I realize that this topic has probably been covered numerous times, although I didn’t find anything on a search.
After many years as an HO scale modeler, I’m comtemplating a change to N scale. This is primarily because I don’t want to build another layout the size of the one I have now in order to have the yard capacity and length of run I find desirable. You can do so much more ina smaller space in N scale. I ralize that the level of detail isn’t as good, but I also understand there have to be tradeoffs.
A number of years ago, N scale equipment wasn’t nearly as nice as it is today. I’ve been looking at some of the newer releases and I’m very impressed with the level of detail and overall quality.
What I’d like to know is, has anyone in this forum made the switch from HO to N and in retrospect, would you do it again?
I have made the switch and would i do it again? yes and no. I switched because i wanted to take up less space. My new layout is about half the size of the HO layout however it was still difficult for me to draw out a good track plan that had everything i wanted. So i actually lost a lot of opp possibilites i could have had. I find it can be difficult for my eyes to focus and get things lined up right with small details. I do like the length of trains i can run though. When i was building my HO layout i had the same problem with trackplanning and didn’t get what i want and is one of the main reasons why i switched. I have been doing alot of research on planning and i am actually thinking about building another HO layout. There is alot more available for HO and you can get a reasonable amount of deail in. If I had known then what i know now i would make the switch to N scale because i could have built a great layout in half the space. On the other hand i love the way HO looks so i might have stayed with HO and did a little more planning. My N scale layout has really tought me alot about laying track, building structures, scenery, operations and that experience is something you cant just read about so i do not regret the switch. The New HO layout will actually be in the basement and i have been planning it out for a good while now. So i will be fortunate enough to have both scales.
There is a huge differance in the availablity of HO vs N product. If one is building a so called free lance train set, then there are plenty of N gauge options available. But, if one is planning to model a specific prototype in a specific era, then the N gauge offerings can be severely limited.
I model the NH RR in the transition erea. There may be one or two items in N, I bought an ABBA ALco FA set as a gift for a friend of mine for instance, but there is nothing to compare with what has been available over the years in HO gauge. This is particularly true for steam engines.
The same can be said for most class 1 railroads in that era. On the plus side, one can build a lot more railroad in the same space with N gauge, have longer yards and sidings, run longer trains, and operate more like a real railroad does.
In the end, the decision comes down to, what are you trying to accomplish, and can it be done in N as well as in HO.
Great question. I am getting ready to begin a new layout and as always space is a problem. I am 90 per cent sure I’m going HO unless someone can change my mind. I did have an N layout maybe 20 years ago and was discouraged by the lack of accessories - buildings, etc. The locos and rolling stock were first rate then so I’m sure that has only improved. Anyway I also would like to hear from those who have made the switch.
I switch from HO to N Scale as my primary scale because I didn’t have room for a HO except for a 1x6 foot time saver and for me that’s a no brainer…I decided on building a small N layout instead.
Now…As far as availability of road names it all depends on your era.There is tons of SF,UP,BN,E-L,PRR,NYC some MP and other smaller roads to include the NH… Modern roads includes UP,BN,BNSF,CSX,NS,CP,CN with several short lines thrown in with those roads.
You can model the steam era with outside brace wooden boxcars or the transition era…
N Scale does have its shining points as well as some clouds.
I dabble off and on in HO, but have been an N scaler for 30 years. I survived the dark ages, and am pleased to report that N is alive and well, and even thriving in recent years.
The availability question is one of approach. Do you want to buy things, open the box, and stick it on your layout? If so, better stick with HO. Are you willing to look at the possibilities by way of kitbashing, scratch bashing and scratch building, painting and decaling? (you know, actual MODELING) If so, the potential of N scale is as limitless as the sky.
I model a very specific prototype in a very specific era, one for which there is very limited supply of off-the-rack models. But I’ve been able to pull off some really fun projects ranging from locomotive modifications to unique freight cars to whole structures.
If you sit around waiting for the manufacturers to build exactly what you want, you’ll end up very old and frustrated indeed.
