Interesting video. I was a OO modeller in my teens and early 20's but switched to N when I returned to the hobby around 15 yrs ago. Main reason is to be able to run prototypical length modern image trains. N gauge certainly ticks that box. As for track - the more often you run trains the less track cleaning is required. Leave the trains for a week of no running and you'll need to track clean - this is no different to any other scale. As for the range of models available - agree that OO has more to offer. That said there is still an excellent range out there - which is ever expanding. Indeed the quality of models now produced in N is on a par with OO. Happy modelling.

Useful information, great video. Was going to go with N Gauge, but went with OO. Cheers, Andy

When it comes to cleaning the track I have a Locomotive running with a heavier wagon and underneath the wagon is a cleaning pad which is also used for cleaning glasses. No chemicals or alcohol involved. It helps you also need to make sure all the wheels are cleaned. And the best way is to keep running trains

I have put away my oo gauge, not got rid of it yet, and am having a dabble in Hornby TT120. For me it seems to be the Golddy Locks scale, not to big, not to small. Only downside at the moment is cost, as there are few second hand item to be found and if you do find some the price is almost as much as buying new. But you can fit a lot of layout in a small space. TT120

It's a very good point on the availability. In N gauge we've only really got just 2 manufacturers in British N, Farish or Dapol... And rarely do they directly compete with eachother on a specific model, for class 37s and 47s, only Farish make them right now, if you want 33s or 43s, only Dapol make them right now... Both manufacturers have their monopolies in their corners of the market while avoiding directly competing with eachother as much as possible. We get none of the advantages of manufacturer competition in N gauge...

The main thing that bugs me is the availability of items that are readily available in say Double O Gauge & say certain items that are just not gonna be brought to N Gauge. I’d love both the Hogwarts Express & the Winston Churchill Funeral train pack but that’s just me.

I have a compact N layout with numerous points. We all need to clean our layouts to ensure good DCC running. I use either a Peco track rubber which works well, or iso-propyl alcohol in a CMX brass track cleaning tanker, which I can haul with a loco. Don't use WD-40. But what I have noticed are these observations: The track that is open for viewing gets dirty quite quickly, whereas the track that is covered up by tunneling almost never gets dirty. This shows that the majority of dirt descends from the air onto the exposed track. Secondly, Setrack and Insulfrog points relying on blade contact fail frequently after 12 months due to dirt. Fishplates too become corroded leading to increased electrical resistance and lower track voltages. The solution for ALL Setrack points on DCC is to solder contact wires between the frog area and the side rails on each side so that current is available either side of the frog no matter whether the blade contact is good or poor. Even better is to switch to Unifrog points, which are fantastic, but limited to medium radius only in N. The frog polarity can be switched with the point motor. The number of fishplates can be reduced by using flexible track. Otherwise, every time you disassemble the track, replace ALL the fishplates with new ones even tough they look OK. Keep the loco wheels clean with iso-propyl alcohol and a cotton bud. Only use locomotives with a pickup at each end. Only use 0-6-0 models with a Stay Alive fitted. (See Delticnapierdcc on KZfaq for an 0-6-0 with Stay Alive crossing a sheet of paper. Good luck Kite

Hi, it sounds like youve convinced yourself to go back to OO. You mentioned track cleaning, yes track does need cleaning but TBH a frequently used track tends to stay clean. Wondering if you are using DC or DCC as certain controllers will give different results in this area. The environment where the layout is kept can affect this, inc dust. Im finding whilst some items are more expensive than OO, its generally similar or much cheaper. Prices are rising... eg dapol mk3 was £22.99 now nearer £30. Many bachmann's are much more but still not quite at the OO level. You do need good eyes, but magnifiers and magnifying glasses along with good lights and varied tools like tweezers, you can do almost anything. Details on locos is always going to be an issue, but they are half the size, and its simply not possible to produce separately fitted parts to every area. Models are improving dramatically, especially when you look at offerings from just 15-20 years ago, they are in new leagues these days. Hoping that helps. If you still feel you are not getting on with it, N gauge is not for everyone, there is no shame switching back. For me its the ability to run full length trains in half the space of OO is massive for me.

My N Gauge layout is in my garage in Humid Australia. I have the issue of the track oxidising and use a Peco rubber on it to buff it up. Regular use helps avoid this. Happy Modelling.

