What Supplies Should The N Scale
Model Railroad Hobbyist Buy From
Model Railroad Hobby Shops or Online?
Article by Tony Neilson
What to Buy?
When it comes to N scale supplies, there are seemingly endless choices to make for the model railroad hobbyist. All model railroads have three major components. First, you need track to run on. Second, you need a locomotive and at least one car of some kind to make a train. Third, you need a source of power for the locomotive. Some thought about each element should help you begin to form a plan.
N Scale Track
If you are not going to be building a permanent track arrangement, the type of sectional track which includes simulated plastic roadbed is a good choice. It is a bit sturdier than other types and will tolerate more rearrangement than non-roadbed rails if you wish to try several configurations before settling on a track plan for permanent construction.
Bachmann EZ-Track, Kato Unitrack, and Atlas True-Track are some examples of N scale supplies to consider. Straight and curved sections in various lengths are available, as are turnouts, crossings, re-railers, and other special components. One very nice feature about this kind of track is that the roadbed sections usually have some kind of keyed slots and tabs on the ends to hold the sections together as the train passes over the rail joint. They also make it much easier to keep the railheads at the section join aligned when the sections are joined.
N Scale Rolling Stock
The next consideration for the model railroad hobbyist is about acquiring locomotives and rolling stock. A big first question is, do you like modern trains, or are you more fascinated by trains from the steam era and the first half of the last century? Do you have a particular road name that you find interesting for historical or personal reasons? Do you love sleek passenger trains, or do you find the huge variety of freight cars endlessly interesting?
One very popular method of acquiring the first bits of rolling stock is to purchase a boxed train set which typically has a locomotive of some kind and road name, and a set of freight or passenger cars and a small oval of track (the plastic roadbed kind is common) included. Bachmann, Atlas, and Kato have a variety of these sets (and numerous other N scale supplies), with the sets ranging in price from about $150 and up. These sets usually do NOT include the third most important part of the layout, the power pack.
If you have settled the steam versus diesel question, the next single most important question about N-scale models is how well they run. As of this writing, the most popular locomotive manufacturers are Kato, Bachmann, Athearn, and Atlas. In the early days of N-scale, poorly made equipment was common. Today, however, much better design, attention to detail, and fine workmanship make all of these products suitable. Kato, in particular, has a reputation for extremely smooth running and finely detailed locomotives. Bachmann, which once had a very bad reputation, has produced the Spectrum line of locomotives which are now very well made and detailed as well. In general, prices reflect quality. A quality locomotive will usually be a bit heavier, which helps it pull longer trains more smoothly. A cheap, poorly running locomotive can be a source of unending frustration with any scale of model. Invest as much as you can comfortably afford, and you will benefit from hours of reliable operation.
Power
N-scale trains are powered by direct current (DC). Power packs are rated by the amount of current they can supply to the layout. Most power packs have two types of outputs. One is a variable voltage that operates the locomotive motor. The other is a fixed voltage output that is usually used for accessory power. Here again, there’s a choice to be made. Starting out with a small power pack will get you going with minimum expense and can power a single train on a modest layout. Upgrading to a larger or more sophisticated power pack can be easily done at any time. Farther down the road, a sophisticated control system called Digital Command and Control (DCC) can be installed to allow the simultaneous operation of several trains at once on any track. It is even possible for a computer to completely control all operation on the advanced layout, including animated accessories and scenic features.