N Scale Hi Rail - Retro Hollow Core Door Layout

[peteski]

Just an FYI, that’s two of the same cars.  They’re both “City of Newport News” sleepers, and they appear to be listed “as-is.”  That said, the C&O scheme is sharp and even looks good mixed into a B&O consist.

DFF

YEs, they are identical, but that is never a problem on a retro layout when unique road numbers or car names were not typical.  The as-is designation looks to be printed on the original Con-cor label, but it seems that all the parts are in the bags.  Plus, the seller takes best offers.  I figured I would toss this Lee's way. Those are pretty cars.

[wm3798]

I've always liked the C&O passenger scheme, but I'm presently not in the market.  If they were the Rowa coach body, I might be in, because then I could apply the handsome RWB Western Maryland paint to one to make a more accurate model of coach 1700, which actually was a C&O car that went to the WM for use in their OCS, as well as various excursion trains.  It's now at the B&O Museum in Baltimore, repainted into the C&O colors it wore originally.

In other news, I've been having fun posting numerous videos of the Retro Fleet in action on various N scale Facebook groups, since it's easy to upload clips right from the phone.  In the interest of sharing some of that here, I've dusted off my old YouTube channel to start seeing what fun there might be in sharing some of this stuff to a wider audience.  My goal is to accumulate these short clips into something a bit more coherent, perhaps with some narration and more detail about the layout itself... such as it is.

So here's the first sample of some of the raw material I'll be working with...

The restored Rivarossi/Atlas switcher I have posted photos of recently.

I think it's important to show this stuff actually running, since anyone can plop a carcass on the rails and take a picture of it!

Look for more of this stuff coming to this space.  Eventually...

Lee

[johnb]

Runs like buttah!

[wm3798]

I've updated the title of this thread to better reflect what's happening here.  The moniker "N Scale Hi Rail" isn't new, I recall my old friend John Craft using the term back when we were building the WMRHS layout, using code 55 rail and trying for a higher level of detail than typically seen in N at the time... He was an S scale modeler, and the "scale" models were differentiated from the familiar American Flyer "toy" trains by designating the latter as "Hi Rail".  The comparison works well, in my mind.

Hi Railers have different goals and standards, but still fundamentally enjoy the hobby.  My goals for this project have moved around a bit, starting with the idea of using old school technology to run old school trains, but that just proved to be impractical.  Some of that old crap was genuinely crap.  So, the focus now is on the "Hi Rail" vintage trains, cleaned up and in some cases fixed up to work a little better, but keeping for the most part their original appearance and vibe.  And different from the purity of the "collector", my goal is not to preserve corpses in formaldehyde in a look-but-do-not-touch mode, but rather to let these old models stretch their legs a bit, running loops for hours on my hollow core door.  Still no DCC or fine scale track, still no high-falutin' time table or car cards.  Just fun old trains run in circles for the amusement of an old guy fondly recalling the simplicity of youth.

I hope you've enjoyed the evolution of this idea, and I'll look forward to sharing more progress (regress?) as the layout edges toward a more finished state.

N joy!
Lee

[nkalanaga]

I've used the phrase "N Scale Hi Rail" for years, as that's exactly what the early N scale was, just like in O scale.  Like them, we had the not-always-scale "Toy Trains", the "Hi-rail" scale models on toy track and wheels, and, eventually, "scale trains", which, like O and HO, weren't exact-scale track and wheels, but which were as close as practical for mass production and marketing.

Now, N scale "fine scale" is starting to appear, although I imagine it will always be a niche market.

[wm3798]

I've heard early N referred to as N gauge Tin Plate, but that always rang a bit hollow, since with few exceptions, pretty much everything was plastic...  Thanks for chiming in.  I'm glad to hear there might be more of us out there.  But please, there's a few things dangling low on the eBay tree I need to pick before this becomes a trend and they get too ripe! 

Lee

[nkalanaga]

True, "tinplate" doesn't accurately describe the earliest N scale, in a literal sense.  But, as a description of the technological level and the culture, it's close, and most modelers in the larger scales would relate to it. 

