I answered a post by a newcomer and he said that N gauge costs more to startup that HO would. I argued that point, saying that with the availability of things in N being less that that for HO, you’re building more and buying cheaper materials; thus winding up with something that is less than something that is pre-built and costing more.
It comes back to what you budget for MR is what you’ll spend. But I say that N is cheaper to startup and far less in the long run. What’s everyone’s take on this?
I think they are about the same in the long run. I started with N and am now moving into HO. The only major differences I see are in structures. Locos, rolling stock, good track, and electronics all seem to be about the same prices these days. Of course the over-all size of the layout and benchwork will have an impact with wood and construction material costs.
I’ve built two N scale layouts and they both cost me more to build than HO layouts with the same trackage. That was in the 80’s, in this area N scale was harder to come by and cost more, unit to unit, than HO did. Even now the LHS’s and hobby store (Hobby Lobby) that I go to have far more available in HO than N with the HO costing slightly less in many cases.
The question cannot be answered without knowing what the modeller is doing in either case. If an HO modellers does X, and an N scale modeller does X.x.3 (not available except in brass), then guess which one will come out the more expensive? Same the other way around.
Then, how about the differences in layout and constructions costs? Or the scenicking materials? It can’t be answered without defined specifications.
Atlas N track is definitely cheaper than HO. I was surprised to see a bunch of Bachmann N scale rolling stock at HobbyTown for $6.50 each while their HO scale was about $11.
I guess you could make either more expensive depending on the level of quality you buy.
Bob,Its about the same for either scale.The start up cost will vary from modeler to modeler to include buying at a LHS or on line.
You can buy Atlas HO locomotives at $64.99 and Atlas N Scale locomotives at the same price.HO RTR and N Scale cars run around the same price.Track/switches runs about the same.
For quality stuff, I’d say the cost is roughly even in most cases. If you’re really into steam engines, you’ll find HO a bit more accomodating. Quality steam in N, once elusive, is now becoming more widespread. But it’s not cheap. HO has fine-running IHC steam engines that can be had cheap.
Decent diesels, on the other hand, along with rolling stock, tend to be about the same in quality and price these days.
Regardless of your choice of scales, may I recommend Atlas Trainman? They’re much higher quality than the Bachmann stuff quoted here, yet go for less than $10 a pop. You can get them in HO, N, and O. In fact, the Atlas Trainman locos are supposedly good runners too, just a bit less detail. You can always add detail later once you settle into the hobby.
Another thing to consider when chosing a scale besides costs is space. You can fit a lot more N scale in the same space than you can HO. You can run longer trains in that space too, using N.
On the other hand, HO has a better product range and is easier to work with (i.e., putting cars on rails). HO is also somewhat more forgiving of imperfect track. N scale can be very demanding of the tracklayer because its equipment is so light.
After much time in HO I switched to N due to space constraints. Since then I’ve come to love N scale. There’s something kind of cool about being in a “minority” scale in that it’s not what everyone else is doing. However, I do see lots of things advertised in HO but not N that I would really like to have. It’s a trade-off, for sure.
Actual cost for ‘quality’ HO or N scale engines/rolling stock/track is about the same. There are a couple of other factors you must consider:
There is more selection with HO, and many times there are some good ‘deals’ to be had with HO. Not to say there are not as many N ‘deals’, but the larger popularity of HO in the US means that there is a better chance of overstock and hence, better deals.
N scale takes up about 1/2 the space of HO, but most folks will fill up the available layout area with HO or N. For N, this usually means more rolling stock to fill up that same 10’ track compared to HO. In the long run, one might accumulate more cars/engines with N.
Construction/Building of ‘kits’ - Not a lot in N scale. If you want to scratchbuild a freight car, there just is not a lot of ‘parts’ available, and decals can be even harder to find. Of course. building N scale cars with ‘over 50’ eyes can be challenging!
No matter which scale you chose, there will be ‘plus/minus’ issues. Another thing is what scale do most of the folks in your area model in? That can make a ‘big’ difference from the social aspect. I started in HO, changed to N in 1983(as the better quality stuff started emerging). There were lots of serious N scale folks in the major metro area where I lived. Then I was transferred to a town of under 100,000 folks and over time I found maybe 3 other N scale poeple, and they were mainly Micro-Trains ‘collectors’. Between the lack of N scale folks in my area, and the lack of materials available for scratchbuilding - I switched back to HO and have stayed there.
