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It might make more sense if it was a road in the real world, but in this case I want to have some visual/scenic separation between the town and the upper-right area. It also makes it a bit simpler if I ever want to put additional segments between them. But you're right that there should be a logical reason for having separate bridges. Maybe the road bridge was built first, but wasn't designed to be strong enough to support trolleys, so the electric railway built their own bridge next to it?

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p Yup, everything on a layout is right when it has a story behind it.

My thoughts exactly! I'm hoping to do a video about that featuring some quirks on my layout.

That's a good thought! In general that would be a good strategy. I don't think I'll do that though, since I don't think the turnouts I have are power-routing.

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p Power routing is done not via turnout itself (point rails contacting stock rails) -- that's not reliable. Rather a flip switch mechanically linked to the turnout control rod.

Oh I see, that might be possible. TBH I'm not really familiar with it power routing. I might have to look into it before I build the track and wiring!

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p It's also useful for powering the turnout's frog for better electrical pickup. Insulated frogs are not great.

It certainly does look wrong, and I usually prefer to avoid it! But I did it intentionally in those places because it gives another inch or two of space (and therefore radius) for the curves.

I did! But I ultimately decided that I wanted more flexibility in what I build (especially for the streetcar line). I also don't care for the look of Unitrack--it ruins the realism/immersion for me.

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p I was thinking of pre made bases for your layout

Oh I see what you mean. That's a good idea, and would be a great alternative for someone who doesn't have the space/tools to build benchwork. I found a very cheap and simple benchwork strategy though (tune in next time!), and it was well under half the price of a pre-made T-Track module!

Interesting! I hope I've convinced you to try getting some locomotives used too? :)

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p not quite :D the thing is, if you buy used you gotta be able to repair them and i cant. but it was a great video :)

Thanks! You don't necessarily have to be able to repair to get used. I think I've only done repairs on a couple used engines, and they were both bought at junk prices. There are plenty of used units out there that just need clean wheels and a few drops of oil!

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p fair enough :)

Whoops, good catch! Told you I haven't done much with it! :)

It depends on the seller, but that seems to be a growing problem in all of ebay, like I said in the video. I'm hoping those FB groups won't go the same way.

I've gotten a few of my locomotives like that--buying broken ones and repairing them. It's a great strategy if you have the right skills! Thank you for serving.

Like I said, I wasn't going to tangle with that question in this video. :) I've noticed that it's pretty controversial! But even if trains are cheaper, the rest of life certainly isn't, so they can still be hard to afford.

Yes, DC is great if you plan your blocks well!

being almost 67 years old nemonth and a model railroader for over 60 year, doing all scales. i only have DCC engine, and the rest are DC enines unless battery powered like my G- scale steam engin i run outside. just enjoy what youhave and can get in the future and eny the experince and the hobby, and the hunt fornew things for your layouts. its worked ogreat for me, so far, so whatever happens the next 6-0 years, i don't ry worry about it, simply becase i wont be here orhsave to worry about then.

They're hard to find in N scale right now! And when you do find them, they're more than double the original price. I think they were a limited run. Your best chance is probably to scour train shows for them.

Menards has good deals for some things like that, but a lot of their other things (like structures) are fairly normal prices. I wish they'd expand into N scale!

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p Fair enough, I hope they expand into N scale and make more HO stuff too!

I didn't go in depth talking about it, but I did cover it starting at 05:34. It's available in the used market, as are DDC-ready units.

That's when I started too! Isn't inflation so much fun? I remember seeing Walthers catalogs listing some new locomotives for <$50.

Choosing N scale is a good start if you want to model cheaply. I really like narrow gauge modeling, but it's niche enough that there's really no existing way (that I've ever heard of) to do that inexpensively. That's why I haven't really done any of it.

@@TheNScaleCheapskate-t3p so I'm stuck unless I manage to 3D print something myself?

Unfortunately that's usually the case with niche things. :/ 3D printing can definitely help for that, except for locomotives. Unless there's a good source of narrow-gauge chassis that I don't know about. If I were in that situation, I'd probably either choose to model something less niche, or splurge on 1 or 2 locomotives and try to make everything else super-cheaply.

I have some plaster rocks that someone else made, and I have an easy method for making coal loads that I'll probably share in a video at some point. Both of those make for much better loads than pennies!

Me too

Thank you! I'm excited for this project!