With some of the recent factors that are affecting me personally, I am starting to wonder if switching scales may be a good idea. I am being tempted by a few things that are drawing me into HO. Here's a few reasons- -Being that I love detailing locomotives, I have been frustrated lately by how adding details can get expensive, and then when all is said and done, they aren't noticable. I have noted that HO scale details are usually installed from the factory and are pretty apparent when watching them roll around the rails. After adding the usual BLMA parts (grab irons, mu hoses, cut levers, windshield wipers, etc) the added cost is almost comparable to a stock HO locomotive. -The huge array of items available including building kits, scenary details, vehicles, locomotives and rolling stock. -Being an NS fan it seems like N-scale can sort of fall short due to the protoypical details that manufacturers have to bend to in order to sell them. Although the latest SD70ACE's sort of jump-started the NS production from Kato and FVM, before that it seemed like there were few NS-geared releases. -Atlas falling short in the Code 50 production has left me idle on building a new layout. Especially since I sold my Code 80 to save up for it. Am I wrong to assume HO has plenty of track to go around right now? Given theses reasons, I have been fighting the urge to make the shift. I am also comparing the following factors in why I don't necessrily want to switch -I grew up with N Scale and have a feeling of loyalty to it for sentimental reasons. I'd almost feel like a traitor... lol -I have a whole pile of N scale locos and rolling stock and am in the middle of detailing a few locos -Obviously the smaller scale gives me more options for scenery and mainline running, expecially since I am not quite ready to build a "basement empire" layout just yet. -N scale has a slightly cheaper price tag and materials go a longer way (plaster castings, styrene for scratchbuilding, paint, decals, etc) -I would have to sell of some of my locos and rolling stock to kick start an HO collection, although I haven't gone buck wild with DCC installs just yet so some of the DC stuff would be easier to part with (but not THAT easy). -I have grown fond of the resources the N Scale Forums has to offer. Lets face it the HO forum is a ghost town half the time, and I feel like I would be starting off in a whole new realm without anyone to guide me along. AHHHH not sure what to do! Help!
Well, don't feel bad. I went through the same questions and pro/con discussion back in February 2011. Some points to help you from the questions above and some of my own observations as to why I made the switch. - There is currently no shortage of track on the HO side. I'm using Peco Code 83 currently and that has been very reliable and easy to find. Atlas had the same supply issues with their HO track, but they fixed that. There are more track manufacturers in HO versus N. - Vehicles. OMG the difference and availability is night and day. Finding a good bus (i.e. Charter and City styles) is impossible short of making your own. Trucks were another sore spot for me. I love what Husker has been able to accomplish with his truck fleet, but I hate to think how much time he has invested in those. I prefer the ready to run route so I can devote time to other projects. Holland Oto makes American charter busses and Trucks-N-Stuff has a huge lineup of trucks and there are many more manufacturers out there. - Sound. Another area where N Scale is catching up, but.... I just did a pair of Wheeling and Lake Erie SD40-2's that had MRC Sound decoders installed in them. Ummm, yea... the horn sounded like it belongs on a ship. It's just to difficult to get it right from a modelers perspective, but the manufacturers are getting better with really small speakers and sound in N Scale. I actually have to turn the volme down on the HO sound equipped engines I have to keep the neighbors from getting upset...more space = bigger speakers... - Detailing. As you mentioned, details on engines are easier to see. I can still pick out a well detailed engine in N Scale, that was never really a problem for me. The other side is the amount of detail parts available for scenery. A quick scan through the Walthers catalog is all you need to see. I focus on detailing and have a small switch layout that keeps me busy. Do I miss long trains and open runs, yes, at times, but I like the switching and operations perspective now. It can be done in N just as effectively, but my preference is on the larger side. Availability of switchers in HO helped on this one. - Picking an era is easy because it seems there is no shortage of anything for the steam, transition, or modern eras. The hard part is picking one and sticking to it (I haven't seemed to figure that one out yet). I run anything from about 1975 through today (NS, CR, CSX, Chessie, and C&O are my weaknesses...). If I saw it growing up, I have to have at least one...or 6... - I'm still on the N Scale forums because a lot of information is transferable both directions. Especially when it comes to scenery and the latest