N-scale was the best thing I did in my model railroad hobby. I was in HO since the early 70's until I made the switch in the early 90's. I had gone several years in the early 90's without model railroading due to a lack of space for my HO layout. Due to circumstances if I wanted to get back in the hobby it was going to be either N or Z. Z didn't appeal simply because of it's size and cost. N, at first, didn't appeal either. I had a cousin who had N in the 70's and trust me when I tell you that N in the 70's was total garbage. It didn't matter who made it. He had Arnold, Marklin, Atlas, and Trix. They were supposedly the best in N at the time but they all ran like garbage, if and when they ran at all. The rolling stock available wasn't much to write home about either...between the Rapido couplers and the shiny silver wheels with huge flanges they sure didn't look prototypical.
Well one day I was in my local hobby shop looking for reading material when a customer came in and purchased an N-scale engine. The store owner took the Atlas engine out and put it on the test track before ringing up the sale to make sure everything was fine with the engine. Needless to say I was quite impressed with that engine's performance and looks. If I remember correctly I was in N-scale by the end of that week! I built my layout on a hollow-core door so it will be very easy to move (my current residence situation is temporary at best) when that time comes. It's a modified Atlas trackplan. I can have one train running continuously while I switch a 3 track yard with another engine. While the DC block wire control system is just fine I'm contemplating a switch to DCC to further simplify things. Since I plan this layout to become part of a larger layout I have no problem with wanting to go DCC now...I figure this layout will be the perfect learning tool for DCC.
My preferences pretty much mirror everyone's previous postings:
Locomotives: Atlas and Kato
Life Like locos aren't that bad. I have several SW-900's and Alco C-424's and they are fully the equal of Atlas and Kato. Like Scharnhorst wrote you just need to be careful what you buy from them.
Rolling Stock: Micro-Trains and Atlas
Couplers: Micro-Trains and Accumate. They are compatible with each other and most everything comes factory-equipped with one or the other. Conversions, if you have to do them at all anymore, are fairly simple. M/T makes fully assembled couplers that will drop right into most Atlas and Kato engines and they have so many truck/coupler combos that you can convert almost any piece of freight or passenger rolling stock on the market.
Track: Atlas-I currently use code 80
Click on the globe icon under my avatar to see my little N-scale world!
Whatever scale you choose enjoy the hobby!
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