A first look at German N Scale (c.1960s)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

10 hours ago, Gordonwis said:

 

I can think of a good many places in Germany where the station is on the 'edge' of town, it seems to be a trait 

Thanks Gordon, that gives me the flexibility I may need.  Our forebears did seem to have a tendency to settle in places that would subsequently make rail access more difficult: a walk to the Station was quite normal from small towns and villages served by Branch Lines (and some other places) in this country and elsewhere too - as I understand it, basically anywhere too small to justify any extra cost needed to make it into town.

 

(As an aside, in the US, I think there are more examples - especially as the railroads spread West - where the arrival of a line could herald the beginnings of a new settlement, that would then build up around the Town Depot)

 

What struck me looking at available kits was how many examples there are of cleverly compressed Hauptbahnhof kits that have a model footprint roughly the same size as Schwarzburg, but which would (in my view) look better surrounded by a host of other city / town buildings - something I might dream of doing, but which wouldn’t be realistic for me to aim for, Keith.

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Gordonwis]

4 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

 

 

(As an aside, in the US, I think there are more examples - especially as the railroads spread West - where the arrival of a line could herald the beginnings of a new settlement, that would then build up around the Town Depot)

 

 

 

 

Indeed.

 

In France there are quite a few examples of villages (even at least one town) called xxxxx-gare, because the station was built away from the original village, then a village grew up around the station

 

largest I can think of is Capdenac Gare:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@44.5775294,2.0686698,15z

 

Not far from me, Caterham  and Wimbledon come to mind as places with an old town distant (up a hill in both cases) from the railway era town 

[Gordonwis]

A German line with a few stations away from the original (or current town/village) is Giessen - Fulda. I took some nice shots of 215 hauled trains back in 2001 at Ehringshausen (although it didn't have a large station building)  The main mid point town - Alsfeld Oberhess - is famous for half timbered buildings

 

 

also:

Stolberg (Harz): https://www.bahnbilder.de/1200/dr-112288-mit-dem-p-1041914.jpg

 

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Gordonwis

[rekoboy]

In the mid-1970s I was teaching in a high school in Kierspe in Westfalen - the town had expanded with the arrival of the railway, in this case the line from Köln to Hagen via Gummersbach, Meinerzhagen and Brügge, and there were two distinct sections to the town - the old part, Kierspe-Stadt, and the newer part Kierspe-Bahnhof. The line lost its passenger services between Gummersbach/Marienheide and Brügge, junction for Lüdenscheid, for over 20 years, but is now back on the network, although a collapsing bridge is causing problems at present. I shall endeavour to scan a couple of photos as Kierspe was - now it is a single modern platform with no building. This website might be interesting for you....

https://www.eisenbahn-im-volmetal.de/

Edited August 26, 2022 by rekoboy

[Keith Addenbrooke]

The arrival of September heralds the start of the busy season for me.  Modelling time tends to diminish in the winter months (the opposite of how the pattern of life works for some).  I had therefore hoped that this next update would enable me to say the pieces of my jigsaw have fallen nicely into place.  Like @47606odin in O-Scale (see the Aug 18th post on his page 2), I’d sourced loco number three - also a Class 50, in my case a Fleischmann N model with a Wannentender.  An ideal general purpose loco:

 

 

Unfortunately I’ve returned it as it failed the running in test and was too much of a jerky runner given the price I paid.  These models are tender driven, which is ideal when running in reverse on branch lines, but applying some very light lubrication to the motion didn’t help with forward running (I use a sewing pin to apply individual droplets of the correct oil).  I suspect the commutator may be gobbed up, but I wouldn’t be confident tackling that - from what I can tell the motor is designed for complete replacement more easily than repair.  As there was also a problem with the rear lights not working at all I took it back in to my retailer.  To be fair, they agreed with my assessment and gave me a full refund without question*. I’d bought it on Store Credit following a sale, so I’ll have to wait and see what else they get in next.  Bit of a shame, but no harm done at the end of the day.

