I Went Off The Reservation

LOL, I hope you have good eyes!!

I always struggle getting that little stuff on the track correctly. Come to think of it I have that problem with O sometimes as well!

Have fun Bob, that's what it's all about!! 

Jeff T posted:

LOL, I hope you have good eyes!!

I always struggle getting that little stuff on the track correctly. Come to think of it I have that problem with O sometimes as well!

Have fun Bob, that's what it's all about!! 

Huh!  No, I actually don't.  After two cornea transplants and other multiple procedures, I can see just okay, at best, with gas perm hard contact lenses and reader/cheaters.  But, I get by and am hoping that the re-railers will help me get these things on track.  Otherwise, it'll just be another lost venture in the life and times of Bob Severin.

Kato is neat.  The degree of detail on those little indefinites is astounding...   

Mitch 

Their "N" gauge Unitrack is great stuff!

Unitrack is what I am planning to use.  So far, I have purchased three Kato trains, and am considering one more, a Southern Daylight.

For me N gauge has been a lot of fun for a change of pace. Some of the problems are unlike O gauge, the track needs to be cleaned much more often in order for it to run. Also any dirt or abnormalities on the track are realized much more quickly than on O scale trains. As has been mentioned in the past size is both a virtue and a curse at times. In my case I would not be able to have any permanent layout if it were not for N gauge. All things considered, I am glad I have both N gauge as well as O as they each have their advantages. Enjoy your new passion.

I enjoyed the layout in N. 

I didn't enjoy the modeling, and the trains always left me feeling underwhelmed.

Looking back I am still tempted to do a hollow core door.  

Kato's run like a Swiss watch and unitrack is bullet proof.  A lot of fun.  One of the neatest things in N scale is being to run prototypical length trains in a normal space.  I love seeing a 12-16 car passenger consist with an ABBA F/E series pulling.  Plus you can model full sized passenger stations in a reasonable amount of space.

I have to admit that I have been so impressed with Rapido trains that I have subscribed to their YouTube and Facebook accounts. I am interested in one of their FL9 diesels in Penn Central blue and a set of Osgood Bradley coaches.  https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale-emd-fl9/

Kato is number one in N gauge, followed by Atlas and Rapido. Kato's track system is the best and makes for a great display! I have a Kato Japanese steeple cab electric with a pantograph pulling three passenger cars. My other N gauge display is a Bachmann 0-6-0 pulling three Atlas 1930's era NC&StL box cars. ALL on Kato track! 

  They run better than expected; but take an allergy pill and hide the pepper, and wear your sneakers, you cant have too many rerailers running N.

  Hollar at me if you want a gift of a dead F Bachmann Alaska to play with Bob. I forget what was wrong with it. It was bound for warranty work and I forgot to ever send it out. It only has about 12hrs on it and I'm not planning on doing anything with her.

I have a Kato PRR GG1 running on Kato track.

I have a bunch of N scale. Its neat but as stated underwhelming. I collect the Kato passenger trains and have quite  a few of them. I have DCC and sound in all the locos but I haven't lit the cars yet as I would need like 300 lighting kits. Just doesnt seem worth it. The nice thing about the beautiful Kato passenger trains is the affordability. You can buy the whole train for $350 as opposed to $300 for one car in some instances. Kato has done an incredible job on everything they do and the track system is second to none and bullet proof.

I have N and have done both hollow door an T Trac modules. I have two 6'x30" doors to put layout on. I also love Kato Unitrack and you can change your layout around very easily. Have fun "off the reservation"!!

Probably going to join you, Bob.

Wife and I have mused several times that the drop-down bed (lowers over the driver/passenger 'Captain Chairs') in our RV would be a good place for an N-scale layout.  After all, no kids (Clearly the only age group agile or small enough to make use of that....."bed"!).  Plus, Millie and Daisy, our Goldens, have their own 'bunking' locations staked out.  So.......why not?  I mean, it'd be just the thing to complement the ambiance of York, et al events.......right?  And pass the time in a rainy day in our two-week sojourn to Floriduh.  (I know, I know....what's a 'rainy day' in Floriduh, anyway!)

Besides, we've accumulated a fair amount of Kato Unitrack, motive power, rolling stock, etc., through the years in that diminutive scale.  Shouldn't sit idle, should it?

Bob.....you may have just spurred us into action!.......finally!!!

Lucas Gudinov

You are certainly not alone! I've wanted to build an N layout for a long time, even though I'm an O gauge toy train runner. But I love passenger trains, and N just does that well.

But about sound in Kato engines: how do you get it there? Is it all after market, or does Kato now put out engines with sound. It's been a long time for me since I've dabbled in anything but O gauge!

I can't imagine good  sound coming out of an N gauge. I'd think most would use a stand alone system in concert with DCC . Companies like Broadway Limited and others have some neat offerings. Stand alone offers a higher fidelity ability than in a model train. It just isn't as directional. Distance and direction fading are part of some stand alone systems now I think.