techniques. We just have to do more of it... I also still do a lot of custom work in N Scale, but have since branched out to HO as well. - There are some forums that have more activity on the HO side, but for the most part I've found that N Scalers socialize a lot more on the interwebs versus HO. Not sure why, but it is what it is... maybe someone could do a graduate thesis on it one day... It really all boils down to what you want out of your modelling and time. It is a tough decision. We, okay at least I won't, hold it against you if you go with HO or if you stay with N. My decision ended up being HO primary and N Secondary (yep, still have both)... selling a large portion of my N Scale stuff helped fund a majority of my HO purchases. Full disclosure - I started out in HO as a kid in the late 70's, moved to N for about 25 years (1986-2011) and have now gone back to HO. Full circle trip... Does that muddy the water enough for you? LOL! Brian
I think many/most of us migrate around in scales and interests. I personally started in HO but moved to N for many of the reasons you've listed. One possibility would be to acquire a bit of HO, as a "trial run" if you will, see how it feels to you. Also possibly look at some of what Paul/Colonel has been doing in the HO forum now that he's well into the move up in scale. And never forget that for many of the questions that may arise there's also the Inspection Pit for general questions, and you never know what kind of jump start new threads may bring to the HO forum!
I know lots of model railroaders who buy both N and HO, as well as two or more other scales. Although N-scale models can be nearly as well-detailed as HO models, scale fidelity is easier to accomplish in HO just because the cross-sections are twice as big and much more durable. Even me, a dyed-in-the-wool N-scaler, have a few HO items which sit on display and never run, since I don't have anywhere to run them. The Atlas track shortage problem is also in HO, but, you have a larger selection of HO track manufacturers to choose from than in N, and Peco HO track is specifically built to look like North American trackage and there's no shortage of that. So, it reads like the code 55 Atlas track shortage is what's causing you to think about going to HO. There ARE other code 55 brands out there, specifically Micro Engineering, which looks better than Atlas 55, but they only make a #6 turnout...which looks excellent...but I hafta admit it's a bit constricting as far as layout design is concerned. As for myself, I use code 55 and code 40 rails on my layout, and all of my code 55 is Micro Engineering (actually Railcraft), but I taught myself how to hand-lay turnouts, so all of my many turnouts are PCB DCC friendly, excellent running, dependable, good looking hand-laid turnouts in many sizes and styles since I just make 'em when I need 'em. All of my code 40 is hand-laid except for a short section of ME Code 40 on a center siding. So, the point being that I don't worry about track shortages...ever. I'd suggest you take three or four nights and learn to lay your own turnouts (lots of frustrated modelers have done this due to the unavailability of Atlas 55) and then, use ME 55 for your flex track and get to laying track. You could have functional turnouts in a week if you got started tonight...and sever the umbilical cord of being restricted in your layout and track designs by what turnouts you can buy RTR. You'll save a TON of money of the years, have better turnouts, gain a little knowledge and skill and never experience being held hostage by the political/manufacturing environment in China again. This week, I'm piecing in seven turnouts I built on my workbench for my Emory Center Siding with one east bound trailing point siding. The turnouts I built, using paper templates taped to my workbench, are unavailable RTR. I couldn't have done my trackwork like I wanted to if I didn't know how to make my own turnouts. Total cost for me was about $3.75 per turnout since I'm buying Proto87 Stores heelblock/hinge frets for each turnout nowadays. If I don't use them, turnouts cost me about $1.75 and take me about and hour or two to make. I bought my materials a long time ago, so you'd be spending more at today's prices...but still save a bundle over RTR. Knowing how to make turnouts in N-scale transfers over to HO and other scales too, 'cept in HO and bigger, you use spikes instead of soldering or gluing the rails to ties. Everything else is virtually the same 'cept it costs more because you use more material. I consider it a lot of fun and it's one of the most enjoyable parts of the hobby for me. However, I do have friends who know how, but who hate it. To each his own. Considering you've got a "pile" of N-scale stuff, I'd stick with N-scale and spend some time designing something to run your trains on using ME flex and making your own turnouts. Like I said, you can learn to make turnouts in three or four evenings. It's not rocket-science. Whatever you do, have fun with it... Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
