my copy of the walthers catalog came in the mail yesterday and I put off looking in the catalog knowing one of two things: number is HO will dominated the majority of the catalog (yup) and number two, there's nothing new to wow over when it comes to N scale products. My question is, why is HO always getting new releases while N Scale is far behind with nothing really new released including modern vehicles instead of all WWII vehicles for some reason?
I know the popularity of HO is better than N scale, but think about the current world and the sizes of the majority of modelers who do not have a large amount of space to run HO scale or even the bigger scale layouts. Is there any way of letting the manufacturers know this and actually go through with it instead of just throwing away the ideas or petition?
Mr. LMD, Owner, founder
The Central Chicago & Illinois Railroad
LMD,
Being a HO-scaler, I have personally been relishing all the releases of WWII and pre-WWII automobiles (by the likes of Sylvan, Classic Metal Works, and Athearn) the past 5+ years, as there has been a dearth of those vehicles for so many years in lieu of modern vehicles - i.e. 50s and later. What a difference they have made in my early 40s NYC layout.
If I were you I would personally contact any of the companies involved in the manufaturing of N-scale vehicles and express your opinion/concern to them in an e-mail. I've found that some of them are very open to requests. And - you never know. Your e-mail may be the one (in a string of other e-mails or contacts) that pushes a project or idea along.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Sorry to say that's the way of since the 60s.
Not so long ago it took unknown thousands of e-mails to ER just to persuade them to do their PS waffle boxcar in N.It took years just to get a quality Alco switcher produce and the common SW1500.
N Scale is the number two scale and yet its treated like a redhead stepchild that is thrown scraps from its siblings table.
I met the enemy and he is us.
While many of us was champion for improvements and for those switchers and waffle boxcar there was those who stated they wasn't needed.
What's a manufacturer to believe?
So,to quiet things down they toss a rerun scrap and produce more new HO.
As a ps..I almost forgot..The growing popularity of small industrial switching layouts can't be helping N Scale since these small HO ISL doesn't take up much space.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I'm also an HO person, but I'll share a story with you. A couple of years ago, when the National Train Show was in Hartford CT, I went up to the Walthers booth and asked if they were ever going to do another production run of the Proto 1000 Alco DL-109 in New Haven livery. He obviously didn't know, but he wrote it down. Lo and behold, in 2012, they announced a new run of them. I got mine last summer.
I'm not suggesting that I was single-handedly responsible for the new run, but they do listen. Obviously, a re-run of a previous model with existing dies and molds is much easier for a company to do than an entirely new one with all it's development costs, but still, it's worth making your opinion and desires known.
I'd also be as specific as you can. "More new stuff" doesn't help much, but "more pre-WWII vehicles" or "more early steam" will help push them along. Market research is very hit or miss -- why wait for them to guess what you want.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
The same reason that I end up taking yet another medication every time I go for a physical. We're getting older. Our eyesight is deteriorating, and our fingers aren't as nimble. And we, the Baby Boomers, still rule the world, you know.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleyOur eyesight is deteriorating, and our fingers aren't as nimble.
That´s why I migrated from N scale to On30.
New products for On30? Nothing in the pipeline - for ages now. So you N scalers are not alone!
Because only about 3 of us are still modeling in N scale?
As an N scaler, the Walther's flyer would probably be the last thing I use to determine the N scale market.
Kato's constantly releasing stuff like their upcoming F2's, Atlas is running more GP9's, GP35's, and their S2's, Bachmann's running NW2's and Alco S4's, MTL's releasing new cars and schemes weekly, and structures are out there all over the place.
Steam's only lacking because most of the time the roadnames that could be produced never are. The big 4 are the railroads that most N scale transition era modelers run: SP, UP, ATSF, Pennsy. other than that, well you have to build your locomotive literally. That's part of the reason I moved my time frame forwards, that and I'm more of a diesel guy anyways.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
BRAKIE N Scale is the number two scale and yet its treated like a redhead stepchild that is thrown scraps from its siblings table.
Alton Junction
It is interesting to see how much new stuff in Z scale seems to be coming out, based on the weekly new products posting on MR's website. Almost like N was in the 1970s - 80s.
Dave Nelson
MisterBeasley Our eyesight is deteriorating, and our fingers aren't as nimble.
Actually if one would care to do the needed research on forums that is strong on N Scale one would be shocked to learn there is a lot of old men and women in N Scale.
One of the biggest things going against N Scale is the myths that surrounds it.
In a nutshell, it's a larger market. No pun intended.
As to WHY it's a larger market, one must debate the "chicken or the egg".
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I just figured that we were the "chosen people".
Charlie
Phoebe Vet In a nutshell, it's a larger market. No pun intended. As to WHY it's a larger market, one must debate the "chicken or the egg".
I can barely recall when O Scale 2 rail was still king and HO was to small-that was around 53/54..
While my memory is misty I can remember climbing the steps to visit the Columbus HO club that was above the O Scale club. I recall my dad telling me to get back down here and stop bothering those guys(or words similar) and my Dad was told "he's ok..He just wants to see the real scale (or words very similar).
Looking back I think that was around the time the HO bug bite my dad because he changed scales from O Scale 2 rail to HO.
I remember when to scale O was very dying (note I said scale), in comes On30 and it takes back off big time. HOn3 was having a dificult time and then Blackstone appeared. N just hasn't had that type of event.
BRAKIE Phoebe Vet In a nutshell, it's a larger market. No pun intended. As to WHY it's a larger market, one must debate the "chicken or the egg". I can barely recall when O Scale 2 rail was still king and HO was to small-that was around 53/54.. While my memory is misty I can remember climbing the steps to visit the Columbus HO club that was above the O Scale club. I recall my dad telling me to get back down here and stop bothering those guys(or words similar) and my Dad was told "he's ok..He just wants to see the real scale (or words very similar). Looking back I think that was around the time the HO bug bite my dad because he changed scales from O Scale 2 rail to HO.