Someone said he put three sound systems under his layout.  One for steam, one of diesel, and one for electric.  He also put in nice speakers and said the sound is great.  Sounds like an easy way to get some sound without all the cramming, retrofitting and expense of doing each train.  

pdxtrains posted:

You are certainly not alone! I've wanted to build an N layout for a long time, even though I'm an O gauge toy train runner. But I love passenger trains, and N just does that well.

But about sound in Kato engines: how do you get it there? Is it all after market, or does Kato now put out engines with sound. It's been a long time for me since I've dabbled in anything but O gauge!

Rusty

It's amazing the tiny GS-4 has full valve gear detail when you can't get that on an O gauge loco unless you spend at least $1000.00.

I can't imagine good  sound coming out of an N gauge. 

Depends on what one considers "good sound" to be...

First of all, TEHO.  My opinion is simply mine, and mine alone.  Not advocating others should embrace my views.

That said, I think sound-equipped N scale motive power is a perfect example of whether we should consider the scale of sound when making judgment.  For example, a modeler's view of the passing N-scale engine at a distance of, say, 3 feet would simulate viewing the prototype at a distance of about 480 feet, or a little less than 1/10 of a mile.  At the same view distance of an HO engine, you'd be at a roughly 260-foot prototypical perspective.  For an O scale engine at the 3' distance, you'd only be a mere 48 yards away in the 1:1 world!   

So, how should we consider the acceptability of frequency range and fidelity, loudness, and other sound qualities from a scale perspective?

I'm not a sound expert.  I'm wearing a railfan's hat in proferring this thought.  When I'm the lead car at a gates-down crossing, the sound of the passing train is AWESOME!  In fact, you can often FEEL the sound, right?  But if I'm 25 to 35 autos back in the waiting pack at the same crossing, same train, it's NOT the same sound experience....by a long shot!

As such, I think the sound from a quality installation (speaker/enclosure/module) in an N scale engine...Kato's Daylight being a good example, IMHO...is very acceptable from a scale perspective consideration.

Of course, if you're most accustomed to the O3R benchmark, say, of 2 Bad Boy speakers barking out of a recent-production VL 4-8-8-4 as it passes by, well.........!

In a like manner, putting a sound setup like Broadway's Rolling Thunder under the N-scale layout table to have the whole house reverberate and pulsate to a Dolby-like bass frequency amplification as your Kato Daylight rolls by is....again, IMHO...a bit over the top, shall we say.  Translating that experience to a 1:1 perspective would probably bring into question the survivability of a lot of trackside fauna, persona, et cetera.

Most of our (LHS) customers* of N-scale motive power have been quite pleased and accepting of the most recent quality product offerings featuring factory-equipped sound.  And, I agree with them.  It's quite scale believable!

Just my opinion...

KD

*--Of course, I've also convinced a few of them that playing Alvin and the Chipmunks  Christmas music through the speaker beneath the bandstand in the park setting of our store's HO layout is a reasonable facsimile of what HO singers would sound like!!!

dkdkrd posted:

I can't imagine good  sound coming out of an N gauge. 

 

Most of our (LHS) customers* of N-scale motive power have been quite pleased and accepting of the most recent quality product offerings featuring factory-equipped sound.  And, I agree with them.  It's quite scale believable!

Just my opinion...

KD

*--Of course, I've also convinced a few of them that playing Alvin and the Chipmunks  Christmas music through the speaker beneath the bandstand in the park setting of our store's HO layout is a reasonable facsimile of what HO singers would sound like!!!

KD, what N gauge manufacturers offer preinstalled sound on their engines at the factory?

That sound is amazing on that GS4. I'm just not enthusiastic about tinkering around installing chips. I'm hoping we've finally reached a point in N gauge where I can order a loco and it comes with sound installed. That would get me looking at N gauge seriously.

You went off the reservation?  How about you went off the rails. Keep the reservation.  A new direction can make you hungry.

William 1 posted:

You went off the reservation?  How about you went off the rails. Keep the reservation.  A new direction can make you hungry.

But, I didn't go off the rails, they are just getting smaller.  

I still enjoy N scale.  I got out of it just when it was getting good though.  I do have to say that my Atlas N H24-66 is more detailed than the O versions I own. 

I collect in S, O and N but currently operate only in O.  Kato makes very good engines and I also like the Athearn Challengers and Big Boys, including Z-8 Challengers.  I have the Rapido CN Turbo Train on preorder.  Inter Mountain and Fox Valley Models also make good diesels.  The O Gauge products are so much more substantial and have a much larger presence - not to mention SMOKE!!!  But you have much more operating room with N Gauge and can create and scenic a larger and realistic operating environment.

I was thinking of a small N layout for my office at work.

pdxtrains posted:

KD, what N gauge manufacturers offer preinstalled sound on their engines at the factory?

Kato, Intermountain, Broadway Limited, Athearn, Bachmann....   I'm sure I'm missing someone...or two.

KD