existing shelf. I will look into that,.
So then . . . . it WOULD be possible to start off with a 3" shelf for an N scale layout, eh? [:P]
Later on I might be able to add an 18" shelf at one end so I could turn trains, etc.
As has already been suggested, why not attach 6" deep, 1/2" plywood to the existing shelf; top that with 2" pink foam. Now you have some real possibilities; sidings for switching with building flats against the wall; a three dimentional building such as a station; topography that rises above and dips below the track. It can be done with a little imagination. But be careful; shelves, especially in this length, have a bad habit of not being level. Just a small change in elevation from one end to the other or a small dip here of there will make it impossible to spot cars reliably. Don’t ask me how I know.
I had a very small Inglenook switching puzzle built on a 3 foot long 1" x 4" that was 3 tracks wide using Kato Unitrack using their #4 switches. (I actually couldn’t stand the Unitrack btw) There was no room at all on each side as the track came right to each edge but it does fit. 2 tracks wide at least gives you a small amount of space to do a false front relief on buildings or put very small trees in. A painted backdrop could also go a long way towards adding depth to a narrow scene.
If you wanted to do a loop track on each end of a single mainline, you could add more operational interest as you would have room to add some random sidings and industries next to a mainline. You could also operate it as a point to point or just watch trains run. Just get a polarity reversing unit in the loops. Just because the space is small doesn’t mean you are limited to little action.
Well, first I would suggest looking at Kato Unitrack, I think you’ll find it’s better than the Bachmann line, which requires you to add your own ballast - the gray strip in the Bachmann track is roadbed, it’s not meant to simulate ballast like the Unitrack does.
I guess you could put a double track mainline on a 3" shelf in N scale…but you would only have the two tracks. No industries, no buildings, no trees, nothing except two lines with one right up against the backdrop and the other on the edge of the precipice. If you made it a single track, you could at least add a little scenery, and have space for spurtracks serving industries (which would be flats or paper buildings on the backdrop).
N scale equipment weighs next to nothing. If the shelf is sturdy, you should easily be able to attach a wider shelf to it. 6" is going to give you a lot more “layout” than 3"…room for some 3-D buildings, a bridge over a river, etc. With 6-8" you could probably do HO for that matter.
In any case, I think that’s going to be a lot more fun than two lines on a 3" shelf going from nowhere to nowhere with nothing in between!! [swg]
p.s. I’m currently building an HO layout on 16" wide shelfs, equivalent to about 9-10" in N I’d guess. I tried using 12" shelving and it actually worked fine but 16" allowed for more scenery / buildings. But in 12" space I could fit in 4 parallel yard tracks quite easily.
I would add to the chorus recommending Kato Unitrack…great stuff. I just put a tape measure to a double track section of Unitrack…roughly 2 5/16" edge to edge.
I would also add to the chorus suggesting screwing wider 1x boards to the top of that ledge to give you more space to deal with. If there are levelness issues with the current ledge, you could use shims to level the topper board. Quarter-round or cove molding could be used to hide any shim gaps and give a more finished look. Also, you could leave occasional gaps between sections of the topper board, and span them with bridges.
I was intrigued with the idea of a switching layout on a shelf only 3" wide so I came up with the following I call The Bigdrop and Skinny.
I designed on it RTS using Atlas flex and #6 switches, but I’m sure Kato track would fit as well. Not sure it would work I laid it out temporarily on the floor and hooked it up. I was surprised to find that it could hold 8 cars setout at various industries and an 8 car + engine incoming train (at the top track on the right side of the layout). I was able to switch each industry and reassemble a train for departure (it takes quite a few moves, but it is possible). The only criteria is that the number of cars w/engine listed for each runaround track must be maintained while building the layout. As for rolling stock I tested it with a GP40 and all 50’ cars (the runarounds provided just enough room).
As for scenery, 2-D flats made from styrene could be placed behind the spurs against the wall. I even included a couple of 3-D structures at the ends. These are just suggestions, of course.
As happy as I was to fit this all onto a 3" width, I would highly recommend you consider making the shelf wider. A 6" shelf would be much better for added scenery, not to mention a whole lot safer for your trains by keeping the tracks at least 2" from the edge.
I agree that making the shelf a little deeper (if only 7 inches) would allow more space for scenery.To give an idea about how much more - here are some pictures of a longish and narrowish 21 foot long and one foot deep H0 scale shelf layout in progress by a modeller named Steve in another web forum:
His track plan looks like this (bear in mind that this is H0 - dimensions for N scale would be dividing this by 1.8) - or put another way: 21 foot by 12" in H0 scale corresponds approximately with 11 foot by 6.5" in N scale.
Left half:
Right half:
Those two tracks behind the coal dealer unloading dock on the left I believe is staging for cars (not for trains - for cars) - maybe representing a yard or some interchange tracks “over that way”.
