# Nn3 compatible with N scale ?



## Phillies (Aug 3, 2018)

I have a small N scale kitchen counter set up, ironically on a Bachmann Durango and Silverton train set, which I believe is a narrow gauge RR in real life. Anyway, I found a few train cars that would be a great addition to the set, by Micro Line Trains but they are listed as Nn3 scale. Will they run on my track ?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

No ...N is 9mm between the tracks, and Nn3 or Nm is only 6.5mm .. 

There is dual gauge track, but it offset to one side, in which case you can run N or Nn3, but in separate trains, not together in one train ..


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## Phillies (Aug 3, 2018)

Oh ok. Thanks


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Do you mean Nn3 or HOn3? So far as I know HOn3 isn't the 9 mm of standard gauge N scale track, but it is fairly close.


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## Phillies (Aug 3, 2018)

GNfan said:


> Do you mean Nn3 or HOn3? So far as I know HOn3 isn't the 9 mm of standard gauge N scale track, but it is fairly close.



It's an Nn3 car for sure.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Oh OK - I'd never heard before of anyone manufacturing anything in Nn3, but HOn3 is popular enough for Peco to make turnouts and the NMRA to make a track gauge. 

*UPDATE:* After some google searching, I came up with: www.nn3.org - their home page seems to say that they use Z scale to "represent" narrow gauge in N scale.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*N-scale*



Phillies said:


> I have a small N scale kitchen counter set up, ironically on a Bachmann Durango and Silverton train set, which I believe is a narrow gauge RR in real life. Anyway, I found a few train cars that would be a great addition to the set, by Micro Line Trains but they are listed as Nn3 scale. Will they run on my track ?


Phillies;


Nn3 is not a separate scale. It is simply an N-scale, (1/160) model of a narrow gage car, or locomotive.
Like the real Durango & Silverton, the Micro-Trains cars you saw are built to run on three foot gauge track. They are still the same scale as your standard gauge (4'-8.5") N-scale equipment.
N-scale (1/160) is correct for both models, they are just models of cars that were a little smaller, and ran on a narrower gauge track, than the standard gauge equipment in real life.
Because they are narrow gauge cars, they won't run on your standard gauge track. 

have fun;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Based on the "Narrow Gauge Couplers" pages of Micro-trains website, their RTR Nn3 probably has Z scale couplers as well. BTW: Unless someone knows otherwise, when a website has a reminder of an "upcoming event" that was two years ago (that Republic Locomotive Works site); I consider it a pretty reliable sign the company has gone out of business


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## Ko Improbable (Mar 15, 2017)

I looked into Nn3, as well, and everything I saw indicated my wallet would be happiest if I didn't even attempt that. It seems like companies start up, make a little, fail to sell enough of it, and crumble. What is made is seriously expensive.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

What I found (and I assume the OP saw) are an assortment of supposedly NIB Micro-Trains Nn3 freight cars on fleabay with prices comparable to the MSRP of similar standard gauge cars. My real interest (because of the unique road names) was wondering how much trouble it would be to convert a couple of them to standard gauge.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

GNfan said:


> My real interest (because of the unique road names) was wondering how much trouble it would be to convert a couple of them to standard gauge.



you would need N scale trucks and wheelsets for sure .. and -possibly- standard N scale couplers depending on what they came with


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2019)

Micro Trains Nn3 couplers are compatible with N scale couplers. Nn3 cars and engines are about 25% smaller than N scale engines and cars since they are narrow gauge.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Without doing anything that might get me banned; I found a discussion of this very subject on another forum - the guy who tried it found that the hole in an N scale truck was quite a bit larger than the Nn3 pin on the bottom of the car and he was going to have to find bushings. More trouble than I want to go to.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*converting*



GNfan said:


> What I found (and I assume the OP saw) are an assortment of supposedly NIB Micro-Trains Nn3 freight cars on fleabay with prices comparable to the MSRP of similar standard gauge cars. My real interest (because of the unique road names) was wondering how much trouble it would be to convert a couple of them to standard gauge.


GNfan;

You could swap out the trucks easily enough, but the car bodies would still be too small for standard gauge equipment. By the way, there were a few prototype examples. That is, hoisting a loaded car body from standard to narrow gage trucks and back to save manual reloading of the freight. It was a very rare practice but any enterprising modeler should be to BS it as a justification! 

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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