With all the recent debate over the accuracy of N scale models and the the ongoing discussion, here is my story: I chose N scale because of its size, not because of the detail of the models. I started out with a 4'x8' layout, and have expanded to a benchwork layout that is 16'x8'. If I were to try to model in any other scale in this space, I would be running 10 car trains with one or two locomotives on a basically flat oval layout. In the same space, I have a "U" shaped N scale layout with a 3% grade and a 7 inch elevation change from yard to summit. I can run prototype length trains with multiple units and helpers. My locomotives are mostly out-of-the-box with minimal detailing due to my limited talent and more limited patience. I feel that my modeling interest is the majority opinion of N scale modelers, meaning we are willing to sacrifice some detail for the ability to run long semi-prototypical trains on a relatively small layout. If I am correct in assuming this, then that is the reason that the models on the market do not live up to the expectations of the "rivet counters" out there. It is simple economics that the mass market will dictate the products that are presented to the consumers. In HO scale, people used to be happy with Athearn's old plastic models. After Kato, Atlas and Bachmann began to produce models that competed with their products, Athearn was forced to go the extra mile and come up with a more detailed model (Genesis line). The truth is, N scale has greatly improved in the past 20 years that I have followed it. And as long as the manufacturers are selling out their limited runs of models, the less you can expect radical design changes. Radical changes will only happen when large numbers of available models start to collect dust on hobby shop shelves. You can consider me one who is more than happy with the quality of current N scale equipment. This is just my opinion, and not an attack on those out there who want more detail. Just remember, if new less detail oriented modelers don't find the hobby, it might just die completely. The diverse skill levels in our hobby almost guarantee that old saying: "You can't make everyone happy all of the time".
I actually started in HO, back when N scale had nothing to offer except F units as far as plastic diesels went. I built a 6x9' HO layout that has since been converted to N scale and increased to 6x16'. Now my previously too tight of curves of 21" minimum radius have become nice and wide in N scale This was the biggest reason for the change, along with the fact that the N scale scene had exploded with new, great models of all types (and it's just getting better!). I have no complaints at all with the quality of newer locos, cars, etc. Kato's most recent release of SD80s and 90s is absolutely mind blowing! I'm not crazy about the N scale trend of limited runs, however. Russ
As probably the most common answer is usually size, I'm going with this. (really my parents bought me N first and I just stuck with it) I've developed a liking for small scale stuff. I also build 1/144 scale aircraft and 1/700 scale waterline ships. Growing up, I always shared a room until I moved out. Even then, all I have is a small apartment. With the small sizes, I can get more into a given space, and I always like more. Also, I found it alot easier to impress friends with my work when they see how small some of it is.
Here's what got me into N scale in Nov 1968 at Webster's Hobby Shop in Phoenix AZ http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_sf52.jpg http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/sp6041.jpg (Yes I realize the B unit in the SP photo is an EMD E-7B) I grew up in Richmond CA and frequently saw both ATSF and SP ALCO PA's pulling passenger trains. In Nov 1968 the only PA models were the Hobbytown and brass versions, neither of which I could afford. The ConCor/Kato PA was $14.98 and cute as a bug. The smaller size was also a plus since I was in the Air Force, moving every 2 years or so. I have been in N scale ever since and agree that it has come a long, long way since then. eNjoy Don B