Thanks everyone for all your replies, photos, and track plan ideas! You’ve certainly made me feel very welcome! [:D]
Alright then, I will look into the Kato track rather than the Bachmann product. My idea was to “sneak up” on operating possibilities at a later time. Yes, you are right, adding a wider board would increase the possibilities, but I’ll have to stick with the original shelving due to the furniture arrangements (couch is right up against the wall as well). Although the layout will be quite simple, I plan to use it as a static display, and maybe collect some intersting pieces of rolling stock, etc. And yes, I may possibly be able to add an additional shelf on one end as time and money permit!
Thank you all so much once again! I’ll get busy researching rolling stock, perusing the MR magazines as they come in, and of course reading up on all the posts here on these Forums! . . . I saw someone’s signature somewhere here saying something like “If you’re having fun, then you’re doing it the right way” lol
One of the unhappy realisations many older men share here is that N scale items are very small. They find them hard to see, hard to handle, and therefore they become hard to appreciate and to enjoy…which is really your goal. You will need lots of light, and to get close in order to appreciate the setting.
I would suggest you find a way to test how it will work for you before you commit to spending dollars. You may find, for example, that moving around in your mobile home along the length of that shelf is going to be difficult unless you relocate items around it. You may find that the ambient lighting is insufficient even for HO or O scale. You would need to consider track lighting nearby where adjustable fixtures can be directed to the interesting or important places on the shelf.
You may find your expensive engine(s) perilously close to the ‘big drop’ when you have it all in place so that everything works and clears. Yet, you will have to get your meat hooks in between those tight clearances to manipulate your engine and rolling stock. Will they fit? Will you never jar something nearby, maybe knock it off the rails? Will it take anything else with it? What safety measures will you put in place to prevent mishaps on that confining shelf?
Actually, Atlas does make integrated roadbed track in N scale, and I think it looks better than Bachmann or Kato. Unfortunately, Atlas does not have much varity yet. They do not currently make a crossover, and if you do a crossover with the turnouts they do have you’ll get a terrible reverse curve and the track spacing might be to wide to fit. If I was going to do this with roadbed track, I would use either Kato or Tomix. I do not have any Kato double crossovers, but I do have some of their double track pieces, which are supposed to be the same width as the crossover, and they are 2 1/4" wide. It would be tight, but it would fit it on a 1 x 4.
As you can see, it’s more than possible. Another option you might want to think about instead of going 6 inches wide “all the way”, go 6 inches wide in a few sports, possibly 2 or 3 for say about 12 inches long, to get another runaround or add some type of structure either inboard or outboard. This will break up the monotony and overall will make it seem like something is going on, while at the same time only be 3 inches wide where you have high traffic areas in the house.
Although DCC is hella-fun, I would suggest for starters going ahead and wiring it up for DC, at least to start with. It’ll keep the cost down, and since the things only 3-6 inches wide and a few feet long (20 tops?) having a “wlak around” option isn’t that neccessary. You can do what I did…
Take the potentiometer OUT of a standard DC box, then run a chase wire (i used phone cord) and build a small housing to put the knob and potentiometer into. It’s only 2 (or 3, depending) wires into the potentiometer. It’s cheap, easy, fun, lets you walk around, and you can mount the box solid out of sight. Just grab your tether knob and walk around! For a lot cheaper than DCC. This means the electronics is cheaper, the locos are cheaper, and you still get the thrill of walking along while controling your loco.
I’m probably the only person who is against Kato track for N-scale. I fought with it for way too long and pulled it up. I had over a thousand dollars in it and I’m selling much of it knowing it will probably all go for $50 or so on ebay which is absolutely sickening. Many of the turnouts are ruined. Some from ballasting as they are very finicky and poorly designed. Out of the 24 switches that I had, 16 were #4’s. I never had an issue with a #6 but I had to modify 8 of the #4’s to work properly. Trains kept derailing over them over and over again. People who praise Kato track kept telling me that my wheels were out of gauge and that it wasn’t a track issue. The local hobby shop where I bought it all from said the same thing. They were all wrong! I had to look at them very closely but there were typically 2 problems that caused issues. It was not wheel gauge. Keep in mind any train would derail on only those turnouts and not on the others so that right there should have been obvious to the naysayers.
If you are going to use it, and use #4 turnouts, be prepared to work on some of them. I could care less what anyone else says. They have problems and are poorly designed. Also don’t try to detail it. Just lay it down and scenic around it but live with the plastic roadbed look. Keep in mind after a couple of years the Kato track will start to yellow from exposure to light. Then it stands out and is really ugly. You can tell which of my track is older and which is newer. The oldest is 3 years and there were no flourescent lights in my room or direct sunlight.
I rebuilt my layout and used Peco Code 55 instead. It looks MUCH nicer! It’s not even a question. No one can make Kato look as good and if they can get anywhere close, I guarantee it took much more work. The Peco has other issues though such as continuity through their electrofrog turnouts but derailments are gone. I’m switching to O scale now though.
After much, much, much reading through these Forums (and others) I went out and bought a (shudder) “starter set” from Bachmann just to get a feel for N scale. It had a 24" circle of the EZ track and I added a few pieces of 5" straights to make an oval so it would (just barely) fit on my 2’ x 4’ coffee table.
To tell you the truth I almost went blind trying to p