One more thought since you are a Norfolk Southern guy. Athearn just announced Genesis series High hood GP50's in 4 road numbers for Norfolk Southern on Friday. http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/102513/02_Gen_GP50_102513.pdf They also just recently released a High Hood GP38-2 and of course the SD70M-2 and Heritage ACe's. Just to add some more wood to that fire brewing... Cheers, Brian
I recently started the railroad building phase of my lifelong modeling hobby. I started in N scale because of the size issue as I live in a mobile home and have very limited space. Soon after I discovered Z scale and started dabbling in that also. I am currently working on several different layouts in both N and Z. So much for limited space. What started as a trial run has devolved into a fullblown sickness which is giving me a lot of pleasure. While it does require the creative use of my hobby cash flow, I am making it work. I have thought about a few HO purchases, but have not yet pulled the trigger. Parting with my N scale pieces is out of the question. The hunt for items is half of the fun for me. So my vote would be to try the HO and see what you think, but keep on truckin with the N scale also. It is all about you having fun. That should make it as clear as mud. Hope I didn't drive you closer to the need for therapy. Personally, I was in need long before this. Happy railroading Trey
A lot of us old timers have been in multiple scales through our hobby evolutional process and eventually settled in what we are currently in for different reasons. Early in my life I started with the old 3 rail Lionel progressed to two rail then HO. The prime driving force behind going eventually to N scale was space. Because of the early lack of equipment I started scatchbuilding and kitbashing. I have done my share of adding extra details but in the long run found it to be a P.I.A. All those added parts become a problem needing the kid gloves to handle anything. And from three foot away running around the track aren't really noticeable in this scale. They make a great looking close up photo and that is about it. And I can get along just fine without sound. Neat for about five minutes then starts to irritate me. Aging and some health issues have me re-evaluating whether to stay in N scale, or even in the hobby, and have me looking a various options. I have thought about dual gauge since I like the logging, mining, and quarrying scene and my modeling is slanted that way and just happens to have a mainline run through it. Looking around I have found that there appears to be a decent selection of dual gauge track and I can play with the nice selection of locos on the HO side of the fence. For me trying to go the same route on the N scale side of the fence becomes much more expensive and the aging and health issues rear their ugly head again. If one had foresight I would not have headed in the direction I have. For me time will tell whether I give up steam entirely staying with easier to handle diesel, change scales. or simply leave the hobby.
If seriously considering a change, before selling off the N scale, you might try picking up some HO and see if it does fit what you've in mind. You might even end up in two scales at once, which is not at all uncommon.
Choice of scale is something everyone has to work through on their own. I thought briefly about HO after I tore down my first basement N scale layout because of the advantages in the breadth of engines/rolling stock/structures/track/etc. available; the fact that I ain't getting any younger, and working with a larger scale might be easier on the eyes and hands; and the overall ease of doing things like sound installations in the bigger scale. But I stayed with N - because I like running 25-car trains and having some wide-open spaces between towns. Even given the room I have in my basement (a 30' X 14' room), HO would require serious compromise (or a double- or triple-deck layout, which I'm not a fan of). And for my chosen prototype (the NKP circa 1957), there is enough available in the engine/rolling stock world to make me happy. If I were modeling the Pennsy, I might not be so pleased, particularly if I wanted to do any steam. The bottom line for me is that there wasn't anything I could do in HO that I couldn't do in N, and N offered space advantages I could not replicate with HO. The final decision, therefore, was pretty easy. John C.
I find myself staring at an empty room that is now mine as the last fledgling has flown the coop. I, too, am considering a change in scale. I've been an N scaler from the start and have also played with most of the other scales. Lately I have been drawn to On30. I've researched it a lot and it is a very viable option . My thinking is much the same in terms of details and model construction. I think building things board by board would be fun. Narrow gauge was priced way too high for me back in the day, but the recent flood of affordable equipment has me thinking. I reside in Maine and narrow gauge was huge here for a long time. The possibilities are endless. Starting over in a new scale knowing what I have learned (mostly by mistake) would be fun.