There are several reasons why I got into N-scale. The main reason (or at least the one I joke about) is the generational size reduction in my family. (Don't laugh, it is a genetic disorder that affects model railroaders ) You see, my great grandfather's father worked on the real thing. My great grandfather had a huge O-scale tinplate layout that surrounded his entire basement. My grandfather had a lot of kids and less room but had a magnificent HO scale layout. This was the layout that got me into the hobby and was the first one that I remember seeing that had completely animated scenes and automated trains. (He had a good knowledge of electronics back then) This brings us to me. I started with the typical 4'x8' piece of plywood layout in HO (Which my grandfather and father built for me errr played with) This was great for a while but my parents divorced and I was soon living in an apartment. No more basement . There was no longer room for the 4x8 and I was reduced to operating a bit circle of track in my room that was disassembled after use. Well needless to say my mother and new stepfather saw my despair and discovered from a friend that there was a scale smaller than HO and on christmas that year I received ATLAS's Shifty Sam set with 0-6-0 and cars. They had set it up on one of those styrofoam 3x3 layouts that Walthers used to carry and in half the space I now had double the layout. (A complete up and over with 2 sidings, and scenery and it could be stored anywhere!!) And here I am all these years later still in N-scale. I do like the detail better now but back then it did not matter and I in fact still get to feeling like a kid again when I still see less detailed layouts and stuff. Russ/NYC The Hoffman Valley Railroad
I had Lionel 0 and 0-72 until 1947, HO from '47 until '80, then N from then on. I think today's N-Scale offerings are FANTASTIC!!! I have 3.3 (Scale) miles of mainline laid over a 7'x15' double level "U" ... this would not be possible in HO, let alone 0. I laid and soldered code-100 rail and switches in HO ... now I use Peco and Micro-Engineering code-55 track, which has much better nickle-silver alloys thanks to 50 years of R&D and competition!! There is no way that Varney, Bowser, or Penn-Line HO engines with Pittman open-frame motors of the '40's and '50's could compete with the Atlas, Kato, and Life-Like N-Scale engines of today! Furthermore, in 1950, I paid about $50 for a Varney Casey Jones Ten-Wheeler, which would be about $400-$500 in 2000 Dollars! But in 1999 I paid about $90 for a Kato Mike. You bet I'll take N-Scale in 2001 ... any day of the week [ 04 August 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]</p>
I actually got into Nscale to prove to a club I belonged to that you didn't need a building to model railroad.That was in 1992.In 2001 4 of the other guys all also into Nscale and loving it I still do HO along with 0 (0n30) and also 1/32 scale(you think N is pricey?)
I like the size, in being able to put twice the milage in the same area as HO. Also it seem easier to build a modular or portable layout in N scale. My layout is 4'x8' portable (steel folding legs), with three levels, built as a winding loop to loop with one helix. The bottom level is a combination reverse loop-staging track area, with plenty of access holes which are normally covered with clear lexan panels(to keep the dust out). I have built the layout in a way that my Ntrak modules can be adapted to it in the future. Realisticly 15 car trains(with up to 3 locos) are the limit if I want to use the passing tracks. I do minor detailing on my equipment. I enjoy painting, decaling and weathering the most. I try to buy my locos in the road that I model (CSX & NS), but don't panic if I can't get them. My latest projects are 2 Kato SD80MAC's. One done as CSX #801 and NS #7213, having just finished the NS unit this week. I still enjoy super detailing but I choose to do that in HO. I have shelved all of my HO projects as N scale has taken over. I started a pair of Atlas F units done in CPrail complete with icicle breakers 5 years ago. I might mess with them this fall after I have some surgery done. I also like being active in my Ntrak club. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the look on children's faces as they watch the trains go by. To me that is priceless.
Way back on New Years Day, 1970 I think, after a long day or two of celebrating whatever. I awoke one morning in my usual New Yars day state and turned on TV. As luck would have it the TV was tuned to the PBS network and Sesame Street was on. Sesame street was sponsored that day by the letter "N". Somehow thats all I remember of that day. It has stuck with me since. Also as a Vietnam veteran I could not go with anything that read Ho.