If it weren’t for N scale I’d be in trouble… There’s no way I’d have the room for an HO layout with the limited amount of space I have right now. And like others have said, N scale has come a long way in the last 20 years. The only problem being that there’s not the variety of items available that there are in HO. In spite of that I managed to build a layout that represents the American south west with a mountain on one end and a small community on the other that I can change from one era to another just by changing out the automobiles, trains and a few structures and go from the 1930s to the 50s to the 70s to modern day in about twenty minutes.
I made that switch in 1979. Why? Because i lived in a two beroom garden apartment with my wife and 4 year old son. I found the place wasn’t big enough for us and the HO layout on a 4 x 8 and I didn’t want to get rid of my wife and kid which would have been the only other alternative.
So I went N Scale back then and I haven’t looked back.
WE moved into our current house back in 1982 but I still went with N-Scale because I found I could do almost 4 times as much in the sames space as I could in HO.
Well, I found N too small although it fit nicely in my son’s bedroom. I also found HO too small. O was too big. G was really too big (but awesome going by on 4ft benchwork). So like Goldilocks I settled on S.
But all scales are trade offs. I suggest you get some rollling stock, a couple of engines and a door from Lowes/Home Depot and build a small layout in N. That’s really the only way to know for sure.
I switched from HO to N in 1989 and ran a point-to-point switching layout for seven years. In those days I was running Atlas locos made by Kato. I think I had half a dozen of them and only one had flywheels (an RS-1).
I returned to HO in 1997 and have remained an HO modeler ever since.
However, by the early 2000s the model railroad club had taken on a large enough contingent of N scale modelers that we had to build an N scale modular layout in addition to the existing HO layout. So I ended up buying a bunch of N scale locos and cars so I could operate on the club’s N scale layout.
In HO scale I model CN and CP circa 1974.
In N scale I model CN and Great Northern circa 1956.
Two different scales, two different eras.
I’ve had no problem finding the right equipment in either scale, and prices on locos and cars aren’t that far apart. N scale seems just a bit cheaper though.
More realistically, thoughts on HO, and N, and G, and Z, and anything else in between, smaller or larger (up to and including 1:1)
Your chosen scale has to take several things into consideration:
Available space - do you have a briefcase, a closet or a quarter-section (160 acres, for you city dwellers)?
Desired effect - two business blocks and a trolley loop, Horseshoe Curve, Enola Yard, the UP between Sin City and Barstow…
Physiological considerations - eyesight, manual dexterity, endurance (how long can you stand up before you have to sit down?) How will they change with advancing age?
Modeling tastes and ability - do you rely on RTR in the right color scheme, or are you a manufacturing jeweler who can build from the rawest of raw materials?
Finances - an off-the-shelf LL train set is cheap, but even a handcar in 1:1 isn’t. Models do NOT take precedence in one’s personal budget over food, clothing, shelter, transportation and the wants of a significant other.
Social - what are the people you interact with doing? Club membership may trump your own ‘givens and druthers.’ Or, you might discover that you’re more comfortable as a lone wolf.
Somewhere out there is a perfect scale for each modeler. The lucky ones figure out which one it is and stick with it. The less fortunate wander without conscious direction from one to another, never quite making that ideal connection. So be it.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in HOj since 1958)
I have been a N-scaler for as long as I can remember, although at one point I had an 8x4 HO layout when I was little. I originally was drawn to N because the size allowed more layout in a smaller space, but now that I have a house with a full basement I am sticking with N. In fact, N scale has allowed me to do a layout with 4 scale miles of track in an 18’x9’ room, so now I can have my trains and a family room in the basement. Everything I want to do in N is pretty much readily available for me ready-to-run out of the box, but then again I am modeling a fairly popular prototype (modern CSX). I have looked at doing a layout based on the Seaboard Air Line in the 1960s and the product availablity is much more limited. Mind you that my views are not a negative look at HO (or any other scale); rather just my preference for N at this time. Jamie
At home I’m strictly an HO scale modeler but my club is starting to build an N scale layout so I’ve been buying the odd car at shows just so I’ll have something of my own to run. The level of detail on the high end N scale cars and loco’s are great. A far cry from what they were years ago.
