I have a 4x8 n scale layout currently. We built a new house last year and I have been planning something larger such as an 8x12 donut with 2 foot wide bench work. That said, I have lots of space to use so after watching a couple reviews of Athearn’s RTR Sd40-2 with T2 sound I am considering expanding it to 14x16 with a small peninsula and 4 foot wide aisles and switching to HO scale. My question is, how would six axle locos and well cars look on 30 inch radius curves? One thing I love about N scale is my trains look good on 20 inch radius curves, so I know I am compromising that somewhat, but it’s acceptable if it doesn’t look horrible. Anyway, thank you for your help. Josh
Why not just expand your N into the larger space? Is this about the Detail? 'sound'? Visualizations? ie Ability to see detail? Availability of product? In any case, try to keep your 'reach' down to easy.
Roughly speaking, 30 inch HO curves would compare to 15 inch N scale curves......so they wouldn't look as good as those 20 inch curves you like. My philosophy is #1, figure out what you want to accomplish with your trains, and then go with the biggest scale that lets you do that. I wanted LOTS of switching (ended up with 49 industries) and long trains (50 plus cars) so I had to go with N scale.
Like most of us as we age, my eyesight is changing and it’s becoming harder to see the details in N scale. Now, I’m not old yet (46) and I could get some reading glasses to correct this, but I have a fondness for HO scale as that’s what I had when I was growing up. I had always dreamt of building an HO layout as an adult, but I never really had the space until now. I sold off my HO equipment 15 or so years ago to switch to N scale, so maybe now’s the time to switch back. All of my N scale locos are DC, so the cost to add decoders and sound to all of them makes the cost of switching kind of a non issue. I’m undecided at this point, but I’m not going to get any younger and eventually I can see N scale being very difficult for me to model in at some point. I’m sure I’m probably 15 or 20 years away from that day, but prior planning prevents piss poor performance (as my father-in-law would say).
So, it seems you have made your decision. ☻ Yes, it is a hard call and part of me wishes I made it long ago. As I took my N Scale 2'x40' layout down I realized I was doing most of it by touch. By the time I got to McLean it was pretty clear I had to switch. Wish you the best.
Make the move. When I was your age (I sound like my Dad now...), my eyesight was starting to go downhill too (excluding cataracts that were fixed back in 2016) and if I were in a smaller scale, like N, I probably would have switched. I needed reading glasses anyway. But I was in HO already and like you, it was the scale of my youth, and since I still had my original loco from exactly 50 years ago now, I was in to stay. It's a lot harder to enjoy something one can hardly see. Go for it! Welcome to the dark side of The Scale.
I started in HO scale as a kid in 1978 (Tyco Royal Blue from Sears for Christmas, I was 7). Was active in HO with a modest but impressive to me at the time HO layout up until I temprarily lost interest in my 11th grade of High School in 1989. I messed around with temporary setups in HO around 1994 through 1999 when I switched to N Scale and sold off my HO collection. DCC was a big pull back into the hobby and I chose N scale to be able to put more train in a smaller space. For me I was disappointed with the visualization in that supporting scenery was so small (people, signs, crossing signals, etc). in 2009 I decided to switch back to HO for then better sound, and better visualization. I also like the size of HO better. In 2013 my layout was dismantled and once again my collection went into storage (went through a big divorce). From 2013 thru 2017 I sold off the majority of my 2nd time around HO collection due to space constraints and not knowing when I would be able to return to the hobby. I moved again and purchased a home in 2020 and put down roots this time . I began to plan a new HO layout and purchased some new HO locos and rolling stock for the new plans. In 2021 I was bitten by the O scale / O gauge bug and this has become my primary scale of focus since. I have two O scale layouts and a HO layout in the planning phase along with a temp 4x8 HO layout and a temp O scale layout that my son and I play with plus an 4x8 O scale Christmas layout we put up every year. Each step up in scale means new rewards and new compromises. Obviously my O scale trains will not be as long as the HO trains and not even close to the N scale trains. But the rewards include better visualizations, better detail that is easy to see, easier to work on (for the most part), and like you stated, I am not getting any younger and now wear glasses for reading and computer work, and now I find myself wearing them working on the trains. I still enjoy HO and plan to build a modest HO layout. I have a couple of N scale items still and I look at them now and think my God, how did I ever work on something so small LOL. I would say if possible, build some mock up with Kato or Ez Track and purchase enough rolling stock for 1 train and play around with it and see how you like it compared to your N Scale setup? If money and space were no issue, I would probably have a layout for every scale from Z to G lol
