Building my first layout


BILL PLEASE READ !!
There are several problems I see at the get go. They are :
1) All 4 engines in the pics look to have the old box type couplers. The cars you show have the latest knuckle couplers. The two will not mate..(2) The engines all have the old, very deep, wheel flanges. I believe all modern N scale track is code 55 (55 thousands of an inch tall, rail [alone] ). The deep flanged equipment will hit the simulated spike heads and will not run very far on them, if at all...I believe though if you have the earlier (was it ?) code 70 track, then you're ok there, anyway.. My most heartfelt suggestion, IF you can afford it would be skip all that, cut your losses and buy all new code 55 track and at least one new loco which will have shallow flanges and knuckle couplers and will run smoothly, too.. Bachmann has some great stuff at great prices..(4) If you do go with your track plan, try and make the approaches to the center bridge long as possible. If not, the grade to/from it may be very steep, causing wheel spin on the loco depending on how many cars it's pulling.. 3" in 100" is a 3% grade (steep but tolerable). 2" in 100" is a lower, 2% grade. 1" in 50" = 2% grade...2" in 50" = 4%...(5) Not sure if you're going DCC or staying analog DC. If DCC you'd have to put decoders in all the older locos...You don't want to do that my friend...
Go slow. Don't go spending wildly..Make everything you do on the RR as logical and sound as can be or you wind up kicking yourself for cutting corners; especially with track work... M
 
BILL PLEASE READ !!
There are several problems I see at the get go. They are :
1) All 4 engines in the pics look to have the old box type couplers. The cars you show have the latest knuckle couplers. The two will not mate..(2) The engines all have the old, very deep, wheel flanges. I believe all modern N scale track is code 55 (55 thousands of an inch tall, rail [alone] ). The deep flanged equipment will hit the simulated spike heads and will not run very far on them, if at all...I believe though if you have the earlier (was it ?) code 70 track, then you're ok there, anyway.. My most heartfelt suggestion, IF you can afford it would be skip all that, cut your losses and buy all new code 55 track and at least one new loco which will have shallow flanges and knuckle couplers and will run smoothly, too.. Bachmann has some great stuff at great prices..(4) If you do go with your track plan, try and make the approaches to the center bridge long as possible. If not, the grade to/from it may be very steep, causing wheel spin on the loco depending on how many cars it's pulling.. 3" in 100" is a 3% grade (steep but tolerable). 2" in 100" is a lower, 2% grade. 1" in 50" = 2% grade...2" in 50" = 4%...(5) Not sure if you're going DCC or staying analog DC. If DCC you'd have to put decoders in all the older locos...You don't want to do that my friend...
Go slow. Don't go spending wildly..Make everything you do on the RR as logical and sound as can be or you wind up kicking yourself for cutting corners; especially with track work... M

You’ve touched on a few of my concerns. As far as the track they still make 70. I believe n scale 70 is to HO scale 100 and 55 is to 83. I do plan on installing all 55 as I’m going for a more prototypical look.

As far as the engines are concerned I know they will need a ton of work. I wasn’t sure if it would be worth my time and patience to switch out the couplers to kadees(read micro trains) and if I could at all switch out the wheels to a less pizza cutter look. And on top of that I’m sure they need a total overhaul/tune up... also I would like to go the route of DCC and sound so Its good to know that it would be a real pain to do.

Im still hemming and hawing about the layout. I like what I’ve drawn so I was thinking if I lengthen the table from 8’ to 10’ it will give me more real estate to have a much shallower grade for my bridges.

Thanks for making sure I keep these issues in the front of my brain as sometimes I let the excitement take over and run off half cocked into it then have to redo a bunch of stuff.
 
As far as the engines are concerned I know they will need a ton of work. I wasn’t sure if it would be worth my time and patience to switch out the couplers to kadees(read micro trains) and if I could at all switch out the wheels to a less pizza cutter look.
Microtrains makes coupler conversions for both the SD45 and the Pacific. My SD45 was probably the best running locomotive I had in my fleet from that era. Likewise I had the Mikado rather than the Pacific but it also ran well considering the state of the technology. Don't know about the others. I have an Atlas 0-4-0 that also ran OK. Don't know if the one you have there is similar or not.

I would like to go the route of DCC and sound so Its good to know that it would be a real pain to do.
In my opinion that is a huge thing. I know there is zero room inside the SD45 for either a decoder or sound (that is what made it such a good puller). Probably could fit it into the tender of the Pacific. If you really want to go DCC AND sound, I agree it is probably better and definitely easier to buy new units with those things installed from the factory.

Im still hemming and hawing about the layout. I like what I’ve drawn so I was thinking if I lengthen the table from 8’ to 10’ it will give me more real estate to have a much shallower grade for my bridges.
If you take one track up and the other down the grades are almost cut in half.

Which layout are you speaking of? The first one or the one from the book. The one from the book is a folded dog bone with the yard in the center of a blob. The first one could be made into an out-and-back with some minor modifications. That puts the yard on the edge where it is more easily reached without reaching over other tracks. I have always been a fan of the out-and-back. There are many more operational possibilities with it. The second layout is lacking in industry track, which in my opinion makes it "over yarded".

Thanks for making sure I keep these issues in the front of my brain as sometimes I let the excitement take over and run off half cocked into it then have to redo a bunch of stuff.
On the other hand even the most experienced person always has to re-do stuff. Many who try to get it 100% right the first time end up frustrated. One learns more from "mistakes" and sometimes mistakes can even be fun.
 



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