When my Christmas list included a request for an "olektrik train" (sic), my parents bought me an S scale American Flyer. When I entered the working world (Newspaper route), and had some of my own money, I changed to HO because it was more realistic looking. When I discovered girls it went into hibernation and didn't come out again until I had grandchildren. This time around I never considered anything but HO.
This just sounds like a Rant with no real desire for an answer.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
richg1998 This just sounds like a Rant with no real desire for an answer. Rich
HO and N can cost the same when it's broken down per purchase, like say an HO scaler buy's 1 GP9 for his layout or club train an N scaler would buy one or two depending upon their layout or club train due to the cost effectiveness of N scale units we can usually buy two.-This was an example and in no way representative of real life.
Funny. Every time I open my favorite monthly Railroad Model Hobby magazine I see mountains of N scale, much of it new, and molehills of HO scale, mostly old faithfuls and retreads. Of course, the HO is 1:80 scale (several track gauges, each pretending to be 42 inches) and the N is 1:150 scale.
Maybe Mr LMD is on the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - reading Tetsudo Mokei Shumi)
Several reasons.
A lot more people buy HO scale products. Companies only make things that they can sell quickly. It also is more expensive to make small runs. It is expensive to make new tooling, so they don't like to update, it cuts into profits.
Kyle Several reasons. A lot more people buy HO scale products. Companies only make things that they can sell quickly. It also is more expensive to make small runs. It is expensive to make new tooling, so they don't like to update, it cuts into profits.
Well,if you care to check a lot of N scale manufacturers are upgrading to the long sought after body mounted couplers.
Of course it took several decades of request for that to happen.
The Walthers Catalog is by NO means a comprehensive guide to products available on the N-scale market. Walthers is first and foremost a distributor, and competing disributors, namely Horizon Hobby and Intermountain, do not have their products listed in the Walthers Catalog.
Us N-scalers are more tech-savvy. We get our product information fromt the Internet. Ever been to Trainboard.com? It's an all-scales forum, but the majority of people there are N-scalers. I get my product info from forums, Facebook, Twitter. There's a whole new batch of N-scale manufacturers forcused on quality, like BLMA, Fox Valley, Red Caboose, ExactRail, Bluford, Wheels Of Time, and more. And the big players in N, like Kato and Micro Trains, come out with stuff all the time. N is basically like a smaller-version of HO now.
There's a LOT more going on in N scale than Walthers would have you believe.
rrebell I remember when to scale O was very dying (note I said scale), in comes On30 and it takes back off big time. HOn3 was having a dificult time and then Blackstone appeared. N just hasn't had that type of event.
I do believe the N scale market is much, MUCH larger than all of the other scales' narrow gauge sub-markets combined. It's the 2nd most popular scale, in case you weren't aware.
Metro Red LineThe Walthers Catalog is by NO means a comprehensive guide to products available on the N-scale market. Walthers is first and foremost a distributor, and competing disributors, namely Horizon Hobby and Intermountain, do not have their products listed in the Walthers Catalog.
And I dare say bias against N Scale..I suspect you have read those topics on TB and RW and has you know those forums is where the N Scalers dwell.
BRAKIE Metro Red Line The Walthers Catalog is by NO means a comprehensive guide to products available on the N-scale market. Walthers is first and foremost a distributor, and competing disributors, namely Horizon Hobby and Intermountain, do not have their products listed in the Walthers Catalog. And I dare say bias against N Scale..I suspect you have read those topics on TB and RW and has you know those forums is where the N Scalers dwell.
Metro Red Line The Walthers Catalog is by NO means a comprehensive guide to products available on the N-scale market. Walthers is first and foremost a distributor, and competing disributors, namely Horizon Hobby and Intermountain, do not have their products listed in the Walthers Catalog.
Yes, I recognize your username :)
More HO scale products are sold to more modelers, generating more revenue for the producers. The manufacturers have a higher likelihood of selling more HO product, thus justifying production costs. That's not necessarily bad for N scalers because the popularity of a model in HO may give a producer a hint as to its viability for future production in another scale, such as N. BLI probably used HO scale sales as a measure in deciding to produce an N scale model of the PRR M1a/M1b 4-8-2. So healthy of sales in one scale can contribute to the availability of more products in another scale.
Meanwhile, there are a few N scale items that HO modelers would love to see in their scale, such as GHQ conversion kits.
If you think N scale doesn't have much check the S scale section in the flyer. Oh yeah, you can't because there isn't one.
If you want more N scale stuff, you need to buy. Nothing gets the manufacturer's attention like selling out. I remember when S scale Waddell hoppers were all of sudden hot. S Helper went through several iterations to satisfy demand.
Enjoy
Paul
If it makes you feel any better, I'm an HO modeler and I'm jealous of the Kato aluminum autoracks that are only in N scale.
IRONROOSTERIf you want more N scale stuff, you need to buy.
All to sadly that doesn't seem to work in N Scale..A model can sell out within days of its release and a rerun may take years.
The forth coming Atlas N Scale Alco S2 switcher is the first new N Scale locomotive since their Trainman GP15-1 in 2008.
No sign of the OP since the original post.
As Brakie pointed out, N-scale since the 60's has had fewer offerings. Simply put, in America, it sells less so less is made.
That being said, I've often noticed when I look in some online stores, there is a lot more N-scale stuff available than in HO. Maybe because HO sells out quickly.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983