I have a 90% finished HO B&O/Western Maryland layout with a substantial number of eastern prototype models. So naturally I have accepted a job in Nevada and the whole thing must be torn down. This does give me a chance to consider western prototypes that I love (WP, UP, V&T, C&C, LV&T, T&G) in HO and to consider larger scales: S, On3, O, and 1;20.3.
How many people have made the jump from one scale to another and what is the best way to sell your excess equipment? Ebay or an open house? Any suggestions on how to do this? I plan on giving the structures to the local model railroad club that I belong to. How difficult is it to go to O scale? I am assuming that I will have a larger space for my next railroad. - Nevin
When my friend moved from St Louis he donated his layout to the Railway Museum there
and got a tax credit since they were a 501c They even came and got it.
I sell most of my extra equipment on ebay
I moved in 2006, a lot of my thinking was about moving to a smaller rather than larger scale - from HO to N. But right now there are a ton of new products (well, new in the last few years I mean). In 1988 I switched from O to HO because it was so expensive and so hard to find things. I was in O for 15 years and thought it was great (in fact, if many of the products now available were around then I might still be in O) but the amount of space and money it takes is a factor.
One advantage of going to a smaller scale is even now I tend to ‘think’ in O when planning, so when I build a new building for the layout it always turns out smaller than I pictured it, so I have plenty of room to add the building. I suspect in going HO to O you’d find the opposite - thinking you can fit something in, then finding out you can’t.
BTW if you’re going to go to O, don’t overlook “highrail” i.e. running scale equipment on three rail track. Many manufacturers now offer their equipment for either 2 or 3 rail operation, and the 3 rail will generally take a much tighter curve - could be a factor in how much layout you can fit into your area.