I am looking at doing the layout described/techniques described in the N Scale Model Railroading that Grows book. I was hoping someone might be familiar with it and be able to answer some questions. My layout expierence comes from being a user of one about 20 years ago as a kid/early teens and it was dual wired so that the inner ring and outer ring were controlled by two powerpacks but there were no blocks/toggles or anything so the wiring described in this layout is different than what I’ve seen before.
There are a couple things that I’m stumped on and can’t find in re-reading the text a few times as I look to see what I need to procure for the first few phases of the railway.
Question #1: I find absolutely no reference that Kadee makes couplers for N Scale (if ever). The book acts like it’s common stuff. I doubt I’m supposed to pick up the HO scale stuff for N scale things and I always hated the plastic ‘rapido’ couplers when I was a kid so replacing them would be something I’m interested in. Did something change since the book is published?
Question #2: Looking at the diagrams, something seems to be missing in that specifically the 4th block in the industrial switching yard appears to not be powered at all due to the placement of the insulators compared to where the diagram tells you to place the rail joiners to power the blocks 1 - 3. I can’t find reference of being told to ‘do it later’ so I’m thinking something was missed.
Think that’s all I can think of for now, looks like fun and hoping I can get started on the basic parts soon.
Welcome back to the hobby, and welcome to the forum! A lot has changed since you were last in the hobby, especially in N scale!
First, let me sugget, if you don’t already own a copy of “Track Planning for Realistic Operation” by John Armstrong, GET ONE! No model railroader should be without it!
Now, lets see if we can’t answer a few of those questions, OK?
That book is VERY old. You’re right in suspecting that a lot has changed.
When N scale was farily new, Kadee made one line of couplers for HO and another for N. The company later split and Kadee stayed with the HO name and the N line became Micro Trains. Most people will tell you they are the best. Atlas makes Accumates, and they look a lot like Micro Trains, but they don’t work quite as well. The two will mate together though. For that matter, pretty much all of the automatic type couplers will play nice together. the only ones I know of that won’t are the Rapidos, but thats OK because must people can’t wait to get rid of them anyways. It’s gotten to the point that most rolling stock these days doesn’t even come with Rapidos anymore.
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Question #2: Looking at the diagrams, something seems to be missing in that specifically the 4th block in the industrial switching yard appears to not be powered at all due to the placement of the insulators compared to where the diagram tells you to place the rail joiners to power the blocks 1 - 3. I can’t find reference of being told to
Yep I already got the realistic operating book. The reason I was shying away from DCC is that the engines I want to use initially are the Tomix Thomas the Tank engines. I have found the way to modify them for DCC but not sure my soldering skills are up to it.
I was thinking I could do the block method and then later change. I found this railroad that grows book and thought it’d be a good ‘first time’ layout since it was all spelled out. But the deeper I get into it, the more inconsistencies, omissions, and flat out goofyness I find.
For example, First section tells you to use the Custom switches because of the unrealistic scale of the switch mechanism and to go with the caboose throws which I like the look of. But in the very next chapter it adds two of the Atlas remote switchs and one of the custom switches with two caboose throws and makes no mention of it. This book is quite the disappointment.
What I really would like to do is what is on page 142 of the realistic operation book. Over course in the caption it says ‘relatively difficult layout’. I’m not sure how to plan that out because it really doesn’t tell you much on what switches were used, etc. Playing around in the RTS software and XtracCad software I’ve not been able to re-create the parallel yards they end up going slightly askew which I’m sure is because the switches…er turnouts…need to be ‘rounded out’ back to straight but the plans don’t mention it.
I found the Micro-Trains stuff so that will help and that’s really teh easy part far as I can tell
I’m not familer with the book; but you’re right-Kadee doesn’t make N scale couplers any more. They used to, but then the brothers who founded the company; Keith and Dale Edwards, split it into 2 parts. Keith runs one and Dale runs the other one, which is called MICRO-TRAINS and it’s that company that makes the N scale couplers and accserories.
I’m not sure when they split, but I think it was in the early 90s. Anyway, it sounds like that book was published when Kadee was still in N scale.
