Hello folks! The title says it all. I love N scale, very much! One can do so much with modest space, that it lends itself very nicely to fitting layouts that permit a lot of operation into our smaller homes here in Europe. But. My favorite part of the hobby is definitely building and painting kits, modifying locomotives, and so on. It is fun to modify even N scale locos, but... I have to admit, when I peek over the fence into HO or even O scale territory, I get mighty jealous. I have in particular debated switching to 2-rail O scale. I have to admit the lack of N scale steam (as of right now, i do not believe a single USRA design is in production; model power shut down, last I knew, right?) is a huge problem for me. You all ever wrestle with this? What do?
Do not be two hasty! Steam comes and goes in waves in N scale. Kato did the GS-4's not too long ago, Athearn did the Challenger and the Big Boy, Bachmann has done several others aside from that. So for steam you may just have to wait it out. There are more and more kits coming out in N scale so I am pretty sure you will be able to find what keeps you happy. As for size, N Scale is almost perfect!
No. I was given an HO scale set about forty Christmases ago and have never been seriously tempted to change at all. Yes, I do a little O scale for others and find it easier to superdetail. Yes I look at layouts in N and greatly admire the hundred car trains. But, you know, I get a pretty decent level of detail if I do say so myself, and I'm definitely not limited to seven car trains. So, HO makes me as happy as I'm likely to get. Is HO the perfect compromise? Or did I just get stuck because I made the mistake of counting my blessings? I don't know. But I do know this--there are not a lot of prototypes which never got modeled in HO. Not many at all.
Model Power was purchased by MRC. MRC still produces the MP line of locomotives, including the 2-8-2 light Mikado, the 2-6-0 Mogul, and the 4-4-0 American, all of which have been significantly upgraded and are excellent runners. I have an MRC/MP 2-8-2 that beats the pants off my Kato Mikes. There is a fair amount of steam available in N, depending on the era and what you like. Athearn has the Challenger and Big Boy. A new run of Challengers was just released, and you can still find last-production Big Boys for sale on the web. Bachmann produces or has produced superb 2-8-0, 4-6-0, and Pennsy K4 and N&W J. While Bachmann's other steam offerings are mediocre (the Berk can be pretty good to awful depending on the luck of the draw; ditto on the 4-8-4 or 4-8-2), their new offerings are getting better. BLI has a superb Pennsy M1, and soon will release the iconic T1 passenger engine. And don't forget the Atlas Shay. Because of limited production, you would have to search e-bay or hobby shops for some of these, but they are out there. No, the selection isn't nearly as great as in HO. And no, you don't have the wide array of aftermarket details available in either HO or O, although you'd be surprised how much stuff is available in N via 3D printing on Shapeways. And yes, being larger (HO) or MUCH larger (O), the details in these scales are easier to work with and more visible to casual observation. But again, you might be surprised at what people have done detailing N scale diesels and steam locos. There are phenomenal examples of this on the steam front in the N-trak Steam Annual, which I highly recommend if you are interested in steam modeling. It really depends on your priorities. If you have a lot of room for a layout (or don't really care about a layout at all) and really like detailing locomotives and rolling stock for high-visibility, N is probably not your best choice. But if you want something approaching realistic operation in modest space, with superbly-running locos and rolling stock that can still be detailed quite a bit, you can't beat N scale. Operationally, N can be the full equivalent of HO or O - just ask the HO guys that come and operate on my N scale layout (although they do gripe about reading the reporting numbers . . . ). John C.
The scale you chose is that which makes you happiest. How much space do you have available? N scale has great advantages there. Availability of items in N has increased annually. Steam has always been a slightly weak link, especially when compared to HO scale. But is that the only drawback? These days, closer to yes than no.
My layout space is a 4 x 13 "L" shaped wall section of a spare bedroom, where I can manage a shelf layout perhaps 2 feet wide. That's a lot of real estate in N, decent for HO, and only a small switching layout in O. I do like N. I do. I am already invested in it (though not very heavily) but urgh. Trying to find a simple light mikado to bash into something like a Nickel Plate loco is like pulling teeth; the Kato heavy mike just cannot be made into a light mike due to its frame design (I tried, and ruined one in the process - it was the one I dropped a while back, no worries) the Model Power one has all the details cast on the shell, and the old Atlas/Roco/Rivarossi thing... just no. There is NO workable heavy pacific, no useful 0-8-0 besides the Proto 2k / Walthers ones that command insane prices now, no heavy mike of any kind in production, no non-super power mallets... it's pretty thin at the moment. PRR and UP get some N scale steam love, and C&O has, so maybe NYC or Erie will soon. I have to admit, good N scale rolling stock from Atlas, Red Caboose, Bowser, etc., looks as good to me as HO or N. Some locos do too! I am just really bummed about steam. Especially as I do not need Big Boys or Challengers =(
I have wrestled a lot with back and forth with N and Z scales. Yes, I can have both but want to focus on one and it is N (at least for now). My motto has always been this; "you have to know the end before you begin". What do you want the end state to be? Once you modify or build steamers in any scale, do you plan on keeping them and running them? I would imagine that HO scale steamers will be much more reasonably priced than N because there are so more of them out there. With only 4' in width, you might run into issues with having large enough curves to run HO. Just some thoughts.
