Gold Medal Models and BLMA both make N scale chainlink fence that includes the barbed wire. Yesteryear Creations makes N scale barbed wire. All of these are photoetched metal, brass or stainless steel.

To add to the mix, Atlas has come out with a Code 65 track that includes the roadbed and looks much more "North American" than UniTrack or EZTrack. Micro-Engineering sells Code 70 flextrack and turnouts as well, which is what I am using.

First, I will have nothing to do with PayPal as it royally messed up ticket payments for a series of events a volunteer organization I was a member of used it for. We got the money, but no advice as to what it was for!

When dealing on eBay I either pay by credit card or Cashier's Check. The advantage of a Cashier's Check is that you CAN stop payment and have a new one reissued. Fortunately, my credit union will give me up to six a month at no charge since I'm over 55.

I'm not sure about that Jan. 15 PayPal only advice, as Larry Lowrey (GATCO) is still selling on eBay and he won't touch PayPal either.

If I see something I'm interested in, I'll email the seller and ask if he takes credit cards or Cashier's Checks. If not, it's his loss, not mine. And, I've had a 100% favorable rating since I started on eBay in 1999.

The only one I have two of, the MDC (now made by Athearn) Consolidation:


Of course, I have modified them to models of PRR H3b Consolidations. 

Some gift shops at Tourist railroads sell short lengths of rail (~3"), painted with felt on the bottom to use as bookends. I have a pair given me years ago by a friend at L. B. Foster, a track material seller. Even a 3" length is pretty heavy.

Quote from: Johnson Bar Jeff on December 05, 2008, 01:37:55 PM

Quote from: SteamGene on December 05, 2008, 10:57:16 AM
I've been trying to find a standard for how trains are numbered.  Here's what I THINK I know.
In the east westbound trains are odd numbered and eastbound are even. 

If I can judge by my handy Amtrak Keystone Service schedule, that appears to be correct. Trains from New York to Harrisburg (that is, westbound) all have odd numbers, and trains from Harrisburg to New York (eastbound) all have even numbers.

IIRC, going back into the depths of history, the dearly departed Broadway Limited was #43 westbound and #42 eastbound. Those are currently the numbers for the Pennsylvanian. How the mighty have fallen. ... 

I worked in the Pennsy's Sales Department and the "Broadway Limited" was Nos. 28 and 29, an all-Pullman train, while "The General", nos. 48 and 49 was the coach train between New York and Chicago.  28, 29, and the Metroliners were the only trains I couldn't use my pass to ride.

Lots of "N" specific information here:

http://www.teamsavage.com/ncat/ncat.html

There's also Train Depot on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park. Not far from I4.

And the store on Mills is Colonial Photo & Hobby, big store, an old movie house, lots of trains at full retail.

When I was ten I was allowed to take the throttle of an LIRR H10s 2-8-0 on a work train. Not only that, but the engineer got out and climbed up on a bridge girder over Wantagh State Parkway and took a photo with my box brownie. BTW, the fireman stood right behind me to make sure I didn't do anything. 

While the prototype railroads generally refer to curvature in degrees, the number of degrees being the angle formed from the outside rail 100 feet from the measured location, modelers refer to the radius of a curve in inches. Both 11.25 and 19 refer to the radius of the curve in inches. Non-flex track usually comes in 15, 30, or 45 degree segments, or 24, 12 or 8 sections per full circle.

I am quite sure that a replica Niagara or Hudson could be built, just like the LNER Peppercorn Pacific. The "Tornado" cost 3 million British Pounds, or about 5 million US dollars, to build. Surely, a Niagara or Hudson could be had for six or seven million USD. Got the money? 

I have dealt with several different dealers (they call them "stockists") in the UK and have had excellent service from them. Keep in mind that there is a 7/47 VAT on items sold in the UK, which does not apply to items shipped to the USA, but the shipping will be higher. If you use a credit card, and most will take US cards, you can use the internet ordering systems availble from several stockists.

Here are two:

https://secure.ukworlds.com/shopkeeper/hattons

http://www.railway-models.co.uk/

I have purchased some hard to find railroad and traction books from Historic Rails at excellent prices. They are not really a model train dealer, more of a railroadiana seller.

Ak-Sar-Ben moved to Nashville, TN several decades ago, ceased dealing in model railroad materials at all and last I heard was making truck miniatures that truckers and truck lines could buy. But, that was a decade or so ago, too. It unloaded what it had left in model railroading on eBay in the 1990's, mostly knockoff Kadee (now MTL) underframe castings.

Funny, virtually all the other N scale manufacturers can equip their locomotives and cars with working magnetic knuckle couplers, but Bachmann won't spend the 38¢ license fee (per Mr. Lee Riley) to do likewise. Having been in N scale since 1968 it's no skin off my nose, but the RTR crowd really expects a model that is ready to run and not one on which the couplers have to be changed out.