# N gauge track



## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

Hi,all... Picked up a bunch of N gauge train stuff[engines,cars and so forth.] What would be the best way to hold down the track on my table. I`ll be running code 100 nickel silver. Everything is Bachmann, I sent one engine to factory and they sent me a new one. Just had to pay the $25 dollars for looking at the old one.
Another question: Is there any other company that has a lifetime warranty other than Bachmann. Just curious. 

Thanks,people,sanepilot....Have a great week:smilie_daumenpos:


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*N-scale track*



sanepilot said:


> Hi,all... Picked up a bunch of N gauge train stuff[engines,cars and so forth.] What would be the best way to hold down the track on my table. I`ll be running code 100 nickel silver. Everything is Bachmann, I sent one engine to factory and they sent me a new one. Just had to pay the $25 dollars for looking at the old one.
> Another question: Is there any other company that has a lifetime warranty other than Bachmann. Just curious.
> 
> Thanks,people,sanepilot....Have a great week:smilie_daumenpos:


sanepilot;

Latex caulk is commonly used to hold track down. Typically a modeler will lay roadbed, either cork, or foam type, and attach it to the table with caulk or glue. The track is laid on top of the roadbed. A dab of caulk at each end of a piece of sectional track is sufficient, you don't need a continuous bead along every inch of track.

Not that it matters greatly, but I suspect you N-scale track is code 80, rather than code 100. I don't think code 100 rail is used on N-scale track. It is a common size rail on HO-scale track though.

No, I don't think any company other than Bachman has a lifetime warranty. Bear in mind though, any time you use this warranty you will have to pay Bachman their $25 fee, so the warranty isn't really free.

An excellent brand of N-scale equipment is Kato. They make a full line of diesel locomotives, and a few steamers. They also make beautiful passenger train sets, based on famous real trains.

Did your bunch of N-scale stuff include any turnouts? (track switches) Does the track have plastic roadbed attached to the bottom? Bachman calls their roadbed track, EZ-track. Kato makes a better quality roadbed track that they call, "Unitrack."
What kind and brand of locomotives did you get?

Have fun with your new N-scale stuff;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:

PS. The files below have a lot of information aimed at new modelers, or people starting over with a new layout. You may find some that's useful to you.

View attachment Where do I start (revised version).pdf


View attachment MODEL RAILROADING ON A BUDGET.pdf


View attachment Model Railroad Terminology 2.1.pdf


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*N gauge*

Thanks,tractionfan.. The engines are Bachmann. Theyre american ,040 and 060,about 1980,I think The track I`ll have to look at and let you know. I just got rid of Lionel fastrack,I really liked but I kept having trouble working on the curves and turnouts.After a coupla years,I fixed the problem with the help of the forum. Right now I have 4 tracks of O gauge with high rail track and turnouts.All four run like a dream. My ho[packed away] I used the EZ track and it worked somewhat good. I used hot glue,never thought of caulking. I hate hot glue,too many whiskers.

I`ve got two major problems which are my bumble fingers and my memory. I can`t remember very much.

Have a great week,Everet/sanepilot:appl:

The track has :made in italy; No name. It is non-ferrous. Plastic ties.
Not brass or stainless. Really hard to file.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Permanent layout?*



sanepilot said:


> Thanks,tractionfan.. The engines are Bachmann. Theyre american ,040 and 060,about 1980,I think The track I`ll have to look at and let you know. I just got rid of Lionel fastrack,I really liked but I kept having trouble working on the curves and turnouts.After a coupla years,I fixed the problem with the help of the forum. Right now I have 4 tracks of O gauge with high rail track and turnouts.All four run like a dream. My ho[packed away] I used the EZ track and it worked somewhat good. I used hot glue,never thought of caulking. I hate hot glue,too many whiskers.
> 
> I`ve got two major problems which are my bumble fingers and my memory. I can`t remember very much.
> 
> ...


