My first foray into N gauge

Due to restricted space now in the spare bedroom there is no room for a 00 layout now so time to take the plunge in N gauge ,done some home work in this gauge and it dont look too bad , I have a flush internal door spare so that will be a starting point for the layout have purchased some track and the peco track plan book I also bought the Farish class 42 diesel hermes and a couple of Stanier coaches in maroon and must admit the detail on these models is amazing mind you it,s going to be a bit of a challenge fitting the buffer beam detail to the loco :hmm it is also DCC ready and it is a doddle to fit the decoder as the body is just clipped on , unclip the body plug in the decoder and away you go and it runs so smooth and quiet , I am using the dynamis controller just havn,t quite got the hang of it yet find the joystick throttle a bit weird .

So thats it for the time being any encouragement in this scale would be greatly appriciated .

Brian

Sensible move seeing your space has been reduced as you said the detail on N gauge models is really superb now.

Running wise they are a great deal better certainly the larger locos i think many get a number of hick ups with 040 060 type locos but im sure they will improve that as time goes by

I presume you will be buying a head magnifier with N gauge

It is possible to convert many non dcc ready N gauge locos the downside is you need to use the mall more expensive decoders

If there are any particular locos you perhaps are considering getting and converting contact me as i have done quite a few and i can tell you if they are easy or not

Brian

[user=16]Diesel[/user] wrote:

 any encouragement in this scale would be greatly appreciated .

Welcome to N, I'm only 2 weeks in to it myself and am finding things out, like ballasting is therapeutic, but fiddlier than OO !!

Do you plan to remove the coupler off the front of the loco to fit buffer beam details, or will you need one at both ends ? I think I will be taking the front one off my 66.

John

Brian I have a magnifier :thumbs I,m going to start with the plug and play DCC loco,s first just to build up a fleet of loco,s but will certainly contact you on any problem ones .

John yes I will be fitting pipe detail to one end ,this class 42 has a front valence to fit then the pipe work there is also a spare bogie frame in the pack but not sure what that is for I,m thinking it is used when fitting the details in place of the bogie frame with the nem coupler it looks to be a clip on replacement .

PS. it dont tell you in the instructions what the spare bogie frame is for or how to fit it .
       

Hi Diesel,

Glad to see you modelling again thumbs I'll be interested to watch how it goes and if you get any problems with the smaller scale.

I don't know if you are thinking of coming to the show, but if you are, there are a number of good N gauge layouts to see and on trader (15ft of space) that only supplies N gauge. Loads of hard to get bits and pieces, I'm told. 

Diesel,
           I think you'll take to n gauge like a duck to water.There's never been a better time to try it,with so many excellent models now available.Anything I can help you with,don't hesitate to ask.
You'll find the smaller size more challenging,but not impossible.
           The fun will really start once you begin to experiment with couplings!!:roll:
All the best,mate!

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

I understand the models are better than they've ever been Diesel and, if the modelling press is anything to go by, are just as good as "OO".

Looking forward to seeing how it develops but I still think it makes you go blind !!!! :cheers:cheers:cheers

Looking forward to seeing how it develops but I still think it makes you  go blind !!!!
I thought it was something else that did that???

:cool:

I thought that made you deaf Owen

Brian

what did you say Brian ???

:cool:

Good on you Brian, welcome to the N gauge mob.
Looking forward to watching your layout develop and happy to help out where I can.
cheers

Thank you all for the encouragement :thumbs it,s all just in the planning stage at the moment but once I get going will start a new thread in the layout section .

I'll be following your progress with interest as I also have very linited space available and I have been wondering about N gauge.

Brian,
       Just an afterthought here,but I was wondering about the track you're going to use.I notice your pictures appear to be posed on Peco settrack.
       When you have eventually planned your layout,I would sell on the settrack on Ebay and use maybe Peco flexitrack and live frog points for your actual layout.
       The Haysbridge layout I was building,but abandoned,convinced me that you should ALWAYS use the best track available if you want the best results.Settrack is fine if you're not overly concerned with running performance.I would never advise using it on an exhibition layout,(although I HAVE seen it used).

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

Peco Flexitrack and live frog points are what I use on Newcastle Emlyn too.

 

Ahhh yes the track this is the bit that confuses me ,there is set track code 80, finescale code 55, stream line and flexi track so what,s the difference?. the track plan I aim to use comes from the peco track plan book it,s 8'x 2'6"continous run with scenic section at front and fiddle yard at back using first ,second and third radius curves and small radius points all using set track, now i,d like to do away with the set track and use other track and electro frog points , but what track do I use ? help and guidence please!!

Setrack and the Code 80 Streamline have the same rail profile and attach to each other fine.

Code 55 is finescale and as you are using all new latest models this will not cause any problems for you.  There is a greater range available in this finescale but all the points are electrofrog which of course means a little additional wiring.

You can connect Code 55 to Code 80 with standard joiners, so you can use your setrack in the hidden areas if you like.  The difference between the two is that the Code 55 has a fine profile rail which is slightly lower than the code 80.  You can either have a slight bump has trains cross from one to the other, or just take a few strokes with a file where you connect the two types.

Great choice of model in having the Warship first - probably the best N Gauge diesel model!

The new Class 37s and 47s from Graham Farish are also very good, as is the Class 24.

Chris.
      I prefer that GWR green diesel you had on offer with 2 free wagons awhile back.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel I think it was.

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

Thank,s Chris , so the wiring on the points is for changing the polarity ? does this have to be done when using DCC ?.
The warship is an exellent model and it runs really smooth ,slow running is good aswell .

Correct, wiring for the points is for the polarity and needs to be done for DCC or DC.

This the one you are thinking of John?



Looks the business, but I am not one to brag!