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An ABB set of Union Pacific F units leads 48 cars on a Black Diamonds modular setup
The logical extension to the “smaller is more” argument is Z scale
with a track gauge of 6.5 mm and a scale ratio of 1:220. However, Z
has a much smaller, but growing, following. This is reflected in the manufacturer base, and the number of products available, especially for the American modeller, is a small fraction of what is available in
N. Even so, Z does appear to be growing in popularity and now has modular standards for larger layouts. Z track, of course, gives an option for modelling narrow gauge in N scale, commonly known as Nn3.
Improvements in N scale products have continued to keep up with technology. Many locomotives are now offered with Digital Command Control (DCC) factory installed or with a simple plug and play after- market option. Some are even manufactured with sound. Even locomotives which are not DCC ready can usually be fitted with chips with not too much effort. DCC options for, for example, turnout control, are the same in N as in other scales. Of course, what DCC
does for N scale is to facilitate the running of trains on large, possibly temporary, layouts by taking away the need for the complex block systems that would be needed for traditional analogue operation. The advent of DCC has affected all scales, and this will be covered in more depth in other articles in this series. There are many different systems on the market, and the choice for any modeller is very much a personal one. However, for NTrak-style layouts there is one system used far more than any other; this being Digitrax. This came about because Digitrax supported all the early NTrak meets and have done so since then, resulting in clubs joining in using the same system.
Large N scale modular layouts are now regular features of the National Train Shows which are run concurrently with the NMRA national convention. They also feature at most other major public shows. A video of the NTrak layout at the 2014 NMRA convention in Cleveland can be found on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxR5YFnE1yY
or search in Google or similar for: Burning River N Scalers.
As well as the NMRA convention, other N scale-specific conventions in the USA are organised by the N Scale Enthusiasts (formerly N Scale Collectors), and these too will feature modular layouts.
The zenith of these so far was the 2008 convention in Louisville, Kentucky where the layout incorporated 750 modules. These were arranged in a six-leafed-clover arrangement around a central hub. The record for one circuit of the layout was claimed as 21/2 hours, although most people took significantly longer. Most, if not all, of these large layouts will offer visitor running rights, so if you are going to one of these conventions or shows, take a train or two with you. Alternatively, you could buy one there. If you are planning on taking a train to run, it may be useful to contact the layout co-ordinators in advance to check their requirements for running. For example, at Louisville in 2008,
all locomotives had to be programmed to the operator’s convention registration number in order to avoid loco ID number conflicts.
Products
A consequence of the increased popularity of N is an increasing number of manufacturers and products for that scale. For rolling stock, these range from the major manufacturers such as Atlas, Bachmann, Microtrains, Kato and Walthers to smaller, niche producers such
as Bluford Shops, Rapido (no connection with the original Arnold products), and Wheels of Time. Others produce a wide variety of accessories and detail parts. Sadly, it must be admitted that N scale manufacturers do not yet offer the same range of products as are available in HO, although generally prices are very comparable. If anything, N is usually a shade cheaper. An exception to this is the new area of 3D printing. Here much of the cost of a product is determined by the quantity of material required to print an item, so 3D-printed items in N are usually considerably cheaper than the same item in larger scales.
As mentioned above, modular railroading led to a huge increase
in the number of N modellers to the point where, from virtually nothing in the late 1960s, N has overtaken the older scales of O, S and TT to become the second most popular. One advantage of N scale modules for many modellers has been the “two for the price of one option” where one or two (or more) modules connected to loops
or fiddle yards can form a small home layout in a space-challenged environment. These same modules can then be taken out of the home and joined in with other modellers’ modules to form part of a bigger layout for longer trains.
As well as offering the two for one option, building a module or
two is an easy way for a beginner to get into railroad modelling.
A basic module can be built and operational fairly quickly and put
into operation with other modules straight away. This takes away
the possible long construction time of a home or exhibition layout, which needs much more work before it becomes operational, thus delaying the gratification of operating. Module construction is very straightforward, as the board itself is a simple rectangular frame of either plywood or planed timber, braced at the corners. Some cross- bracing may be recommended to prevent sagging, depending on the materials used. This frame is topped with a deck of either plywood
or MDF, although some modellers are now using insulation foam to reduce weight. Track and scenery are then added to the deck. There are a number of modular standards around covering the essentials for modules to work together. These standards define things like rail height above floor, track position and spacing, and electrical connections. Anybody constructing a module should check the standards of the group they are planning to run with, to ensure that their modules will be compatible.
Dealing with some of the more technical issues of N scale, when Arnold first introduced N scale they gave a free licence to any other manufacturer to use their hook design of coupler, commonly known
as the Rapido coupler after their product line. Arnold’s specifications for track, wheels and operating voltage also became the de facto standards for N. This meant that, from the outset, all N equipment was interoperable, unlike OO or HO where different manufacturers had their own coupler designs. However, the Rapido coupler does not look good, being quite large and prominent. It is very difficult to operate remotely, and does not have a delayed uncoupling facility, so it was not long before Kadee began producing their magnetic knuckle couplers for N scale. These look far more like the North American prototype
and are more capable of remote operation and delayed uncoupling. The majority of products for the US market now come with knuckle couplers as standard. However, most British and European models are still offered with the Rapido coupler, although these are usually now in an NEM (Normes Européennes de Modélisme) standard pocket, enabling the modeller to change couplers easily.
When Kadee divided, manufacture of N scale products was taken on by the part of the company that was renamed Microtrains, who are now one of the leading N scale manufacturers. Once the Kadee copyright had expired, other manufacturers began producing their own knuckle couplers, such as Atlas Accumates and Kato Unimates, which are all
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