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by Dan Zugelter
Music Controller
An HO modeler's view of the NTRAK New River Subdivision scene.
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When I was a young kid (a very long time ago), my parents warned me about the dangers of getting mixed up with bad company. Even though you may be a good person you may find yourself drawn into trouble with bad company.
Well, I headed this advice for about a lifetime (many, many years), until just recently. Without really realizing what had happened until it was too late - I got mixed up in bad company. |
When the scheduled day finally arrived, with much excitement, I traveled from Vero Beach, Florida to Orlando. Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed into this group. Without really being aware of what was happening, I was drawn into this bunch of guys.
I was immediately attracted to their beautiful C & 0 modules, the New River winding its way between the West Virginia mountains, with the double track main line split, one track on each side of the river, because the river banks were so steep that there was not room to put both tracks on the same side). I recognized the scene instantly. And there was Sewell, not just the beautiful little station with its octagon tower, but a whole bunch of the houses along the river and the tracks. That is almost impossible to do in HO because of the size. Here also was Quinnimont, not only with all the structures and the wye, but two of the sidings inside the wye (try this in HO). Also Alleghany was modeled, with the double bore tunnels at each end and enough space in between for a very respectable coal drag to stop without being inside either the Alleghany tunnel on one end or Lewis tunnel on the other. Very prototypical.
As a lifelong HO modeler, I had heard of this N scale gauge, but had never really experienced anything quite like this before. I began to realize that even though these portable modules were naturally restricted in size, the tracks and trains in no way overwhelmed the landscape. There was a lot of scenery and landscape in relation to the railroad, and this made the modules look really great!
And these guys talk about 18-inch radius curves! I saw 18 inch radius curves with articulated engines rolling around them. Try this in HO. Of course with 18-inch curves, you can put twice as much railroading in the same space as it would take in HO.
The next thing I started to realize that there were many, many trains running all the time. These trains were long. Prototypical length. (1 have never even thought about 75 to 100 car trains in HO).
As I walked around for the better part of a whole day looking at these displays and all of those trains running and running, I never saw a derailment!!
This is even more amazing when you consider that these are portable modules, put up and taken down in a short time with the tracks between the modules only temporarily joined together. Obviously the alignment has to be near perfect. But here were these little tiny (to me) trains running. and running without a derailment.
At about this time, I am thinking you guys have really got something here. However, the next day I attended an electronic seminar on installing decoders in N scale engines This seminar was in English, I'm sure, because I could recognize most all of the words, but when they were all put together, it did not come out in any language I could recognize. This was O.K., I have had the same problem in trying to understand electronic books. However, when I really got lost was in trying to see
the parts in these little N scale engines. I could barely see them much less tell what was a screw, a spring, or a nut. (I should have recognized another nut). Well, it was at this point that I realized that with all of the attributes if N scale, I would need to be able to see it, and this was the problem.
The danger is that once you get involved in the gang, they no longer seem like bad company.
