hello everyone i am now working on my 4x7 n scale layout and i have run into some problems. what kind of track shoul i use? flex or sectional? and for scenery i want a turn table what is a good turn table? also what is so goos scenry ideas? i want too design it in the desert. any help will be greatly appreciated!
Keith,
Track: Atlas, Peco, and Walthers/Shinohara all make good sectional and/or flex track. Will you be putting in switches (i.e. turnouts)? Peco and Walthers/Shinohara turnouts tend to be better than Atlas. (I don’t know if W/S makes N-scale turnouts though.)
Turntable: How much money can/do you spend on one? There are good turntables and bad turntables. Are “good” one is going to run you at least $125. (“Good” meaning less hassle and frustration operating.)
Also, it would be helpful to know what code of N-scale track you are thinking of using. There’s Code 80, 70, 55, and 40? The numbers are how high the rail is in thousandths of inches. (E.g. Code 80 woud be .080" high, Code 70, .070" high, etc.) The larger two would be used on your main line; the smaller, your yards.
Tom
CSX,
I personally prefer flex track as there are fewer joints, and therefore fewer chances of derailments and electrical gremlins…follow?
As far as the turntable goes, there are many ways to go. Atlas makes an absolutely bulletproof one that is quite affordable. It has built in indexing and everything. They sell a motorizing kit for it too. The whole thing should only run 50 or 60 bucks brand new, and thats with motorizing kit. Now for the bad news. The deck is not real long. Also, some feel that the motor is very loud, but there are things that can be done about that. There’s more though. The turntable is a covered pit turntable (and it could use some detailing at that). These were not real common, although if you are doing a fictional RR you might be OK with that, especially if you have a snowy area that it’s in (probably not in the desert like you though). There are some (I’ve seen some web articles on this, though I don’t remember where…You’ll have to do a search) who have used this thing as a base to build off of. They leave the mechanism alone, mount it under the table and mount a pit above it. They then mount a shaft to the center of the thing and run that up through the bottom of the pit and mount a bridge on the shaft. They then wire the bridge rails to the turntable rails and make all the other connections using the Atlas turntable wiring connections (clear as mud, right?). Electrically it’s still an Atlas turntable, just kind of remotely, ya know?
The other consideration to be concerned with on the Atlas turntable is it’s inherant design. With DC or DCC control you don’t need any special wiring (a BIG plus). No reverser unit or anything is required. There is a concern though if you are using DCC and onboard sound. The table is designed in two 180 degree circuits. There is a dead spot in between each of those two circuits. Not a problem unless you are running sound as your sound unit will have to start its cycle all over and will have a sho
look at the march and april issues of model railroader magazine for pelle soeborg’s articles , he shows how to do great desert scenery
Here is one layout I threw together in about ten days for a display. It was 30 by 40 inches.
Scenery was hard shell. Plywood roadbed cut out in shape of track and supported by framework at desired height so there was no level “table top” anywhere. Then ROUGH scenic contours made by crumling up old newspaper, covered with layer of industrial dispenser-type paper towels soaked in HYDROCAL type plaster, let plaster set and add another layer of Hydrocal soaked paper towels. When set, pull out and throw away newspaper that formed original contours. “Hard shell” scenery supports itself! Then plaster of Paris for texture to suggest rock layers and to cover the joints between the Hyrdocal paper towel pieces. Painted with sandy/ dirty color. Then “wetted water” sprayed on and sprinkled with earth color dry tempera powdered paint so water soaks up into powder and holds it a little through powder looks like loose first. Natural gray clay kitty litter (UNUSED!!!) for rock talus, held in place with a little dilute white glue, the same as ballast. Pipe cleaners painted green to form sagauro cactus.
This was a display layout, twice around oval. Train just went around and around, no turnouts to avoid stalling and complication. Not much fun for the operation except building it and showing it off.
This is a 2 x 4 foot N scale layout I built for friend’s kids in 4 weeks as a commissioned Christmas present. I used 2 track switches to make spurs so cars could be switched in and out of train, give operator something to do, add some “play value”. One switch ran to spur at depot, another up to area considered to be a mine, but I didn’t build any structures for the mine, just a loading place in a rocky area about an inch and a half above main level.
