gauge

[Anonymous]

Believe it or not HO can take up as much room as Lionel O guage. The generally accepted smallest radius turn in HO is 18 inch radius. This equates to 036 in O guage, a size most Lionel type trains are very comfertable on. Most HO, on the other hand, likes a radius of 22 inches or 24 inches which equals 044 and 048 respectively. This means it will take the same or nore roon to turn around in HO then in Lionel O guage. That said since HO is about half the size of Lionel the tracks can be closer together and the cars are smaller so more trains can be placed in the same area.

N guage trains are about half the size of HO trains so the train density for any given space increases by a factor of four when compaired to HO.. The reason HO takes up almost as much space as Lionel O guage is that Lionel is not always O scale but made to turn the smaller curves. If Lionel O guage were made to O scale the way HO trains are made to HO scale then the smallest turn would be 072 and that would be a very tight turn.

Recomendation, unless you want to build things at exact scale stay away from HO. If you are interested in running and troubleless activity go with non-scale Lionel on 031 track but bear in mind that you will not be able to run the BIG engins unless you can have at least one oval of track that has 072 turns. If you want a lot of trains or/and scenery in a small space and are not afriad of precision work than go with N guage.

[Anonymous]

With the space you have available, I probably would go with N scale if I wanted to operate trains of a reasonably decent length in surroundings where the scenery dominates (which is how it should be) and is not overwhelmed by track. You can do a lot with N scale on a couple of doors, and product availability is very good. N is the second most popular of the modeling scales.

[IRONROOSTER]

[#welcome] to the forum.
You don't say how much of your 12x15 you can use, but you should have enough room to make any scale work.

Per item cost between N and HO is either the same or a little bit more for HO for comparable items. HO also has several low cost lines that are kits that are cheaper than N scale. For a given space N scale can use 3-4 times as many cars, buildings, locos etc. Even if you spread everything out a little you'll probably still use at least twice as many things as HO. So if cost is a big factor I would go with HO.

The bigger question is what do you want to do on this layout. In general the smaller scales, N & Z, let you run longer trains and have a higher scenery to track ratio. Larger scales O & G have more mass and "presence" on the track as they rumble by, but have a low scenery to track ratio. The middle scales HO & S attempt to balance the two. Generally, the the larger the scale the easier it is to work with and see. HO has the largest selection of products.

I personally started in HO, moved to O, and then to S. I find that S represents a nice balance.

Enjoy
Paul

[selector]

Wow, a lot of the O scalers jumped right on this!

O is nice and big, and easier to work with as one ages and can't handle or see as well. But, it takes up the most room, and costs more/item. If you are as limited in space as you suggest, I would look seriously at HO or N. You can get more on those layouts...more tunnels, more bridges, longer inclines (grades), more turnouts, and so on. Staging track is an area where new modelers pay insufficient attention, and it will cost you enjoyment pretty quick after you're up and running. Staging takes room where room is at a premium, so O scale will be an immense challenge for you.

O is at one end, or extreme, in popular modeling (leaving aside garden railways), and Z is at the other. N and HO fit nicely in the middle where YOU belong. Later, once you have gotten some experience, you can always change...up or down.

That would be my advice to you. Otherw will have contrary rationales that are quite compelling , I'm sure.

Have fun, no matter what course to elect.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have dealt with O, N, HO, and S, in my personal opinion Ois a much better choice, then HO is a lot easier to handle than any N-guage especially for a child. I have friend w/ Flyer-S and they are nice, but not as nice as O. Again just my opinion--they are all neat![:)][:)]

[Anonymous]

[#welcome] Bruce It all depends on what you want , plenty of help here .

[flick]

Hello, Bruce47! If the 47 in your screen name refers to your age, you may want to reconsider N! I'll be 47 this year and was all set to do an N layout, but when I started looking at the equipment, I realized it was just too darn small for me. HO might be a nice compromise.

I finally settled on O 3-rail. One thing to keep in mind with size and price--yes, any individual item in O might be more expensive than a similar one in a smaller scale, but you need less of them! For instance, you could spend $100 on an O structure and think that's a lot of money, but then you realize that if a similar structure cost $40 in N but you needed 4 of them to take up the same amount of space, that's $160. You just saved 60 bucks!

Good luck in your decision.

[csxt30]

[#welcome][#welcome]Bruce 47. Let me be first to welcome you! Lot of fun here! I can't tell you much about your cost or size questions, all I know is I had the other gauges & I keep coming back to O. I find it easier to work with, & I like all the sounds now incorporated in the O that the other gauges didn't used to have. The other guys will be along with a lot of good info. & don't forget the daily coffee pot & Suday Photos! Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

I am now trying to figure out if its easeir to do a n gauge layout or a ho gauge is the cost that much different or is it all about size. my area of plan is a room of about 12x15 but not all is usable. so i have been looking into n gauge on a door size table. actually i hav 2 doors that i can use.