Hey folks…I’m just starting to get into model railroading as a hobby, and I’ve got a few questions about N scale models:
1.) Will any N scale loco work on any N scale track, regardless of voltage, etc?
2.) Do you have any recommendations for brands? I know Bachmann’s pretty good, but I’m open to suggestions.
Thanks in advance! 
Yes everthing is interchangeable. If you haveany idea it isn’t just ask who you are buying it from and they will tell you. There might be some European equipment that is AC buit I don’t think so. I don’t know your age but I am 58 and have reached the point that N scale is fot much younger eyes. Yes it is ideal for mainline long trains but I think you should give some consideration to the future and how much you will have invested in it. I say that because it would be virtually impossible for me to duplicate what I have in HO at this point and that is getting difficult to detail. I wouldn’t want to veen consider detailing in N gauge. Don’t consider this as a don’t do it this is just an opinion and something to consider.
I’m 51 and just started in ‘N’ Scale. I can see the equipment just fine to detail. All I need to do is take off my glasses, hold it about 6 inches away from my face and look at it through one eye. Works just fine!! [(-D]
Seriously…
I choose ‘N’ because the space I had available would have really confined me in HO. ‘N’ will work for me because I don’t plan to go for a great deal of realism. I do plan to make scenery, but most of my structures will be built-up and my locomotives and rolling stock will be RTR.
I don’t plan on doing a whole lot of detailing because it isn’t really something I am interested in, and I can’t see well enough to do it. I will probably run my equipment either as I bought it or by doing a little weathering without detailing. I figure I will have a nice looking, if not terribly realistic, layout. That is fine with me, because my main interest is in playing with trains. [:D]
That’s the great thing about this hobby – there is room for everyone. But if you do plan on doing detail work, you need to take the size of the equipment into consideration.
If you are having problems seeing N scale, then you should consider progressive lens on your glasses, or an optivisor.
Also, another solution is what I am doing. I am modelling today’s engines and cars; and they are bigger. An SD90 is as long but not high or wide as an HO F unit. N scale can handle today’s engines better because they are too large for many HO basement layouts (they “shrink’” the layout size). An N scale Center Beam car is as long as an HO 40 foot box car. Automax’s in N scale make sense, but they’re so large in HO scale, they can almost carry a smaller HO steam engine in them.
I’ll be 50 in March and am also in the process of building a layout in N scale. My first layout was N back in the mid 70’s. I switched to HO because there was more engines, rolling stock & scenery available, and the engines had all kinds of problems stalling and such.
Todays equipment runs great and there is so much more available that I’m switching back.
Nothing against HO or O, but whatever layout you build in HO can be twice as big in N in the same amount of space.
To get back to liquidcross’s questions: you are right, Bachmann is good quality stuff. I don’t know your age or income is or how much you can devote to the hobby money wise, but Atlas, Intermountain Railways & Micro-Trains are all good sources, Brooklyn Locomotive Works also.
Mark
Jeez, I feel like a little kid around here, being only 25. 
Anyways, I’m going with N scale due to space considerations. I live in an apartment, and I don’t have a room (or even a large section of one!) to devote to building a layout. I won’t be going for super-realism as it is, and like many hobbyists, I just enjoy playing with trains and making cool track setups.
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys…I really appreciate it.
The major thing about compatibility, though, is in the couplers. Recently, Atlas and other manufacturers have begun to use some design of knuckle coupler by default (to be compatible with Micro-Trains) rather than the old standard Rapido coupler, which is basically an oversize squared-off knuckle. The Rapidos work fine, but because they are oversize they tend to space the cars out with unrealistic gaps. Genuine Micro-Trains (also known as Kadee) knuckle couplers are magnetically activated, so that you can wire in uncoupling magnets; the Rapidos are only manual.
So, you’ll need to choose one way or the other, and probably stick with a limited set of manufacturers if you don’t want to get into replacing couplers. I am now in the process of replacing my old trucks and couplers with Micro-Trains, standardizing the fleet so that problems are minimized, and the new equipment I buy is generally already M-T equipped (if not made by M-T).
