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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by kevlar9296 I'm going to be constructing a shelf layout - about 18 inches wide x 7 feet Long. The last time I did any model railroading was with my Dad as a kid - mostly HO, some N. I'm curious as to whether N scale locomotives, etc. are generally still more expensive than HO. It's been about 15 years since I've been in the hobby. My Dad and I had great luck with Athearn products. Is there an N scale equivalent these days? [/quote] I am a big N scale fan because of space considerations. However, I'll be honest with you. The only scale that will allow you to have any prototypical running on an 18" wide shelf layout is Z scale. With such a limited depth, you might want to consider creating a switching layout. On this type of layout, N scale will work nicely. You can get more industries in the limited space than you can with HO. The costs of motive power are comparable if you are buying quality equipment: Kato, Atlas, or Athearn. I also think the rolling stock in N scale is better than in HO. I used to model in HO; but when I saw the detailing in MicroTrains' rolling stock, I switched to N scale. This was back in the late 80s and I had never seen an HO boxcar with reporting marks on the ends of the cars, or the level of detail in the reporting marks. MicroTrains was using laser printing to get the detail, while makers, like Athearn, seemed to be applying decals. I think it is because of the details in MicroTrains' cars that HO manufactures improved the quality of their rolling stock.
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