US Outline N Gauge

[Guest 30-something]

Hi Folks

 

Im about to begin collecting stock for a future N Gauge US outline layout, most probably set in the North East area in the mid 60's - early 70's era, Pre-Amtrak and Conrail. I had a US outline HO layout a few years ago but I think I've forgotten more than I ever learned about US railroads!

 

My question is, apart from Atlas, Kato and Intermountain, which other manufacturers make loco's and stock to the same standard?

 

Also, are there any other magazines readily available other than Model Railroader?

 

Lastly, could anyone recommend a good mail-order stockist?

[flubrush]

My question is, apart from Atlas, Kato and Intermountain, which other manufacturers make loco's and stock to the same standard?

 

Also, are there any other magazines readily available other than Model Railroader?

 

Lastly, could anyone recommend a good mail-order stockist?

 

Have a look at Model Junction to see what is on offer - this URL points to their N scale loco lists

 

http://www.modeljunction.info/estore/index.php?cPath=26_103

 

They carry a large range of stock and have an excellent reputation.

 

On the magazine front, you might want to have a look at the online magazine - Model Railroad Hobbyist. You download PDF files and it's free.

 

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/

 

Jim.

[shortliner]

Model Trains International regularly does articles on small space USA-based layouts - but only a couple of shops stock it - it is however, easily available on subscription! (I have to declare an interest as I do their trackplans!) If you want more info PM me, or look at http://forum.mtimag....1bd9f1b1a3d9e0a

which is the forum for the magazine

[DavidB-AU]

My question is, apart from Atlas, Kato and Intermountain, which other manufacturers make loco's and stock to the same standard?

Atlas is excellent, particularly the recent Atlas (China) mechanisms which are made for drop in decoders if you want to go DCC. The earlier Atlas (Kato) mechs are also very good but may require a bit of fiddling to fit decoders.

 

I don't have any Intermountain locos but the rolling stock is very good.

 

Red Caboose is quite good too.

 

Kato is the Rolls Royce of N scale. Obviously more expensive but the quality of manufacturing and running is just outstanding. The only down side is some of the rolling stock has rigid knuckle couplers which can't be uncoupled magnetically.

 

Life Like (now owned by Walthers) is generally good. The older locos may require hard wired decoders. The Proto N range is excellent.

 

The Walthers range itself is okay but often comes with Rapido couplers and personally I think the stock is a bit light.

 

I don't have any Micro Trains locos but the rolling stock is excellent.

 

Bachmann is average and the old "white box" range is pretty lousy. Bachmann Spectrum is certainly improving although they draw a bit more power than other mechs. The range is being retooled from the rails up and the recent GE 44t switcher is fantastic. Bachmann has finally followed everybody else in copying Kato's low friction gear train.

 

Athearn is a relative newcomer to N scale but their locos and rolling stock are excellent. Athearn has also taken over the former MDC Roundhouse range and is gradually retooling it.

 

I don't have anything from Fox Valley Models but from all reports it is generally excellent.

 

There are a few other smaller manufacturers such as Bluford Shops and BLMA which do smaller runs of specialist vehicles. Worth keeping an eye on them.

 

Lastly, could anyone recommend a good mail-order stockist?

In the USA, I can personally recommend Feather River Trains and MB Klein.

 

Rails of Sheffield sometimes has US models in stock.

 

Cheers

David

[signalmaintainer]

I still prefer Atlas over Kato for N scale locomotives. Micro-Trains makes excellent rolling stock, but check out some of the lesser-known manufacturers, who also have excellent items -- Intermountain, etc.

 

Two titles in the US are dedicated solely to N scale: N Scale Magazine and N Scale Railroading.

[Barry Ten]

I've been buying US N scale for a good few years now and most of it is very good. As mentioned earlier, the Bachman white box stuff isn't so well regarded but the Spectrum stuff is supposedly an improvement. I only have a couple of Spectrum steam locos, but they run well, and the new 44 tonner is great - and comes with a hardwired decoder.

 

I've always found Lifelike (now Walthers) stuff to be excellent, as smooth in running terms as Kato or Atlas. Intermountain and Micro-Trains F units are great.

 

I did have an Athearn SD90 that I had to return because it struggled with 11" radius curves, but it was otherwise fine. There are few other manufacturers out there but I don't have any direct experience of their products.

 

Rolling stock is generally to a high standard, but I have found that only Micro-Trains couplers work reliably as intended - the various lookalikes don't respond to the magnets as positively. However since you can easily swap couplings and bogies, this isn't a big problem.

[trisonic]

Try to find "Railroad Model Craftsman" magazine. I used to buy it off the shelf in London when I lived there. They are based in New Jersey and have more articles on the North East than MR.

New Jersey is an interesting state. Running through it were: Pennsylvania RR., B&O, Reading, Central New Jersey, Erie Lackawana, LeHigh Valley etc., etc. It also had shortlines like Rahway Valley, Raritan River.

Good luck, Pete.

[Adrian Wintle]

If you are starting out in N, Spookshow's website http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/trainstuff.html is a good place to start. The locomotive encyclopedia in particular is a great resource.

 

The other posts have covered the locomotive manufacturers pretty well, although another good one is PCM/BLI who do E7s and E8s with sound.

 

For passenger stock, Kato (if they do your road - for the NE there is really only the PRR Broadway Limited set), Centralia Car Shops (distributed by Intermountain), Rapido (all CN prototypes, but produced in many schemes), and MicroTrains (new heavyweight coaches) are the cream. Wheels of Time, Con-Cor (the old standby - the Budd cars are much better than the smoothsides) are ok. Beyond that things get a bit more variable. The old ModelPower/Lima heavyweights are PRR prototypes, while the old Rivarossi (also distributed by Atlas and Con-or at times) are mostly ATSF prototypes but are good stand-ins.

