does anyone who switched to or started with N guage regret doing so.
Not into N, but I suspect regret is not quite the right word. There's a recent thread on giving up N with advancing age here that is worth a look, just a page or so back.
That said, people switch to larger scales all the time for similar reasons. Many people start in HOn3 and go to On3, for example, in the narrowgauge community. It's really about sustaining your comfort level with what's working for you. I don't think it's scale-specific.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I have two regrets,first one is I did not start seriously in N scale till 1993.(played with from about 1980).The second regret is that I don't have the space to build the layout I really want.
I also do Z and HO,but I'll stop doing N when they pry my favorite KATO diesel from my cold lifeless hand.
as a side note I am 70 years old.
Another way to ask the question, "Anybody who has changed from N scale to another scale?"
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Personally, I started with HO, switched to O, built an N scale layout for my son, switched to S, and dabbled in G.
Currently I have a 6x12 ft 3 rail O gauge layout and an under construction 12x31 ft S scale layout.
I find the small scales - Z, N, HO, - a little frustrating for building stuff because of the small size. But of course you can get a lot more railroad in. Others of course have no problem with it.
I like S for building things and not having to take up a lot of space, like O of G.
But watching an O or G train at chest height is pretty cool.
One thing I have found for the smaller scales is to keep them high. An N scale layout chin high can be pretty cool.
Enjoy
Paul
Nope not at all. I love N scale for a laundry list of reasons...no different then folks who model in the other scales I would guess. N scale is simply the best scale for me and I have never regretted ever choosing it as my model railroading scale. I personally believe N scale is in a golden age right now with all of the new models and materials being produced by MANY manufacturers. It just keeps getting better! I look forward to what the future has in store for N scale.
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
With over 30 years in N Scale and proud of it. I agree completely with Don. Doug
I love N scale and it's a good thing I do.I don't have the room to build a half decent HO layout and Z scale would be too challenging with my aging eyes.
However,I do have a pair of sound equipped HO heavy haulers that I use with the HO guys at the club.
When I returned to the hobby I had to decide weather I should stick with "N scale" or move up to "HO" Now I have lots of space and was starting with a 15' x 24' room for my MRR rebirth. I went with HO as I always wanted HO back when space was an issue. Another reason for the switch to HO was my body had far more miliage on it than you would think a "classic 57" should have. I have trouble with the small bit's in HO and am thankful I did not go N scale.
I often look at my room and think of all the possibilities in the track planning department I could have had if N scale had been the choice. If you want to model long 150 car modern day trains, N scale is the way to go. My favourite train is a 4-4-0 with a handful of cars behind it. It takes five or six minutes to do a lap at 20MPH. I'm glad I went HO second time around.
In answer to your question(sort of). Yes I think I would have regretted it, if I had gone with "N scale".
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I have not regretted going into N Scale. Little compression, so all your favorite scenes and trains are not affected.
Modeling the Bellefonte Central Railroad
Fan of the PRR
Garden Railway Enthusiast
Check out my Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PennsyModeler
As a former N-scaler who moved up to S-scale the one advantage that I see is that there is a lot less maintenance required. Keeping the track clean was a chore for me, and the larger locomotives will blow through dust that would have brought my N-scale locomotives to a shuddering halt. Even investment in several N-scale track cleaning cars did not seem to help that much. With my S layout I can let it set unattended for weeks, and it's still drop the train on the track and go!
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
back when I was 15 or so,I started an HO setup. By 17 with a license and a car no more setup sold it all. by 28 I was married I started buying some HO material here and there for when I got a house. Work and kids came along. Now i'm retired, redoing sevweral rooms in the house that never got done in 30 years. I'll have a part(small) in the basement for something.I dont have too much HO and its not the best quality so I figuired go with N and dcc. With glasses im 20/20 so thats why I asked.
I started in n-scale, but switched to HO scale for two main reasons : #1--there were no manufacturers producing any locos for my favorite road (EJE), and #2---my difficulty in handling n-scale details.
I started out with S scale (American Flyer) as a kid. Went to HO then to N inthe 1960's. The reason was space. I have my dream laout in the basement. N provides four times the railroad of HO. My current layout has an operating hump yard which can only be done in a club layout in HO.
I sometimes regret having N Scale. Probably because there's no Southern Pacific specific details like the nose light. I don't have space for an HO layout or N for that matter.
I really do love N Scale because it was the perfect size when I was a kid that wasn't to big to handle like HO or too small to do anything like Z.
I'm sticking with N until eye sense goes. And plus I'm almost 1/2 done with my trains and to start building.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
rgengineoiler With over 30 years in N Scale and proud of it. I agree completely with Don. Doug
While I barely have 30 months in N-Scale, I am happy with the choice, and given the chance to do it again, I would choose N again, hands down.
Richard
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
forester6291 does anyone who switched to or started with N guage regret doing so.
My biggest regret is I sold my N Scale instead of my HO..All the years I was in N I never regretted a minute of it like I have keeping my HO instead of my N..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
davidmbedard Someone once said that is you want to model trains, go with HO....if you want to model vast scenery, go with N.
That's fodder for the garbage truck..I would have agreed with that 30-40 years ago but,not with today's finer N Scale models.
BRAKIEdavidmbedard Someone once said that is you want to model trains, go with HO....if you want to model vast scenery, go with N. That's fodder for the garbage truck..I would have agreed with that 30-40 years ago but,not with today's finer N Scale models.