 

Of course, as part of this ‘retro-N’ project, I had been imagining how ten-year old me would have reacted to the chance to own a real Fleischmann locomotive - maybe next time.  Have a good weekend, Keith.

 

(* I was aware it hadn’t been unboxed in store and I would need to test it, so I have no complaints about their service)

_________________________________________
 

By way of a PS - part of my intended post.  Some will be aware the past eighteen months have been a most enjoyable whirlwind tour of various exciting avenues in Continental railway modelling, including Swiss electrics in H0m and standard gauge electrics in TT.  As I’m now having fun with retro-N, I treated myself to a little souvenir of my travels - a trio of Del Prado static electrics inspired by each of my interest areas:

 

Just a bit of fun 😃 .  At £3 each (second hand) they were better than I expected, which was a nice surprise.

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
Addition of PS.

[Gordonwis]

6 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

The arrival of September heralds the start of the busy season for me.  Modelling time tends to diminish in the winter months (the opposite of how the pattern of life works for some).  I had therefore hoped that this next update would enable me to say the pieces of my jigsaw have fallen nicely into place.  Like @47606odin in O-Scale (see the Aug 18th post on his page 2), I’d sourced loco number three - also a Class 50, in my case a Fleischmann N model with a Wannentender.  An ideal general purpose loco:

 

 

Unfortunately I’ve returned it as it failed the running in test and was too much of a jerky runner given the price I paid.  These models are tender driven, which is ideal when running in reverse on branch lines, but applying some very light lubrication to the motion didn’t help with forward running (I use a sewing pin to apply individual droplets of the correct oil).  I suspect the commutator may be gobbed up, but I wouldn’t be confident tackling that - from what I can tell the motor is designed for complete replacement more easily than repair.  As there was also a problem with the rear lights not working at all I took it back in to my retailer.  To be fair, they agreed with my assessment and gave me a full refund without question*. I’d bought it on Store Credit following a sale, so I’ll have to wait and see what else they get in next.  Bit of a shame, but no harm done at the end of the day.

 

Of course, as part of this ‘retro-N’ project, I had been imagining how ten-year old me would have reacted to the chance to own a real Fleischmann locomotive - maybe next time.  Have a good weekend, Keith.

 

(* I was aware it hadn’t been unboxed in store and I would need to test it, so I have no complaints about their service)

_________________________________________
 

By way of a PS - part of my intended post.  Some will be aware the past eighteen months have been a most enjoyable whirlwind tour of various exciting avenues in Continental railway modelling, including Swiss electrics in H0m and standard gauge electrics in TT.  As I’m now having fun with retro-N, I treated myself to a little souvenir of my travels - a trio of Del Prado static electrics inspired by each of my interest areas:

 

Just a bit of fun 😃 .  At £3 each (second hand) they were better than I expected, which was a nice surprise.

 

 

 

I have to say the Re6/6 is one of the three worst models in the Del Prado line up.  Myself, my family and my mates literally laughed out loud when we first saw it close up. I kept mine for a while as a possible donor for a conversion (eg for use with the Kato RhB stuff) but in the end I literally chucked it in the bin as worthless!

 

Among the horrors, have you noticed it has a passenger coach interior?!

 

One of the oddities of the Del Prado Locomotives of the World series was that some models were almost perfect (eg the RhB Croc), some were OK (eg the SBB RE4/4II and DB Br218), a few were horrors (eg SNCF CC6500) 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Gordonwis

[47606odin]

That’s a shame about the BR50. Maybe you’ll find another soon to replace it. My BR 50 is still parked at Frankfurt airport. It’s been awaiting departure for 10 days now and counting…

[Ian Morgan]

The DelPrado Brighton Belle is also no match for the Arnold offering.

 

I see that DelPrado are now producing track and lineside scenic items. I did buy an oval of track to try, and I have to say it is of similar quality to Peco SetTrack, but for about half the price.

 

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

18 hours ago, Gordonwis said:

 

 

I have to say the Re6/6 is one of the three worst models in the Del Prado line up.  Myself, my family and my mates literally laughed out loud when we first saw it close up. I kept mine for a while as a possible donor for a conversion (eg for use with the Kato RhB stuff) but in the end I literally chucked it in the bin as worthless!