 

Fred Klein's website, while a bit dated, has a discussion of what the prototypes of the available passenger cars are. http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/

 

For freight cars, MicroTrains, Atlas, Intermountain, Fox Valley Models and others.

 

Fox Valley Models does wonderful metal wheelsets.

 

The other thing to consider is track - Atlas Code 55 (with MicroEngineering bridge rail) is the best looking track, but not everything will run on it (mainly older stock with deep flanges).

 

Adrian

[trisonic]

Another thing to consider is that the Baltimore and Ohio, Reading and the Central of New Jersey all shared the same lines to the terminus on the Hudson River (Ferries to Manhattan). You can have an assortment of liveries (until ConRail) on the same tracks.

One interesting area is Cranford where there was a Station plus Engine depot and a junction for the Rahway Valley line. Whilst New Jersey was heavily industrialized along it's Eastern edge with the Hudson and the Raritan Bay, twenty miles inland and further West can be positively bucolic.

Nowadays the old industrial areas incl. Weehawken, Bayonne and Chrome (on the "chemical coast") have a distinctive charm of their own.

 

Best, Pete.

 

PS Here's a link to a short history of the Rahway Valley RR : http://www.trainsare...m/rvrr/rvrr.htm Nice little line that survived until 1992!

[Ian J.]

It's kind of funny this topic has come up, as for a while now I've had ideas of maybe doing some kind of US or Canadian N gauge layout. My problem is more one of finding the right kind of prototype to run, either a fictional short line or one of the main companies. I used to have an interest in the MoPac, but as there isn't a great deal of stock around for that my mind has shifted, perhaps to something Canadian-based. I will need to think further on that but my main requirement for such a layout would be simplicity of getting it together so most of the stock and buildings would have to be available either RTR or RTP. I don't want to have to be repainting N gauge stock...

 

In the meantime I have the UK-based Breamore to concentrate my main efforts on (see my RMweb blog).

[Adrian Wintle]

perhaps to something Canadian-based. I will need to think further on that but my main requirement for such a layout would be simplicity of getting it together so most of the stock and buildings would have to be available either RTR or RTP. I don't want to have to be repainting N gauge stock...

 

There is certainly a fair amount of Canadian stock available currently (or in the recent past) for the major operators (CN, CP, and to a lesser extent VIA). Some of the major retailers in Canada commission runs of Canadian schemes.

 

It does depend a bit on what vintage and type of operation you are interested in.

 

Adrian

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I don't model US outline, however Gaugemaster has a large selection of N Gauge US outline stuff...mainly Kato and Atlas.

[Guest 30-something]

Thanks for all the replies folks, certainly opened my eyes!!!

[Geoff Endacott]

Are there many US N gauge layouts on the exhibition circuit? I know of a few, bit there don't seem to be that many.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Claude_Dreyfus]

On 23/06/2010 at 18:11, Geoff Endacott said:

Are there many US N gauge layouts on the exhibition circuit? I know of a few, bit there don't seem to be that many.

 

Geoff Endacott

 

A lot more than Japanese, that's for sure

 

 

On a more serious point, have you come across this site before? A few US outline layouts on here.

 

https://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/elayouts/1

[k-59]

While rolling stock has been petty well covered. I wil give my thoughts on my 65 freight car (just counted ) collection.

 

Atlas: Probably my favorite, they make quite few well know prototypes for a good price.

Micro trains: Very nice but somewhat over priced, i have more then a few but just because they make colorful cars i like.

Athearn: Good cars but some what limited range that overlaps with others.

Intermountain: Love their covered hoppers. My first car was a NKP boxcar that is great.

FVM: Might be my favorite if they made more then boxcars. But if you happen to like boxcars of the 70s they are the best.

Red caboose: I have a autorack form them that i would put top of the list, but it wasn't cheap.

I do have a few con-cor and bachman's but mainly for the novelty paint schemes and that i got them cheaply used.

[Adrian Wintle]

While rolling stock has been petty well covered. I wil give my thoughts on my 65 freight car (just counted ) collection.

 

Atlas: Probably my favorite, they make quite few well know prototypes for a good price.

Micro trains: Very nice but somewhat over priced, i have more then a few but just because they make colorful cars i like.

Athearn: Good cars but some what limited range that overlaps with others.

Intermountain: Love their covered hoppers. My first car was a NKP boxcar that is great.

FVM: Might be my favorite if they made more then boxcars. But if you happen to like boxcars of the 70s they are the best.

Red caboose: I have a autorack form them that i would put top of the list, but it wasn't cheap.

I do have a few con-cor and bachman's but mainly for the novelty paint schemes and that i got them cheaply used.

 

Only 65? I have more than that in just '50s hopper cars.

If you are modelling the PRR (or PC or Conrail), Bowser is another company to look at - they make two patterns of PRR-specific hoppers and two pattersn of PRR-specific cabins (a cabin is a caboose).

ESM makes a very nice PRR mill gondola

Others:

Deluxe Innovations makes some nice intermodal equipment, as well as a few other types of car.

Kato makes a few very nice freight cars, Coalporters and Gunderson Maxi IVs in particular

LifeLike make freight cars for those with a limited budget.

Walthers has a few freight cars - the well cars are probably the best of their range and usefully are different prototypes to the Deluxe, Kato, Con-Cor, and Roundhouse/Athearn ones.

ExactRail has done a few very nice cars, including the Vertapak car carrier (a very strange prototype)

BLMA also produces a few very nice freight cars.

 

Adrian