Changing 00 to N gauge

[Tug]

Evening all, I currently run oo gauge, and want to change to N gauge, but I’m lost as to best manufacture and tracks. Any advice would be great, thanks Tim 

[woodenhead]

Best track depends on your skill level.

 

There is Wayne’s finescale self build, Peco code 55 or Peco code 100.

 

Then below that there is Peco set track or kato unitrack.

 

It really depends what you want to achieve.

 

The middle ground would be Peco either code 55 or 100.

[PaulCheffus]

42 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Best track depends on your skill level.

 

There is Wayne’s finescale self build, Peco code 55 or Peco code 100.

 

Then below that there is Peco set track or kato unitrack.

 

It really depends what you want to achieve.

 

The middle ground would be Peco either code 55 or 100.

Hi

 

Peco do code 55 and 80 in N. 

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[DCB]

Bad move, your eyes stop seeing small bits as you get older, your fingers turn to a full set of 10 thumbs  what took two seconds to re rail a 000 coach in 1960 turns into a quarter of  an hour for N gauge now.    Stick with 00  or size  up to 0 gauge.  Only good thing about N is a lot is now UK made (albeit Welsh)

[Davexoc]

I've used Peco code 55 out the front, with code 80 around the back. Medium and long pointwork out the front, with easy curves, and nothing too tight at the back. Depends on whether you are dropping to N to save space, or make better use of the same space.

Rolling stock comes from whoever makes it, as although there is some duplication in N, not as much as in OO.

 

As for seeing small bits, that's what magnifiers are for. And there are small bits in any scale that will require tweezers and the like to handle.

[AndrueC]

As for manufacturers of the big two:

• A lot of what Dapol produce is good, some is very good, a few items are poor.
• Most of what Farish produce is good or very good.

I've never bought a duff loco in four years (buying new) but I've bought a few Dapol wagons that were poor runners. The quality I've experienced hasn't put me off pre-ordering. I might get unlucky occasionally but not often. And yeah at age 56 N scale is not a problem. Get a magnifying glass. And enjoy running 7 car express trains around your bedroom :)

[PaulCheffus]

9 minutes ago, DCB said:

Bad move, your eyes stop seeing small bits as you get older, your fingers turn to a full set of 10 thumbs  what took two seconds to re rail a 000 coach in 1960 turns into a quarter of  an hour for N gauge now.    Stick with 00  or size  up to 0 gauge.  Only good thing about N is a lot is now UK made (albeit Welsh)

Hi

 

No different to the small details in OO or O.

 

I use a watchmakers loupe and have no issue manipulating small pieces. Some of my recent builds awaiting priming all are built from either N Gauge Society or Stephen Harris kits with parts from the 2mm Scale Association.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

[Chris M]

Different scales provide different possibilities. I went from 00 to N just over ten years ago. I would not change back.

 

As in any scale Peco track is a good choice. I think all recently released stock from all manufacturers is pretty good.  Enjoy.

[njee20]

54 minutes ago, DCB said:

Bad move, your eyes stop seeing small bits as you get older, your fingers turn to a full set of 10 thumbs  what took two seconds to re rail a 000 coach in 1960 turns into a quarter of  an hour for N gauge now.    Stick with 00  or size  up to 0 gauge.  Only good thing about N is a lot is now UK made (albeit Welsh)

We need the dislike button back for posts like this. Ill informed, inaccurate and slightly bigoted for good measure. Chapeau.
 

The smallest item you can model is the same in any scale. N foregoes some of those bits, but IMO it’s no more fiddly. You need to have good track, the larger scales are more forgiving. Kato Unitrack is great for ease of use and quickly getting up and running. Peco code 55 gets my vote as the best compromise between cost, realism and usability. 

Dapol don’t make much N in Chirk either. I believe it’s more OO, but not too much by way of rolling stock. 

[n9]

Well I thought DCBs comment was amusing. Made me smile, anyway.

 

I haven't got on with Peco Code 55. I'm committed to it, but I wish I'd gone with British Finescale. Or anything else that doesn't make every 4 wheel piece of rolling stock look like it's had its axles replaced by a pogo stick whenever it goes over a frog. The track also looks quite meh. And Unifrogs are a cure-all that doesn't cure anything well, and in my view didn't need curing in the first place.

 

I'm avoiding all Dapol steamers until they design something that works as good as it looks. However, their Britannia makes an excellent test loco for track laying. If you can get that to run reliably (and consistently, because no two runs are ever the same), nothing else will ever fail on your track, ever.  Farish locos do seem to be more reliable, though I've yet to try their steamers. I've only bought some tankers from Revolution, but they've been excellent.

[jjb1970]

I use Kato Unitrack. Set track is looked down on by many serious modellers but Unitrack is a high quality product with an excellent range and the ballast effect is very well done. I also use Kato controllers, just the cheapo trainset controllers, despite their lowly standing I find they work perfectly well and my models deliver smooth performance from them.

 

Another option to consider is Tomix, though they're not as widely distributed as Kato outside of Japan they make an equivalent system to Unitrack which is excellent, also with a very comprehensive range. Although the two systems are not compatible you can get converter pieces to join them.

[AndrueC]

5 hours ago, n9 said:

I haven't got on with Peco Code 55. I'm committed to it, but I wish I'd gone with British Finescale. Or anything else that doesn't make every 4 wheel piece of rolling stock look like it's had its axles replaced by a pogo stick whenever it goes over a frog.

Same here. I went with code 80 but it's no better. In fact I think their Streamline turnouts are worse then their Setrack. If I do build another layout I too will look at alternatives. To be fair trains roll without derailments (and I wouldn't claim to have laid perfect track) but the frog wobbling is unsettling.

[Chris M]

My Dapol tender locos don't seem to be too bad. 

