N Scale vs HO Scale Engines etc...?

[gregbva123]

I wanted to know if N Scale layouts are the same as HO Scale layouts minus the size. Are the engines reiable and do they come with DCC Sound decoders? I have a lot of HO scale stuff, but no room. I want to maybe build a small N Scale railroad around 3 to 4 ft by 7 ft. Any answers.
Thanks in advance,
Greg

 

[Triplex]

There's the same variation in quality as in HO (e.g. Atlas engines are normally good, non-Spectrum Bachmanns aren't). You can easily get DCC-ready or DCC-equipped engines in N, but not many come with sound due to size issues.

 

[Cornreaper]

I don't thinkg that there is really anything to stop you from making an N-Scale layout every bit as good as HO.. A lot of people say that product availabilty isn't good in N, but I think that's a 30-year old misconception. I'd say over the last 15 years, and especially the last 5-10, that N has established itself to be on a par with HO in regards to quality, and is just about there variety-wise. HO is great if you have a basement to devote to it, but us apartment-dwelling peeps will be keeping N Alive and well for a long time!

 

[3railguy]

The variety and availability of N scale is nowhere near as good as HO. But, it has improved vastly in recent years with a wealth of manuafacturers and new products being announced almost weekly. Atlas and Kato have a good selection of engines that run as well as HO. N scale is futzier to work with than HO due to size and you find yourself tweaking things more often than with HO. Atlas recently came out with a code 55 track system that is very realistic and affordable. There is also a sea of laser cut structure kits that are very realistic. It is a good time to get started in N scale. Stick with the quality stuff.