I have a very tough decision to make in the next little while- should I go into HO, or N scale? I don't have much space at all for much of a layout if I go for HO, for N I should. BUT... I am worried that I won't find much finly-detailed N-scale cars, especialy locos. Whereas in HO, I'd get that, but there again, I have not much room. It;s very tough to make such a monumental decision, I just don't know if there is much in N that I'd be happy with.
What I want to model after is BNSF and Santa Fe. I like the current H3 scheme, BNSF merge (yes- I do like the "Vomit Bonnet", call me crazy but I do:). And I especially like the Santa Fe Warbonnet scheme, especially the yellow/blue scheme (but I just can't seem to find much with that colour for Santa Fe.
I like the newer locos- SD70, etc, ES44, etc- the newer more larger bigger diesels.
Thanks for your help, I am most needing some expert advice, suggestions, help, items that I might like:)
Roger
bnsffan1@yahoo.com
The detail on the newer N scale stuff is almost on par with HO. It runs just as well as HO too. How much space do you really have? That would help.
If you're considering modeling modern railroads like the BNSF that means big diesels (6-axle) and big cars (like 89' autoracks), so you're going to have a rough time in limited space in HO. That's where N scale really shines. I switched from HO to N in 2002 because I wanted to model large mainline Pennsy equipment but didn't have a whole room to devote to it.
My recommendation is N scale if you're really worried about space and want to model modern trains. But I'm an N scaler myself and therefore my opinion is biased that way.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
Well, I model N, but I'll try not to let that color my answer too much.
Diesels in N scale are widely available, and in high quality. Sound is coming to some models from the factory now (and can be fitted to most if you're inclined enough) and DCC is a simple board swap a lot of times. Cars are available, but there are still a few holes to be filled.
HO has the "heft". You can get just about anything you want in this scale, but if you're in a tight space you have to remember that it's not just the trains that are HO, but the buildings and scenery too.
My advice,........go to a few well stocked hobby shops and check them both out. Get some in your grubby mits and see which one speaks to you. Also check out a few online dealers for some of the particular items you're interested in if the LHS doesn't already have them.
A few good online dealers are:
http://www.nscalesupply.com/
http://www.trainworld.com/
http://www.internettrains.com/merchant2/
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/ho-scale-model-trains.html
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/n-scale-model-trains.html
http://www.walthers.com/
Hope this helps!
Try going to a train show. You should get some scale ideas from their.
But just remember that your in a large open room, so don't do what I did and buy a large a..... suitcase because it looked small in the open air store!
if you want to model modern diesels and long trains in a small space , N is the way to go
i guess you'd need at least 10 foot long passing sidings to run decently long trains in HO , possibly longer , just can't be done in a small space
bnsffan1 wrote: I have a very tough decision to make in the next little while- should I go into HO, or N scale? I don't have much space at all for much of a layout if I go for HO, for N I should. BUT... I am worried that I won't find much finly-detailed N-scale cars, especialy locos. Whereas in HO, I'd get that, but there again, I have not much room. It;s very tough to make such a monumental decision, I just don't know if there is much in N that I'd be happy with.What I want to model after is BNSF and Santa Fe. I like the current H3 scheme, BNSF merge (yes- I do like the "Vomit Bonnet", call me crazy but I do:). And I especially like the Santa Fe Warbonnet scheme, especially the yellow/blue scheme (but I just can't seem to find much with that colour for Santa Fe.I like the newer locos- SD70, etc, ES44, etc- the newer more larger bigger diesels.Thanks for your help, I am most needing some expert advice, suggestions, help, items that I might like:)Rogerbnsffan1@yahoo.com
I would say that if you mainly want to run the trains, then go with N scale. If you mainly want to look at your trains, then go with HO scale.
In addition to what advice has already been given, you might want to look through a Walthers catalog, or Walthers's website, to get a pretty good idea of what is available.
Back when I got into model railroading, there was not much available in N scale, the Walther's N and Z scale catalog was about 1/3 the size of the HO scale catalog. I remember seeing an N scale model of the Oil Cans using LPG tankcars, sad. Furthermore, everything in N scale was RTR. So, I chose HO scale.
Now, HO is increasingly RTR. N scale products are rapidly increasing. Also, I do not have much space for a layout. I doubt I will convert, but if I were going into model railroading, I would probably go N scale.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
If you are young and have good eyes and hands, and if your space is quite limited, go N.
Otherwise, you will appreciate HO, and maybe even find that S scale is that much better.
I'm modelling the 1960's in HO, so I can get away with 18-inch radius curves. I could never do that with modern era stuff, so I would have to recommend N for anyone looking at today's diesels. On the other end of the timeline, big steam also needs relatively wide curves to look right.
I would certainly second the recommendation to take in a train show or two, or visit some clubs in your area if you can. To me, the only disadvantage of N-gauge is working on the very small models with either big fingers or aging eyeballs.
The good news is, every gauge has a lot to offer.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Personally I'm an HO guy, I have been looking into N scale for a coffee table set up. I liked what i saw in N sale and may just get that chance of building the layout in the table soon.
My nephew wants to make the switch from HO to N cause he doesnt have much room in his bedroom. So his grandparents (my mother and father) Picked one up for him actually dad and I got it for him. Didnt go expensive tho because he does change his mind often. So we will see how he likes the small track etc and putting the trains back on after it falls off cause he isone of those kids who likes to run the train as fast as he can to see it fly off.
Roger, I went through the same problem. I went with HO only to find I didn't have the space I wanted to run longer trains and bigger diesels. I am in transition right now going to N scale.
I also selected to go with BNSF and Santa Fe because of their paint schemes. I found several locos and rolling stock on Ebay. You might want to check it out. There's quite a bit of N scale stuff out there.
Bill
Good advice from ericsp and that is the key. Looking or running. For looking a yard with maintainence facilities and a sand/fueling dock would show off engines nicely. For running, nice wide curves, hills, tressels and grades will give you the most satisfaction.
Tilden
I'm an HO guy so I have a bias but so does everyone. The N-scale guys will be giving you their side so I will give you the other. I prefer HO because the trains themselves are just more prominent a part of the setting. N-scale does allow greater scenic possibilities and closer to prototypical length trains but to me the trains are just too small. And I can't even imagine kit building in that size. I have enough trouble in HO with my aging eyes and less than nimble fingers.
Everything is relative. When I first saw HO back in the 1960s, I thought it looked small compared to the Lionel and American Flyer stuff I was more familiar with. I'm sure that when HO started taking over the hobby, the O-scale guys were saying the same thing to the HOers that we are now saying about N-scale. It wouldn't surprise me at all if in another generation, the N-scalers are having the same debate with the Z-scale guys.
There is no question N-scale is gaining popularity. It probably is a better suited for modeling modern class 1 railroads where most of the traffic is long unit trains. I model the transition era when there were more smaller carriers and shorter trains and HO works very well for that.
ericboone wrote:I plan on building a large 1940s steam layout so N is not a very good option for me. There were a large variety of steam locomotives and N has only a limited variety. Plus you can not appreciate the level of detail on a steamer in N scale. That said, if I were modeling modern railroading in anything but a large space, I would choose N scale.
I model the late 1930's in N (i.e. all steam) and I'm very happy with the selection of steam in N. There are many choices available, and if you're willing to do a bit of kitbashing and scratchbuilding then just about anything is possible.
How much space do you actually have?
If you're looking at the typical 4x8 tabletop then go with N for modern large locos and cars. OTOH if you have a small bedroom you could do an around the wall in HO.
Enjoy
Paul