Goin' N Scale

Discussion in 'N Scale' started by Jim James, Jan 16, 2013.

  1. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    How many of you have switched to N scale from HO or have both? I've been sitting on an RS-2, a caboose and some freight cars for a while now and I could model more areas in the smaller scale. While attending the recent Greatest Hobby show in St Louis I saw how smooth the newer N scales locos run and it rekindled my interest. I have some reservations. I'll be 50 next year and my eyesight won't get any better is one concern. The availability of DCC locos and the trials of installing one are daunting. I prefer 4-4-0 steamers and would need to get one of the new Athearn 4-4-0 old timers and kitbash it into a Frisco engine and add DCC. That was tough enough for me in HO scale. I gotta have DCC and sound from now on and I'm not sure N scale is well suited to my skills unless I put the decoder and speaker into a dedicated box car behind the engine. Not the best case. Anyone care to educate me or share some thoughts? Thanks in advance.
    While setting up this photo I dropped my RS -2 four feet to the concrete floor. Not a good omen!
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Ouch! Sorry to see that Jim. Are you going to get that back together okay? I hope there is no major damage. I will be 50 in 4 months myself and after having good eyesight all of my life so far I started wearing glasses last year. I know of several people that have left N Scale for HO for no reason other than eyesight concerns. I know that I can no longer read the road numbers on rolling stock without my glasses on but I don't want to leave N Scale.

    I have duplicates of some N Scale stuff. Joe Lovett and I swapped a few cars several years ago. I will try to get a list together and get it to you. I will make you a good deal on all of it if you want it. I have several things that might be hard to find too.

    Charlie
     
  3. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    It went back together surprisingly easy except I forgot to reinstall the engineers side window that popped out and I finally figured out how to put that copper pick up stip back in it's place.
    I would probably only run mostly 1915-1925 era rolling stock but thanks for offer. I'll sure keep that in mind.
     
  4. SAFN SAAP

    SAFN SAAP Member

    Jim....Jim.... Put down the koolaid. Walk away from the lava lamp. Take off the tin hat, and go sit in repentance until you come back to your senses. HO Jim. HO. I'm not producing N scale. LOL...
     
  5. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Oh I wouldn't give up my HO endeavors. Just thought about broadening my horizons a little. I've got too much blood, sweat and tears invested in my little 4x8.
     
  6. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Jim
    I too have thought about going to N scale. If I had known 20 years ago that N scale would come as far as they have, I would have gone N.
    At this point with all the stuff I have HO. Well that might finally drive my wife to bury that meat cleaver in my brain pan.
    Tom Holley
     
  7. Coonskin

    Coonskin Member

    I went the other way: From HO to S. Several reasons, one of them eyesight and being able to actually see and appreciate the hard-earned detail. Downside: I've been a very sporadic active/inactive modeler for several years now, regardless of scale.

    However, as to your decision... either way you go: Best of luck and have fun!
     
  8. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Still HO for me Andre, your old 577 w/a couple mods, still doin the deed brother.
    Tom Holley
     
  9. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Jim, I had N, back in the 70's and went HO because the N would not run very good. They broke in about a month, got tired of buying new ones. I really have not looked back. HO, is about right for me. I can see it good at 60 so I know I would not even think about it. Now, the built date looks the same on all my cars. I would not even see the built date on N. But who cares, go for what you want, the missile attack, will not be the same!
    William Jackson
     
  10. FriscoGeorge

    FriscoGeorge Frisco Employee

    Jim,
    N scale is like a pretty woman, fine for young guys with good eyesight, but us old guys can't see well enough to appreciate the details.
     
  11. TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020)

    TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020) Passed Away July 15, 2020 Frisco.org Supporter

    I went to N scale because of passenger cars! The great Atlas/Rivarossi cars looked SO much more realistic than the HO Athearn and Walthers "shorty" passenger cars and more realisting than anything I ever could do with the Walthers wood and tin kits. As for eyesight, there's always the "Opti-Visor!"

    TG
     
  12. gstout

    gstout Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I have to do a lot of custom painting, since I have no freight cars on my layout and of the 120 or so passenger cars I now run, about half needed to be repainted into a different road name (including SL-SF). The (lack of) availability of decals would probably keep me from any scale other than HO, and even some of those are getting hard to locate.

    GS
     
    William Jackson likes this.
  13. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    I am surprised at how few Frisco N Scalers seem to be here. I've tried to indicate to manufacturers that there is a N Scale market for more Frisco items (i.e. the Frisco tank cars that Micro-Trains did) but I am having trouble finding 299 additional friends. If we can find 300 Frisco N Scalers there will be one special run after another. :)

    Charlie
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  14. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Sounds as if my reservations are still valid. Maybe I'll just make a small diorama for my N scale train. Thanks all for the feedback and reality checks:)
     
  15. WindsorSpring

    WindsorSpring Member

    Advancing age added attraction to V-scale in my case. Contemplation of doing even "3-foot-rule" tolerable HO is too daunting at this stage.

    George
     
  16. FRISCO4503

    FRISCO4503 FRISCO4503 Frisco.org Supporter

    I have entertained the thought several times throughout my life in the hobby, but my only reason for the switch would be to model more area in a smaller space. But the list of reasons to stay with HO Scale is endless with the top 2 reasons being Detail and Accuracy. It may take a lot more real estate to accomplish my dream, but I love the way it looks at the end of the day!!!
     
  17. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Agreed.
     
  18. SAFN SAAP

    SAFN SAAP Member

    You have been redeemed and saved. Welcome back!
     
  19. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    One of things that would be different for HO versus N is that I closely follow all N Scale releases and attempt to own everything that comes out. I would assume that there are more items released in HO than N. Since it is larger I guess it would be impractical to buy all of it and you would have to pick and choose what you wanted to buy.
     
  20. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Since this turned into a general N Scale discussion, I thought you would enjoy this video that was posted on TrainBoard:

    [video=vimeo;57038327]http://vimeo.com/57038327[/video]
     

Share This Page