If you buy Bachmann, be sure it’s the Spectrum series, some of the older stuff wasn’t that good.
Your best bets for good running, reliable and well detailed locomotives are Atlas and Kato. Life Like runs good, but they seem to use some poetic license on the the colors and detail.
Rolling stock can’t get better than MicroTrains. Atlas is a close second.
I’ve got locomotives from Atlas, Kato, ConCor, Life Like and Overland Models, The Kato’s and Atlas run the best.
That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.
I personally prefer Red Caboose rolling stock–I’ve got lots of coil cars, centerbeams and covered hoppers and they are as good as MT cars and a little less expensive. Also, it seems that Red Caboose is more geared toward modern cars which is what I model. Good luck!
Welcome to the hobby…
I work in N Scale. Yes, it is a lot smaller. I used to do everything in HO, but it really eats up space. If you are patient, you can get N Scale to do anything that HO can do, but not better. However, in the space that I had a decent HO layout, I have an EMPIRE in N Scale.
Personally, I went with DCC control, so I absolutely have a negative feeling about Bachmann (they are cheap, and once opened, never seem to run the same again. So, when modified, they generally run like trash.)
Atlas, and Kato are the best in N Scale RTR (ready to run.) Look at the DCC digital power BEFORE starting your layout. If you are starting out with a decent layout, it is well worth the investment. DC will require a lot of block control and wiring, DCC will not need all of the intricate wiring that you have to use to move trains in close proximity to one another.
Also, start out with your best possible benchwork. A 1/16th inch deviation in HO is noticable, in N Scale it can wreak havoc on your layout. Work up from your benchwork deliberately. Not slow, not fast, but professionally. Take time to get the right tool, right product, or right scenery material. Don’t fudge, it will haunt you later.
Last tip, if you go with flextrack, buy a xuron tool and don’t ballast till it is bulletproof. N Scale Flextrack is a nightmare for rail joiners, so ask around first about soldering, etc… (personally I soldered all of my layout and it is nearly perfect.)
There is nothing wrong with HO, or larger, but if you want a ton of track in the same space, N Scale can come out looking just as sweet, with room to spare.
I see a lot of Bachmann “Explorer” and “Highballer” starter sets. Any thoughts on those?
I haven’t seen any starting sets with DCC control. Any internet retailers you could recommend? I don’t know much about digital power…is DCC necessary to run just one or two trains? Since I’d be building a rather small layout (thus far, I’m confined to a 30"x40" space!), I wouldn’t have many trains on it.
The starter kits for DCC are independent of the starter kits for locos, etc…
I am partial to DCC because you can run trains on the same “block” in opposite directions, etc. It is just a personal preference.
You have a very small layout space, but if you intend to run two trains in opposite directions, you literally could just run wire to all of the track (no reverse loops,) and add DCC power. OR you could build in all of your blocks and block switches and two power packs to run DC. The cost and time will be the deciding factor. If you have the time, the cost will be slightly higher for DCC.
Also, I do not recommend starter kits. They typically have trash for cars, and trash for couplers. We aren’t even talking about the trash for locomotives. (I mean trash because that’s where all of my low end stuff has wound up after hours of trying to make them operate professionally.) Again, this is just my opinion, but I really like buing my rolling stock and locos EXACTLY how I want them, not something I have to modify heavily.
I suggest you spend more time with the forum members, and do more research on the web. If you go to your local hobby shop (LHS,) and ask them to let you see an Atlas N Scale and a Bachmann N Scale, you will start to “feel” the difference. If they have a test track, ask them to run the two and let you hear them run. Watch the way they behave at slow speed. Look at the couplers, look at the details, listen to the sound they make as they move along.
Look at some of the DCC topics and follow the good links that are provided. Look at the manufacturers, and systems like the Digitrax Zephyr (great starter kit for DCC.)
In summary, if you could find a local N Scale club to join you would be better off than you think. They can bring you up to speed with some hands on explanations of these issues faster and cheaper than if you go it alone.