 The track. I'm guessing it's sectional, may be made by Rapido. Since it's non-ferrous then it is likely nickle-silver rail, which is good, in terms of conductivity, and less frequent cleaning. For a permanent layout flex track would be better, but that's up to you. Sorry about sending a duplicate copy of the files below. Once I saw that I had already sent them, I tried to delete them, but couldn't get that to work.

good luck;

Traction Fan


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*n gauge*

Thanks a bunch traction fan. I had a HO layout[small] in my bedroom. My boss gave me my choice" the train or her. Awful tempting choice. The only trouble was the trains couldn`t cook. So this N gauge layout will be on rollers and I can put it away in our walkin closet. Later on if things go better,I may get better engines. These two run good at the moment. The rerailers aren`t the best,but I`ll tweak them in time. I`ve went over what you sent me and it was very helpful for me.I like the higher rails as you have more track clearance most of the time,like on switchs and so forth.

I got table made,tomorrow,I`ll paint it up and start building. Then maybe buy a few houses or buildings. Ain`t too happy with the size . Hard to work with.LOL

Have a great weekend,Everett :smilie_daumenpos:


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I tried N gauge when I was a kid and I didn't have the patients or the fingers for it then either.

You can sure pack a lot of stuff in a smaller area though. That was the initial attraction for me, but it didn't last long.

Now in addition to my fingers not being nimble enough, I can't see stuff that small anymore either. 

I could just see me modeling Z gauge.


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*z gauge*

Hi,Michael.. Yes,I have the same problem. A friend of mine has one and dang if that isn`t a cute train set. I almost bought one several years ago at a antique shop. The price was really good but I was broke. I ask my wife if she had any money and she laughed and said "u don`t need that.". 
My biggest problem[right now] was my table is very shakey. Small bump and off goes my engine and cars. Coupla days and I`ll have that cured. Last two days I got a monster table built,ready to paint and start building. Gonna paint it in the morning,if I live.
They make a TT set now,smaller than the Z. Japan does now.

In defense of my wife,she is my best friend and helps sometimes on my layouts. If she doesn`t like the look of it. she will suggest her way.I generally agree.

Have a good night.What is that saying [early to bed.early to rise,makes a man wealthy,healthy,and wise],Everett.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*T not TT*



sanepilot said:


> Hi,Michael.. Yes,I have the same problem. A friend of mine has one and dang if that isn`t a cute train set. I almost bought one several years ago at a antique shop. The price was really good but I was broke. I ask my wife if she had any money and she laughed and said "u don`t need that.".
> My biggest problem[right now] was my table is very shakey. Small bump and off goes my engine and cars. Coupla days and I`ll have that cured. Last two days I got a monster table built,ready to paint and start building. Gonna paint it in the morning,if I live.
> They make a TT set now,smaller than the Z. Japan does now.
> 
> ...


sanepilot;

The scale smaller than Z-scale is T-scale. TT-scale is much larger than Z. It is between HO-scale, and N-scale in size. Both T-scale and TT-scale are pretty rare at this point. T-scale is pretty new, and TT-scale is nearly extinct. A few dedicated enthusiasts still work with TT-scale, but N-scale has really taken over what little market share TT-scale once had.
How's that train table working for you? Did you get it stabilized?

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*train table*

Hi,all... Sorry,my house repair took over but we got it finished saturday. I got the table done and painted. I worked on my two 
mowers today and mowed 4 acres this afternoon. It`s 55 deg and sunny. Rain coming back tonight and snow for three next days.
I spent about a hour[just finished] caulking down my oblong circle. Maybe tomorrow I can work on it. I like that caulk so far.
I put it straight on my plywood[no roadbed]. I like the sound of that. I`m gonna run a test after awhile. Tomorrow maybe,I`ll put in a siding.

I priced a few bldgs and had sticker shock. Also priced a Kato steamer for $1999.00. Looked at a new GMC.It was cheap.$79,995. I`m not kidding. Only in my dreams would I ever own something like that Yikes.

That little engine and tender was about 1 inch long and tender about 1/2 inch long. He`s got it at the very top of his layout on a circle.He`s got about 3 or 4 trains running on the whole layout.Real nice. I`ll put up a photo probably next week. Gonna be busy the rest of this week. Weather doesn`t look good for the whole country. I`m behind about three weeks on my planting and outside work.

Gotta go,Have a good rest of the week,stay warm and dry,Everett/sanepilot:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

sanepilot said:


> Looked at a new GMC.It was cheap.$79,995. I`m not kidding. Only in my dreams would I ever own something like that Yikes.