While David may have said it insensitively, he is correct. Smaller scales have and always worked better for models of larger things.
And while N-scale has improved in the last 30-40 years, HO hasn't stood still. 30 years ago I was shaving off the cast-on grabs on wider than scale Athearn diesel shells to replace them with wire grabs. I thought it was great when they just started leaving them off and putting a dimple in the spot I needed to drill.
"Good enough" is a personal choice so N-scale can indeed be "good enough", but it will never have the potential to be as good as a larger scale. If you have one square inch of area to apply details in HO, you'll have about a quarter square inch of area in N. Therefore, if you aaccept that our ability as modelers is limited by the actual size of the parts, you have the room for 4 times the detail in HO.
But in response to the OP's original question, I had always been jealous of what the N-scale guys could fit in so I started this time with the intention of building an N-scale layout. I started collecting models and working on trackplans. When following Tony Koester's advice of doing mockups to determine spacing for the different levels of the layout I realized N was just not for me. Maybe it is some modeler's version of "muscle memory", but my feeling of what size things were supposed to be had become so fixed over the years with HO the N-scale models just didn't look right to me.
So, having regretted my choice, I took the required beating to sell off the N-scale stuff I had collected, and went back to HO.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Its been a few days with some interesting replies and curiosity has gotten the better of me, has the OP posted the question because they regret choosing N scale or are they new to the hobby and unsure of which scale to choose?
Happy modeling all!
Regards,
BRAKIE davidmbedard Someone once said that is you want to model trains, go with HO....if you want to model vast scenery, go with N. That's fodder for the garbage truck..I would have agreed with that 30-40 years ago but,not with today's finer N Scale models.
What Dave said was not a bad thing. It's always been a hallmark of N scale that you can get a much higher scenery to train ratio and that is true.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
carl425but it will never have the potential to be ass good as a larger scale.
Now that´s a Freudian slip of the tongue, isn´t it?
How much detail you incorporate into an N scale layout depends on your own skills and abilities. Just look what a modeler with the nom de plume "Bubule" does - you´ll find his thread in the "layout" section of this forum.
N scale can be a match to HO scale!
Sir MadogNow that´s a Freudian slip of the tongue, isn´t it?
oops... fixed
Sir MadogHow much detail you incorporate into an N scale layout depends on your own skills and abilities.
Absolutely true, but the same level of skill applied to a larger scale will always have the porential for a higher level of detail.
riogrande5761 BRAKIE davidmbedard Someone once said that is you want to model trains, go with HO....if you want to model vast scenery, go with N. That's fodder for the garbage truck..I would have agreed with that 30-40 years ago but,not with today's finer N Scale models. What Dave said was not a bad thing. It's always been a hallmark of N scale that you can get a much higher scenery to train ratio and that is true.
Maybe for those that look at N Scale with closed mind and eyes-no disrespect..
Have you seen the locomotive detail parts available today? Have you seen some of the top tier modeling that will rival HO? Seen the scratchbuilt steam N Scale locomotives? How about a kitbashed SD18 in N?
Seen fine sale N Scale modeling that uses Code 40 hand laid track and switches? How about Nn3 modeling?
Ever watch a operation session in N complete with waybills/car cards?
There's far more happening in N then those with closed minds and eyes can see again no disrespect meant..
BRAKIE ...Have you seen the locomotive detail parts available today? Have you seen some of the top tier modeling that will rival HO? Seen the scratchbuilt steam N Scale locomotives? How about a kitbashed SD18 in N? ...There's far more happening in N then those with closed minds and eyes can see again no disrespect meant..
...There's far more happening in N then those with closed minds and eyes can see again no disrespect meant..
Completely agree. I get N Scale magazine and it is astounding the level of detail many many folks achieve, not only on their locomotives and rolling stock but also structure wise etc. Skys the limit really. There is a gent named Chris Ditmar who is a regular contributor to the magazine that does phenominal work...absolutely mind blowing. He does many Canadian Pacific and BC Rail stuff from my chosen era that you would swear was not N scale at all but a much larger scale.
N scale is a really exciting scale to be a part of now that we have access to details, quality, and choices once only available to our larger scaled brethern. Is it the best scale? The only best scale is the scale the individual modeler deems best for him/her. Its all good.
BRAKIEMaybe for those that look at N Scale with closed mind and eyes-no disrespect.. Have you seen the locomotive detail parts available today?
No, they are too small for me to see.
BRAKIEHave you seen some of the top tier modeling that will rival HO?
No - not if you compare it to "top tier" HO. (which btw, can't compete with top tier O)
BRAKIESeen the scratchbuilt steam N Scale locomotives? How about a kitbashed SD18 in N? Seen fine sale N Scale modeling that uses Code 40 hand laid track and switches? How about Nn3 modeling? Ever watch a operation session in N complete with waybills/car cards?
Nobody disputes the fact that a few exceptionally talented guys have done some very impressive things with N-scale. That doesn't change the fact however that there is a physical advantage to working in a larger scale. If your goal is to produce the most highly detailed model possible, bigger will always be better.
...not that there is anything wrong with N-scale. "Ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choices" - can't remember who said that.
EMD.Donswear was not N scale at all but a much larger scale.
Russell
Of course...in person you can tell N scale from any other scale. It doesn't diminish the level of detail or quality of the modeling.
EMD.Don. It doesn't diminish the level of detail or quality of the modeling.