My wife told me to find something to do, so I went to the hobby store and now im doing a trin set. Ialways wanted to but now they ask if I want n scale or ho scale. So now im lost. I live in an apartment and im alloud to have a bed room for it so it will be a large lanscaped set. But what scale do I do? Plz help
Welcome to the hobby.
Both HO and N are popular scales, HO has been for a long time and there is a wealth of material available. N has become popular more recently and has a quickly growing list of available items. In other words, both are popular and have availability. Both have good quality locomotives and rolling stock available. HO seems to have the edge on sound at the moment as there is more room for larger speakers, which sound better according to most of the folks that have heard both.
To answer your question, it’s up to you. I will try to give you some things to think about that will help you make your decision.
How’s your eyesight and manual dexterity? HO is bigger, easier to see and work on.
Do you want to kit build or by R-T-R, then think of size and your abilities.
How big is the room? If you want long trains running through scenery, it would easier in N. If you are looking for switching HO would be OK. I have an 8’x14’ room that I am planning in HO, but will have to settle for shorter trains. I do have a hollow core door that I plan to put N on to take to local events and see if I can show others the hobby.
For the layout, N is about half the size of HO, giving you more options on the layout, BUT you are the same size. When planning you can get twice as much N on a given surface, but your aisles still need to be the same for either.
That’s a couple of ideas, not too well presented, but the best I can do at the moment.
I would suggest a shelf layout around the walls, with a shelf no wider than 30" or less, unless you are very tall with a long reach. Reaching over finished scenery can destroy things in a hurry. To determine a height, chest high is considered best viewing angle, but most have theirs a little lower for ease of working. To see what height would be best for you, set a solid top at different heights
Welcome to the forums and to the hobby! [#welcome]
My first and second questions are: “How old are you?” and…“How are your eyes?”
N scale lets you get more trains into the same space, but HO scale lets you see them better. I’m 66, and I see pretty will with bifocals, but I know that HO is the right scale for me.
Go to train shows and hobby shops. Take a look at them both, and think about working with each of them. I’m a Builder and a Tinkerer, so I need to see what I’m doing, even if I need a magnifying lamp to do it.
[#welcome]
I prefer HO scale, and I am 14 with 20/15 eyesight. HO has the most products, and it is larger so you have a little more room to screw up with out messing it up. The size is nicer, things are thicker so a little stronger/rugged and it is easier to handle things. It is easy to get on the track (you can easily see if the wheels are on the rail). I only have a 28" x 72" space at most and my plan should work out fine. However it is personal preference, and this probably going to be a bit of a debate. But my [2c] is that HO is the best.
Best thing you can do is to study other layouts, whether at shows or displays or on videos or magazines, and then think about what you want to see in your layout. I did that and noted a few things that became obvious and that play into the space aspect:
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Train length is a big factor. Modern passenger trains, modern unit and intermodal, and all things coal tend to be long and/or consist of long cars that look better in a large layout with wide curves. If this sort of thing is what you want on your layout, go for N scale.
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For recreating a “slice of life” or a specific location, HO affords you the better depth of detail.
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As noted earlier, sound (and smoke and extra lighting or electronics) play better in HO.
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Some things work perfectly well in either scale: traction (trolleys and such), excursion/tourist trains, single industries, 19th century trains.
These are just food for thought. There is no doubt that the eyesight aspect is critical, but some trains simply demand more room, just as some modeling goals demand more details.
N or HO?
hmmm, well there are plenty of HO scalers on this forum so many responses may be geared towards HO. I’m an N scaler and for the sake of aid I’ll give a couple pictures.
N vs HO, the USAF hopper is N scale the UP hopper is HO. THe N scale hopper sits at slightly more than half the size of the HO scale hopper(53. something, something percent).
This is the picture of an N scale 34’ caboose in my hand 
As for Price between the two HO and N scale do not cost the same or remotely similar, N costs slightly more than Half HO scale’s cost.
These things said HO scale is more detailed and modeler friendly than N is, cost and size should also not be considered as deterrents for choosing HO. Also consider the options available to you for the railroad you want to model in either scale.
I chose N because of price and size.
Hi Zanku!