 

Among the horrors, have you noticed it has a passenger coach interior?!

 

One of the oddities of the Del Prado Locomotives of the World series was that some models were almost perfect (eg the RhB Croc), some were OK (eg the SBB RE4/4II and DB Br218), a few were horrors (eg SNCF CC6500) 

 

 

Hi Gordon, I must admit, that with more expensive things in the box to inspect, I’d not checked the Re 6/6 that closely.  You are of course quite correct: definitely a coach interior! (Glad I didn’t post this in the Swiss Forum).

 

 

As I say, some will be aware the past eighteen months have been a most enjoyable whirlwind tour of various exciting avenues in Continental railway modelling, including Swiss electrics in H0m and standard gauge electrics in TT.  As I’m now having fun with retro-N, I treated myself to a little souvenir of my travels - a trio of Del Prado static electrics inspired by each of my interest areas:

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, Keith.

[DavidLong]

5 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

The DelPrado Brighton Belle is also no match for the Arnold offering.

 

I see that DelPrado are now producing track and lineside scenic items. I did buy an oval of track to try, and I have to say it is of similar quality to Peco SetTrack, but for about half the price.

 

 

Do you have a link, Ian? I can't find it in a Google search.

 

David

 

[Gordonwis]

The close up of the Swiss RE6/6 reminded me of the other horror (apart from the obviously pathetic pantographs!) - the name UZNIL (should be UZWIL)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

11 hours ago, Gordonwis said:

The close up of the Swiss RE6/6 reminded me of the other horror (apart from the obviously pathetic pantographs!) - the name UZNIL (should be UZWIL)

Fair comment about the pantographs - they do look like I scratchbuilt them!  I think the profile of the ends looks too vertical as well?  (To me it is a £3 souvenir - so my expectations weren’t overstated)

Edited September 4, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Ian Morgan]

20 hours ago, DavidLong said:

Do you have a link, Ian? I can't find it in a Google search.

 

 

Senior moment, it is DeAgostini that created the part-works magazines and models.

 

Their N gauge track can be found here:

 

https://www.dm-toys.de/en/list/category/rails_rail/manufacturer/DeAgostini.html

 

Is there a link between DeAgostine and Del Prado? Possibly not.

 

 

 

[rekoboy]

As far as I know Del Prado is a trading name of a Spanish media company, de Agostini is an Italian publisher

[Keith Addenbrooke]

One of the questions which often arises when starting to look at layout plans concerns dimensions for platforms.  For German N Scale however I found these two English language articles very easily and most helpful (not least as they basically say the same thing).  I thought I'd share them here:

 

Best Practices for Model Platform Constructions

 

Realistic Platform heights and widths

 

For the kind of country station the Schwarzburg station kit represents, I think these are the dimensions I'd need for a typical three-loop arrangement.  The innermost Goods Loop is not a passenger platform:

 

 

I'm not looking to model Schwarzburg itself, but out of interest what I've found online indicates the station is on a curve and doesn't seem to have had the extra passing loop (at least not in more recent photos I've seen).  It seems the Goods loop was also cut back to a single ended siding at some point, and now looks disused (as I'd expect).  Older postcards I've found pictured online suggest there was at least one stub siding / bay siding to the right of the station building.

 

Hope this is of interest, Keith.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

It’s been a few weeks since I updated this thread.  I’ve had a play around with ideas for a simple layout with space to run decent length trains.  All good stuff.  

 

I’ve also been reviewing my other projects - I’ve done a lot of “dabbling” this past year and it’s been a very enjoyable distraction from some difficult challenges my ‘real world’ has thrown my way, but I’ve noted elsewhere I’ve now spread myself too thinly.  Our family needs keep changing and the space I’d like to have to take advantage of N-Scale isn’t going to be available going forwards, so I’m afraid my first look at German N-Scale is pausing here.  I ran into a similar problem with Swiss H0m earlier in the year, but it was definitely worth having another try with the smaller scale.

