Ok guys and gals, Here's the deal. I am debating which scale (HO or N) to get into modeling. Back in the day, I was modeling (kitbashing) the SP and ATSF 70's and 80's era in HO. I preferred HO because of ease of getting detail parts and decals, as well as ease of working with shells of that size. But at that time, I was running my stuff as a member of a layout club where we took an ex-SP passenger coach which the club bought and had moved to a fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ca where I was raised, and gutted the inside and constructed an operating layout inside. So, I did not have my own layout. Anyway, I'm torn between HO and N for the following reasons: 1) Easier to kitbash HO than N 2) Space requirements favor N over HO 3) Better variety of locos and rolling stock HO vs. N (??) especially when it comes to SLSF, as far as I have seen I dunno which way to begin. Any advice and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated. It has been over 25 years since I was "in the loop" with regards to modeling, so I apologize for being such a novice with this. Regards, Paul
Oh so many factors to consider. Early steam would be tougher in N scale but if you want lots of mainline operation and space is limited then N scale may be the better choice. For example I just like watching trains rolling through prototype scenery so I'm building an HO scale 4x8 with a fairly high level of detail in scenery and early steam rolling stock but someone with operations in mind would not be impressed. N scale diesels are much better than those of 25 years ago. N scale is harder on my eyes. What era are you wanting to model?
Paul, in terms of more readily available locomotives, HO is better, diesel era is better, especially the mandarin red/white scheme; GP7, GP35s, GP38, GP38-2, SD45 (hard to find now), SD40-2, MP15, H10-44, There are some nice black/yellow early diesel era locomotives available; Genesis F3s, Stewart F3s and F7s, Proto 2000 FA1/FB1 sets and H10-44. The steam/diesel transition era is good because there are some decent steam locos available with some searching and watching of ebay; Genesis 2-8-2, Spectrum 4-8-2, Proto 2000 0-6-0, 2-8-0, and 2-10-0, not to mention brass if you can spare the change. In terms of rolling stock, there are lots of the older Athearn, Bowser, and Roundhouse pieces out there as well as Atlas, Intermountain, Red Caboose and others in HO.
More (and cheaper) choices of passenger cars in N scale. Hardly any "Frisco-esque" passenger cars available in HO. Passenger cars in both scales require kit-bashing or at least "re-detailing." Wider (passenger car friendly) curves possible in N. N scale steam engines, although getting better, don't run as well as HO counterparts. N scale diesels nowadays, run like Swiss watches. Tom G.
I think you have to ask yourself one question, what do you want to do in model railroading? Ifthe answer is super detail things, then I think the answer favors HO well over N. There are far far more details and parts, and models available in HO than N, and they are cheaper for the most part.
Thanks everybody for the kind responses. The era will be the 1970's/80's pre and post-BN years, with most emphasis placed on hood units. I may also lean into the KCS and pre/post UP MOPAC as well. But, for the most part, SLSF will dominate. As for scale, I'm really leaning towards HO, primarily because of the variety and availability of locomotives/parts (I still plan on kitbashing as much as possible). As far as space is concerned, I will probably build my layout in modules, but at this time, no plans for a layout are in the works.
Paul, I'll piggyback on what Richard noted. It might even be helpful to build a list or table of some sort and prioritize what's most important to you in order to help decide. It's probably too early to tell if you are in the process of moving, but your "land grant" for any layout should be a significant factor, not to mention the type of modeling you want to do (e.g. mainline versus branch line). Best Regards,
Paul, when it comes down to more intense planning, you might want to take a look at the layout planning presentation I made at the Frisco Convention in 2010 and at the Cherokee District NRMA Layout Design Symposium last year; http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?4420-Frisco-Convention-2010-Files&p=30939#post30939 It is posted in Powerpoint and pdf format.
One other thing: If you're just starting and you're at all interested in DCC, now is the time to "do" DCC, rather than after you have a whole bunch of engines!! Whichever scale you choose... Tom G.
Many thanks to all who responded. I will give all of the advice serious consideration in my endeavors. At any rate, I am so happy to be in the group now and glad to have a support structure to lean on since I am so far out of the loop.
