Hi all. I am a newbie (but 53 yrs old). Had A/F trains as a kid, dad had HO. Both were on same piece of 4x8 ply. I am setting up a room down in my basement now, to embark on model railroading once again. I will have a 5x9 permanent layout (plywood) there. But I have a dilemna - I am torn between these two scales - HO or ‘S’ (at least I think Amer. Flyer is ‘S’). Can some one offer some guidance as to pros/cons on these scales (are there any?), which may guide me to the appropriate decision on which way to go? Is there any significant cost difference between collecting one or the other (trains, accessories, etc)? What about availability? Although I want to build it all from scratch, I do love to operate the trains, more than just ‘model’ them.
Or perhaps it is nothing more than a ‘matter of preference’ ? But, any comments would be appreciated! Thanks, -Sully
Hmmm, good question. HO would provide you the most variety, by far over S guage. However S being a larger scale would allow you to work with it easier. There is also ON-30 which is nice because it uses HO track but is a O-scale (1/48) modeling. THere are lots of kits for this and is a rapidly growing hobby. Lots of others here can definetly give you more info on the subject. Bill
Personally, I would go with HO. If you don’t own any locomotives or rolling stock yet, N-scale should also be a considered, but if you’re like me, N is too small to see and work on. American Flyer is no longer in business, and S-scale engines and equipment are very hard to find and are expensive. I had two American Flyer Royal Blue sets when I was growing up in the mid to late 1940s and early '50s, and thought they were much better than Lionel because they used 2 rail T-shaped track; however, A. C. Gilbert went out of business many years ago, and American Flyer trains are now collector’s items. Purchase a copy of Model Railroader magazine and look through it. You’ll soon realize that S-scale is hard to find, because the vast majority of items advertised are HO or N scale. If your eyes and fingers can tolerate something as small as N, you can model nearly twice the amount of landscape in the same space as HO.
If your even a little bent towards “collecting” then the A/F would be the way to go. HO is good if you dont want to think too much about your trains since thier is so much RTR off the shelf stuff. A/F you would have to collect, off e-bay, antique stores, train swap meets. BUT THATS THE FUN PART. I think it would be a cool way to get back into the hobby, might take you aliitle longer to get going, but A/F track is still avalible, thier is an avid collector base out their to offer advice, (go to the “classic toy trains” forum) and It would be a whole lot more UNIQUE than your standard HO 4x8.
I am into HO, so this makes me somewhat biased. There are significant reasons to invest in either one. I will start out with HO - I warned you that I’m biased - - When compared to S HO has more advantagest in terms of cost. For one it costs less to start out into HO. Second, the availability of HO equipment is more prevelant in the market. Lastly, HO enables you to produce more for your buck in a similar space, and I assume that’s what you want? There are other reasons to invest in HO, but they border on personal preference.
Now for S-scale. This scale has its advantages with the amount of detail which can be put into any model you can construct. I am not quite sure about the availability of S because I am not into that, but I would guess that it’s competetive. Your operational choises in S are limited by your wants and needs. Not too vauge hu?
I am not sure what you mean by the statement, “…collecting…” My assumuption is you mea
S scale is available, affordable, and comes with some great systems much improved since you were a kid. There is traditional tinplate S and then there is the more prototype-looking S. Suggest you purchase a copy of Classic Toy Trains from the bookstore and look over some of the S-scale lines or visit a large hobby shop or both.
Most of the people on this forum are into N or HO so they will try to steer you in that direction. I strongly suggest checking some of these out at the hobby shop before jumping in to make a decision and regretting it later. HO is fine too. There is traditional HO and then there is Marklin HO.
I would definetly say to go for American Flyer S gauge. Like vsmith says, collecting them is very fun and it’s like an adventure. The thrill of the chase is half the fun. I’m a collector of American Flyer and other trains myself. Of course you aren’t limited to just older AF trains from the postwar years. Lionel makes a good variety of AF items now and there’s also S Helper Service which offers a complete line of S gauge trains that are fully compatible with AF. S gauge are larger and have a great visual aspect to them and are great fun to operate, not to mention all the great operating accessories which are a blast. AF is definetly the way to go.
When chosing your gauge, consider the space you are running it in as a very important factor, especially when that space is smaller such as you are considering. A 5 by 9 is small for HO let alone S scale. Your space is dictating HO unless you do S narrow gauge.
I think it kind of depends… how much HO or S equiptment do you have? The one you have the most of should be the one you start with. Then you could build a smaller layout with the scale you the least of. Just a suggestion.
I would suggest S. I started in HO switched to O and then to S. I find S to be the perfect size for reliable running, viewing, and building . Availability of equipment is good although you may have to mail order depending on where you live. Track components are available for scale and AF compatible. AF is still made but is small compared to other manufacturers. This website http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html will show you what is available. While HO can cost less the lower cost items are a problem for some. Quality HO is not that much cheaper than comparable quality in S and for a given layout size you need fewer pieces anyway. The main advantage of HO is wider selection, which can be important if you want to model a specific prototype otherwise both scales have more than I can buy and use. If possible try to attend some train shows running both S and HO layouts. Whichever way you go welcome back to the greatest hobby.
Enjoy
Paul
OK. Thanks again all. This input is great! And so far, between you guys and the hobby shop people in NH I have visited, it is becoming clear to me that there is a lot of people sharing this hobby who bend over backwards to assis neophites like me. Lots of comraderie. Certainly, I will reciprocate someday, once I know what I am doing!!
Oh, and trainfreak - actually I have nothing. No trains nor track at all. Just developing ideas/plans. But that is going to change very soon. Should have my 5x9 benchwork completed well before Thanksgiving.
BTW - at the hobby shop, I noticed several models of the MRC transformers available. Seems purchasing one of these, rather than use the standard power pack which comes with a packaged train set, is the way to go. However, I don’t think I need purchase the ‘best’ Track II MRC transformer for just a 5x9 layout (assuming more expensive model MRC yields more power). Would anyone care to comment on their experiences with these transformers, in order to help me decide which one makes sense for me? I plan to purchase one within a week to 10 days. Thank you all again. -Sully
MRC Tech IIs are conventional DC. What’s important is the features it has… If you want a set momentum (turn on a switch) funciton, or a “brake” you cna get one of those, if you want just direction control and a throttle, get one of those… That’s the big difference in the Tech II line. There may be a Tech II that’s designed for G and larger scales, but I’m not sure…
- When compared to S HO has more advantagest in terms of cost. For one it costs less to start out into HO. Second, the availability of HO equipment is more prevelant in the market. Lastly, HO enables you to produce more for your buck in a similar space, and I assume that’s what you want? There are other reasons to invest in HO, but they border on personal preference.