Well, the first part I’d say on N scale is it’s all strictly personal. Everyone has different combinations of space, time, money, and goals for their layout. I started in HO through HS and college. Switched to N while in the Air Force with all the moves (used bookshelf modules BTW, which are great for N scale shelf layouts that might move). Then after about 20 years in N, returned to HO. If I had the room I would swtich to O. The reasons for that are not strikes against N or HO, but personal goals – my favorite parts of the hobby are building detailed structures and one train, branchline, small town railroading. While you can do that in any scale, the large scales fit those goals better. However, if I’ll readily admit the smaller scales can support scratch building and are more friendly to long train ops. Interestingly, I think N scale can be more expensive per square foot than the larger scales, because the prices are similar, yet it take so much more equipment to fill the space.
I’m a diehard HO guy, but that said, if I was starting fresh…I’d consider it. I’ve developed the taste for passenger trains and…
Let me put it this way. My entire layout is 16 feet long. The Amtrak Capitol Limited in HO is 13 feet long. But could I have done a stub end passenger terminal in the same space, in N? Absolutely.
LION started in S gauage with some really clasic American Flyer. Dad talked me into switching to HO. He spoke of building a llayout in the two front dormers with a connection under the eves. That never happend but I did go into HO. I sold that stuff to buy a printing press. Whaile I was in the NAVY I bought mor HO exquipment, all passenger equipment, including some Japanese transit equipment.
I stayed in HO, but this layout really took off once subway equipment became widely available in HO,
I stay with HO because that is what I have, and it is the only scale that has inexpensive subway cars. There is good subway equipment in O scale, but a $400.00 per car that is not for a LION.
Been there, done that, after 20 years came back to HO scale. When I switched to N-scale from HO I thought it was a good idea because of space limitations. Then I realized that regardless of which scale one is modeling the expectations grow (scale up) to fill the available space. Choose any scale, then set expactations accordingly and it will be a much happier Model Railroading experience.
My current layout almost was n-scale. It fit much better in the space I have available, but when I did some mockups to help me decide on the best distance between shelves I kept staring at the little models and they didn’t look right. I don’t know if that was the size on the n-scale models vs my old eyes or that I had looked at HO for so many years I couldn’t adjust. I decided to make some comprises and do HO.