I have been looking for the undecorated or decorated Metra Commuter cars and the mpi MP36PH-3s but could not find any in stock on walthers or toytrainheaven.com for my HO layout.
however…
I did find some in “N” scale.
My question is, can I run “N” scale on my HO?
No, not on HO track.
You can install N track on the same layout and run both scales, each on their own track. Even Lionel did this with suggested and display layouts. They would have the O gauge on the lower level, and HO on an upper level. Some will say it’s rather toy-like to mix scales like that. But that’s your decision.
And finally, there is HOn30. These are HO models of narrow gauge equipment that run on N gauge track. N gauge represents about 30" gauge in HO, and is used to model 30" and 24" gauge prototype in HO scale. But nothing about narrow gauge in North America is modern railroading.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
I’ve seen a multi-scale layout (O and N) where O Scale was the primary and a small N Scale setup being used as what I think represented a 3 Scale Garden train.
Funny question. Have you actually seen in person the size of N scale cars? An N scale car would literally drop down in between your HO scale track, and your HO scale engine would run it over.
Best answer is to show a couple of pics.
Here’s a B23-7 in N sitting next to the same loco in HO
Now you can get dual gauge track which has N gauge built inside HO track.
The last layout on which I ran N Scale and HO Scale was set up so the trains were never seen together. Only one was visible at any one time. The trains were identical except for scale. The HO train would start off at the front of the layout and go into a tunnel. After a certain amount of time the N train would emerge from a tunnel at the back of the layout, cross a trestle then go into another tunnel. Some time passes and the HO train emerges from a tunnel at the front of the layout. It was only a 4x8 but having the smaller scale train cross the back of the layout made it look bigger. It was built only as a novelty and after 6 months I tore it down. I still have the N loco (Proto 2000 SD7 SP 5321) but it’s pretty beat up after 27 years. It still runs but the railings are missing and the front coupler is gone.
Have you ever had a multi level layout?
Have you ever seen a two level two scale layout?
For my layout, I’m planning on having my HO freight trains on the top level and having the N scale for my passenger run underground like a subway
It’s your layout. You can do anything you want to.
You do sound familiar in your typing though. Did you go by a different name a few months ago?
Yes I did. I did away with the need of a helix by using a manually operated train lift that would lift or lower an entire train from one level to the other. My longest trains in those days were only 9 or 10 cars.
Since the N scale item you want to run is a double-ended commuter train that can, legitimately, simply shuttle back and forth on a single track, you could install that track above (but not on a separate level from) your main HO layout. Surround it with N scale buildings and appropriately scaled trees and keep it visually separated from the foreground HO.
The technique is called forced perspective, and is in common use in museum dioramas and such. Art Hill installed an N scale mine and non-operating trains to add depth to his HO scale Yosemite Falls scene. I plan to use buildings of progressively smaller scale to try to make a 400mm depth stretch out to a half (scale) kilometer mountain valley. I have also suggested this as a plausible technique for putting a (totally inappropriate) Shinkansen route into the Upper Kiso Valley.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - 1:80 scale with forced perspective)
Dual Gauge Track? I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that. Where is dual guage track available?
Thanks - Thom
Dual gauge track is only useful to someone who is running models of two different track gauges in the same scale - the most common being HO (16.5mm) and HOn3 (10.5mm) gauge. It is absolutely useless for running HO and N on the same right-of-way.
HO/HOn3 dual gauge flex is (sometimes) available from Walthers, and possibly from other sources. While some dual gauge and gauge transition turnouts are (sometimes) available, the only way to be certain that the one key piece of specialwork is available is to hand-lay your own.
If you want odd-gauge dual gauge track you have two choices. Hand-lay and fugheddaboudit. OTOH, I am familiar with three narrow to narrower gauge prototype interchanges which didn’t have a single dual-gauge switch, or a millimeter of dual gauge track. Two (Kiso Rintetsu and a minor industrial line on the North coast of Honshu) are defunct. The third, the Kurobe Gorge Railway, is still operating on a seasonal basis.
Chuck [Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - narrow (1067mm) and narrower (762mm) gauge prototypes, 1:80 scale]
At one point our holiday family layout consisted of a platform with HO plus a smaller platform partially overlapping with N scale. The overlapping portion formed a tunnel for the HO. Two independent layouts, totally unrelated. Later on I switched back and forth, sometimes running HO, sometimes building an N scale layout. Eventually I settled on HO as there was a distinct lack of good running N scale equipment - however this is not the case today. I’ve toyed witht he idea of gettign rid of my HO and switching to N, since I could build a much moe involved layout in the limited space I have, but I have a lot invested in HO. Even though nearly all of the equipment I’d want is available or has been available in N scale now. Hmm…
–Randy
–Randy
This photo is of a small section of my 24ft. N scale dog bone loop directly behind and slightly raised from the HO scale railroad in front. The reason for combining HO and N scale with a SceniKing distant low hills background is to provide forced perspective in a very limited depth Bob Hahn
LMD.Manning
As mentioned earlier I have seen layouts that use n scale for forced perspective like a far off line running through a mountain range. And I have seen a couple that had Kidde land type trains circling amusement parks.
But as far as running them on the same track they just are not compatible.
Hope this helps Bill
my plan is to have two different scales but on separate power and levels. The HO freight will run on top level while the N scale is on the bottom (subway) running on their own power not combining both scales to use one rail.
Visually, things would probably look better if you put the N scale `subway’ cars on an elevated structure to the rear and above the HO. Model Da Bronx or Brooklyn, not old west side Manhattan.
Access to the N scale to correct the inevitable [oops] events will be easier if it’s not buried underground.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
N and HO on the same layout? Next thing you know, the earth is opening up, dogs and cats will be living together…
I’m just glad to hear that there’s a product that you can get in N scale that’s not available in HO. My how the tables have turned! Ahahahaha!
Lee