I have only been a member for a short time, my name is Dan, I live in Florida and I am 73 years old. I joined the forum recently contemplating a switch from Z to N scale, but I have spent a couple of weeks looking on ebay and various vendors sites trying to get a feel for what is available in N scale. I think I have come to the realization that N scale is too small and doesn't offer the detail and other options as profusely as HO does. Although I have collected 4 z locomotives and about 8 buildings, now I feel that isn't the direction I want to go in to enjoy the hobby. I like complex locomotives and industrial stuff. This what I thought about. A fairly small HO layout, say 8' by 3' roughly which addresses a single industrial site like a steel mill, a mining or a logging operation. it would not be chronologically contemporary but maybe 40 or 50 years back. I already have an HO test loop, a Bachm. Spectrum 2-8-0 Western Maryland and a really nice old diesel and some cool old rolling stock. I bought most of this stuff about ten years ago. I will buy a Climax and a newer diesel both already with or ready for sound and DCC. I like to say hello to the HO members and just like to hear some suggestions about DCC which I am not to learned in. I am hoping to sell my son's giant weight bench to make a perfect space in the gym room for the layout.
Well, N scale would offer huge possibilities size of layout wise, but HO has lots to offer too. If you are thinking of a single large industry it sounds like the steel mill option is the way to go. A steel mill can be like canyons of structures if you want it to be. Most commercial structures are fairly scaled down, but you could build em big if you wanted too. An image for you. From this site: http://johnstownhistory.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html Here is a steel mill modeling site, not sure how good it is. http://www.peachcreekshops.com/stlkits.php?UID=20130308165849174.51.50.231
Thanks my friend, steel mill is at the top of the list. Walthers blast furnace and open hearth or rolling mill maybe?
Keep us posted on your progress. You may not be in the same scale any more, but you are still with us in the hobby!
Dan, I was HO from 1958-1982(+-). Went into N til about 2005..N got too small for me both sightwise and detailwise..I felt the need for the 'heft' of HO and decided to have larger equipment and a smaller RR and went back to HO..I have a small fictitious 2.50 Mi. branch line which is a folded over switchback RR..I.E. All trains ,falfway up or down grade enter the tail of the switchback, switch is thrown and train reverses direction to leave the tail and continues journey. Coming from highest point train makes its way down (into and out of tail) to end of line where there is a live interchange..Highest opposite end of line will be either industrial or a mine. There seems to be a concensus that NCE is the most technical and most sophisticated, programingwise, make of the DCC throttles..But others think it's Digitrax or other makes..I have an NCE PowerCab and now another small NCE walkaround cab, Cab06..NCE is a tad confusing, manualwise..But It gets clearer as you go along..Go to 'ebay MRR items' above and then to NCE/DCC...Or other brands..if you have say, PayPal or such..If you do go with NCE there is a 'NCE/DCC' forum on yahoo..Many geniuses on there and right in here on 'Tboard' who give tons of help and support...Once you go DCC with sound you'll never go back to analog; though some guys (and Candy) keep an analog portion going to keep those older engines in use. If you do that, be extremly careful. You can cause havoc, electronically. Mark
Hi Woz, You may have read a few of my HO threads recently but i have just sold off my entire N scale collection and moved to HO as well. I have been asked WHY a number of times and the reasons are as follows 1. I am moving residence so the existing layout must be removed 2. I have changed my modelling from continuous running to wanting more switching operations 3. I am currently Dc to convert to DCc with 80 N scale locomotives would be expensive and time consuming 4. I like detailing and weathering so HO offers more opportunities 5. I love the new HO DCC with sound I will always love N scale but turning 50 next year and moving has given me the opportunity to change. I sold my entire collect over 6 weeks and have enough money to fund my total conversion to HO. If you look in the layout design forum you will see my thread mopac switching layout thread. I have also purchased a NCE powercab and will start testing my first loco and learning about DCC as soon as it arrives. Look forward in seeing what you decide.
Thanks for your detailed post MarklinLA, my reasons for the sudden switch to HO are pretty similar to yours and yes I looked into NCE which I found many positive posts on the internet for just yesterday. It seems to put it all together when it comes to DCC. My best loco from a few years ago was made to be able to add DCC the others no way. Cheers! Dan J.
Thanks Colonel for your post and info. I will do the same as you did with my Z items. The extra money will help to buy the new system, but no doubt I will miss having my train right in front of me on my computer desk. Yes the DCC sound is another reason, so many different train noises to work with. Cheers Dan J.
Wow Ho Explorer, your layout scene looks so realistic. The big trees look like Redwoods, it reminds me of Muir woods. I went there a couple of times in the late 1990s. Cheers Dan J.