Click on picture to make it display bigger.
Background from Walthers.
[quote]
Originally posted by leighant
Here is one layout I threw together in about ten days for a display. It was 30 by 40 inches.
Scenery was hard shell. Plywood roadbed cut out in shape of track and supported by framework at desired height so there was no level “table top” anywhere. Then ROUGH scenic contours made by crumling up old newspaper, covered with layer of industrial dispenser-type paper towels soaked in HYDROCAL type plaster, let plaster set and add another layer of Hydrocal soaked paper towels. When set, pull out and throw away newspaper that formed original contours. “Hard shell” scenery supports itself! Then plaster of Paris for texture to suggest rock layers and to cover the joints between the Hyrdocal paper towel pieces. Painted with sandy/ dirty color. Then “wetted water” sprayed on and sprinkled with earth color dry tempera powdered paint so water soaks up into powder and holds it a little through powder looks like loose first. Natural gray clay kitty litter (UNUSED!!!) for rock talus, held in place with a little dilute white glue, the same as ballast. Pipe cleaners painted green to form sagauro cactus.
This was a display layout, twice around oval. Train just went around and around, no turnouts to avoid stalling and complication. Not much fun for the operation except building it and showing it off.
This is a 2 x 4 foot N scale layout I built for friend’s kids in 4 weeks as a commissioned Christmas present. I used 2 track switches to make spurs so cars could be switched in and out of train, give operator something to do, add some “play value”. One switch ran to spur at depot, another up to area considered to be a mine, but I didn’t build any structures for the mine, just a loading place in a rocky area about an inch and a half above main level.
Click on picture to make it d
“Where would I get a fence?”
I assume you mean a background dividing the layout into two scenes.
You would NOT get it at the hobby story, because they don’t make anything specifically for that.
You might get it at the lumberyard or building materials store. A piece of pressed board such as Masonite (TM brand name) would be good IF it has finished surface both sides. I usually see it rough one side. You would need a piece as long as your layout or almost as long-- 7 feet long, and maybe a foot tall to 16 or 18 inches tall. That board usually comes in 4x8’ sheets. Sometimes you can get in 2x4’ small sheets. I don’t thinlk anybody carries 1x8 or 1x7 sheets.
Did you make your layout top from a 4x8 piece of plywood? Do you have a piece 8 feet long and a foot wide left over?
[quote]
Originally posted by leighant
“Where would I get a fence?”
I assume you mean a background dividing the layout into two scenes.
You would NOT get it at the hobby story, because they don’t make anything specifically for that.
You might get it at the lumberyard or building materials store. A piece of pressed board such as Masonite (TM brand name) would be good IF it has finished surface both sides. I usually see it rough one side. You would need a piece as long as your layout or almost as long-- 7 feet long, and maybe a foot tall to 16 or 18 inches tall. That board usually comes in 4x8’ sheets. Sometimes you can get in 2x4’ small sheets. I don’t thinlk anybody carries 1x8 or 1x7 sheets.
Did you make your layout top from a 4x8 piece of plywood? Do you have a piece 8 feet long and a foot wide left over?
yes im going too take a 4x8 plywood and cut it too 4x7. im not sure what you mean by the wood thing. by a fence i mean that i want too fence of some of my track like in the real world. so like a chain link fence or something that is as small as n scale. would this be possible? thnx
I think I saw a photoetch piece of chain link, but I can’t remember who from. I model the late 30’s so I really didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time. You might look to photoetching though. You mighy even photoetch your own pieces for giggles.
You also might be able to use soe sort of netting (like those aquarium fish nets, just use new ones please) or screening to acompli***his. I know the model car guys use the screening for grills and stuff. It has a much tighter weave then the 1:1 window stuff and it’s made out of a finer wire. As it is, it might be cost prohibitive, but if you could find out where those companies are getting it from you might be in good shape. Detail Master is a company that carries a product like this I think.
You might check out the model airplane guys while your at it.