Welcome to the forum! [#welcome]
Pretty good advise so far, but I would add the suggestion that you try to get your hands on both scales to see what feels right for you. Perhaps the best way to do that would be to find a train show/sale close to you so you can see both scales in actual operation. I’m sure that if you were to introduce yourself to the operators of the display layouts you would get a very friendly and helpful reaction. There is an ‘events’ section on this website. Go to the very top right of the page and click on ‘resources’ and you will see the ‘coming events’ section.
Be bold enough to ask if you can see an engine. Many operators at the shows have an engine or two that is designated for show use. In other words, they are willing to let visitors operate or maybe even handle them.
There is also the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) that can provide a wealth of useful information. One of the things they have is a list of model railroad clubs so you can see what is in your area. Go to the ‘directory of websites’ on the left side of the page.
One important point that has already been made is to try to determine what type of modelling you want to do. If you just want to run trains then either scale will work fine. However if you want to get into modifying or scratch building rolling stock like I do then the task will be easier with HO. Not that it can’t be done in N but you will be dealing with really tiny stuff. Your future needs should also be taken into account. How dexterous will you be in 10 or 15 years? How well will you be able to see? Again, if all you want to do is run trains then either scale will be great, but if you want to do detailed work with your hands then I suggest HO.
Another point that has been made many times before is to do your research before you start to spend a lot of money. Try to avoid the t
The picture is an ad from MB Klein, http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/
It shows the three scales HO, N, Z
I’ve only seen HO so I assume these comparisons are correct and give you an idea of the different sizes.
Bob
Bob that’s O,HO,& N. heheheheh, odd thing is though I have a pair of Con cor/rivarossi E8A’s with the pilots attached to the trucks.
I thought that the “HO scale” (the larger one) looked like O scale, an the middle one look like the true HO scale, but I thought that the picture could have just been distorted. But notice the difference in the level of detail between HO scale and N scale, HO is a lot better. By the way HO is more expensive but it is material, I can make an N scale locomotive for 1/2 the price of HO scale since I use 1/2 of the material. HO scale is the best for young, old, and in between. If you want your young children to be able to enjoy it HO scale, if your eyesight I bad and your hands aren’t as steady, HO scale is better, and finally for the grand parents who want the grand children over HO scale is the best. You would have to change scales ever! It does seem that around the forums most agree HO scale is te best scale for all ages.
Kyle, I’m aware of that myself and many other N scalers have discussed the cost factors between HO and N. Also between the major model railroading forums that I participate and have seen N scale is very prevalent: Trainboard, Nscale.org.
Other that I’m not a part of are: the railwire, Nscale.net.
I have to disagree with your statement because I admit my N scale Bias, and you only used age as the basis for why HO would be superior. of the 6-7 different MRR pages I participate, the age varies but many older fellows model in N. Two of my fellow SP&S modelers on trainboard are 2-3x my age and they are still N scalers.
If an N scaler parent or grandparent wants Kids or grandkids involved in the hobby, N scale manufacturers have it covered even the finest Kato models are tough, I know I had an SD70MAC meet the dog in a Hard way neither the shell or Mechanism had been damaged or shown the signs of being negatively afflicted.
This forum is dominated by HO scale, because MRR although well rounded in N and HO prefers to focus on HO scale.
It just comes down to the situation which is unique to each modeler.
N scale Pros: space used, size, train lengths, scenery, strength in Diesel loco models…
HO scale Pros: more steam models, detail, DCC sound, more railroads, more unique loco’s in plastic as well as unique passenger train sets in plastic.
Gary,
Thanks for the correction
Bob
This clearly shows the problem with relying on pictures to make a decision about scale. Go to train shows and see layouts in all the scales
To the OP: The big decision is how small can the trains be and still satisfy you? There’s no point in going into N or even HO if they are too small for you. Personally, I find both N and HO too small for satisfying model railroading.
With a spare room you can do any scale including G. But if N isn’t too small for you, then check out Z. The smallest scale that’s acceptable is probably your best choice as it allows more railroad for a given area.
Don’t be afraid to change scales after a couple of years if your first choice doesn’t work out. I changed twice before settling on S scale.
