HO v. N
- Thread starter Killer R2
- Start date
Well, is Steven Colbert better than Jon Stewart? 
Hahaha, it's a matter of opinion. The largest argument is space.... and how much of it you have. N scale stuff is just as accessible as HO, so that doesn't matter as much as it did in years past according to seasoned modelers.... (But the space thing doesn't bother me... I model HO in a place where N should be!)
They're also about the same price, unlike HO and O where there's a difference that I notcied from buying a $10 boxcar in HO compared to a Lionel $50 one.
Anyway, back on topic, it depends on your needs. Don't let anyone else decide.
*coughHOcough*
Hahaha, it's a matter of opinion. The largest argument is space.... and how much of it you have. N scale stuff is just as accessible as HO, so that doesn't matter as much as it did in years past according to seasoned modelers.... (But the space thing doesn't bother me... I model HO in a place where N should be!)
They're also about the same price, unlike HO and O where there's a difference that I notcied from buying a $10 boxcar in HO compared to a Lionel $50 one.
Anyway, back on topic, it depends on your needs. Don't let anyone else decide.
*coughHOcough*
It all boils down to taste and how much room you have.I really don't think you can say one gauge is better then another,it's all model railroading after all.
HO is probably the best choice overall though if you have the room,more choices,variation and such for cars,structures and engines ect,ect...
Chris
HO is probably the best choice overall though if you have the room,more choices,variation and such for cars,structures and engines ect,ect...
Chris
I find N-scale to be to small, and have scale problems ( being to scale is important to me) so i like HO. not to mention its not as small as N, so its easier to work with, and yet it doesn't take up as much space as scale O.
I'm an HO guy but I know N has made great improvements over the years and offers a wide range of fine products. Its a bit too small for my less than nimble fingers but I envy what an N scaler could do with the space I have for HO!
Ralph
Ralph
There isn't any "better than" involved. There are definite advantages to both. N scale--more trains in a given area. Lots of available components. Great for running long trains. If you are a kit builder there are not too many kits available For us older folks, N is sometimes difficult to work with.
HO-- Huge amount of equipment in virtually any given era of railroading. Obviousy HO takes up more space than N. Easier to detail HO (at least for me). Lots of clubs around that are HO.
Just depends on your individual needs and space limitations.
HO-- Huge amount of equipment in virtually any given era of railroading. Obviousy HO takes up more space than N. Easier to detail HO (at least for me). Lots of clubs around that are HO.
Just depends on your individual needs and space limitations.
I'll just have to re-iterate what I said on that thread: I like to model more than just the trains and tracks, so I find that in that respect HO is much better catered for.
I don't think either is necessarily better or worse, just different. At my age with my eyesight, ho is as small as I can handle, and sometimes I think I should be doing large scale! N scale has the advantage of allowing a higher scenery to model ratio. I can get a higher detail level on ho models. It is entirely what yor preference is. It used to be that n scale was much more limited, but that seems to have changed lately with a lot more n scale stuff available.
HO is moderaletly priced(I got a desiel,track,and transformer for only $100-$200!), and has alot of well-priced items in a viraritey of places& times. N is great if you want more action in lass space and can control your hands to a great point. N scale also allows modules, which when done, do honestly look nice. but for me, HO is the way to go.
N scale lets you model 6x what HO lets you model ((160/87)^3=6.2...). But, the details are also 1.84x smaller...which is too much for me. I could fit my dream HO NKP system into a 20x20 foot room in N scale...but the trade off in details is just to great for me.
The irony is, for me, that I like O scale narrow gauge which is odd because I can't have the fantastic scenery that I'd have with Sn3 or HOn3...but I've found HOn3 to be too small for me...to say nothing of what those wizards of Nn3 do! I'll probably end up an Sn3 modeller...but I love the details!
I love the look of Proto:87 and my On3 stuff (all On3 is finescale). Someday I'll have a lathe to convert my HO NKP fleet of power into finescale. Unfortunately, N-scale has those enourmously overscale wheelsets, rails, and couplers. I'll eventually be switching to Sergents in HO and Link & Pin for On3...something I can't see happening in N-scale reliably.
But for N-scale...the Scenary of the Alpine Tunnel District would be breathtaking...and the Nickel Plate would be perfect for N-scale...a flat racetrack for manifest freights. I love the newer N-scale locomotives....but the only passenger power available is either PA-1s or the S-2s like 765 that were used while the hudsons were being rebuilt.
The irony is, for me, that I like O scale narrow gauge which is odd because I can't have the fantastic scenery that I'd have with Sn3 or HOn3...but I've found HOn3 to be too small for me...to say nothing of what those wizards of Nn3 do! I'll probably end up an Sn3 modeller...but I love the details!
I love the look of Proto:87 and my On3 stuff (all On3 is finescale). Someday I'll have a lathe to convert my HO NKP fleet of power into finescale. Unfortunately, N-scale has those enourmously overscale wheelsets, rails, and couplers. I'll eventually be switching to Sergents in HO and Link & Pin for On3...something I can't see happening in N-scale reliably.
But for N-scale...the Scenary of the Alpine Tunnel District would be breathtaking...and the Nickel Plate would be perfect for N-scale...a flat racetrack for manifest freights. I love the newer N-scale locomotives....but the only passenger power available is either PA-1s or the S-2s like 765 that were used while the hudsons were being rebuilt.
I suppose that if you want to use more space, you could try building a layout in HO with HOe (N gauge) track!
I JUST got some n scale stuff off ebay . I'm intrigued. I bought it so i can set it up in my workspace at work and watch my train go around when people annoy me .
I'm facinated by it's small size, i have an HO scale layout too and that is quite full filling, and i have a crawl space that i can't do anything else with ahhaha so it's a perfect fit!
. I'm intrigued. I bought it so i can set it up in my workspace at work and watch my train go around when people annoy me . I'm facinated by it's small size, i have an HO scale layout too and that is quite full filling, and i have a crawl space that i can't do anything else with ahhaha so it's a perfect fit!
You can do modules in HO! Either for a home layout, or as part of a modular group. It works great, the only thing is, there is no way to have a continuous loop in HO on a module, there is in N scale. The N scale trains on Ntrak are breattaking, as they are long, and snake through the mountains. I like HO better, but Ntrak is pretty cool. I think the main thing that N scale is doing is Ntrak, whereas HO is in home layouts, modular, small layouts, etc.
I like HO because I like to detail models. I find N just too small. My eyes cross trying to apply N-scale grabs.
I like N because it allows for longer trains and larger curves in the the same space.
It's all about perspective. If you have lots of room, lots of room, go with HO. If you like detailing models, go with HO, or even O — adding details is easier and there's more stuff available.
If all you want to do is run trains, N scale may be the solution.
Bottom line is that you have to decide where you want to go with your hobby, what's important and what isn't, and determine where to go from there. Make a decision and live with it.
Good luck.
Cheers
Scott Fraser
Calgary
I like N because it allows for longer trains and larger curves in the the same space.
It's all about perspective. If you have lots of room, lots of room, go with HO. If you like detailing models, go with HO, or even O — adding details is easier and there's more stuff available.
If all you want to do is run trains, N scale may be the solution.
Bottom line is that you have to decide where you want to go with your hobby, what's important and what isn't, and determine where to go from there. Make a decision and live with it.
Good luck.
Cheers
Scott Fraser
Calgary