# Some N scales question



## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

So I've decided to build a layout in N scale (as it's best suited for the space that I have and what I want to do with the route) and I have a few questions.

1) Which company has the best GP7 in Southern Railway livery, or at least an undecorated GP7? The same question goes for an F7A unit. I already found a Baldwin 4-6-0 from Bachmann. 

2) Who makes the best freight rolling stock? I'm looking to buy some coal hoppers that are common in the early 90s, Centerbeam cars, general freight cars (box cars, tankers, gondolas etc.) As well as a bay window caboose. Roadnames is N&W, Southern, Norfolk Southern and maybe CSX.

3) I dunno which train will be longer, a Baldwin 4-6-0 locomotive with ten passenger cars (Southern and N&W cars) or a train with two GP7s and 20 coal hopper cars. I need to find out the length so I can make proper planning for my sidings and yards.

4) This is my bench plan so far, but I'm kinda itching to put on a second level and was wondering if that'd be overkill for N scale. My goal is to model a fictional short line that runs in the Appalachia mountains in the Fall of 1990, the route will have an Interchange yard with Norfolk Southern, a couple of towns with industries, and a mine that is the primary customer for the railroad. The route will also host it's own steam and diesel excursion trains. 

The only reason I'd want to put on a second shelf (connected by a helix) is so that my trains can have a good mainline run.


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## michelle (May 12, 2013)

I am not sure one questions 1 and 2. 

For question 3 freight cars are usually 40 ' while passenger are 80' but when you add the couplers and space between cars the freight train will be longer over all. I just measured my 10 car tank car train at 35" so double that 70 plus the engines I would say 100"-130" for a passing siding. 

for number 4 a helix takes up a lot of room to pull 20 cars the incline needs to be low around 1 percent that is 1" or rise for 100" of travel which would be about 32" radius for a 2" climb . A 2 percent 2" of rise for 100" run 16" radius for the same 2" climb. 

For a good main line run curve tracks instead of straight that would add distance. If you use sectional tracks 2 curves then straight change direction of curves for 2


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

Yikes...I may have to limit my coal train to two GP7s and 10 cars.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I am not an N expert, but here are a few names for you.

You can't go wrong with Kato locomotives.
http://www.katousa.com/N/locomotive.html

I don't know if they made that road name.
Kato makes also good rolling stock.
You will pay a little more for Kato but they are (in my opinion) a quality product.

Micro trains makes excellent rolling stock,
They have locomotives but I don't have any maybe someone who does will tell you how they are.
http://www.micro-trains.com/

Bachmann? Their Spectrum line locomotives are OK, the others not so good.
Rolling stock up to debate.


Atlas made that name in The GP7. Quality is debatable.
Lifelike locomotives are debatable too, I have a few and they run OK to me, but you can't compare them to the detail of Kato.

I got the ball rolling.
These are a few of my thoughts, like I said I am no expert on N trains.
Maybe a serious N man/woman will jump in here now.


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## michelle (May 12, 2013)

I might not be a serious "N man", But this n woman been using n scale for over 30 years 

Bachmann rolling stock always looked funny to me it might be the big wheels and little trucks. 

I have a lot of model power rolling stock had very few problems and they are reasonably priced. They changed the coupler on the cars and I do not like the new knuckle coupler the old standard worked better. 

I would have to say Atlas rolling stock would be my first choice since model power changed the couplers. Ten years ago it was different. 

The only engines I ever owned were bachmann and they work fine. Stay away from the standard steam engines they lack pick ups in the tenders and loose power on switches. The spectrums have tender pick ups. Bachmann is the only company that has a life time warrenty and will fix the engines for a small fee. Bachmann is the only one I could afford to buy the others are expensive.

I never had the expensive stuff it might work better


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

michelle said:


> I might not be a serious "N man", But this n woman been using n scale for over 30 years !!!!!



Sorry I fixed it Mrs Master building builder. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## michelle (May 12, 2013)

Thank you Ed.


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

For question 1, your choices for a GP7 are Bachmann or Atlas. Only Atlas has done it in Southern as far as I know. Your best bet for F units is Intermountain, they have an F7 A & B unit , and FT's in both Black and green schemes.

For question 2, don't plan on picking one brand.......you'll need to mix to get the cars you want. Kato makes some nice hoppers, but be aware kato couplers can be finicky about mixing with other brands. They also make nice intermodal cars but Katos specialty is really passenger trains. Atlas, Intermountain, Microtrains, Fox Valley, Trainworx, ect. all make nice stuff, but none of them makes every style of car. Cars are relatively easy to fix/modify, so find what you want/need and go from there.

Train length is hard to compute........modern freight cars start with 50 ft cars, but come in 60' legths too. Most modern flatcars are 89' . Maxistacks can be 175' (3 unit) to 300' (5 unit). But if you figure an average of 60' vs an average passenger car length of 85', then you get about 4 freight cars for 3 passenger cars. So 10 passenger cars would be about 850' (60") and 20 freight cars would be about 1200' (90"). 

A Helix will eat up a lot of space........you could end up with LESS area for yards and industries. The Helix itself will add a lot of mainline run, but it's usually hidden, so unless you don't mind not being able to watch the train for the time it's in the helix , it isn't a great choice.


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

Yea, I may decide to make the entire first level a mountain grade that leads up to the second level. It could be interesting to model.


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## michelle (May 12, 2013)

That sounds nice a steady climb up between cities and industrial stops, long passing sidings. Is this layout going to be a point to point layout or have reverse loops at the top and bottom?


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

michelle said:


> That sounds nice a steady climb up between cities and industrial stops, long passing sidings. Is this layout going to be a point to point layout or have reverse loops at the top and bottom?



It's going to have a reverse loop at the Interchange/Engine facility part and a reverse loop at the coal mine yard.


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## spiralcity (Sep 21, 2013)

Shortliner said:


> Yea, I may decide to make the entire first level a mountain grade that leads up to the second level. It could be interesting to model.


Have you started working on the layout yet? Any pics?


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## nscaletim (Oct 17, 2013)

I will add this to the bachman opinion, the engines I own do not want to work very well, I have had them on a few different layouts and nothing helps, I have sent them for repair to different places and that didn't help, I found out about the warranty on them and sent a email to bachman and they responded, I thought it was going to go well then out of nowhere one day the lady stopped responding to anything I sent, she asked for model numbers and bam that is the last email I have received and I have tried calling many many times but they just send me to the parts voicemail and they wont call me back, I let my son play with the one I managed to get working again on my own, but the other the trucks literally fell apart on me when I picked it up off the tracks, and they want 45 bucks to fix it plus parts, which are 8 bucks each so 61 dollars plus shipping there and back and insurance if I want to add that, which puts me up to about the price of a brand new kato I have been eye balling for awhile.

My kato engine and atlas engines are running like champs 10 years later, the ones my grandfather bought when I was a child watching his trains are still going strong.

I do strongly agree thought that the rolling stock looks plain weird to me something about it looks cheap and strange.

I usually change all of my couplers over to the Micro Train couplers, so I have a constant look and know they will work together, all except the 3 cars I got lately that came with a version on them that would at least let me get them on my track but they will be changed out soon, they are athern and atlas brands and do not want to work well with the micro train couplers I have.

Sorry that was so long I didn't intend it to be that way but I kept having thoughts come to mind about my stock and experiences.


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## spiralcity (Sep 21, 2013)

I agree with the Micro Train rolling stock reco.
As far as engines Kato is probably the most respected manufacturer, but Atlas is no slouch. I have a handful of Lifelike engines, I like them well enough to keep them around.


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