No Brainer Best N Scale Brands


no, I meant the plastic piece that separates the drivers. Look at the bottom of your locos. the drivers are the large wheels (the 8 of the 4-8-4). the piece connecting those on Bachmann locos is thinner than a drinking straw. I saw some of those pieces NEW, had never been on a train, with cracked edges.
That means the new connectors have a lifespan of weeks. soon the drivers start wobbling...
 
That's a shame. I heard older bachmann stuff suffered from poor quality but that their Spectrum line was much better.

Iv'e never owned any brand of model trains since 1960 era. Have decided to try some intermountain locos soon and maybe some microtrains too. :)
 
OK so let me get this straight:

Railfan’s research suggests that Kato is the way to go.
TrinityJayOne says the buzz is all about Kato and Atlas. But it really depends on where you’re modeling. I’m modeling in my living room so I’m not really sure where that leaves me. TJOne says Bachmann has a bad rep but that’s in the past and we certainly don’t want to dwell in the past when modeling our steam engine railroads, now do we?
KenGPrice says that Bachmann’s got a full head of steam in the steam department and Railfan has read that the Spectrum line is all that as well. (I have to interject my own VERY limited experience here guys and point out that I have a Spectrum 2-4-0 and while it looks stunning it is very definitely a big ole piece of crapola).
Nucular doesn’t have much bad to say about anybody and thinks you should just judge a book by it’s diecast plastic shell.
Brakie gets right to the point. He needs Atlas.
Hoosiersojer doesn’t seem to really have an opinion but hooked us up with a seriously handy reference. Good stuff H.
OnTheRightTrack is tracking right on Atlas having inconsistant quality according to TrinityJayOne. Wait. Wasn’t that one of Trinity’s favs? RightTrack is all about Kato though which supports the buzz that TJO has been tuning into. - Hold on. Turns out Trinity isn’t so impressed with Kato afterall. Apparently his Kato had a hoppin hinnie that just left him feeling terribly derailed. So then that’s a no to Kato, TJ? But Athearn is impressive. Got it.

Alrighty then. Yep that clears it right up. I have NO FREAKING IDEA what’s good! Kenny G says just do your homework first. The problem, Kenny ole buddy ole pal, is that Christmas is like a week away and I gotta have something by then. Because this aforementioned Bachmann Spectrum is very definitely not it. So…

Anybody got a Magic 8 Ball?
 
SilverBlade said:
Christmas is like a week away and I gotta have something by then. Because this aforementioned Bachmann Spectrum is very definitely not it. So…

Anybody got a Magic 8 Ball?
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Well you sound a bit frustrated. Christmas time often puts the pressure on......plus all the many N scale possibilities are mind boggling.

At first I almost got a bachmann highballer set from amazon.com for about $60 plus shipping.....then some extra bachmann easy track straight sections since the highballer only comes with a circle track. My friend has one of these and likes it. And it's so inexpensive you're not out much and you might be able to return it if you're not satisfied. It won't be top quality but might get you through christmas if that's what you need.

Some hobby shops have these in case it gets too close to christmas for on time shipping. This might be wrong to suggest bachmann when you're already dis-satisfied with your existing engine........but a magic 8ightball is a hard one for me to come up with........and I somewhat understand how that feels because I could use some magic myself sometimes.

I wish you well and hope you find a solution that works. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Bachmann-Trai...=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1324083004&sr=1-1
 
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Almost two months now after starting this thread. From what I've seen and read I like these brands:

1.) Intermountain Railway Company for it's rolling stock and EMD F series locomotives

2.) Microtrains for same as intermountain

3.) Kato for EMD E series locomotives (maybe they have EMD F series too?) and other passenger locomotives and cars. Kato unitrack gets good reviews if you like track with built-in foam base that is easy to setup, teardown, change layout and setup again.

4.) Overland Models for high-end, high-detail, and brass models at premium prices. (out of my price range for now)

5.) Atlas code 80 and code 55 track

6.) Peco code 55 track

7.) Downtown Deco for unique N scale structures and buildings

There are no doubt many other worthy and excellent products to choose from. My above list is just a starting point arrived at from my own internet and forum exploration.
 
Best N scale locomotives

I've been at this since N scale first got started, Kato and Atlas are definately #1, and Life Like has come a long way, I own a ton of their locos, all except the GP-38 are good. Bachman are not to bad in the diesel end, but the locos are not scale, too large on a lot of em. However if you're after steam locos, their spectrum 2-8-0, a smaller version of this engine, are really nice, I own four and they all run really well. They also have a 4-6-0 that comes with a decoder installed for dcc that runs really well. IF you don't want DCC, a quick solder job can set it up for DC and leave the decoder in the tender. Model power has come out with some steamers that run well, first and foremost is their Mogul, a 2-6-0 that is a jewel. They also make a 4-4-0 American that is a good runner, and a 2-8-2 and a 2-6-4 that also runs quite well. Life like makes a 2-8-8-2 steam engine that is a sweet running loco, I also own one of these.
If you're shopping ebay, Atlas made some GP-30's long ago that are cheap and run not well at all, they now make a new GP-30 that costs a lot more and is a great runner. If you're looking at a particular loco, you might want to run it by the group because here there a lot of folks with experience that can save you money and headaches.:D
 
railnut49 said:
I've been at this since N scale first got started, Kato and Atlas are definately #1, and Life Like has come a long way, I own a ton of their locos, all except the GP-38 are good. Bachman are not to bad in the diesel end, but the locos are not scale, too large on a lot of em. However if you're after steam locos, their spectrum 2-8-0, a smaller version of this engine, are really nice, I own four and they all run really well. They also have a 4-6-0 that comes with a decoder installed for dcc that runs really well. IF you don't want DCC, a quick solder job can set it up for DC and leave the decoder in the tender. Model power has come out with some steamers that run well, first and foremost is their Mogul, a 2-6-0 that is a jewel. They also make a 4-4-0 American that is a good runner, and a 2-8-2 and a 2-6-4 that also runs quite well. Life like makes a 2-8-8-2 steam engine that is a sweet running loco, I also own one of these.
If you're shopping ebay, Atlas made some GP-30's long ago that are cheap and run not well at all, they now make a new GP-30 that costs a lot more and is a great runner. If you're looking at a particular loco, you might want to run it by the group because here there a lot of folks with experience that can save you money and headaches.:D
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Thanks for your perspective Railnut49. I probably will eventually get some steam locos. Right now I've found some great deals on EMD FT series diesels and should be pulling the trigger on them and some track, power pack, cars, scenery, and building layout table within two weeks.

Will be building a simple flat beginner layout module on a 36" slab door to get going, with the idea of adding another more topographically complex module later on. So many railnuts say this is the "best hobby in the world" and I agree because the endless possibilities are....well...........endless! :)

Mike
 
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