Begginers questions

Is this about the right sort of price? What I want to do is make a

If its in good condition, and goes for the £30 pounds (factoring in the postage) its currently showing is fair. You'll have to research your own prices on new from a shop, but I think they're normally about £60 or thereabouts.

As a general rule, Fleischmann make quality items. It varies from "average" to "very good", whereas some other makers produce some indifferent items. I'd put that loco in the "average" class.

As for layouts, its hard to advise. I guess from your comments of 5'x3', that you're thinking "classic train set oval with a station". In which case, you're OK at that size, and probably OK at 2'6" wide and perhaps 6' long (eg. a door !). Invest in a book or two on designing model railways, they're quite cheap.

For track, in the UK, Peco make the most readily available N track. Its generally sound.

As a general rule, any N item will work mechanically with any other N item, you are not confined to one maker. What you are content to run depends on your own preferences - you might be happy to have an old German steam loco running alongside a modern British diesel, others might think that isn't "correct" and would never do it. The exception on compatibility is that some US makers now fit a different coupler to their stock (a Microtrains type, which is very good, but not interworkable with the older (ancient and ugly) Arnold standard coupler which everyone else uses).

If buying UK outline N locomotives, only purchase ones you've seen running. I have quite a low opinion of most UK outline N (discussed at length here in the past), however, some of the most recently released items (at least on the diesel side) show considerable improvements over what went before.

- Nigel

Is this about the right sort of price? What I want to do is make a layout

Before you start building a tail chasing layout have a look at

Carl Arendt is a star at designing interesting small layouts and much of his stuff can be translated into GB or European. You might like to lurk at to sift useful ideas from a lot of dross, too.

Ken.

Thanks for the info. guys,thats given me a starting point and some food for thought.

Trevor P.

> Is this about the right sort of price? What I want to do is make a layout