I have been an N-Scaler for 25 years now. I converted over from HO-Scale because I did not like the appearance of my HO-Scale steamers running on 18" radius curves. These steamers were kit-built–I had invested heavily in superdetailing and they looked magnificent and the ran superbly but when you put them down on an 18" radius curve they looked like h. e. double hockey sticks. So-o-o-o-o I bolted to N-Scale and that is where I have been ever since.
I will admit that as I have gotten older and my hands have begun to stiffen up I have been giving favorable consideration to returning to HO-Scale on my next layout. I doubt seriously if I will really do such a thing because of my current investment in N-Scale equipment; converting back does, however, cross my mind occasionally.
What am I saying? I would probably still be in HO-Scale had I had a layout space that allowed me 30 inch radius curves which I consider to be the minimum for mainline operation in that scale. I don’t even really like 18 inch radius curves but I sure as h. e. double hockey sticks like them better in N-Scale than I do in HO-Scale. I am not saying that I am unhappy with N-Scale! On the contrary! N-Scale’s only limitation–at least as far as I am concerned–is that the lack of available and reliable steam engines in N-Scale pretty much precludes modeling the transition era which is my druthers. This issue appears to finally be being addressed by the manufacturers and the availablilty of N-Scale steam locomotives is improving. Who knows! There might even be an Allegheny in N-Scale’s future.
Now that we have all stopped laughing . . . . . . . . . .!
Not on a bet. I had converted once to N scale, but got back into HO. Recently I considered N scale for my new layout, but frankly, as I get older, I have trouble seeing the darned things. The age factor hits all areas for me, working on them, handling them and just seeing or adding details. My “3 foot rule” would have to be changed to the “18 inch or less rule”!
If we ever move again, I will probably go the way of many other “fogies” and convert to Sn3 or On3 for visuals’ sake. For now HO is fine.
Yes, this topic has come up many times before but it always makes for an interesting and lively discussion. To many modelers, their chosen scale is like a religion and they are adamant about its virtues. The fact is there are tradeoffs in all scales, space, cost, availability, workability, etc.
My own religious preference is for HO. I always get a kick out of the N scalers who refer to it as a large scale because my first exposure to trains was Lionel and American Flyer and when I first saw HO about 45 years ago, it seemed small to me in comparison. It still does. I find it difficult enough working in HO scale. I’d be a basket case if I tried working in N scale. HO is as small as I would ever consider going. If I were to convert to another scale, it would almost certainly be S scale. I can’t see that happening because I have too much time and money invested in the current layout. I’m sure I’ll be an HO guy until they carry me out of the train room horizontally.
When I moved a couple of years ago, I considered switching to N. I was impressed at what is available now, some very well detailed pieces of equipment and nice running engines - now even some diesels with factory sound!! But I had a pretty large basement and decided to stay with HO.
BTW one nice thing about changing to a smaller scale is that you always overestimate the space you’ll need. I was in O for 15 years before going HO, and even now 20 years later I still plan a space for a building and find the building takes up less room than I planned, leaving more space for parking lots, loading docks, and other scenery around it.
One thing I would consider is not which scale you want to use, but what do you want to model?? If long trains with multiple diesels, using full-length passenger cars and modern freight cars is what you want, N might be the way to go. If you want an old-time layout with small steam engines on short wayfreights, S or O scale (std. or narrow gauge) would be a good choice. If you’re somewhere in between, maybe you should stick with HO.
Through several decades I modeled in HO, switched to N when we moved to a smaller home after the sons were grown and on their own. The switch was entirely based on the space available–it would have been n or z or nothing. I really do enjoy the long trains and track mileage I can put in a smaller area; it is more difficult to find accessories (vehicles, in particular) when modeling in n-scale. And it is more difficult for me to detail and weather.
My first trains were HO and I probably would still be modeling HO if it weren’t for 027 and N. I’ve been an N-scaler for over 25 years and there are too many advantages to name…space was the biggest reason I started in N.