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| Nn3, what does this mean. "N" indicates we are modeling in N-scale which
in North America is a ratio of 1 to 160 or 1:160 or 1 foot in the model
equals 160 feet in the real world. N-scale trains run on 9mm track. Standard gauge
track in the real world is 4ft 8.5 inches between the rails. So in N-Scale
standard gauge track is represented by 9mm track or 9mm between the rails.
The second letter, "n" indicates that instead of standard gauge we are modeling narrow gauge.
The could be anything from 18 inches between the rails to 42 inches between the
rails. "3" indicates that in fact we are modeling in N-scale railroads that
ran on track which was 3 feet between the rails.
So much for the technical side. In practice we use track that was developed for Z-gauge trains to run on and it is 6.5mm between the rails. This equates to 42 inch or 3ft 6in between the rail in real life. However in practical terms we model Meter gauge, 3 ft gauge and 3ft 6in gauge in N-scale using 6.5mm track. The first two people who really got Nn3 up and running were Nelson Grey who made freight cars for Nn3 along with trucks and couplers, and Robert Sloan who produced the pewter and etched brass conversion kits to convert a Märklin 2-6-0 z-scale steam engine chassis to an Nn3 steam engine. Bob also produced several books to assist the Nn3 modeller amongst his other books on Colorado Narrow Gauge Lines. One was the Nn3 handbook which is now published by Ntrak.org. The other the Narrow Gauge data book providing many details on the prototype along with drawings, illustration and maps. This book is now also published by Ntrak.org. Between the Robert Sloan and Ntrak Publishing, 5 versions of the Nn3 Handbook have been produced. From the late seventies into the late eighties these were the only sources for Nn3 information in print. When Nelson Grey was forced to retire, his moulds were acquired by Micro Trains Ltd. of Medford OR. in the early nineties. Nelson also produced some of the first North American Z scale cars, and trucks. Trucks, wheels and couplers were produced by Micro Trains for the growing Z-scale market and these are compatible with the Nn3 cars and trucks from Nelson. The next players in the Nn3 field were GHQ and RLW. GHQ produced the Gold Rush Kits that were initially static models and eventually evolved into the conversion kits for 2-6-0, 4-6-0 and 2-8-2 narrow gauge engines. RLW took over the Nn3 material that Bob Sloan had been making and started to add to the product line eventually getting to-gether with GHQ to produce a C-16 conversion Kit and a GE class 90 diesel shell plus other kits for the Nn3 builder. There had been nothing new from GHQ since 2000 but RLW is still very active. The first ready to run (r-t-r) model arrive from Micro Trains in the form of a cast bronze engine shell and tender shell mounted on a Märklin 2-6-0 chassis all assembled and ready to go right out of the box. Then Lok14 came along with its' K27. This was a bronze boiler and tender castings mounted on a modified Märklin chassis 2-8-2 with Faulhaber 8mm motor. It produced a very nice running engine but the valve gear was still that of a standard Märklin engine. Next on the scene was West Model, sold under the Aspen Model name in North America, with there line of Nn3 R.T.R. and kit engines. A 2-8-0, a K37, a K27, the Goose in 2 versions, School Bus and Pierce Arrow bodies. The K27 and K37 had Faulhaber motors and brand new chassis and improved valve gear. The QA was not as consistently good as the LOK14 engines, but with a bit of work it could be made to be as dependable and robust as the Lok14 engine. There was actually another company much earlier than the MTL 2-6-0 who produced several models in Germany and sold them under the name Rocky Mountain Models. There were two versions of the 2-6-0 with brass castings to represent Nn3 old time loco's and this was in the early 1980's. Track comes from several sources, Märklin sectional track, Aspen Models sectional track and switches, Micro trains Flex and they have sold Märklin sectional track under their own name in the past. In August of 2005 they introduced their own line of sectional track roadbed track similar to Kato's Unitrack design in N-scale, and Tomix, Bachmann and others. They have produced switches, with beside the road bed switch machines. It is primarily designed as Z-scale track but at 6.5mm between the rails it can be used for Nn3 also. In 2007 a new player emerged in Japan called Akia or Plus-Up Co and rebranded themselves to RealZJ in 2008 and they also produce a nice power pack and road bed track system almost identical to Micro Trains Product. However, their tie spacing is more in keeping with Nn3 than with Z. Peco also produce flex track for Z-scale which is quite popular amongst Nn3 modellers who do not hand lay their track. Peter Wright in the UK produces No 6 turnouts that match the Peco line of track. Märklin produced an Nn3 engine in their z-scale line in the spring of 2005. A 2-6-0 mogul with a bumble bee D&RGW paint scheme not prototypical but RTR off the shelf. For those who wish to hand lay their track FastTracks produce a series of template jigs to assist the modeller in building narrow gauge and dual gauge turnouts in many sizes. Micro Engineering produces code 40 and 55 nickel silver rail, & rail joiners and in the past they also had wooden ties available. Wooden ties and PC ties are available from FastTracks, Republic Locomotive Works, and Clover House. Since 2000 every narrow gauge convention has had an Nn3 layout in the show. So you can see we are coming of age and are being noticed. While there are still some who do not think of this as a legitimate narrow gauge scale we have in the past five years made many believers and have a few NMRA MMR's modeling in Nn3. |
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Z-scale and why it is here with Nn3 The first thing is they share the same track gauge 6.5mm is the first tie. The second is that most of the Nn3 power units whether diesel or steam are built on Z-scale mechanisms so if one is building Nn3 they have to become familiar with Z-scale and in my case already having an interest in narrow gauge railways, and previous and continued interest in Japanese N-scale offering particularly in Steam, so the extension into Japanese Z is a natural for me. Japanese Railways which with the exception of the Shinkansen all run on 1047mm or 42 inch (3ft 6in) Cape gauge track as did the Newfoundland Railway in Canada and in most of the countries South of the Equator in Africa. Japanese Z or ZJ scale as one manufacturer calls it, was new in 2006 and so far relatively inexpensive to start modeling even if very limited in scope of supply. But there are other sources of things in Z-scale that can be used to make Japanese Trains that run on 6.5mm gauge track. In 2010 the current manufacturers of Japanese Prototype are Tenshodo (Premium Z), Crown (PrmLoco) and Tokyo Marui (Pro-Z). |
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