2-Railers In O Scale

[Anonymous]

I think that it is great that O scale is starting to garner the same respect as HO and N scales from the rivet-counters. My only prayer is that O scale doesn't become the next HO scale.

[palallin]

2-rail O was around a long time before HO, and some of the most accurate and detailed models ever made have been made in O. It's 3-rail O that is fighting that battle, and the news is by no means good on all fronts. . . .

[Anonymous]

Why wouldn't you want O scale to become the next HO? After all, HO is by far the most popular scale, and along with that consumer popularity comes a tremendous assortment of items, a competitive marketplace, and generally reasonable prices. Sounds like a pretty good sitiuation to me!

That said, I don't think you have to worry much about O scale becoming the "next HO" or whatever. HO enjoys some inherent advantages--space requirements being one of them--that O scale simply doesn't have. If anything, I assume that O scale, like O gauge, is at the crest of its popularity for now, and that you won't see a whole lot of additional growth in the coming years, aside from some who will switch from three-rail O gauge to two-rail O scale. Even then the numbers electing to make that conversion will undoubtedly be less than stellar.

O gauge itself is in a bit of a bind these days, with tremendous supply/variety serving a relatively fixed market; high costs of a lot of the items (which are destined to increase even further); undependable delivery times; and the increasing reliance on made-to-order (preorder) production that limits exposure in the marketplace. None of those things, among others I could name, are solid indicators of future growth. As I see it--and I could certainly be wrong--O gauge will be lucky to hold its own over the next five years or so. Unless or until, that is, someone or some mass of someones decides to give the hobby a kick in the butt to make it visible and appealing to the vast number of potential customers and enthusiasts who may be out there.

[Anonymous]

In terms of popularity I wouldn't mind, I just don't want the prices to sky rocket through the roof like it has for HO.

[gvdobler]

What prices are you talking about? Most of what I see is $400 to $1,500 locos and $50 to $100 cars for O scale. That is a lot higher than HO.

What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

In price comparison, $100-$150 is pretty much the same as paying $30-$40 for an ho model locomotive. I'm not saying general prices, but in terms of proportion to scale and price.

[tsgtbob]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Allan Miller

Why wouldn't you want O scale to become the next HO? After all, HO is by far the most popular scale, and along with that consumer popularity comes a tremendous assortment of items, a competitive marketplace, and generally reasonable prices. Sounds like a pretty good sitiuation to me!

That said, I don't think you have to worry much about O scale becoming the "next HO" or whatever. HO enjoys some inherent advantages--space requirements being one of them--that O scale simply doesn't have. If anything, I assume that O scale, like O gauge, is at the crest of its popularity for now, and that you won't see a whole lot of additional growth in the coming years, aside from some who will switch from three-rail O gauge to two-rail O scale. Even then the numbers electing to make that conversion will undoubtedly be less than stellar.

O gauge itself is in a bit of a bind these days, with tremendous supply/variety serving a relatively fixed market; high costs of a lot of the items (which are destined to increase even further); undependable delivery times; and the increasing reliance on made-to-order (preorder) production that limits exposure in the marketplace. None of those things, among others I could name, are solid indicators of future growth. As I see it--and I could certainly be wrong--O gauge will be lucky to hold its own over the next five years or so. Unless or until, that is, someone or some mass of someones decides to give the hobby a kick in the butt to make it visible and appealing to the vast number of potential customers and enthusiasts who may be out there.

Allan, you have made some good points there.
Right now, as we read this, Atheran in Wal-Mart!
What does that say for HO scale?
Yes, HO prices have gone to the nearly ridiculous, but the HO market is not colector/speculator driven, like the O gauge market is.
I still do some HO, but in recent years I have migrated to O scale, 2 rail.
I left HO because of the "out of the box" models started to leave me cold. IMO, 3 rail is fun to play with, but I can't wrap myself around that center rail, so 'scaleplate' was out.
I went to 2 rail, because there are still a fair amount of "craftsman" kits out there, plus scratchbuilding is far easier.
From conversations with the HO modelers that I am friends with, O gauge has turned into a joke. Business by lawsuit is the way to destroy the goodwill that some of the manufacturers names had.
Yes, O gauge will be very lucky to see the teens of this century, but the smaller, and to a lesser extent, the larger gauges will grow.
As for O scale, there are a few dedicated fans who will continue to model in this, call it the Medium Scale, and it will live.
The history of the hobby is littered with folks who wanted to get into the business. For example Kusan, AMT, KMT, HP-Products, Varney, Mainline Models, General Models, etc, etc.
What is needed is a starter set, that has an open architecure control system, looks good, is in the sub $100 price range, and mass amrket appeal. (No, the Polar Express, or Thomas the Tank don't count, too expensive on the first count, too targeted to the kinder set on the second example)
Atlas tried in the late '60s early '70s, but the sets, adn cars/locos went on blowout for nearly 20 years.