I’ve actually got a monstrous train shop nearby (the Train Exchange). They run a huge layout in the back twice a month, and I plan to go the next time it’s running. I’ll ask some of the guys there about the things you mentioned. The only reason I was looking at starter sets is because my funds are a bit limited.
Again, many thanks for all of your help!
Very understandable… but the caution is that you will spend a lot of money fixing a disappointing starter kit within a very short period of time.
DON’T SPEND A DIME… until you get with your local club and learn some basics.
I recently got started in ‘N’, and I have mixed feelings about starter sets. I did not buy one because I had specific ideas about what locomotive and rolling stock I wanted, and I couldn’t find a starter set that provided it.
On the other hand, if I had bought a starter set I would have saved enough money that I could have thrown out the locomotive that came with the set, spent the money I saved on a higher quality locomotive, and all things considered I would have probably been ahead.
A starter set will get you Bachmann EZ-track or the equivalent, which is probably an excellent choice for a beginner. It will also get you a pretty basic power supply, but it should be adequate for running one train and a fair number of turnouts and other accessories.
If you stay with the hobby, you will undoubtedly want to replace what you started with. But that is OK. The entry-level stuff can always be used for something, even if it is just spare parts and something to power your street lights.
If you DON’T stay with the hobby, you won’t have wasted a large amount of money buying stuff you hardly use.
[:)]
P.S. What mdemt is saying is certainly true. If you hold starter stuff in one hand, and Kato or Atlas stuff in the other, you will without a doubt see the superior quality of the Kato and Atlas stuff. The question I ask is if that quality difference is really important to a beginner. I guess my feeling is that it isn’t.
Of course opinions on this vary, and I may think differently once I have more experience
.
Go with what you like and run some trains. I’ve built several layouts in N scale. I’m more into building scenery than detailing rolling stock so couplers and brand names don’t really concern me much. If you are just starting out buy a set and a few cars a building or two and have fun. The great thing about N gauge is you can build a nice size layout on a piece of 2" foam insulation board. You really don"t need benchwork. I buy from a local hobby shop that carries used N gauge locos and rolling stock. For $15 to $25 I’ve picked up some nice equipment. Also I really like Bachman E-Z track. Makes a first time layout really simple to build.
Paul the Painter
Absolutely. I’m in the process of socking away some cash right now, anyway.
That’s my plan. I’ve seen some killer Atlas locos online, and I’d definitely want one running on my tracks in the future. The starter set would literally be just a way to get off the ground; I’d replace stuff as time went on.
Plus, last night, I found out that my friend’s husband is looking to possibly sell his N scale trains. He keeps his stuff in great shape, so I may be able to score a good deal. We shall see!
Some starter sets have ok equipment, some don’t. The cars are not usually a problem, but the loco might be. Some starter sets in N scale, for instance Kato sets, have excellant equipment.
Poor operating equipment can discourage a potental model railroader. They may think that it is all junk.
Most of us started with sets. I had an American Flyer S when I was 5, My first HO was a Revel set when I was 10, and my first N scale was an Atlas set (the loco was an E8 with one powered truck) when I was 21.
DSchmitt…
Excellent point, and a good reminder. I guess it is all really relative. It was so many years ago, I realize the starter set that I had in HO would be “just junk” now, but then you could have convinced me that it was better than a pot of gold.
I look back as an adult and think that was just due to my age. The reality is, it was the same inexperience as a beginer.
I still stand by the belief that for an adult who has made a concious decision to model, that you are better off not buying a starter kit. But, I really don’t know liquidcross’ age, so it is a big leap to make a flat assertion, and I didn’t intend it to be that flat.
liquidcross, you seem to be heading in the right direction FOR YOU. That is all that really matters. I just want to see you encouraged by good products, good performance, and great support. So if you ever read posts from me, know that this is the basis of my recommendation. I too would hate to lose a modeler because they form their impressions around inferior products that fail to perform.
If you’re interested in a starter set, I would recommend one of the Kato F-3 or F-7 sets with Unitrack. They are top quality and frankly, the only decent N scale starter set on the market. The Unitrack is also ideal because it has built-in road and connects without any problems. They cost more than the average starter set but well worth the money.
Good Luck!
Doug