Collectible N Scale Model Railroad Trains

For would-be Gullivers, N scale model trains from Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Kato, and others are a terrific way to go. Just as HO scale model trains are half the size of O scale trains, N scale model trains are half the size of HO, measuring between 1/148 and 1/160 the size of their real-life counterparts (the exact proportion depends on the country you live in or the manufacturer who made the model train). One thing is standard, though, and that is the gauge of the track, which is always 9mm wide.

N scale trains are most popular in Japan, no doubt owing to the premium put on real estate in that island nation. Most Japanese N scale trains are 1/150 the size of the real trains running on the real 3-foot, 6-inch narrow-gauge train tracks there. Models of Shinkansen (bullet trains), however, are 1/160 scale.

In England, a ratio of 1:148 is typical, although some N scale trains are 1:152. These latter models are understandably confused with the vintage Lone Star OOO scale trains that ...

Space alone is not the reason to choose N scale over HO scale. Many collectors have plenty of room to house their passions, so collecting at N scale simply allows those lucky folks to amass twice as many examples in N scale as they could in HO.

Unlike O scale, standard scale, and HO scale, some of which have been around for a full century, N scale only came into prominence in the 1960s. While the relative youth of the collectible limits the vintage value of N scale trains, it does mean that N scale collectors can generally mix and match components—standards were agreed upon early by manufacturers, making the interchangeability of many parts viable. Just having standard gauge tracks is an enormous help.

The downside of this rush to standardization was that one manufacturer, Arnold, was given the right to produce the N scale’s standard coupling, the Rapido. Not surprisingly, competitors were loathe to steer their customers to Arnold’s coupler, so they developed couplers of their own, even though Arnold owned the patent.

As it turned out, the Rapido did not work very well for automatic uncoupling and it was a bit bulky relative to the N scale’s diminutive size. Today, most serious N scale collectors prefer the magnetic knuckle couplers produced by Micro Trains.

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Recent News: N Scale Model Trains

Source: Google News

Fun time at Homewood Railroad Heritage Day
SouthtownStar, May 19th

the engineer has to honk the horn. This came of the line through Palos Park and Orland Park. I grew up over there. Now it's a no-horn area,” he said. He has HO gauge trains at his folks' house, and an N scale train in the apartment he shares with...Read more

Casper Calendar for May 15, 2013 - Casper Star-Tribune
Casper Star-Tribune Online, May 14th

11 a.m.-2 p.m., 1356 N. Center St. Fun with model trains with N Scale enthusiast Harry Buhler and HO Scale collector Homer Whitlock. Info: 235-4950 or 266-6439. NAMI. * 7:30 p.m., 133 W. Sixth St. Connections/All Diagnosis support group for persons...Read more

Train Society to hold open house
Shelton Herald, May 13th

The Boothe Memorial Train Society will hold an open house on Sunday, May 19 from 1-4 p.m. Four operating train layouts from “N”, “HO”, “O” and “G” scale will be on display. The Boothe Memorial Railroad Society is located in Boothe Memorial Park at 5800...Read more

Model trains, batteries and a simple idea - Christian Today Australia
ChristianToday, May 12th

It's an expensive hobby that I just don't have the money to keep going but I do have a little amount of HO and N scale trains that I like to set up and watch the trains go round and round. I had not set up my model trains for a very long time and last...Read more

Amtrak station in Flint celebrates National Train Day with 1920s speeder car ...
Mlive- flint, May 11th

Inside of the station, volunteers with Huckleberry Railroad, the National Association of Railway Business Women, Mid-Michigan Railway and Operation Lifesaver handed out gift bags. Attendees were also privy to see a detailed, operating "N" scale model...Read more

Model RR club makes tracks for Beardsley Park
YourWestValley.com, April 29th

Sun City West Model Railroad club member Art Werner, left, and club vice president Bob Nelson are surrounded by HO- and N-scale tracks and trains in their club room. By fall, the club plans to operate a G-scale layout in an area west of the horseshoe...Read more

Freightloads of fun for Railroad Day
Osawatomie Graphic, April 24th

Four-year-old Riley Duncan, with his dad Jessie Duncan and grandmother Dorothy Spencer, spent a long while admiring an N-scale model train inside the museum, set up courtesy of Greg Gilroy, model railroad chairman at the Franklin County Historical...Read more

Model Trains Come Home To Winslow Gallery Every April
AzJournal.com, April 24th

The “N” scale trains are 1:160 the size of an actual locomotive, or 160 scale feet to one actual foot. This is almost half the size of the more popular HO scale, which is 1:87. Because of this small size, module builders can fit a lot into their...Read more