The first "serious" layout after childhood Lionel that I had was an N scale one my father and I built together when I was 12 in 1972. A friend had a Postage Stamp set and I was smitten with those small trains. I enjoyed that layout for a couple of years until my freshman year in high school when I met my lifelong train bud who was in HO and I switched scales to HO. I happily modeled in HO for almost 38 years until last fall when I picked up an Atlas GP-9 and a few N scale cars at a train show. I basically wanted to see if I'd be happy with the level of detailing and weathering I could accomplish in N. Needless to say I got hooked on N again and haven't touched my large stash of HO since that time, although I can't bring myself to start liquidating any of it. For some odd reason, even when I had no interest in modeling in N, I was still always drawn to the N section at the local hobby shop. Maybe I should have just gave in and made the jump years ago, but I'm enjoying the new challenge and the somewhat "out of the mainstream" feeling I get with N. And yes I do miss the availability of all the parts and details that are available in HO, but it got to the point where I'd spend 2 or 3 months detailing, painting, and weathering a freight car and truthfully it started getting a bit stale. Bottom line is do what feels right for you. I have a feeling your gut instincts will lead you in the right direction. Bob
Clint, I understand the draw to O, I would LOVE to have a 2 rail O Scale switching layout with about a dozen perfectly detailed cars and a Southern Pacific GP9 with full light packages that work. Then I look at my N Scale GP35R that has full light packages front and rear and I realize that I can't buy those lights any more... Primawv, I feel your detail pain. I am a Southern Pacific modeler, and the ONLY locos to have SP lights are the Intermountain SD40-T2's and SD45-T2's, and the pair that I have are still missing details or they are wrong. I decided that I can live with the flaws as long as I add the missing rear plows. I got real excited about the new Micro-Trains SW1500 until I found out that they have the wrong trucks and will not have the recessed SP light package, so I will have to do a major kitbash to make a pair....but man, it was fun to pull an 8 car train with a GP35R and a bay window caboose across my 86" layout....the same train in HO would have been the length of my layout.
I can see the draw to different scales. No problem there. I designed my train room to hold several different scales. I run Ho where I can mess with things and model. I have two O scale (lionel) running around the ceiling of the room for looks and I also designed/wired the room so I can suspend a G guage one of these days from the ceiling. And as a side note I found that there is a product called minitrains. This is a HO narrow guage that is run on N scale track. So you can have your HO layout and add a small mine train or something to it. The minitrains come in both steam and diesel.
My LHS had trouble with Atlas HO scale track and now he stocks PECO. In my book PECO is a much better product than Atlas when it comes to N scale track regardless if they have it in stock, which they do.
This would be what we refer to as HOn30. Wonderfully whimsical in nature. I find it to be a great respite from modeling the more to scale accuracy of my N. As soon as I finish a couple of small N projects, I'll be re-attacking some HOn30 freight car kits....
Yeah I just forgot the actual gauge. Here is my idea I've been playing with. HO down low and HOn30 up high. This is an actual mini train. And old one to boot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Well I browsed at the LHS today and it really didn't settle anything for me. They have a decent amount of Code 55 in stock, as well as some curved turnouts, but no straight. They have some microengineering stuff and what they don't have they can order. I realize I can also check eBay for Atlas turnouts as well. The LHS has a massive HO section, and they also have constant new stock coming in. Walthers has a ton of HO kits out there as well. So nothing settled as of today. I did pick up a Athearn 30K Gal Tank car in N, so I'm still looking at N Scale stuff. I guess there is no reason to be in a hurry. Especially with Christmas around the corner, I should probably hold off on starting a layout anyway. So we shall see. I may watch eBay for a HO Loco, and as others have mentioned, test the waters.
I've been in N for a long time, but with my move and whatnot, I've been thinking more and more narrow minded. I've got some HOn30 stuff, but I think I may jump up to HOn3. For me the interest is in railroads south of the border, mainly in Central America and the Caribbean. They do things alot differently there than other NG places. And there's alot of traffic to move for a small railroad.
Well I have only just re started in N scale after a gap of 20 years but also have some HO, British 00 and TT. The main reason for dabbling in H0 was to get some stock to run on a friends layout but it will eventually run on a garden line.
