I would probably go to N or Z scale. I don’t have much room for a large layout.
I now have to go to my brother Frankie’s house and run my O gauge trains there.
pax[C):-)]
If I HAD to, I would go back to HO. Product availibility and cost. I have the space to do a lot, and probably wouldnt change my track plan too much, just add more detail and compress less.
If I had no choise for 0, second best at this moment is british 00. It’s slightly bigger than h0 and a bit more odd models than german h0. But then again, it would be going back to the bad contact endless railcleaning and small and tiny trains. I really love the huge 0 scale and the impressiveness of the engines and I stick to that.
There is only one other choice-STANDARD GAUGE!!!
Wait a minute-O gauge is my other gauge…[:D]
If I had to, i’d go back to HO, as that and N were what I ran for the last 20 years. I gave my dad all my HO, packed up the N for my nephew.
S gauge. Well, in fact I got into it about 2years ago. I began to develop a fascination for S gauge and old American Flyer and built a small 5X9 layout in the unused portion of my basement. Now I run both O and S. I really like the old Flyer stuff although it can be a bit finicky to operate at times. Their Hudsons and Pacifics have beautiful low slung profiles and they smoke great.
I’d chose G scale. A garden railway might be pretty fun.
Standard Gauge
If I had no choice, I would go n scale. I have no room now but I guess if it got any worse i would have to. N is really small and i have seen 3x5 tables made in to whole villages. I do hope it doesn’t come to that though.
Angelo
Hmmm. HO or N? Nope. Been there, done that.
S gauge? A definite possiblity - in fact, I may incorporate an elevated loop of S on my O gauge layout. I already have some American Flyer and modern S equipment.
G scale if I ever venture outdoors. Standard gauge if I find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
If I HAD TO: S gauge and American Flyer. I thought for a moment that LGB or G scale might be fun. Then I thought about 120 degrees in the shade here in the summer. I can see the warped rails and melted plastic now [xx(]
No doubt about it - Standard Gauge. In fact, I’m already headed in that direction anyway. I’ve been buying accessories over the past few years, now it’s time to start getting some trains. I love that tinplate!
“S”
I have always liked the size proportions of ‘S’
In fact I almost got into ‘S’ in the begining but the choice I had to play with was a ‘S’ set with no track or trans. OR 2 ‘O’ sets with everything.
In this order:
G (Garden; this one is definitely in my future; I’m waiting until they resolve the coupler issue–there are about 7 or 8 types; also waiting for the price of remote control live steam to drop; and, better R/C batteries)
N (for vaster scenery and longer trains)
2-rail O (for realism)
IMO HO is the worst scale because it’s too big to really make an empire like you can with N, and it’s too puny to have any heft. S is a much nicer compromise. Also don’t like the running characteristics of HO. The only pluses I see is availability and price.
dav
I guess I would try G outside. Some of those engines and cars are less expensive than O. I came out of N scale - wonderful stuff but too finicky for my ten thumbs - my son has HO - I deliberately moved into O last year - dumping all my N - because I loved the heft, the animations, and the toy-train-ness of it all.
Let’s see, I’ve migrated from HO to O to Standard…so I guess that leaves only real, life-size trains! And I’d always have a caboose!
I’m into several scales right now, but if I HAD to choose a different one I’d go for 1:1 scale. What could be better?! Of course you need a great deal of space, but I do think that most of us would like to model in 1:1 scale if we were could.
Sask,
Then it wouldn’t be a model anymore, would it? 
I could get into a Super Model, however.
If O gauge wasn’t to be, then it would have to be S gauge or maybe G. I old eyes are to poor to go smaller.
tom
I’m with Mr. Vergun…a Super Model that runs through the garden! Now THAT would be some layout…just think of the curves and hills…
JD