Hi all, Space constraints brought me to N Scale. I could only fit a 4' x 8' layout in a small bedroom that was shared with a home office and computer. HO scale would not give me the joy of running longer trains with two parallel tracks. Z Scale was cute (as my wife said) but the size was to small and our cats would have eaten my trains. When we moved from Texas to New England, I built a crate around the layout that rivaled shipping containers for heavy freight. The layout survived the move and is still running now. I am building a room in our basement that will have my new "dream layout" comprising of two levels with a oval helix (external to the room) connecting them. The lower level with be a two track main line with industrial areas and a mine. The upper deck will be a two track main and also have an industrial area, but it will contain the yard with a roundhouse, engine facilities, carshops and more. And for my wife, I am including a Nuclear Power Plant so she can run her US Army train (I painted) towing her Glow-In-The-Dark hoppers. I am planning on using helpers to traverse the helix. They will be attached just prior to entering and removed just after exiting the helix. You can see my progress to date, N Scale photos of some of my stuff and GIF's of the track plan at my web shots account here.
I had a 8x8 h.o. layout that just went around in circles.I never finished much more than one scene(it looked great)but the round and round thing was getting old quick.While in the hobby shops,I always looked at the N scale stuff and wondered how well it ran.One day while i was trying to move this behemoth of a layuot(I was removing the carpet from under it) the sucker fell!If not for a collies quick reflexes,my dog would have been squished too!Soooo,while i was reconsidering a rebuild of that round and round layout I began to think about that N scale stuff.I asked a few questions about it and bought a caboose and a few sections of track to take home and expiriment with.I soon built a shelf style layout that still went round and round,but i had enough room to stop a full train on the hidden rear tracks to make it look like it went somewhere.I'm on my second layout (had to move)and loving every minuite of it!I still look at the H.O. stuff from time to time longingly(P2K,Athern,Atlas,Kato theres so much available!)but I dont see ever going back!
I first got into N scale as a freshman at Oklahoma State University. I had a layout in my dorm room ( and wrote a paper on ot for an English class- got an A on it, too) for my first two years. While I was somewhat satisfied with the scenery, I wasn't too happy with the locomotives I had- poor runners. I struggled with it until 1980, when I went to HO scale. Over the years, the lack of a large space confined me to small, switching-type layouts. Recently my wife, who had been pressing the issue for two years, suggested I switch to N scale. Well, I went to the local hobby shop, checked out the locos & rolling stock available, and was impressed- the engines look & run much better than they did back in the '70s!! I'm now planning to build an N scale layout that will not only allow me to do switching, but just run trains if I want to. I'm impressed with the sharper detail and smooth running. It isn't extremely superdetailed like its HO cousins, but detail parts take care of that chore..... ANd the nice thing about it is, should the day come when I get more space, I can expand my layout. So if you old hands don't mind (grin), I'll be asking questions- perhaps lots of them
I wanted an electric train for Christmas, and I asked Santa for one. I don't remember how old I was, but I was probably less than six. I used to love watching the Lionel trains at places like Sears and Montgomery Ward during the Christmas promotions. My first train was a Marx, which was a disappointment. I loved that train, but the engine developed problems and pretending that the caboose was the engine and pushing/pulling the cars around the track eventually got the best of me. I wanted a Lionel! The Marx trains just didn't look like the real thing and it didn't run! I was probably about twelve when my parents finally got me a used Lionel train set for Christmas. That kept me happy for a number of years, but after a while I discovered another, smaller scale that was even better--HO! I spent many happy years in HO thinking that I would never see why anyone would model anything else. I even gave up my hobby of stamp collecting to further my train interests. I traded my stamp collection to someone for his N-scale trains, but I was quick to sell them because they could NEVER be as good as my HO trains! (I used the money to buy my wife's engagement/wedding rings. Other times I acquired N-scale equipment and each time I looked for someone to "unload" it on. Meanwhile I built my HO railroad into a layout utilizing modules that I could transport to train events where I could run trains with others having compatible modules. That came to an end when the group that I was affiliated with took on new members that proceeded to change the module specifications of the group. Here I was with about 13 modules that would need to be altered to continue being associated with this group. I decided that it was not worth the effort. Instead, I built a couple more corner modules and had my own modular railroad--which couldn't run with anyone else. With the passing of more time, and looking for a way to attend train events and still be involved with modular operations, I began to look at N-Trak. I was surprised by how much better N-scale had become. The detail had improved, the locomotives ran so much better than I had ever imagined, and you could get so much more in smaller spaces. I thought that perhaps I could buy a few N-scale items and build an N-trak module or two. Now--thousands of dollars later, I have found that I couldn't just buy a FEW items because they just seem to keep coming out with so many great, new things that I just have to have! Now, my HO trains are gathering cobwebs, while I am going crazy building an N-scale empire. I hesitate to sell my HO trains (just in case my eyesight might take a turn for the worse), but they are being ignored while N-scale takes "center stage." What an estate sale it is going to be!
