I happened across TroveStar a while back, and it’s a great resource for finding information about N scale trains. Unfortunately, it’s search feature leaves a LOT to be desired. I put together this page to make it much easier to put together a URL that has all of your search parameters at once, so that you don’t have to click, wait, click, wait, click, wait, click, wait, and so on.
First of all, the base of the URL is: https://www.trovestar.com/generic/index.php?Collection=4
With that, you can get started in the N scale collection.
To make life more interesting, you can add on any number of filters. Here’s some of the more useful ones. Keep in mind, you can stack as many different types of filters as you want to narrow your search down to a very specific list. Just append the filter(s) you want to the base URL above, and enjoy!
By Brand:
- &Brand=Atlas
- &Brand=Bachmann
- &Brand=Con-Cor
- &Brand=Deluxe+Innovations
- &Brand=InterMountain
- &Brand=Kato+USA
- &Brand=Life-Like
- &Brand=Micro-Trains
- &Brand=Precision+Masters
- &Brand=Roundhouse
By Commissioner:
- &Commissioned_By=Lowell+Smith
By Model Type:
- &Model_Type=Autorack
- &Model+Type=Boxcar
- &Model+Type=Caboose
- &Model+Type=Covered+Hopper
- &Model+Type=Diesel
- &Model+Type=Gondola
- &Model+Type=Open+Hopper
- &Model+Type=Reefer
- &Model+Type=Tank+Car
By Production Type:
- &Production+Type=Special+Run
By Reporting Mark:
- &Reporting%20Marks=BN
- &Reporting%20Marks=B%26O
- &Reporting%20Marks=CB%26Q
- &Reporting%20Marks=CN
- &Reporting%20Marks=C%26O
- &Reporting%20Marks=CP
- &Reporting%20Marks=GN
- &Reporting%20Marks=NP
- &Reporting%20Marks=SP%26S
By Road or Reporting Number (oddly specific, but just change “35893” below to the actual road number):
- &Road_or_Reporting_Number=35893
By Stock Number (oddly specific, but just change “30537” below to the actual MFG stock number, or modify the example with “+” symbols for more complex stock numbers):
- &Stock_Number=30537
- &Stock_Number=NSC+MTL+10-24