As mentioned before, it depends on how you do things. There is 4 times mores scale space in N, but if you maximize the scenery, you have the same amout of trackage in either scale, the track is a wash, the scenery is a wash (unless you buy expensive trees). Y
ou have more space for structures, so you may put more per area in N. Engines are a wash, but rolling stock is cheaper–but you tend to make longer trains so you buy more.
Like many others have said it depends on what you intend to do. Let’s say you’re just building a simple layout for kids to run, DC, no specific prototype, doesn’t have to have fantastic equipment, just run. In this case you’d most likely go to local train shows and buy used rolling stock including engines. In my area at least it’d be much easier and much cheaper to go HO then N.
If you’re the typical MR forums person or heck even the typical MR reader, you’re probably a bit more picky about things like era, prototype and quality. In that case you’re probably buying new, either from hobby shops or on-line, maybe from shows depending on your area. Any which case, you’re going to be spending about the same no matter which scale.
If you look at the costs of DCC in N, you will pay $10-$20 more per loco for a decoder, and decent sound in N scale is harder find. Yet because of the size benefits of N, you will tend to put in more track and be able to run more trains in a given space. If you want the simplest and cheapest multi-train operation out there, then you should go DCC.
But long story short, DCC in N scale is more expensive and a bit harder to do. Have you ever tried to fit a decoder into an N scale switcher? Not an easy task …
My grandfather has a Small N scale train set and it costs about the same as a ho scale set. With Locomotives, track, and train cars for both are about the same. Now structures on the other hand can be cheaper or more expensive dependeing on how detailed they are. With HO scale you get the The extra detail, like on Athearn Genesis Sd70macs, they have all the little warning signs, and have great detail. Now For your money, depends on how much you want to spend, Scenary is cheap, Ive spend maybe $120 on all my scenary so far. The thing that will kill you is Sound engines, these can range from $165- all the way to maybe even $2000 with some brass locomotives. It really depends if you want to go that extra mile for detail, or have a larger layout
Joe,You can buy Atlas N Scale DCC equipped locomotives starting at $87.95(discount). That’s about $ 18.00-20.00 less then the newer Atlas Silver series DCC ready locos at discount.
I am in HO, but do look at N stuff from time to time. Recently there was a question on the forum about 1920-30’s autos. I checked out a few sites & found that N scale autos of that period cost about twice what Atlas and others charge for their latest releases. I guess that if you are in late model stuff it would be about the same or cheaper - Woodland Scenics sells their N scale autos in 2 packs for slightle more than single HO cars. It all depends on the period & availability of the models you want. My [2c]
To me, the key word in the question is, “Startup.”
IMHO, the answer is the same, regardless of scale (from Z to 1:4 live steam.) It will cost exactly what you are willing to spend, no more and no less.
What seems to be fueling the debate breaks down as:
What will you get for the same money in each scale? (Include cost of space in this calculation.)
What is the financial trade-off as an individual’s interest in the hobby develops?
How much will I have to budget to meet my dreams?
There is no scale-related answer, except that space for an equivalent layout gets larger as the scale ratio gets smaller. Assuming a constant cost per square foot, HO is more expensive than N. OTOH, if you are using space that would be nothing but excess storage if there wasn’t a railroad in it, the space may be free - but lighting and climate control aren’t.
Other than that, there are WAY too many variables to make a blanket statement that X scale will be more/less expensive than Y scale. It all ends up coming back to, What are you willing to spend?
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - under budget, behind schedule)
I trhink that startup cots are about the same, but since you can fit more things (RR cars, buildings, whatever) in a given area, N scale will be a little more expensive in the end.
Just my
The thing you have to realize with that was that those cars that were so expensive were photo etched brass cars for the foreground with exquisite detailing. You wouldn’t sprinkle those all over a layout unless you just had money to burn. I’ll bet I could find equally expensive cars in ANY scale meant for the same purpose. You have to compare apples to apples.