I guess I got to blame my dad for getting me into N scale. As a kid he had an American Flyer, than went to a Revell HO model set. When I was only 3, he and my brother bought me an HO Seaboard Coast Line Bicentenial train set from AHM. I'm dateing myself here Around 1979 my dad built me a 16' by 4' layout which seemed huge, but the trains still looked like they were chaseing their tails. Around 1986 my dad kept talking about N scale, so at the hobby shop just for the heck of it, I bought an Atlas N scale 40' boxcar. I was intrigued with the little jewl. I did not get into N scale full force untill 1993 when I got tired of using my RC planes as post hole diggers. My HO B&M layout became a true scale representation of the Guilford system, as most of the track was gone, and the equipment lay covered with dust in the yard. I was impressed with the things I could do with N scale. I have had many little N scale layouts through the years, but now that I have a house, I'm finally going to have a large layout. Yes it will be a BNSF layout, but to stay true to my roots, I'll sneek a B&M or MEC engine on when the BN loving wife isn't looking.
BNSF. RC planes as post hole diggers? Man I've got to remember that one. I see ready to run trainers go out the door daily and always wonder what their fate will be.
I got into N-scale after a journey in HO. When the roof blew off the garage and all my HO stuff was destroyed, I had to start over. About that time, we also moved into an apartment, with no real space for a layout. The only space available was along the walls. N-scale was the only thing that permitted any activity in 6 feet by 12 inches. Now, I have a medium sized layout, with a high scenery to track ratio. I wouldn't go back, EVEN if you traded me one for one on all my N-scale equipment. Jeff Augsburg & Concord R.R. (a fictional shortline in Central Illinois) http://www.geocities.com/revnjeff/index.html
After a 15 year break in model railroading I got back into the hobby when a friend gave me some Peco N scale track and a minitrix locomotive. I had always dreamed of a layout with a long mainline and opportunities for switching Only having limited space I realised N scale enable me to fulfil my dreams. I now have a layout that has long mainline with great switching capabilities.
The fine folks (Brian) at The Original Whistle Stop in Pasadena recommended N scale to me back in 1978. Have enjoyed it ever since. Never considered any other scale.
Hi, I have to blame my brother-inlaw for getting into N-Scale. In 1984 he gave my son (age 7) a used and old at that time Atlas N-Scale set. It had a ATSF loco, 4 or 5 cars, power supply, and a few pieces of track. I went off to the local craft store and came home with some sectional track, cork, a couple turnouts and put together a layout on a 2X4 sheet of plywood. The loco was junk but at that time I didn't know any better. This was my introduction to N-Scale. My son quickly lost interest, but I fell in love with it. Visit my railroads web site at GD&R N-Scale Empire for a more detailed history about my adventure with the Normal Scale MaxAiredale
I switched to N in '97 because I liked the improvements toward its realistic appearance . In '97 the only thing really bad was the slinky , coupler size , and OEM flange size . I knew in my heart that the company who was one of the ones for N's improvements would surely address the 3 eye sores that was still hamstringing N's future . Who woulda thunk all three in 2008 are still lousing up the looks .
