50+ Years of N Scale Equipment

It is hard to believe that American N Scale equipment has been around for more than half a century. I know that its European roots go back much further but I consider American N Scale to have begun flourishing when Atlas (with Rivarossi) and Aurora (Trix) began marketing American equipment in 1967. My earliest equipment was purchased in 1968. That year I bought 22 Atlas freight cars, 3 from Aurora and a single Arnold Rapido. 6 passenger cars from ConCor (4 GN) and AHM (2 PRR) came along for the ride. My introduction to quality KD freight cars did not begin until the late 70s.

In 1969 my first engines were 2 Atlas (PC) GP40s and an AHM (CB&Q) GP30. A pair of Atlas (GN) F7s followed. Their motors burned brightly (and ran fast) but flickered into their death throes rather quickly. They are all gone now, $5 projects in other modelers’ part boxes. My oldest still running (?) engines are my Trix 0-6-0s (79), ConCor RDCs (81) and a bevy of Atlas RS3s (83).

The KDs are from the late 70s. Some of my first KDs were special runs (Cross Roads Ranch, Youth Awakening, and the Gospel Train) put out by a Pastor to raise money for some facilities that ministered to at-risk kids. (You cannot beat free trains for a tax deductible gift!). I don’t think they sold well because I understand a model railroad club ending up buying the unaccounted for stock for repainting purposes.

Since the initial stage of my layout rebuild is now just about done, I thought it would be a good time to honor the equipment that got me all started in N gauge 50+ years ago. It will end with some of my current equipment. I have never used a video editor before so I cobbled this together with "shotcut" shareware and a poor resolution point and shoot camera.

Corrections: "Born to Be Wild" (1968 and "Rusty Draper"

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