Good luck
Paul
For train length, you will probably have to spend just as much or more to get a “train length” in N scale verus HO scale. Why? Because you need more cars as a 15 car train looks fine in HO, but small in N (also more cars=more work=more time) and you still end up with the caboose in another town since you increase your train length when you scale down (see Sunday morning musings topic). HO scale also has a lot of Diesels, and as seen in the picture
Man, we love these “versus” posts!
IMO, for the newcomer, HO is the way to go. The size allows for easier handling and maintenance, and HO equipment is much more readily available and in quantity.
That is not a knock on N - or any other scale. Its just my personal hands on experience talking.
Don’t forget narrow-gauge if you are interested in historical modeling, particularly logging and mining. Narrow gauge gives you the advantage of large models with the space-saving of tight turns and narrower track.
I’m a dedicated HO modeler, but when I go to train shows I find myself drawn to the narrow-gauge layouts. There is real magic in those old steamers.
Actually…as has been pointed out…the scale to go is the scale the modeler him or herself deems best [;)].
I model N scale on my Sons layout and HO on my layout. There is a cost savings to modeling N scale versus HO scale but it’s relative and subject to numerous variables beyond the scope of this discussion. But, for the purpose of perhaps shedding some light for the OP in terms of cost between the scales (apples to apples) I just bought my Sons Christmas present (Kato N Scale Santa Fe F3A and B with a Kato N Scale Super Chief 8 car starter set…gerogeous detail abound…for less then a compareable setup would fetch in HO scale, which itself would be cheaper then O Scale and so on as the scale gets bigger (key words there were “comparable setup” as there are obvious cheaper options open to all scales).
In terms of space for adding speakers…that assumes the modeler even wants sound or in fact wants DCC. If the modeler wants to operate in DC or DCC without sound then the space under the hood/shell is irrelevant. In terms of details, obviously the larger the scale the more room there is for detailing. However…don&#
Zanku —
I feel for you. You must be overwhelmed by all this info. Fortunately, most of it is good advice. Unfortunately, there are a lot of ideas for a newcomer to digest all at once.
So take it slowly. You didn’t say where you live or how many GOOD hobby shops are in your area, but I would start there. Visit several shops and meet other modelers. Others have suggested going to model railroad swap meets/shows. That’s a wonderful thing to do, but they aren’t always held frequently enough or in enough areas. What I mean is that you might have to wait a while for one to be held in your area, and you might live in an area where there simply aren’t many shows held at all. The most important thing is to make contact with others who can help you learn the ropes. Be honest about your lack of experience and you’ll find that most modelers will be very willing to share their knowledge. Arrange for layout visits when you meet folks who have more experience. Everybody learns from mistakes. We all make them, but it’s best if you can learn from somebody else’s. It’s a social hobby, and it’s also an individual hobby in the sense that what is best for one person isn’t necessarily best for the next.
Gradually, you’ll decide what appeals to you most. You’ll gradually learn the size & scale of the models. You’ll probably develop a particular fondness for one railroad or one geographical area or one time period or for certain types of equipment and operations. Maybe you’ve already developed some of those ideas. You’ll also make mistakes and you’ll change your mind about things.
In the end, you’ll have learned a lot of new facts, new skills, and new ways to have fun, whether it’s by yourself or with new model railroad friends.
Tom
Welcome Aboard. You can have a lot of fun in model railroading. I’ve enjoyed it for many years. As far as HO vs N, there are no objective reasons for preferring one over the other. Reliability, cost, availability, realism, anything you can put your finger on, are about the same. The differences are subjective, some like their trains larger, some like them smaller. For model builders, HO models are large enough to put together and paint with ordinary sized fingers, for operators, N packs more railroad into the same space. Fine layouts have been built in either scale. You said you have an entire bedroom for the layout. That’s enough space for an excellent layout in either scale.
Read a few model railroading magazines. The photos and the ads will give you ideas.
Have fun.
Tom makes a good point. Fortunately, our hosts provide a very nice resource for locating train shows and similar events. Up at the very top of this page, in the gray bar, there’s a hot spot called “Resources.” Click on that and you will get a pull-down. Select “Coming Events” and you’ll get a list. To customize it for your location, click on “View All Events” and enter your zip code, plus the distance you’re willing to travel. Finally, click on Apply Filter(s) and you’ll get a list of all the local shows coming up.