Ok, here goes... Starting with xmass 1965 or 6 I recieved my first HO set. I'm an HO scaler. 1974 maybe, I discover my first N scale set. I'm an N scaler 1984-5 My buddy gets into trains and we do a narrow gauge layout, well it never got off the ground really. I'm an HO scaler. 1993 I get back into N scale. 2000+ something, my wife gives me a three rail O scale set. I'm an O scaler. Back to N scale then back to HO etc. Various forays between scales throughout the entire timeline. I'm getting good progress on a N scale layout that will feature some pretty heavy traffic for a doorpanel layout. Should be really cool when it gets sceniced. A couple weeks ago I spot some really nice layout pics on the Atlas O forum and start droolin over O scale two rail. I've sort of lost interest in my N scale layout. I just keep looking at O scale locos. I could probably only afford to buy one. No mentioning O scale track. I have no idea how i'd fit even an oval of 36" radius stuff in my house. That's 6x 6 feet for just a oval. Is this some kind of scale jumping disease? I know i'm not the only one because Colorado5O was telling me how he doesn't know if he should do HO scale, N, or On30 for his next layout. N scale, HO scale USA, HO scale european, G scale, O scale tinplate, On30, and now perhaps O scale two rail. So many scales, so little money.
know the feeling geeky Oct 1976, midwife asks what i thought of my new baby sister, replied id rather have a train set Dec 1976, first train set, a clockwork loco that was repainted that often im sure the extra weight slowed it down! Dec 1978, another train set with an electric loco, wow! Took it apart to see how it worked, dad put it together to show how id killed it 1979,a french ho scale diesel for my birthday, what a piece of junk, that purple monstrosity still haunts me 1982, another set from my grandparents this engine had lights, how space age was that? Sure my dad glued the bodyshell on to stop my surgery on it tho 1983, swapped everything i owned at school for peoples unwanted trains, im real sorry mother (note to matthew aldridge, that diesel was junk i want my soccer boots back!) 1984,, my first permanent layout, ok so it was only an oval with a siding but many happy memories of a switcher zipping round with more sparks and light than a 4th of july display 1985, went over to british n scale, bad move as the locos ran terrible, would have worked smoother if id laid the ties on top of the rails 1986, back to oo scale and my first exhibition layout, i was an empire builder! 1989, joined the railroad, an engine a month and no more counting pennies from the jar for a new boxcar 1999, my first home and a new layout in the roof space, i never really knew the other rooms. Still, i had a railroad to run and the spiders were all friendly 2002, transfered to a new depot, had to sell 75 locos as i had no room, oh my babies! Why isnt there a trains reunited website? 2003, went american n scale with a new layout, small but fun the excitement was still there 2004, first visit to america, bought a proto ho scale loco purely for display and have since become good friends with an ohio trainstore owner! 2005, got engaged whilst on vacation in u.s, she got a ring, me a g scale gp38 - deal or what! 2006, how has thsi happened? I now own 87 n scale, 76 ho scale, 2 g scale and an on30 loco???? Now if my mother had given birth to a brother......
Man, that G scale stuff looks nice too!!!! I have dabbled in a few other scales, but my heart always brings me back to N! But then I have too much invested to make a move. Besides, you rarely get back out of it what you put into it. And the advances that have been made over the years keep me where I am at. Things are so much improved in N scale compared to 30 years ago.............
Must... resist... temptation... I have to stay focused on N or I'd go berserk with other scales. I'm a collector/accumulator by nature, so I'm in the high risk group for this terrible disease. My dad has an On30 layout, and I've been tempted to get some lokis, but so far have been strong. I'll just run his when I'm there. I must say I've been eyeballing Z, which is really catching fire right now. But ironically "eyeballs" IS the problem, I'm afraid the vision thing would frustrate me at the detail level. So I'm sticking with N for as long as I can, hopefully forever
00, N, N, G, #1, H0, Z, H0 If time and money weren't limited I'd probably have them all, but life tends to be one long compromise
I know the feeling. There's some wonderful stuff available these days. In virtually all scales. Temptation, temptation.... Sometimes I'm glad there's no money! mg: Boxcab E50
Something that draws me to the bigger scales. My eyes have changed. It just happened over night. I can no longer see N scale builders dates. I have no idea how I will run switching on my layout if I can barely see car numbers. I seem to have more trouble with trying to model things in N as well. I am getting sloppier if you will. just not as deft, and perhaps more daft, than before. I guess my main point for all this is that the minute I get some progress on a layout, I suddenly decide that it isn't what I wanted and am ready to start on some other pipe dream of a layout.
Magnification, my friend, Magnification! To heck with the numbers. With weathering and all, you can work around having to actually *read* those numbers (if you are planning operations based on numbers that is). To me, its mostly about car types. Its not like I have 18 identical boxcars and am having to find that one certain car. That being said, I absolutely refuse to run two cars with the same number! Probably because I know it's there and "wrong"! I've seen folks here with car cards that have a thumbnail picture on them. Now that is a cool idea.
"N" since 7th and 8th grade. "G"irls and 1/285 scale armor interfered for a long time. Back to "N" but lusting after "G" and "Z". So much so I do not visit those forums. I don't dare.
I started with HO as a kid on a 4X8 layout and a bunch of Tyco stuff. That got boxed up in 1983 when I got interested in cars and girls in high school. The box stayed in my parent’s basement until I got a place of my own in ’93. Opened the box and relived a bunch of great memories so I decided to get back into the hobby. Only this time I was going to get serious about it. Got a new 4X8 sheet of plywood but this time I went N-scale because of space constraints. Played with this for a few years but then lost interest because at that time I had no "serious" money. Everything got boxed up again. In 2000 I got married, bought a real house with a basement and shortly after moving in the nephews discovered the “trains” boxes. Nephews insisted that we open the boxes. Another new 4X8 sheet of plywood and the HO trains are running. Really going to get serious this time. Built a new 10X12 N-scale layout and spent a small fortune on DCC and a fleet of locos and rolling stock. Learned how to hide the "serious" money from the wife. Christmas 2000, need a train to run under the tree. By golly, my LHS has a sale on a G-scale Christmas set. This opened up a whole new can of "serious" worms. I now have the N-scale layout sitting next to the HO layout with the G-scale (with 4 different locos and accompanying rolling stock to choose from) running around the basement floor. I love this hobby! P.S. The wife likes it to because she always knows where I am.
LOL, I'm financing my train habit by selling off all my old hobbies on eBay. My wife is cool with that, it's old spent money already, and I'm just "recycling" it.
Geeky, Interesting thread. I decided today that the small 'G' inventory I have will go, focus is to be on HO, a simpler life and fewer distractions. And it becomes one more good excuse to double the size of my layout! Life is good! Joe
