08-27-2010, 04:02 AM
It's been almost 15 years since I last had a layout set up and running (jeez how time flies!!)
Am starting afresh as very little of my old HO stuff has survived the various moves/storage and the little that is left is mostly `treasured' models from when I was a kid that will - in all likelyhood never run again without major $$ thrown at them
As I am renting and starting fresh- decided N scale was the way to go
all well and good, but things have changed quite a bit- I ran hornby and lima with hook couplers
now they got these ones that look almost real
I got a `semi' specific idea in mind- which is basically modelling our local sugarcane trains, and suchlike (the mill etc have a lot of potential for scratch building -which was my favourite part in HO hoping N wont prove that much more difficult)
At this time I am looking at making a series of diaramas (each incorporating a twin kato unitrack line running through it)
Why Unitrack?
Well my idea is to make up the small super detailed diaramas I like - and on a short term basis- plug em together with bits of `undiscovered country' unitrack when I want to add a bit of life
Eventually they would be incorperated into a larger layout when I stop renting and moving around so much (work requires a fair bit of wandering around)
bought some cute little mdt plymouth diesel shunters (which after a repaint) are identical to what is used on the sugar cane trains (well pretty bloomin close) so looks like live frogs and dc
OK thats enough of a longwinded semi intro about what I am doing
First question I have - to me they dont look the same, but it seems they apparently do couple together
I got my first 2 of what will be a fleet of the plymouth diesels (60052 Bachmans)
I want to scratchbuild canebins onto Peco nr121 10ft underframes
the peco couplers- do they hook up to the bachmans???- or will I have to change one or the other?
I am hoping they do- otherwise its likely the bachmans will be fitted with the peco couplers (as I want to run semi prototypical cane trains- ie as many extremely short wheelbase carrages behind 1 or 2 locos with extremely tight curves (the 1:1 scale ones around here can literally turn 90 deg in little more than 30m and have up to 100 unbraked bins behind them) and I'd rather change the loco than a fleet of carriages
sorry to be so longwinded...
Am starting afresh as very little of my old HO stuff has survived the various moves/storage and the little that is left is mostly `treasured' models from when I was a kid that will - in all likelyhood never run again without major $$ thrown at them
As I am renting and starting fresh- decided N scale was the way to go
all well and good, but things have changed quite a bit- I ran hornby and lima with hook couplers
now they got these ones that look almost real
I got a `semi' specific idea in mind- which is basically modelling our local sugarcane trains, and suchlike (the mill etc have a lot of potential for scratch building -which was my favourite part in HO hoping N wont prove that much more difficult)
At this time I am looking at making a series of diaramas (each incorporating a twin kato unitrack line running through it)
Why Unitrack?
Well my idea is to make up the small super detailed diaramas I like - and on a short term basis- plug em together with bits of `undiscovered country' unitrack when I want to add a bit of life
Eventually they would be incorperated into a larger layout when I stop renting and moving around so much (work requires a fair bit of wandering around)
bought some cute little mdt plymouth diesel shunters (which after a repaint) are identical to what is used on the sugar cane trains (well pretty bloomin close) so looks like live frogs and dc
OK thats enough of a longwinded semi intro about what I am doing
First question I have - to me they dont look the same, but it seems they apparently do couple together
I got my first 2 of what will be a fleet of the plymouth diesels (60052 Bachmans)
I want to scratchbuild canebins onto Peco nr121 10ft underframes
the peco couplers- do they hook up to the bachmans???- or will I have to change one or the other?
I am hoping they do- otherwise its likely the bachmans will be fitted with the peco couplers (as I want to run semi prototypical cane trains- ie as many extremely short wheelbase carrages behind 1 or 2 locos with extremely tight curves (the 1:1 scale ones around here can literally turn 90 deg in little more than 30m and have up to 100 unbraked bins behind them) and I'd rather change the loco than a fleet of carriages
sorry to be so longwinded...
poopsie chicken tush