 

I would like to say “thank you” to all who’ve contributed to this discussion and offered advice and encouragement, especially @Gordonwis, @bbishop and @47606odin.  For anyone reading this and wondering about German N-Scale (or any Continental equivalent), I’d sum it up in one word:

Exceptional

The quality lives up to the reputation it has - I’ve been trying a few second-hand things from years ago, and I’ve not been disappointed: it was an easy decision to try this out, and a difficult one to stop it here.  Include the support here on RMweb and available through specialist retailers , Forums and societies, and it’s a wonderful world to explore.  If my second hand Class 50 had worked out, or if I had the experience / spare parts to fix it, I’d probably be carrying on.

 

Are there any words of caution I’d offer about N-Scale?  Only one: and that’s after I also looked at North American N-Scale.  I just found some details got too small for me to see properly - particularly Micro-Trains Couplers on North American stock.  It was fine for test running, but I don’t think I’d be able to fix anything that broke in layout use!  Scenic details (esp. people) also seemed small to me.  I’ve had poor eyesight since I was seven so this won’t apply to everyone, but we did wonder if a big commitment to N would be wise.

 

I’m keeping my Austrian H0e, and there’s also TT (1:120) of course, which are both slightly larger than N when it comes to details and have my total recommendation too*.  Although writing this has been sad, the next train is already on its way.  Have fun, Keith.

_________________________________________

(* while the track gauge for H0e and N are the same, sleepers etc. on H0e are bigger).  

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Noting this thread may interest others thinking about European modelling, the disappointment when it became clear N-Scale wasn’t the best long-term choice for me personally has been accompanied by a bit of guilt that I’d left another project hanging.  As my concern was about aspects of N-Scale for my parallel US interest, I hope it’s OK to add a PS explaining what may happen next with my beginner’s interest in European modelling (while I’ve also restarted American HO and have plans for TT:120, this bug has obviously bitten too):

 

My clumsiness and eyesight means a larger scale than N may suit me better.  This was confirmed yesterday when I did this very simple running repair on a European HO coach I’ve acquired:

 

 

 

Just hooking this close-coupling return spring using tweezers and a magnifying glass took me several goes.  I have worked with smaller details on kits (H0e and TT), but don’t want to lose or break key bits of rolling stock, so going bigger makes it easier for me to enjoy the practical side of modelling - full marks of course to those doing great things in N and Z.

 

I’ve had a lot of help and encouragement, and I continue to explore my options.  This (from page 1 of this thread):

 

 

Is now looking like this:

 

 

The station has 393 parts, so should keep me quiet for a while.  I’d not realised it’s based on Ostermundigen in Switzerland (one of the alternative names in the kit).  Anyway, means I’ll still be having fun.  Take care, Keith.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Keith Addenbrooke
Station name identified.

[EmporiaSub]

9 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Noting this thread may interest others thinking about European modelling, the disappointment when it became clear N-Scale wasn’t the best long-term choice for me personally has been accompanied by a bit of guilt that I’d left another project hanging.  As my concern was about aspects of N-Scale for my parallel US interest, I hope it’s OK to add a PS explaining what may happen next with my beginner’s interest in European modelling (while I’ve also restarted American HO and have plans for TT:120, this bug has obviously bitten too):

 

My clumsiness and eyesight means a larger scale than N may suit me better. 

 

That was my reason for going from German N scale to US HO models some 25 years ago.

Unfortunately the German love never left me, and now I’ve reverted back to German modelling again, but this time in HO and in the former DDR. My US trains are no more….

 

Brian

[Keith Addenbrooke]

12 hours ago, EmporiaSub said:

That was my reason for going from German N scale to US HO models some 25 years ago.

Unfortunately the German love never left me, and now I’ve reverted back to German modelling again, but this time in HO and in the former DDR. My US trains are no more….

 

Brian

Thanks Brian - I did enjoy reading your Santa Fe branch line blog when you pointed me in that direction a couple of years ago, but I also seem to recall there were also photos of your German stock from a running session with friends there too.  Nice to know my spread of interests is shared: the wonderful world of model railways, Keith.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Keith Addenbrooke