Model Railway Forum

Hello,
I'm Rob and new to this having never got past the point of an oval and a couple of sidings on the table(many years ago I should add).
I found my old Wrenn N2 in a drawer and thought it would be nice to give it a new lease of life.
My plans are 8'x3' portable base split into 2 4'x3'. I'll put more in the appropriate section later. I have acquired a couple of additional locos etc. and will need some track.
The layout is not decided but the main thing will be shunting in a goods yard. To start will be DC and perhaps if I get into it DCC maybe with N gauge but the prices seem very high for that one.
Rob

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum. Ask away and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction. R-

Welcome to the forum Rob, there are lots building new layouts on here. There are also some experts who seem to be able to answer most things .

N gauge or 00? Difficult decision. Here are some of my thoughts. 00 gauge does have the advantage of a larger secondhand source of budget models. In Britain, no other scale and gauge can match the popularity of 00. Therefore with 00 you have more choice.
N gauge has the space advantage. It battles with 0 gauge as being the second most popular scale and gauge as 0 gauge in recent years has surged ahead, but N gauge is still in front, so on the secondhand market N gauge can certainly be found. (You are far more likely to find bargains in 00 though). The good thing is that if you buy N gauge secondhand and then want to sell it, you should get a reasonable price.

Now here are some further thoughts. 8 ft is a useable length for both 00 and N gauge, but 3ft wide is only just manageable in 00 using first radius curves. If you could increase the width by about six inches then you have made a big difference in 00 and if you can increase the width to 4ft you will have an ideal width for 00.

Other observations in regards to scales and gauges. The smaller the scale the more the railaay blends into the scenery. However, the larger the scale the easier they are to model with. This is probably responsible for the larger take up of 0 gauge models in recent years because as people get older their eyesight and judgement in regards to bodily movement may not be what it used to be, and the larger scale appeals to them as a practical choice. So the larger the scale the easier things become in this way.

There are other alternative ways to enjoy building a model railway in a small space but in a larger scale and this is in the form of narrow gauge. In the UK the most popular choices are 009 (The narrow gauge of 00 which runs on N gauge track width), and 0-16.5 (The narrow gauge of 0 runningnon 00 gauge track width). I model in 0-16.5 and am selling my 00 gauge as I find for my modelling needs and preferences, 7mm narrow gauge (0-16.5) to be ideal. Even though I am modelling in thw same scale as 0 gauge, I can turn my trains on a board of just 2ft wide, but it does require me to be selective in the locos and rolling stock I choose. I find it generally cheaper to model in then 00 gauge (I can make waggons for £2 each... Sometimes less) but there is a small downside. Everything has to be built myself either via kits or via scratchbuilding. It is not as difficult as it seems as resin kits from the likes of Smallbrook Studio (Smallbrook list 0-16.5 as 0e which is the European form of 0-16.5) are relatively easy to build. I also use cheap 00 gauge chassis and parts like wheels etc so this keeps the prices low as those little Hornby 0-4-0 locos are ripe for conversion into 0-16.5 form.
The smaller 009 with its European equivalent being H0e are commercially available and popular so are well worth a look.

Whichever gauge and scale you end up in, happy modelling!

Thanks for the replies.
MG, I chose 8x3 for space saving , not a lot of room here and I'm thinking more end to end than having a circuit but it's all open at the moment and views are very welcome. Interesting points made and I didn't realise there were many more than 00 and N. Thanks for the info.
I'm going to post my baseboard thoughts now as to not clog up this thread.
Rob

Welcome Rob to the 'friendly-ish forum!!!!!!!!! Great advice from MG as usual. I started back in OO gauge over 3 years ago as I felt N was too small for me to deal with. I don't mean to insult anyone into N but for me it always seems a little toy like - but I take my hat off to N modellers as they have a lot more patience than me. If I was starting over again I might choose O gauge but only for a simple end to end - I don't have the resources or room for anything big. All things being equal, I find OO a good compromise.

Thanks Mick,
I have got a few engines and carriages in 00 so will at least start with that and I have to get some track, probably flexible and points.
Looking at N, it would be better for my limited space but so expensive and limited. I'll see how it goes.
Friendly-ish, seems ok so far even after a thread hijack
Rob
PS.Looks like it's been cleansed by some superior force, it was there, honest!
Rob

Welcome to the forum.
Your paste table hinges should work but they may be a little lightweight for a positive location when unfolded - you will almost certainly need a way of locking the two halves together for correct alignment. Have a look at adjustable over-centre latches or similar. Consider also that your sides will need to be deep enough to clear any permanent scenery/buildings. That could make for a sizeable box when finished.
Where do you get the ‘N gauge is so expensive’ idea from? I model both and find that they are very similarly priced. Yes you need more N to cover the same space but it will look better. Is it because many believe that as N is smaller it should carry a smaller price tag?

Thanks Steve,
I agree on the hinges and working on a plan to lock the two halves together and the over centre latches look good to go under the join. I thought of the smaller suitcase type for locking the two halves together closed. I will experiment.
Scenery and buildings are not a concern as right now, they won't be fitted for some time.
My thoughts on N gauge are because there is so little used, and not the variety, unlike 00 where lots on ebay, I'm still open minded but to start it is 00 and go from there.
Rob

I may know a reason why 00 gauge secondhand prices are a little cheaper. New both are about the same. (Years ago N gauge locos cost more then 00 but the coaches ad wagons were cheaper but these days all are about the same). Now secondhand N gauge is not quite as plentiful and I do have a theory for this. It is not just because 00 is more popular, but a large 00 gauge collection takes more space to store them away in their boxes, so after ones collection gets a little out of hand, one starts to slim down for space reasons. N gauge takes a lot longer to reach this stage by the nature of the smaller boxes needing less space to store them, so there maybe fewer N gauge enthusiasts selling off their surplus models, and fewer models available for sale means more demand so higher prices (In theory).

A few days ago on my travels I called in a model railway shop. Not to buy but to look as I had not seen it before though I knew it was there. My mum bought some presents for my brothers kiddies birthdays.
Now I saw a few nice 0 gauge models and I saw the sizes. My narrow gauge models (Narrow gauge of 0) are soo much smaller in comparisson. A GWR pannier tank almost looked twice the size and that is a relatively small loco. It goes to show that though one may be modelling in the same scale, how vastly different the sizes of the real things are.