Some very valid observations, you definitely should avoid handling the loco's where ever possible, a fiddle yard or similar is required if you are having a fleet. For me track cleaning has been an issue particularly that sometimes i would not run the layout for months at a time. I used the DCC concepts rubber but i noticed that was filthy and needed a wash but more recently using 100% isopropyl followed by a clean cloth and vacuum, recently I have been experimenting with a piece of cork. Regular running definitely helps. I am also not sure how temperature affects the oxidising process because it's warm here at the moment. I also noticed all my coaches and wagon wheels had dirt that was crusted so all my stock has been cleaned with cotton buds trimmed square dipped in isopropyl, the dirt was amazing and now they run better and I''m sure are better over points etc. I would also say if modelling in N you need the basic tools and know how to remove bogies and clean wheels and contacts removing fluff etc. I also think the loco's are getting better and will not be long before we see a chip with stay alive, just 3 seconds would prevent most stalling issues. Having said all that i wanted full length trains and big run, in 00 the layout would be half the size.

Try Inox, I find it very effective cleaning tracks and wheels. IPA absorbs moisture out of the air in humid environments, maybe that is contributing to your problem. If you have a dust problem, then you will have to wipe the track over semi regularly anyway. I use a small piece of MDF, it's non abrasive. The best piece of advice is do not use abrasives to clean your track. It just creates pits and fissures for dirt to settle in. If you find a better solution, let us know. Use Inox sparingly, a little goes a long way. And don't run locos with traction tyres after you do it, it will gum them up. Hope this helps.

The worst thing about N Gauge from a Japanese train enthusiast's perspective is that it's N Gauge not N Scale! Ordinary Japanese trains have standard gauge bodies running on narrow gauge bogies on narrow gauge track and bullet trains have wide gauge bodies running on standard gauge bogies on standard gauge track but both run on the same track in railway modelling, with the ordinary model trains narrow gauge bogies altered to standard gauge bogies and the bullet trains have the wide gauge bodies altered to standard gauge bodies to fit on double track in particular. The only physically correct model trains are the mini-shinkansen which are standard gauge bodies on standard gauge bogies.

I think 00 is the smallest scale you can get any feeling of heft of the trains. N is too small for me.

Fleischmann track rubber is a much more forgiving cleaner. 10 minutes of that and my live is good to go every Sunday and I'm in a shed!

Biggest complaint for me is the appearance of Peco N track and points. Toy town looks. The OO gauge track has improved greatly but not N. There are build your own finescale versions but it depends on your skill level and budget. Come on Peco, it’s time to improve as there are many N modellers who will part with their cash!

If you think n gauge is fragile don’t try O gauge. Ready to run locos are much worse for bits dropping off.

I agree...especially if you get older..eye sight...00 is better🎉

Hi, it's both funny and a bit sad how videos with a negative tone in their title get loads more views - I've had the same thing with one I made about reliability of N gauge locos, though it's been useful to get the comments. Personally for model scale I really like N gauge - even TT120 seems too big to me - I'd go with N gauge even if I had a warehouse size space to build in (sadly I've nothing of the sort!), because you can replicate long trains in the landscape, or full-size stations / freight facilities and still see the details. On the real railway those things take up absolutely loads of space. For track cleaning there's a particularly good video from the Rons Trains N Things channel where he evaluates NoOxID - it's called "Stop Cleaning Your Track on Your Model Railroad" - he talks about issues that some approaches can cause. I use Goo Gone on a lint-free cloth - I don't run my trains enough for them to keep the track clean, so often give it a clean when I decide I'm going to have some running.

You should go for T-Gauge, 1/450 scale. Then you'll realise that N is just another GIANT scale.

Pretty accurate I'd say.

You might want to try the HOn30 community - we're modelling narrow gauge railways at HO scale using N-gauge track. The smaller locomotives and rollingstock that you find prototypically can take MUCH tighter curves. So you can get just as much railway into the same space of an N-gauge layout - but you're still modeling at HO scale. Personally, I'm heavily into 3D printed stuff - and I can easily find mountains of 3D printable building models from the HO community and print them for pennies each (just the cost of plastic and electricity). Wagons and such are easily available online - again, 3D printable. Locomotives generally use N-gauge chassis with 3D printed shells. My last loco cost me $19 for the chassis - and $0.10 worth of plastic - and was a free download. Personally - I don't want to buy more stuff. I want to be a MODELLER - and not a PURCHASER. So anything and everything that I can scratch-build or 3D print is what I do. It gives me little pleasure to splurge on a $120 locomotive or a $30 house model. On the other hand, something I've created myself is what the hobby is all about for me. So, honestly, I don't give damn what's for sale out there. I bought my track from Peco and some loco chassis from Japan and wheel-sets from China. I have two duel 12v controllers (used from eBay). Aside from that, literally 100% of my layout is stuff I made. My total budget for a 4'x8' layout is under $300. Every model I build for 3D printing is available for free download on Thingiverse just as soon as I'm happy that it's good. I built a windmill, a road bridge, fencing, a station...all sorts of stuff - and I get dozens of other modellers downloading them. We all share what we can - and that builds community.

