"N" gauge frustrations

[Ontrack]

Since my marriage broke down after 30 years I decided a hobby was a good idea.
I didn't feel i had the skills to make my own layout from scratch and wanted something that didn't take up a lot of space or look untidy. N Gauge seemed to be the perfect answer.
After six months I spotted an older 5ft farish layout on ebay built into a glass topped coffee table which i bid and won:) so i hired a van and picked it up.
Great I was on my way in N gauge!

Anyway it's turned out after a lot of wonky track replacement and modifications/improvements to be just what I wanted.
However there has been frustrations which I have learned to watch out for that I would like to list here which I sure a few of you, if not all, have experienced at times with N gauge and other gauges also.

1. A lot of faulty locos/track/points on Ebay. Ask for a partial refund or send them back.
2. Bad Dapol, design reliability and total denial of major issues like lights led failure due to blown un-protected diodes and suffer overheating motors. (class 52,56,hymex)  Very cheap can motor in their latest dcc panier tankers. (£50 to replace from dcc supplies if not covered by warranty)
3. Bad Farish quality issues with bent/broken power pickups, also box-can and some coreless motor premature failures.
4. Both Dapol & Farish have issues with worm gears eating into and wearing out top bogie drive gears. (e.g. farish class 66 or dapol hymex}
5. Rapido couplers at different heights and locos that don't support Rapido at all.
6. Last but not least warped base board with track that has been stapled or nailed hard too it.


As new "N" gauge locomotive prices have recently risen 20% to around £150 I would expect improved reliability and durabilty.
I'm sure many of you are happy but there is still room for improvement, thanks for letting me vent some of my frustrations here.

[Ted]

In reference to point 1 and knowing how fragile points are, I'd never - ever - buy second-hand!

A few quid is not worth the risk.

[honestjudge]

I would suspect everyone on this forum has had some frustrating times, similar to what you have experienced.

You put it down to experience and move on.

[ntpntpntp]

Have you actually experienced all of those problems? You've had a bad run if that's the case 

1) I would never buy used track from ebay or anywhere else to be honest, you just don't know how it's been treated. So much of what I see has sleepers broken or missing, holes drilled in sleepers etc.  Yes there are some iffy locos on ebay as people will sell on stuff they're not happy with. It can take time to gain the experience of knowing how to spot the signs of a dud, what minor faults you can fix yourself, and some knowledge of which models have been known to be "lemons".   Always ask for more clear photos including the underside, if not forthcoming then walk away.

I can't really comment on Dapol and Farish as I have very few examples, the vast majority of my stuff is Continental European themed. 

5)  Yes there will be slight variations in coupling manufacture and implementation but nothing which can't be solved or avoided by simply moving the item of stock elsewhere in the train    I'm running stock from many brands and ages of model together and rarely have a problem.   I've never ever come across a loco which won't take a Rapido coupler with an appropriate shank, as that's been the standard coupling in N since the 1960s. Do you mean NEM pockets?

6) Let's face it, not everyone is skilled at baseboard construction and/or may try to skimp on materials - I've seen some shockers!    It's the fundamental foundation of the layout, if it's not done to a decent standard the layout will never be satisfying.   I'm not a fan of pinning track.

£150 for a new British N loco is still significantly less than the way Continental loco prices have gone. I buy new Continental locos extremely rarely nowadays, preferring to pick up quality pre-owned items for say £50 - £80.

[Ontrack]

Have you actually experienced all of those problems? You've had a bad run if that's the case 

Yes all and more, have built up a fleet of ~50 locos with x5 waiting repair.
My 1987 layout aquired three years ago was the first Graham Farish magnum design which I love but used vintage farish track, needed to find and adapt some Piko and Atlas track to get it now running smooth.
Agreed only buy new track. Currently, now that the layout is nearly finished I am re-assesing all the locos into great, good, ok or bad.
American locos don't use pockets. many older ones have rapido with circular holes similar to the old maroon brass geared farish tanker. The usa locos have them mounted higher up so i need to use a caboose birectly behind the loco to couple to my UK rolling stock.
Not all old locos are noisy, not all new locos are reliable or have much pulling power but I guess that's all part of the hobbies fun.

[ntpntpntp]

(The Magnum layout) used vintage farish track, needed to find and adapt some Piko and Atlas track to get it now running smooth.

They're surprising choices! The old GDR-made Piko track was dreadful cheap stuff, not even a standard rail cross-section as I recall.   I'd have suggested if Peco doesn't fit then maybe look for Minitrix, Roco or possibly even Lima track.  Something in the back of my mind is saying Farish may have used Roco track in some sets after they'd giving up on their Liveway trackwork of the 1970s (but I may be confusing with something else).  The current Farish track is pretty much a clone of Peco Setrack.

[Ontrack]

They're surprising choices!

Yes i found some Piko Y points that worked better at the end of a long curve.
Roco was the only new compatible farish track but as you know ceased production.

[ntpntpntp]

@Ontrack   The Roco N track range is now sold under the Fleischmann brand as an "unballasted" system, as an alternative to Fleischmann's own ready-ballasted system.

[Ontrack]

@Ontrack   The Roco N track range is now sold under the Fleischmann brand as an "unballasted" system, as an alternative to Fleischmann's own ready-ballasted system.

Good to know thank you. Fleischmann's track looks the same as the Atlas points I purchased from Gaugemaster. The Atlas was cheaper for the same thing and available from UK if I remember.

[Snowwolflair]

If I found n gauge model railways were that stressful I would switch to flower arranging 

[tutenkhamunsleeping]

If I found n gauge model railways were that stressful I would switch to flower arranging 

I'm not sure my eye-sight is up to that: https://www.dcctrainautomation.co.uk/busch-1229-summer-flowers-set.html 

[ODRAILS]

(The Magnum layout) used vintage farish track, needed to find and adapt some Piko and Atlas track to get it now running smooth.

The current Farish track is pretty much a clone of Peco Setrack.

No - current Farish setrack (last 3-4 years) looks like Peco at first but the Peco rail section and fishplates are much finer. The result is the two types do not join properly.  I tried to mix the two types of setrack in my fiddle yard but ended up ditching the Farish track and settling on Peco.
I used code 40 FiNetrax track, and points in the visible areas.
Ian

[Railwaygun]

Second hand Kato unitrak Is a good buy, as it's bulletproof! You can easily replace track joiners, as they pop out.

[NeMo]

Agreed; but I would suggest getting used Kato points from a reliable vendor with a warranty of some sort -- they're more delicate than the regular track (which you can wash in soapy water without any problems). I bought some used points from Hattons as part of an M2 starter pack, and both the points were broken. Both missing the plugs on the wires, and one seemed to be broken internally too.

Fixable, mind, but they're fiddly, and I'd suggest avoiding such challenges!

Cheers, NeMo

Second hand Kato unitrak Is a good buy, as it's bulletproof! You can easily replace track joiners, as they pop out.

[Newportnobby]

If I found n gauge model railways were that stressful I would switch to flower arranging 

I did, but still never got to the root of my problems