 

[Chris M]

Don't forget the Peco N gauge wagons that are made here in the UK down in sunny Devon.  Here is my clayliner train made from Peco 5 plank wagon kits running on Peco code 55 tracks and using some Unifrog points. I need to put new wheelsets in some of my wagons but I think this makes a fine train that looks great. The great thing for me about N is that I can run a train of this length in an ordinary sized room. That and the greater scenic development opportunities in a smaller scale.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Chris M

[jjb1970]

There are many reasons to adopt N gauge, two of the main ones being you can run scale length main line trains in a reasonable space and being able to place the railway in a wider scenic context within a sensible space. N doesn't lose much to OO/HO, yes it's a  bit more fiddly but not unduly so. I am an enthusiast of Japanese N and being able to put a full 16 car shinkansen train on the track is great.

[Right Away]

Much debate and some quite useful information here over the old “which is better”.

Not all modellers are blessed with the visual acuity allowing them to appreciate the finer details of today’s 2mm offerings, whilst many do not posses sufficient space in which to build larger scales of their chosen theme and allow it to evolve.

 

On a personal note, it was entirely as a result of the “ageing thing” and what goes with it, that prompted my decision to change from 2mm to 4mm some 10 years ago. The need for compromise of operation and reduced train lengths, yet keeping as much to prototypical  standards as possible were accepted and have resulted in a model which I can enjoy to work on in advancing years.

 

 

 

[Tug]

Thanks for all the answers, I think I will stick with 00 as my eyes are not that good, plus shakes hands.

but thanks lads, it’s been very helpful. Tim 

[sncf231e]

13 hours ago, njee20 said:

We need the dislike button back for posts like this. Ill informed, inaccurate and slightly bigoted for good measure. Chapeau.
 

The smallest item you can model is the same in any scale. 

We need the dislike button back for posts like this. Ill informed, inaccurate and slightly bigoted for good measure.

 

Please do not try to explain: The smallest item you can model is the same in any scale. 

Regards

Fred

[AndrueC]

5 hours ago, Chris M said:

My Dapol tender locos don't seem to be too bad. 

I only have one - a Hall - which was awful. Couldn't handle R2 curves on my old layout nor the not-quite-R2-curves on my current layout. Also far too delicate as I ended up having to replace the tender wires and coupler.

 

I have a 4-6-2 Queen Elizabeth from Farish though and that's been fine. I also have a class 08 with sound from Farish which required a lot of running in but is now fine.

 

The rest of my stock is Dapol Diesels and aside from having to adjust the pickups on my HST no problems.

 

And yes, the biggest draw for me of N is long trains. If you want to shunt then N is probably not the best choice but for long trains:

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by AndrueC

[RichardT]

On 24/11/2023 at 19:10, Tug said:

Evening all, I currently run oo gauge, and want to change to N gauge, but I’m lost as to best manufacture and tracks. Any advice would be great, thanks Tim 

 

10 hours ago, Tug said:

Thanks for all the answers, I think I will stick with 00 as my eyes are not that good, plus shakes hands.

but thanks lads, it’s been very helpful. Tim 

Great job all the naysayers. Don’t make any attempt to find out what eras/time periods/motive power the OP is interested in, or anything about modelling intentions, previous experience, space available, or any other relevant context that’s needed before giving advice. No, just jump straight in with your prejudices and discourage him.

 

If it’s not too late to change your mind Tim, can I suggest what I’d always suggest to anyone contemplating changing scales or eras - go along to an exhibition or two and talk to people modelling the things you’re interested in, and see the stuff in real life.  Take your time.

 

Forums are useful for some things, but responding to “big picture” how-do-I-start-from-scratch questions is not their strength. All you’ll get are random opinions which you can’t sense-check: and you know what they say about opinions - they’re like ars*h*les (everyone’s got one.)

Edited November 25, 2023 by RichardT
Punctuation

[woodenhead]

22 hours ago, DCB said:

Bad move, your eyes stop seeing small bits as you get older, your fingers turn to a full set of 10 thumbs  what took two seconds to re rail a 000 coach in 1960 turns into a quarter of  an hour for N gauge now.    Stick with 00  or size  up to 0 gauge.  Only good thing about N is a lot is now UK made (albeit Welsh)

It's funny that as I get older and my eyesight fails I am doing more with my N to improve my locos than I ever did when I could see perfectly without any assistance.  I am more wedded to my N gauge than ever and I love how nice it looks even if a little fuzzy.

 

In terms of time to re-rail - don't derail and you never have to re-rail 🤣

[n9]

27 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

It's funny that as I get older and my eyesight fails I am doing more with my N...

You probably think you're playing with N, when it is in fact G

[AndrueC]

1 hour ago, woodenhead said:

In terms of time to re-rail - don't derail and you never have to re-rail 🤣

Reminds me of the time I asked a golf coach for tips because I sometimes struggle to follow the flight of my drives. His suggestion was that I learn to hit the ball where I intend then just walk to that place and it'll be there waiting.

 

Funny guy.

[AndyB]

23 hours ago, AndrueC said:

Reminds me of the time I asked a golf coach for tips because I sometimes struggle to follow the flight of my drives. His suggestion was that I learn to hit the ball where I intend then just walk to that place and it'll be there waiting.

 

Funny guy.

 

Well that's one way.

Or you could try this way...

 

[AndyB]

To the original point about track manufacturers I've previously used Code 55. And on my current layout use Code 55 out of sight in the FY with unifrogs. On the scenic area I'm using British Finescale. 

 

Whilst I'm still a novice with it, making the track is just threading rail into sleepers. There's a noticeable difference in reduction in noise between British Finescale and Peco Code 55 as rolling stock goes over it. 

 

Good luck with scaling down. I never regretted it.