Okay, i’m new to the “N” scale. I’m looking to make a small industrial switching layout… Track plan available if you email me. CHriskoledo712@hotmail.com But anywho. I’m on a tight budget and I dont know where I can find any cheap N scale locos. I’m only finding them for around $100 and I know I can get them cheaper… MR has some but I dont trust send by mail vendors that much.
I’m HO, regardless the same applies because this
hobby has LEMONS too.
You will get exactly what you pay for. There are a few advertisers in MR that have a good reputation.
Standard, Trainworld but you should familarize with
their mail order terms.
1)Shipping fees
2)Back orders and does additional postage apply?
3)Return policy & why?
4)Re-stocking fees
5)Damaged, out of the box, won’t run
6)Do I return it for a replacement or ship it to the manufacturer for repairs under warranty.
7)You probably will pay for the return shipping
8)Who pays for the shipping of the replacement.
Know the rules. I have been doing mail order business for six years and I have not been burnt
by the above.
You may want to check the internet shops.The going rate for Atlas and Kato is around $55-65.00.The Life Like SW1200 can be found for less then $40.00.The GP20 around $40.00…I have found Atlas GP7s for less then $50.00 also…
Koledoc;
Chuck & Larry have good advice.
How many engines are you going to want?
If you think you want three, can you get by with one or two?
Get one or two better ones [Atlas, Kato ]instead of three average ones, or four below-average ones.
Are you going to buy the better grade of cars ?
Get less, but get good ones.
good luck / regards / Mike
I have seen good deals on Life Like train sets with the SW switcher – as cheap if not cheaper than the switcher alone!
Good advice is above – cheap is one thing (avoid) good value/inexpensive can be another. I spent my first ten years in the hobby buying cheap stuff. Spend the next ten years trying to fix it. Spend the next ten years dumping it on unsuspecting beginners (JUST JOKING!).
Dave Nelson
I dont mean cheap as in quality, but a good deal. I’m on a VERY tight budget currently. I have 40 dollars to spend on a locomotive. Excluding shipping costs. I was looking at the GP-50 from StandardHobby.Com under the Bachman Section. You can see this on the pages of advertising on 54. That model or the GP-18 from Life Like. I’m not looking for the tmost top of the line, brass, dcc decoder, doesnt stall when pulling 100 cars, will run for a lifetime loco. I’m looking for something I can build my first layout with
I have to agree with Mike.
I started in N scale with one Kato RSC-2 and one Life Like SD9. Both ran fairly well, but the Life-Like was considerably noisy-er. I changed the couplers on the Life-Like to be compatible with my Kato and Micro-Trains cars and almost immediately I had derailment problems.
Eventually I got rid of the Life Like SD9, I now have four Kato Alcos and they run and run and run and run and pull like crazy.