Figuring out what to buy next!
Alright, so I’ve got the money together for this months big hobby purchase, the problem is, I model G and HO, and I can’t really split up the money saved to do each equally(at least until I get the locomotives I want). I’m just not sure which would be more worth the money… a really good HO steamer(MTH, BLI, etc), or a fairly decent locomotived(I use both diesel and steam) for my currently barren(got a bit too late in the year to really put many plants in) garden railway. I’m looking for advice from both sides to which would be more enjoyable/worth it in the long run… and hopefully I won’t have to repost this in Garden Railway forums to get more opinions 
THANKS!
Treat it as a cost-benefit computation - how much will each option cost, how much benefit will there be and when will the benefit be realized?
Since your profile doesn’t even hint at a location (except somewhere along the Greenwich meridian) I can’t begin to guess what outdoor conditions you can expect in the next few months. Here in the Dessicated Desert it’s just beginning to be comfortable construction weather (but you still need a sombrero!) A bit farther north, you’ll need a snow scoop to find your garden under the drifts.
I assume that your HO railroad is indoors, in a climate controlled space. So, anything you buy now can be used now - but possibly at the expense of foregoing the fun of dealing with bigger models now.
Then, too, this is not a one-time for all time deal. Hopefully, some months down the road you’ll have squirreled away enough to make some more purchases - and then you’ll have to apply the same thinking to the changed conditions.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in 1:80 scale)
I also model in two scales, On30 and G. Since I like them both I also have a hard time deciding what to buy. I scratchbuild a lot in G scale due to the ease of working with it and buy mostly RTR for On30.
Chuck: I’m in Tennessee(haven’t really found time to put a profile together yet, and it’s pretty temperate here still…managing to reach the 70s during the daytime. And yes my HO is indoors, my G will be outdoors, I’m just torn because I’ve seen ALOT of sales going on right now(Yay holiday season) and almost think it’d be better to go with G since it’s going to be predominantly what I work with once the slow terraforming and whatnot is done outside, the HO being made to ‘cold weather’(at least when I don’t feel like going out) train fun.
Dark talon,
I feel your pain,I model ho and n and its hard to decide what to do with which scale. Right now I only have my ho up, I redid the track plan so I’ll get to the n scale later.
I have modeld in HO since 1956 and have a fairly large and complete layout. I still buy diesels and cars that fit and appeal to me, but my purchases have slowed down, being retired now helps keep purchases down.
I added a garden railroad, started in 1989, in the backyard. It is radio control/battery power (RCS), uses aluminum track Llagas Creek, and has few buildings, nine diesels and around 70 cars. It took awhile to learn how to budget for HO and G, but the HO layout gets operated (group) during the warm weather but no purchases or additions. I spend the rest of the time in the backyard with the garden railroad. In Kansas City, for me, the garden season is from early May through September, then the leaves pile up and the garden railroad equipment is stored in the garage. I then turn my full attention to the HO layout as far as new projects, maintenance, etc. plus operating sessions.
All of my G gauge is USA brand diesels, which aren’t all that expensive until you add the radio control/battery power. They all have Kadee couplers, the cars all have metal wheel sets. Bottom line, I have the most expenditures on the garden railroad during the winter and the most HO expenditures during the late summer, early fall. Works for me.
Bob
Like PastorBob, I also have HO indoors and 1:20.3 in the back yard. I’ve found that I tend to work on the garden railroad in the spring and fall when the temperature is favorable to work outside or in the garage (where most of the large-scale construction occurs). In the summer and winter, I focus on the HO in the second bedroom.
Winter is coming, I’d go with the nice HO locomotive as you can then add any details or decals and also enjoy it all though the cold season. Any Christmas money could be set aside for something large-scale that could be better enjoyed in the spring.
Bill
I hear ya. Modeling in more than one scale (HO and some N scale…plus 1/24 and 1/25 sports cars) means that the hobby budget gets split. My main interests are the 1/24 and HO models. However, there are some things that I simply can’t do in HO scale. Even though I have an HO scale E unit, it’s really only suited to commuter service. I don’t have the layout space to run multiple Es. However, in N, I can do that…on a much smaller scale (pun intended).
I will say that dabbling in a smaller scale, has actually improved my skills a bit. Because I can handle N scale parts, the HO and larger stuff is no problem.
I found a solution to the multi scale quandry, I use my HO as basis for similar models in S, to finance the project I sell off the HO models when no longer needed.
Dave
What scale is your G gauge?
I’ve said time and time again, that trying to do two scale divides the money, time, and other resources. It it less likely that either scale will provide as much enjoyment as sticking with one scale would.
I’ve have items from either scale for decades. I for legal reasons would avoid the MTH. The BLI steamers are top knotch, and the Genesis steamers (as long as you get the DC ones) are great. I can’t say anything against the Proto-2000 or Bachmann Spectrums either.
Speaking of Spectrums, the Bachmann K-27 is the next loco on my G-gauge (1:20.5 scale).
Perhaps if you gave us some more to go on what you are looking at on the G-gauge side might help. “Fairly decent” means different things to different people. A LGB Mogle is a great loco. But once again that is 1:22 scale.
Well, my G is still pretty much in the ‘garden’ stage as i’m doing all the landscape work(well…it’s gotten cold now, so i’m holding off a bit) and such before buckling down too hard, I’d like to have some trains and stuff to mess around with over the winter… I’m considering mixing(if it won’t look TOO retarded) 1:22,1:24, and 1:29 slightly, not really running on the exact same line, but the mainline with larger engines being 1:29, and then the branchline and possibly yard(engine wise) running 1:22 since it seems that it’s easier to find the “cute” engines in 1:22 and the more serious ones in 1:29 and the 1:24 as a transitionary…but I’m not sure just how much of a visible difference there is…
I like my HO, but really looking for something that I can tinker with this winter, there’s not much I really want to do to any HO other than some painting for the most part…and i’ve burnt myself out on scenery so far… I’m also wanting to concentrate mostly on G if I can, it’s just the slow process of getting the garden right that’s worrying me…
I am actually thinking of adding an HO layout to satisfy my HO craving and complement my N-scale layout. I have a branch line that will come off of my N-scale layout into a staging area in a closet. Eventually this will emerge in the family room and run the full length of a 30’ wall and a 15’ wall for a total run of 45’. I am considering doing the branch line in HO scale, so an N-scale train will leave the mainline and, thanks to the magic of staging, it will emerge on the other side in HO. Of course, I should probably get the first section of N-scale track down before I do any serious planning on the branch [:)] Jamie