Trolley Conversion

These pages briefly cover N-Scale traction.  Although there have been N-Scale trolley models for many years, it is still very much a builder’s gauge. Which is to say, that if you want it, you are probably going to have to build it yourself.  That said, it is easier today than it was thirty years ago, and as illustrated above, there is some very fine work being done.

If you are interested in the subject, your best resource is the Yahoo N-Scale Traction Discussion group, located here.  Likewise, there are a number of other resources that supply N-Scale traction items, but because this area of the hobby is small, those resources often come and go. So, the Yahoo group is the best area for you to get a current feel for N-Scale traction in North America.

In many ways, the future is more promising than it has been in the past. Japan has proven to be a major source of traction related items, which is not surprising since so much of their railroad scene is electrified. In recent years, for example, Kato has introduced Unitram, a unified street railway system that complements their Unitrack product line:

Likewise, other manufacturers such as Micro-Ace, Bandai and others have offered trolley items. So, too, Tomix offers its own track system that includes a very sharp radius curve and plastic inserts to create street trackage:

And, some are too interesting for words:

So, there’s opportunity out there, and a number of very skilled modelers to make it happen.  And, you just might be one. Take a look at these few pages and maybe you’ll get the bug.

N-Scale traction at an East Penn meet.