To be frank British is N Scale is sub par when compared to some other manufacturers globally, I have a decent collection of OO Scale models from a wide variety of manufacturers both big and small and they are reasonably good models, when it comes to N Scale I have a large collection of Japanese models and they are well detailed as well as reasonably robust, obviously you have to take care when using them but they are of a higher quality compared to Grafar and Dapol N Scale models.

Things I didn't like about N guage? Everything except the compactness! I would never go that way again ! Started with 00 and will end with 00! Did think of TT but not enough choice at this time, though .

N is great when space is limited, I'd go or it again over OO.

I'm getting stocked up to make my own turnouts for the first time, and in n gauge with also having deteriorating eyes and sausage fingers. Wish me luck. 😂

Tottally different to my experience. Rule 1

I am presuming you have used new Peco track for your layout. If so when new it does get dirty very quickly, but the more you use your layout and as the track becomes "run in" the less cleaning the track will require. I clean my track about once every three or four months. Just let some trains run for a few hours at a time. The Dapol class 50's I find will run regardless a long with the Farish class 60. Dapol's Hymek does like clean track. Using WD40 is a no no, dust will stick to the residue left behind, IPA is best, not the beer ! As fragility yes you are right and you are wrong. Certain models can be very fragile, Dapol's 68 buffers and windscreen wipers to be watched carefully when handling, but HST's are pretty robust, they just need Hunt couplings to stop the constant couplings. As for a fiddle yard, I built one and it has been a joy to have, I just worry will I have enough space going forward because there is always something else you want to own.

Its all about regular running sessions, also enough trackfeeders. I have 2 wires on every piece of track. Ow and please stop showing GWR trains. It makes me wanna buy them😂

TERRIFYING TOYS ??? Good Lord !! My 30 year old Japanese outline N gauge models, make those models you've got there look prehistoric. Steam roller wheels, and what look like really cheap nasty coarse gearing yuck. Don't suppose your locomotives have 5 pole skew armature can motors with double flywheels and machine polished brass wormgears, driving Frictionless Teflon coated bevel gearing. NO lubrication necessary of course. Japanese mechanisms coast of course, which means you have to learn how to drive them. This of course prevents use of those really crude & unrealistic DCC controllers I've seen in Britain. Japanese models require "Ultra Glide" controllers that look just like the drivers desk in a real train. Complete with real life type power & brake handles, horn, Speedometer, Ammeter, brake gauge, & line light. They also allow adjustment of the "Ultra Glide" acceleration & deceleration ratios to allow for the size of layout you have. Some of these controllers also have a provision to switch between operation of more than one train at a time, without the need for expensive chips. This is only possible with 12v DC in the rails, as a Common Return allows dozens of separate plus supplies to be connected to the plus rail without fear of a short circuit, as would happen if AC is used !!!

Hello Lewis 👋 N gauge is definitely "niche" 👌 compared to OO 🫣 and has its strengths and weaknesses 🤔 It's definitely not a "toy" and not suitable for young children 👶 Dirty track is rarely the reason for poor performance 😳 its normally a pick-up issue with the locomotives 🚂 The This Way Works channel 😇 offers fantastic advice on how to service your locomotives 👍 and will take the fear out of giving it a go yourself 😉 As for buildings 👷‍♂️ if you have the time and dedication, like Michael of Chandwell 😇 you can scratch build for very little cost 👌 well he is from Yorkshire 🤫 As for prebuilt 🤔 you should look out for pre-owned 👀 there can be a significant saving, especially if you are willing to accept a few knocks and chips 🫣 The KZfaq N Gauge Community are a fantastic bunch too, with Picadilly John Warner being a particularly helpful person 😇 Very best wishes for your future adventures in N Gauge 👍