Going through changes...

[conrailmike]

Ok people, how many of you out there that switched from HO to N had a difficult time adjusting to it? Like, do you really miss the amount of detail that can be had in HO? I only ask because the layout space that is being planned is 28x24 and I'm thinkin' that N scale maybe the way to go if I want to run all the modern equipment (longer trains, bigger locos, autoracks, and doublestacks). I've been involved in HO since my father built his first 4x8 26 years ago. Please tell me it's not a bad switch.

 

[railroader9731]

to me it dont sound bad but its all in what you want and what you have space for as for me im doing 3 scales ho n and g so i have a choice on what to work with. ho will be a group layout and n is for me and the wife to play with and well g just gets me to spend time outside more.

 

[MCL_RDG]

Well, I had HO...

...when I belonged to a club. Dad had HO and brought us up on it. Dad bought N when it was in it's infancy. We liked to see real trains. Like, train-trains- long trains. In N you have routes instead of loops. It was too appealing to be bothered with "the details" afforded in HO or larger scales. I love detailed locos- they are to be admired. But I don't admire 'em so much when all you can do is watch 'em go around in a circle. When they're on the move- who's gonna look at the detail anyway? It's the action baby!

I've always said here that I like to operate trains. Not just the local- with a few cars and if you put too many on yer chasing your tail. Even if I'm gonna do that- it'd be a 35 car coal drag and an A-B-B-A set of sharks on hollow core door layout with a passing siding so's the 20 car local can sneak by (oh and a pocket for the RDCs to make an appearance from.

Do you want to operate a 20 car train or an 80 car train? Do you want to have to break up the train to get it into the yard on the other side of the railroad while half of it's still in the town it left or would you rather see the expanse of industries that need to be served by rail 'afore you?

I say- Give me N and let the others lament!

Mark
(Did anyone else hear marching drums and fifes?)

A parting thought. There's no difference to me in the way model trains are viewed. N Scale offers more in a smaller space that you will naturally build up to a height and reach to operate at. With HO you need more space and more reach and you would still be viewing the operations from a distance. I think it equalizes. You can have a closer view of smaller scale with out the added lumber, space occupancy, etc required for the larger scale. You'd just be able to put twice as much into the same space. To me that spells
C-a-s-e c-l-o-s-e-d. Hah- another mystery solved.

 

[KMInspector]

I too switched from HO to N for the same reasons, and yes you have to make some compromises, however there are ways to make up for them. I wanted to fit an HO layout in to a 20' X 10' garage but realized to run a closer to prototype railroad I had to go to N scale. There are far fewer choices for N scale in the type of locos available but rolling stock has no shortage of makers. However, with my space allowance, N scale lets me run closer to prototypical train lengths and still have industrial switching capabilities that seem to be endless, almost to much to make a final decision on. So with the space you paln on using you may run into the same problems however I dont think you will mind all that much.

 

[conrailmike]

Mark, you make a good point with the detail in HO. I guess if I wanted to I could still detail the HO stuff just for a diorama or something of that nature. I do wish though that the N scale stuff wasn't the same price as their bigger HO cousins, oh well. Thanks guys

 

[railohio]

I switched from HO to N scale in the 7th grade and never looked back.

 

[Renovo PPR]

I went from O to N and back to O. I have sold every bit of N that I had.

 

[Triplex]

28x24 is actually a good space for HO. Most modellers already into or planning on HO, with such a space, wouldn't think twice about it. I can certainly see many ways to make use of that space in N, though. I say go for it! I'll just warn you: In N, that'll be a lot of layout. If you don't expect to have many operators around, there's little use in having a layout that large.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

I went the other way, N to Ho. I felt that Ho had more detail, and N was kinda chunky, and toy like.....at the time. That was twenty years ago. Now looking at whats coming out in N scale......
Makes you wonder...