N Gauge Trains
N gauge trains are becoming very popular now because they are smaller than HO scale trains giving you more spectacle for the same space.
Or N gauge trains allow you to put more track, more trains and more action into a smaller space which is ideal if you have a small house or live in really expensive areas such as Japan and still want a model.
Not all N gauge is the same though, however it generally refers to scale ranging from 1:148 to 1:160 which means that your model will be 148 times smaller than the real thing (or 160 times). That’s small!
However note that Z scale is smaller at 1:220 and T scale is a miniature 1:450. That’s incredibly small!
History of N Gauge Trains
Scale in trains began as early as about 1927, but it wasn’t really until 1962 that commercially produced N gauge trains came about. A German company called The Arnold Company started producing first.
N gauge trains are loved worldwide and is only bettered by Ho trains. Generally places where space is at a premium, such as Japan, N gauge is preferred.
Australia has only recently developed N gauge and most of the “old” n gauge in Australia was bought from other countries, especially England. It now produces it’s own N gauge.
N Gauge Train Standards
N scale locomotives are always powered by a DC power supply with a 12 volt supply. The speed of the trains has always depended on the amount of voltage being applied to the track and the direction of the train has been determined by what’s called polarity.
Recently though a newer technology has begun called DCC or Digital Command control which controls the direction and speed of the train using what is known as surface mount technology. Trains have also developed and now use a very small amount of current, normally only about 0.2 amps.
There are currently a few different systems used to couple trains together, but one that continues to be used for N gauge is the Rapido coupling system also made and developed by The Arnold Company.
N gauge track is 9mm track. N gauge used to be known as “OOO” or “treble-O”. Sizes of trains differ around the world so if you are buying internationally be aware that differences do exist.
Original N gauge trains were pushed along by hand. An example of this would be the trains produced in England by a company called Lone Star around 9161. They lost their novelty when electric push trains were released.
The largest N gauge model in the world is in the Das Diego Model Railroad Museum and is 1200sq ft in size. There are about 33 scale miles of track and the model has many well known buildings within it.
Here is a list of some N gauge manufactures:
# Arnold
# Athearn
# Atlas Model Railroad Co
# BLMA Models.
# CJM Models.
# Dapol
# Fleischmann
# Graham Farish
# Kato Japan
# Kato U.S.A.
# Kawai Hobby
# LifeLike
# Lemke/Hobbytrain
# Micro Ace
# Micro-Trains
# Minitrix
# Peco
# PrintableKits
# Roco
# Showcase Miniatures
# Tomix
# Wm. K. Walthers
N gauge runs virtually every time on 9 millimeter tracks – almost without exception.
N gauge scenery is also very easy to find both on-line and in the off-line world, so if you are looking for a compact model train, you may want to consider looking at N Gauge Trains.
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