Dan, Thank you. Actually this layout portrays a mining layout in SE Alaska. I just put in the photo to show/give inspiration to you on your HO endeavors. I have only a 11'x10' room but I manage HO quite well. This link may be just what you or others need to get up and going. http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25919 It is the story behind my photo. Jim
I left N scale over 20 years ago. Back then the performance of a majority of the locomotives weren't the best. Things have improved greatly since, but I couldn't get the road names that I wanted and you can put a lot more detail into HO. I ended up freelancing when I finally started, but do have power from other railroads show up where connections to those road are made. I also enjoy switching a lot and being that there are no other modelers in my area that are into HO scale it works out fine. I chose to have my mainline only pass through a scene only one time and chose a point to point layout. By doing this I have a little more room for towns and the industries in them to provide switching opportunities. Although it is a point to point, I do have a few hidden staging tracks that will permit continuous running. Now that I am getting a little older, HO scale is a bit more user friendly too.
If you're open to suggestions about your layout one thing I'd definitely do is to use the smallest size rail that eye-sight and dexterity allows. In HO that'd be code 70 or 55, although code 55 switches purchased are a bit pricey. Hand-laid not so much 'tho that's not a skill I choose to pick up at my age. Painted almost to scale weight rail definitely adds to the realism of the layout. It is somewhat harder to deal with but well worth the effort. Another area where a small shelf-type layout can really shine is, have you considered an urban area with a lot of trackwork in the street.
Dave has an excellent suggestion about going to a smaller rail size. My layout is all code 70 and for a smaller railroad I personally think that it does look a lot better. Here is a picture of what code 70 looks like. It's no more difficult to work with, but can be hard to find. I have been able to get what I need on the internet without any problem.
I too, as an N scaler, am on the fence with this too. Actually have been for a few years now for many of the same reasons many of you have indicated. While my biggest problem is not the locomotives, it is finding the right vehicles for my era. Buildings specific for my region are also available for my region but not in N. My N scale 6X3 foot layout has been in construction for over 10 years and it still is just a table with a circle of track. I am not happy with trying to force a prototype operation into a 6X3 oval. I too am much happier just using a detailed and painted Geep 7 or 9 and switching out cars into spurs. The roundy round lost interest with me over 20 years ago. The biggest thing that has bothered me has been the detailing of locomotives. I love detailing the locomotives but it is getting harder and harder in N scale. Both Sunrise and JNJ are gone and there are details being left of my locomotives. Also N scale has those huge hand rails that bother me. To fix that one must use JnJ (now gone) brass stantions and .008 wire which bends just looking at it. I have a Rock Island GP40 on my bench now that I am not happy with at all. I think I'll finish it and the B&M GP38-2 I started and look into HO diesels for my next project. Like someone said, I can get more details on it than N. I might sell or tear down my current layout and build a prototype driven switching layout in HO. I might even start enjoying the hobby again.
I know how you feel. My N scale layout was pretty big, having over 16 scale miles of mainline, but 20 years ago, N scale locomotive were primitive compared to todays N scale equipment, but I wanted the detail. I started the layout when I was living in another state and now with a basement, there were a lot of opportunities. after being well into the layout I was frustrated because I could not find the road names I wanted, and the selection of locomotives for the time period I wanted were also very few and far between. One thing that did bug me were the over size rails in N scale. I sold everything and started over. I had a good friend who was also starting a new layout and we took a long time trying to come up with a plan. We both were interested in the steam to diesel transition period and wanted to model what could have come about right in our immediate area. He had an entire building for his layout and I had a fairly good area in my basement so we came up with a plan. Like I have mentioned in previous posts, my railroad is a short line/branch line connecting to not only his railroad, but to the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road. This allows me to have power from those roads to appear on my railroad. I decided to freelance and this way river counters would have no nits to pick, but the equipment for outside railroads are as correct as I can get them. This got me into custom painting, coming up with a family look for my own road, and at the time, (20 plus years ago) not much equipment was available on the market for either the NP or Milwaukee, offering more opportunities for detailing and custom painting. I am like you, not wanting to have trains run in circles so my layout is set up more for switching. I am a lone operator with no body in my area interested in HO scale, so it works just fine for me. Check out my photo album. If you like details and switching, HO scale may be for you.
Yes it's definitely HO Hi Jim and all who responded to my posts, the decision has been made. I bought an NCE DCC system which came in a couple of days ago and a Bachmann Spectrum Climax logging loco which should be here early next week. The Climax has sound, and the detail level is reasonable( but could always be added to). I plan to add a diesel switcher w/sound possibly Athearn and convert my Bachmann Spectrum Consolidated to DCC sound also but not until the layout is a least running. A question about the ho track, the rail size itself is smaller for code 70? I am assuming I would do flextrack for all but turnouts and junctions. How about verifying gauge accuracy while laying track? :question:
When I started may layout I was hand laying code 70 track and turnouts, but having lent the Kadee spiker out to a club and a couple of large home layouts, it died. I had sent it back to Kadee a few times for repairs, but this last time I was informed that it was beyond repair. Since then, I have been using Shinoharaq code 70 flextrack and turnouts and I haven't had a single problem. Micro Engineering also makes code 70 flex track and turnouts that may be more compatable for DCC, but being that I am still a DC operator, I stick with the less expensive Shinohara. I haven't have any problems laying the track at all. I am now in the process of starting a fairly large town, with a roundhouse, turntable, yard and numerous industries and it's all Shinohara track.
