What's Out There

November 23, 2015

I was a little hesitant to model in TT at first,  but hey the hobby has changed. Where I live there is one model train hobby shop for 500,000 people. I have to go online for my HOn3 stuff anyway so what difference does it make what scale I'm in? That one shop is Primerly N scale  anyway. If I was a completely new modeler, N scale might be interesting. But frankly, and this major: I don't particularly care for N scale. I don't know why, I mean I used to be in it when I was 14 or so, I guess my perspective changed. I thought TT would be the same, But it seems right. HO seems huge now! My first attempt in TTn42/TT  was enjoyable, such as it was - I liked having to improvise! I felt I was actually building something, When I was in HO I did a lot of that as well as I do now in HOn3. Sure there was a lot of Ready to Run stuff, but hey; I kitbash, repaint, and alter just about everything I model, so why not be in TT?
To get started I purchased some TT stuff on Ebay. They were unfinshed kits. I am using Micro Trains N scale couplers and various N scale detail parts. I find a lot of stuff in that scale is oversized. I found an etched brass roofwalk/brakewheel set for a Con-Cor covered hopper that was the same size as the HP/Kemtron TT stuff! I also plan to use some HOn3 wheelsets/trucks for some of the cars; A lot of Hon3 stuff is usable.C&S 4'6" Bettendorf trucks in HOn3 scale out at 6' wheelbase in TT and the wheels are aprox 36" diameter. I can use those with spacers on the axles (I cut the plastic axles and insert the ends into a proper width sleeve) But I prefer the old MDC/Roundhouse HOn3 wheels as they have seperate axles. You just don't press them together as tight and then glue them into place. It is fun! I am very pleased with TT scale. Next: HOn3 conversions...