# N scale confusion



## Jimbooregon (Nov 28, 2017)

Need some newbie clarification, please. With its' smaller size equipment, compared to HO, does N scale lend itself to switching operations? Most of the operations demonstrations that I see on YouTube are using HO scale. 
Don't mean to start a scale war, just trying to decide on scale before starting...thanks.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

I am in the process of building a N scale figure 8 inside an outside loop continuous run for in a 20 X 30 glasstop coffee table.


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## Colorado1445 (Nov 11, 2017)

Jimbooregon said:


> Need some newbie clarification, please. With its' smaller size equipment, compared to HO, does N scale lend itself to switching operations? Most of the operations demonstrations that I see on YouTube are using HO scale.
> Don't mean to start a scale war, just trying to decide on scale before starting...thanks.


It is decent for it, it has a lot of the same supplies as HO and it is great for cramped space. HO is just the most popular scale.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

If you get down to it, all scales benefit from good track work, quality turnouts, good wheel sets, aligned couplers, properly weighted rolling stock, and careful operation. The better they are, the better things will run. Given the above, N-scale is fine for switching ops.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Switching operations require a lot of coupling and
uncoupling. My experience is with HO cars with
Kadee couplers but the
same principles apply to N. If your cars are equipped with
knuckle couplers you will likely use some under track
uncoupling magnets in yards and spurs, NEVER in the
main line. Kadee makes an electro uncoupler for
use in main lines. It would work in N scale.

However, much of the uncoupling in a switching
operation is needed where there is no magnet. Most
of us use the HOG (Hand Of God) wand...simply a wood or plastic stick with one end filed to fit in the coupler knuckles.
A twist and they'll pop open. But I wonder if the
N cars are too light to tolerate this action. For N
it may be more desirable to use a 'fork' of two tines
with magnets attached. You would drop this over
the couplers and the magnets uncouple them.

Don


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## Jimbooregon (Nov 28, 2017)

Thanks don, useful info...I understand a bit better now


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## ThomasJ. (Mar 5, 2017)

I never use anything but the magnets for uncoupling, the trick here is to use the same couplers on all your cars and locos as they sometimes don't work if you mix and match couplers such as Micro Trains with Accumate and so on. Kato only works well with Kato couplers.


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## kevinh (Jan 26, 2015)

On the one hand...in N scale everything is smaller and potentially more fiddly, so you have to be a bit more careful laying your track and be a bit more delicate when performing manual uncoupling operations.

On the other hand...in N scale everything is smaller, which means that you can fit more trackage in - in parallel in a yard, and in terms of scale length - for a given amount of bench. (And more importantly, for a given depth of bench within easy reach for those aforementioned manual uncoupling operations...and to deal with the hopefully infrequent derailments....)


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## dd1228 (Jan 26, 2015)

I use a round toothpick and have no trouble at all uncoupling n scale equipment. Been doing it for years. And switching is easy too. Just go nice and slow when pushing cars, especially around curves.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Commercial magnetic "fork."*



DonR said:


> Switching operations require a lot of coupling and
> uncoupling. My experience is with HO cars with
> Kadee couplers but the
> same principles apply to N. If your cars are equipped with
> ...


 Jimbooregon;

There is a ready-made commercial version of the magnet-equipped "fork" Don suggested available. I think it may be made by the Rix company, but I'm not sure that"s the correct brand. I have seen it advertised, and Walthers www.walthers.com should carry it.
One other method of uncoupling, away from the nearest magnet is designed, right into the Kadee/Micro-trains couplers. They call it "delayed uncoupling." To use this feature, you uncouple the cars over a magnet, and gently push the cars together. The couplers will be offset from each other by the magnet. You can then push the car to its final destination. This can be tricky. You can't let any slack get between the two offset couplers, which means constant pushing, which requires good, clean track, and wheels. If your locomotive looses power while pushing, the couplers will spring back to their normal center position. If the cars are then pushed together, they will re-couple to each other. For this reason, and frustration when things don't work out,this method is not as popular as the H.O.G. stick method Don mentioned. However with good trackwork and today's smooth-running locomotives it's quite possible. I saw a demonstration at a train show where the cars were uncoupled, pushed to a spot, and then re-coupled (intentionally, not accidentally) and hauled away, successfully like this all day long.

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Commercial magnetic "fork."*



DonR said:


> Switching operations require a lot of coupling and
> uncoupling. My experience is with HO cars with
> Kadee couplers but the
> same principles apply to N. If your cars are equipped with
> ...


 Jimbooregon;

There is a ready-made commercial version of the magnet-equipped "fork" Don suggested available. I think it may be made by the Rix company, but I'm not sure that"s the correct brand. I have seen it advertised, and Walthers www.walthers.com should carry it. One other method of uncoupling away from the nearest magnet is designed into the Kadee/Micro-trains couplers. They call it "delayed uncoupling." To use this feature, you uncouple the cars over a magnet, and gently push the cars together. The couplers will be offset from each other by the magnet. You can then push the car to its final destination. This can be tricky, you can't let any slack get between the two offset couplers, which means constant pushing, which requires good, clean track and wheels. If your locomotive looses power while pushing, the couplers will spring back to their normal center position. If the cars are then pushed together, they will re-couple to each other. This method is not as popular as the HOG stick method Don mentioned. However with good trackwork and today's smooth running locomotives it's quite possible. I saw a demonstration at a train show where the cars were handled successfully like this all day long.

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Kloudbuster (Jan 20, 2017)

I have a question? Do the electromagnetic mess with DCC commands?

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

No. The elecromagnets are fully compatible with DCC operations.


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## Kloudbuster (Jan 20, 2017)

Thank you


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