That's why I prefer to use "toy trains" instead.  After all, to an O-scaler, "Toy Train" often implies both historic and expensive, not an insult, when applied to the tinplate era.  Even today, many O models can be bought in both Hi-rail and scale versions, basically just the trucks and couplers are different.  N scale is the same way.  Many of the models available can easily be converted to hi-rail, if one wants the large flanges and Rapido couplers, although parts are getting harder to find.

[peteski]

I've heard early N referred to as N gauge Tin Plate, but that always rang a bit hollow, since with few exceptions, pretty much everything was plastic...  Thanks for chiming in.  I'm glad to hear there might be more of us out there.  But please, there's a few things dangling low on the eBay tree I need to pick before this becomes a trend and they get too ripe! 

Lee

Lee, I liked the original "Retro Tech Layout Project - N Scale Compact Layout" title better.  There is nothing higher about your rail than on any of the zillions of Kato Unitrack layouts (and good portion of flex-track-based N scale layouts for that matter).

And as far as tinplate toys go, those are nothing to turn our noses at - some are highly collectible, and commend high prices in the collector's world.

[wm3798]

Atlas/Roco GP9s with that classic thrum that belies the need for expensive sound chips.  As the opportunities arise, I'll be posting videos of the entire fleet in operation with brief descriptions of each model.

While I doubt I can be as thorough as @spookshow , perhaps he can make use of my video links within the context of his encyclopedia.

Lee

[spookshow]

Atlas/Roco GP9s with that classic thrum that belies the need for expensive sound chips.  As the opportunities arise, I'll be posting videos of the entire fleet in operation with brief descriptions of each model.

While I doubt I can be as thorough as @spookshow , perhaps he can make use of my video links within the context of his encyclopedia.

Lee

Yo Lee! I hate linking stuff because the links inevitably die. But if you promise it'll be there forever, I'm all in. Looks awesome! 

-Mark

[peteski]

Atlas/Roco GP9s with that classic thrum that belies the need for expensive sound chips.

Not just locos, the microphone picks up faint clickety-clacks of the track joints, and the wheels-on-metal-rail sound. Sounds surprisingly similar to 1:1 train sounds!  Very cool!

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  No, I don't "turn my nose up" at tinplate.  As you said, some of it is worth a  lot of money.  Besides that, at one time, it was state-of-the-art for consumer model railroading.  We probably wouldn't have what we have today if it hadn't made trains available to the masses.

And, if you read enough old magazine, late 30s and 40, some folks were actually running what we would consider "operations" with tinplate trains.  After all, if the point is to simulate the movements of cars and trains, does it matter if they're toys, accurate detailed models, or (today) code in a program?

[DKS]

Lee, I agree with @peteski : the old title was more appropriate. Some of the finest layouts represented on The Railwire--indeed, anywhere--are "Hi Rail." Anyway, I really don't think it's about the track, or the equipment used, or even that it's roundy-round instead of ops-based. I believe it's about the spirit of the layout. What you're doing is scratching a specific itch in a specific way that recaptures N Scale in its earliest days. So, with all due respect, I'd either revert back to the original subject title, or come up with one that doesn't focus on Code 80 rail.

[wm3798]

I appreciate the feedback.  For now it is what it is, because in my mind, it does suit my project...  you know, Rule 1 and all that.

I think of Hi Rail more as an attitude, and not so much a set of design features.  To me there is enjoyment, but perhaps no joy in getting down in the weeds on dreaded rivet counting or worrying about whether the industry your car is routed to was open on May 23, 1946, or if the horn that sounds from your $200 sound chip is a Nathan or a Leslie.
And while it's a delight to find a locomotive I pined for as a kid, when I buy it, it's going to be put to its intended use, not put under glass as some untouchable artifact...  nope, I'm going to put it on the rails and run it!

Case in point...



This pristine 1968 Atlas boxcar kit arrived in today's post.  A fascinating time capsule.  I'll be building it tonight, and composing an opus about it once I've released the factory air from the parts bag, sorted its parts and gotten it ready for service.

But for now, work!  Someone has to pay for all this old stuff!

Lee

[nkalanaga]

Before turning the box upside-down, you might want to search it for the left stirrup!