My N Gauge Layout

D

dr.5euss

New Member
Sep 5, 2005
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Birmingham, England
Hi,

I'm new to N but not model railways - I used to do On30 :D

Anyway, I have to attic to play with (17ft x 11ft) and i have some questions.

I'd like it set in Arizona/Grand Canyon county type thing. So, I want to raise the lower track by 2" on the Woodland Scenics risers, then have an inlcine of 2" over 8 ft to get to a 4" height.

I'd like to run some double headers, but is this going to be hard on DC? I have the Bachmann EZ Command somewhere, but I will most likely be buying 2nd hand locos that are quite old, and therefore not DCC fitted. How easy is it to fit to N gauge diesel locos?

Finally, is my 2" in 8ft OK - it's also on large radius loop (what's a good radius?)?

Thanks,:wave:
 
Forgot the basic mainline plansign1

plan-5.jpg
 
George: doubleheading using DC is not a problem if the locos are reasonably matched. You don't have the ease of DCC where you can couple them together, but you just run them as one.
I have a few HO locos where one won't move if the other is in the block; usually the old heavy duty motors.
I won't comment about DCC chips in N.
 
Not sure what I want to run really, anything that's cheap I guess :D

I'd say boxcars, and I'd like the get co-cos if possible. No steam, thank yousign1

I take it locos are 'matched' if they draw the same sort of current?
 
dr.5euss said:
Not sure what I want to run really, anything that's cheap I guess :D

I'd say boxcars, and I'd like the get co-cos if possible. No steam, thank yousign1

I take it locos are 'matched' if they draw the same sort of current?
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I think they mean if they run at the same speed and strength .
 
Will they run at the same speed and strength if they draw the same?

It's just my model shop has a controller showing what the locos are drawing so I was going to check on the if they were matched, before I buy them.
 
dr.5euss said:
Will they run at the same speed and strength if they draw the same?

It's just my model shop has a controller showing what the locos are drawing so I was going to check on the if they were matched, before I buy them.
Click to expand...

Having an ammeter is very useful, but it does not determine whether 2 locos are matched well enough to double-head.

The test I have read that seems to work consistently is to put both engines on the same track powered by the same controller. Add 1/2 the planned cars to one engine, and 1/2 to the other. Then see if they run at close to the same speed. Remove cars from the slower and add to the faster until they do run at just about the same speed. If there is a combination of cars that gives about the same speed for both trains, then they can be successfully doubleheaded.

I think - could be wrong, I'm sure others will chime if I am wrong - you should put the faster of the 2 locos with equal cars in front when double-heading.

An ammeter is a good indicator of problems within a locomotive. If the current is higher than normal, than there is usually something wrong in the drive train. Finding the current with the drive wheels spinning (or stalled) will tell you whether or not it is safe to add more weight for additional pulling power.

Hope this helps
 
I'd say boxcars, and I'd like the get co-cos if possible.
Click to expand...
That's the first time on any forum I've heard anyone refer to 6-axle diesels as co-cos. I also suggest you run more than boxcars - rail lines usually don't have just one type of traffic. To ensure that you can run basically any equipment (except some brass steam locomotives, and they're NOT cheap), I suggest 18" radius curves. Those are somewhat bigger than you've roughed in.
 
Is that wrong them, to call them co-cos?

As long as I can run 30/40 bogied boxcars/tankers/reefers etc., behind a diesel, I'm happy :-) I spoke to a guy today that did it, so I think I can do it too....

I have a semi finalised plan. It's on two separate levels, with the thicker black line being the lower line, and where it goes dotted is where is goes into tunnels. The orange line is the top one:

nplan.jpg
 
Is that wrong them, to call them co-cos?
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In a North American context, that wheel arrangement is termed C-C, and I rarely if ever see people calling 6-axle engines "C-Cs".
As long as I can run 30/40 bogied boxcars/tankers/reefers etc., behind a diesel, I'm happy
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Do you mean 30'-40' individual cars, or do you want to run 30-40 car trains?

Your plan looks like it has ~11" curves, a little tight for 6-axle engines. Also, I see no passing or runaround tracks.
 
dr.5euss said:
Will they run at the same speed and strength if they draw the same?

It's just my model shop has a controller showing what the locos are drawing so I was going to check on the if they were matched, before I buy them.
Click to expand...


Just put them on the same track together and see if one runs away from the other. Add cars to them and see if the results are the same . If one runs away from the other to quickly then the two are not matched.
 
There is a difference between a C and a Co truck: one of them has a single motor driving all axles while the other has one motor per axle. I think Co is the single motor (but I could be wrong).
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By the European system, a C has one motor per truck, and a Co has one motor per axle. However, in North America, we don't have a lot of Cs by European terminology. Six-axle engines are normally Co-Cos, but we'd call both kinds C-C. (In fact, the only North American engines I can think of that don't have one motor per axle, other than industrial switchers, are Alco DH-643s and Krauss-Maffei ML-4000s - the latter German imports. In both cases, it's because they're diesel-hydraulic instead of diesel-electric.)
 
The eagerly awaited shots of phase 1 :)

The main 17ft run - only two points, very simple as the lower level is tailchasing:

ngauge001.jpg


Where the corner meets the other bit (which needs sky painting). Setrack is used on the curves:

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My test car. I ran it off the edge when it went round the curve (have to get used to N), and it was missing a wheel when I took the photo. Nice though:

ngauge002.jpg


Finally the corner where I found the ickle wheel (whatever possessed me to take this one I shall never know):

ngauge004.jpg
 
I'm really unsure about posting this building - it needs cleaning up a tad on the masonry around the front, and what the owner was thinking when he painted that door is anyone's guess :oops:

Here's how you get the DPM kit:

ngauge005.jpg


Which goes together like so:

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Then I painted it with Phoenix Paints Dark Red Brick and Concrete. I've always wanted a whole bunch of these buildings when reading Model Railroader 8) :

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I also caught this freighter:

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