Some years back, when prices were a bit lower, I heard an economist talking about how advertisers tell us that something costs ONLY so-much. He said a new truck cost ONLY $40,000, and then added, "I don't know anyone who thinks that $40,000 is ONLY!"


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*High cost of structures*



sanepilot said:


> Hi,all... Sorry,my house repair took over but we got it finished saturday. I got the table done and painted. I worked on my two
> mowers today and mowed 4 acres this afternoon. It`s 55 deg and sunny. Rain coming back tonight and snow for three next days.
> I spent about a hour[just finished] caulking down my oblong circle. Maybe tomorrow I can work on it. I like that caulk so far.
> I put it straight on my plywood[no roadbed]. I like the sound of that. I`m gonna run a test after awhile. Tomorrow maybe,I`ll put in a siding.
> ...


sanepilot;

Yes indeed. New commercial structures can be very expensive!
You might look on E-bay for used structures, at much lower prices.

The other lower-cost option is scratchbuilding.
There is a persistent, widespread, and totally untrue, rumor that scratchbuilding structures (or anything else) is "Terribly difficult", "Can only be done by master modelers, or artists, Requires perfect eyesight & rock-steady hands, Etc. Etc. yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.
Even the most superficial investigation typically reveals that these, "sage pronouncements" come from people who have never tried scratchbuilding, or gave up midway through their first attempt at it. 
The truth is that scratchbuilding is easy, and will save you a lot of money over the long haul. Scratchbuilding only one structure using commercial hobby materials, may be close to the high cost of buying one of those "Sticker shock wonders" that you saw. However, the initial supplies purchased to build your first structure will typically leave enough left-over material to build several more. Averaged out, the cost-per-structure will be a fraction of the price of buying the same number of ready-made structures.
Also one can often use material that is not hobby grade, upscale, official scratchbuilding, supplies. This kind of re-purposed material is very inexpensive, or sometimes free! As an example, check Nicola's post on the HO section titled "HO Track side shanty." He made it from coffee starers. I once built some metal silos from toilet paper tubes covered in aluminum foil. A friend used spray can tops to make oil tanks.
Plastic is used to scratchbuild many structures. Most of the general consumer goods we buy today come packaged in plastic, which we promptly throw away. Often the packaging can be used to make structures. Few of us will want to spend the time and effort required to make our own doors and windows from scratch, It's more practical to buy those. They usually come in packs of a dozen or so, and will often supply enough to use on more than one structure.
Next time you're in Walmart, or your wife drags you into Michael's craft store, look around. You will likely see items that can be adapted to model railroad use, and are cheaper than their official equivalents. The file I sent you titled "Model railroading on a budget," covers this same idea.

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*scratch building*

Hi,all,I love to build.I`ve got a lot of Ho and O bldgs I`ve built.I`ve got one at a flea mkt for a dollar and I could have sold it quite a few times. It`s a old time fishing shop and home built. My first was a copy of the middleport station in O /G scale.
I was just working on my track and got disgusted I dropped a wheel axle off my tender. So I quit for the day.

I`m gonna run my O gauge tomorrow at my shop. Gonna get 5 inches snow overnight. Fire,I bought my first new car for $10 thousand,A guy I worked with asked me at work How much I paid. He had just bought a new house trailer. He screamed: That is more than I paid for my home. Prices has sure skyrocket in the last 50 or 60 years. I love to tinker so I`m having fun. Hope everyone is doing the same. Sooner or later I`ll get my trains straightened out.LOL [wishful thinking] 


Stay in and warm,hope you don`t get too much snow. Gonna be another big one,Everett:smilie_daumenpos:


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*bldg*

Hi,all-Just bought a bldg lot on Ebay. Variety [4 or 5 ] different structures. So I`m good for awhile. They were used,looked good.
minor repair. Price was $15.49 plus $13.85 shipping.

I considered that a good buy,I`m gonna be looking at a station house next.

Gotta go,Everett-have a good rest of week :smilie_daumenpos:


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*disappering train*

Hi,all- Working in progress. Didn`t figger this would be such a project.Gonna have a summer full of fun.Ordered more bldgs.Here is what I`ve got done so far. Any suggestions appreciated.

Have fun whatever you do,Everett/sanepilot. Good sunday to all

outside and inside the closet.

















:smilie_daumenpos:


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