As my shelf can be at most about 18 inches wide, I cannot really have continuous running in any scale! My end goal is an operation oriented layout with plenty of industries to switch. I am as interested in portraying freight cars as engines, and I like to have a train that needs to spot a gon here, two boxcars there, and maybe a reefer there, etc. I would love to have the facility for continuous running but even in N it doesn't look doable. Perhaps if I went with a door layout instead, but then there's the layout being in the way. The shelf can fit along the wall over our desks.
The N-trak Steam Modeling Information Books go back to 2006. You can order the original book and the annual updates through 2012 at the N-trak web site store. Here's a link describing the books up to 2012: http://ntrak.org/documents/steam_data_book_description.htm There was no steam modeling book published in 2013 or 2014. In 2015, N-trak renamed this publication The Steam Annual, and you can still get the 2015, 2016, and 2017 annuals from the company store, here: http://ntrak.org/ntrak_store/OnLineOrderForm.html I consider these books essential for steam modeling in N scale. DISCLAIMER: I was a contributing author to the 2016 and 2017 volumes, but I don't make any money off of sales! John C.
You can order one here but I don't know if they ship to Europe. It's $28US with free shipping in the US. Payment and ordering is via PayPal. http://www.ntrak.org/Steam2017/index.html [Oops! Looks like John and I posted at the same time.]
advertiser sbs4dcc.com has pennsy 4-6-2 and 4-8-2 N scale in the clearance section, nice discounts on several numbers. Couldn't help but think of this thread when I saw that. Here is the MRC/ModelPower 4-4-0 Model Power 4-4-0, really nice locomotive. by NScaleKen posted Oct 29, 2018 at 9:04 PM N scale allows me to focus on the landscape, geography and geology are things I was a fan of before railroads. N combines the two interest so nicely. If I had the space for HO I would rather build bigger in N but that is just how I roll. I love the HO super detailed urban scenes, and some day will do that as well. We all benefit from the fact we have people doing both. HO pushes N scale to do better details, N scale allows more into the hobby and helps some eventually transfer to HO or other scales. I have a desire for aspects of HO and Z. Z would allow almost 1:1 geography which for me is important, but not necessary to appreciate any layout. I love any layout that shows the builder had a focus and did a lot of work on whatever it is they cared about.
I prefer N Scale and 2 rail O. My prototype is an interurban line in Southern California. I can buy brass cars and street track very easily in HO. Instead, I am marching to the beat of my own drum, modeling the Pacific Electric in N Scale. Only you can make yourself happy, choose wisely.
Just a thought. I had the same problem with space in my bedroom...until I bought my RV to build my layout in. Solution was...buy a HCD WITH the framework ! I hung mine on the wall above my dresser. fold it down to run trains... fold it up to get it out of the way. I even managed to do some scenicing on it... a little ingenuity on the power controls...an old sliding PC keyboard drawer... "Where there is a will...there is a way. "
There are other images in my media.... http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?media/users/mtntrainman.9898/&page=6
Started with Lionel three rail. then HO. and finally N scale as I had less space to work in later. I have gone the opposite of a number of modelers by going with smaller locos and cars, and by having a narrow gauge flavor but still standard gauge to my layout. All the curvature is under 9.75 inch with radiuses running from 7.75 to 9 inch. Motive power is 44 and 70 tonners and trains are short.
I decided N was for me when I started, I liked the ability to run long trains in small spaces. Then I also bought into Z scale, I need more locos and cars but I really like my Z scale stuff. I'm just fleet building at this point as it may be longer before I have a place to make a layout.
I started in HO scale and modeled in it for at least 10+ years before switching. I ran into the opposite problem: I liked detailing locomotives but once you do a locomotive, then those boxcars need the treatment as well. I hated removing the molded on grab irons and replacing them (drilling 1000s of little holes). Then the passenger cars came next...then the buildings...and I still didn't have the room to build the layout I wanted. I switched to N scale since I really only needed to add the light packages (I model SP) and paint the hand rails on the engines...wait, now I need to add DCC...and the mars lights...and...well, I do get more done in N scale (even though I currently have less time) and the things I wish for in N keep coming out in 3d printing so I'm good. Here to stay.
The two things that are weighing on me are the lack of steam and the fact that I cannot even really take advantage of N's biggest selling point; lots of big stuff in a small space. My 18 inch maximum width really sort of sucks. If I cannot have a train going roundy-round (a good way to get it back where it came from, after all, as I cannot even think about fitting things like wyes) even in N, other scales look a lot better. Perhaps I will build a smaller 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 layout or something. I don't know.
