Best of luck!

But, I'd say the ratio is really 1:4. As in you have four times the scale acreage to fill, and any task that requires steady hands and good eyesight will be four times as hard.

pqe

And don't forget - if you are

And don't forget - if you are going to N scale you need to remove one half of your brain!  Said like a true HO guy..... just kidding all of you N scale people!  It's a joke!  Mr. Michael Rose has N scale and more than enough brain power!

Re-calibrating

  The key is to learn to think in whole scene terms instead of close up detail terms. You don't need to worry about all the tiny details because they can't be seen at normal viewing distances but the overall composition of the terrain, the tracks, and the trains become much more important. State of the art N rolling stock is very well made and needs only weathering and perhaps new wheel sets to be layout ready, and Atlas or Peco flex or Kato unitrack is nice and easy to work with. The main thing I see people do is try to cram too much N scale into too small a space so it ends up looking like a reduced size copy of an HO layout when it could be much less compressed if wider curves and less tracks were used.......DaveB

I'll echo the whole scene comment

as a life long N scaler.  You really can take the Layout Design Element concept Dave Barrow pioneered all those years ago and make full use of it in N. Look at what M.C. Fujiwara has done with his layouts and Freemo-N modules here.  Heck, just look at Jeff Schultz' photos of the Freemo stuff from the National train Show.

Consider having a switching

Consider having a switching layout at home or something smaller if you are planning to stay in the club and HO scale. It would seem to me that modeling in more than one scale would be 1/2 as enjoyable per dollar spent since you would need to have two different sets of cars and locomotives.

Now the other option if you are going into two different eras between the club and home it might not be any difference as the equipment would not be used there any way.

I have seen some nice n scale models and layouts but can not imagine going smaller than HO because of the things I find enjoyable in the hobby. I like to build things like freight cars and structures and like the size of HO for this. If you are not as interested in building equipment N scale might be a great choice as you can really get lots of operation into a small space. I have seen things built and painted by some very good N scale modelers and realize that is beyond my vision and skill level, yours may be different.

My grandson likes N scale

Color, texture and a bit less compression ...

I have also  come from modeling HO scale in my youth to N scale in the past 10 years.  Some folks complain that they cannot see good enough to work in N scale - but pieces are not any tinier than the are in detailing models in HO, there are just a lot more of them!

I am finding that you need to pay closer attention to the texture of the various scenery products you use to 'trick' the eye into seeing what you are trying to portray.  And I probably won't be super detailing all my locomotives and rolling stock!  A custom paint job or renumbering will probably be the limit.

Using less compression also helps things look right.  While you will use the same methods to build a tree in N scale, you may need to adjust branch spacing/thickness to make them look realistic.  But part of the fun is learning what works.  Think of it as 3D oil painting - you keep building up layers of color, texture and detail until you get your final masterpiece.

N Scale Shift

One thing I find helpful when playing around with another scale is to lay out some track and turnouts if you have them. Do some building mockups too. Minimum detail though, but do include loading docks and draw on dock doors to help with car placement. Put a loco or two and some cars on it and look at it for awhile and move things around.

Jack

 "Some folks complain that

Good point. They have to work with N scale  to realize  a lot of the details don't need to be added, they are already there. MTL and other quality builders know how to mold the cars so they look detailed on a layout so we don't need to add anything. If one picks the smallest part they want to work with in HO or in N scale the parts can sill be the same size since N doesn't need the small parts added that HO requires. The only thing I can think of that's harder for me to do is install MTL couplers compared to Kadee HO whisker couplers, but I could just buy RTR N and not have to deal with that. What I really like about N scale is the layout can be spread out to look more like the real thing. My N layout has 21" radius which is a quite sharp 280 prototype feet but still much better than the 152 feet it would represent in HO scale. A layout built with the common HO radius of 30" is 217 feet in HO but a much more realistic apppearing 400 feet in N scale.......DaveB

N Scale Brain Shift

Optivisor

Re-calibrating my brain for N scale. . .

One very important thing to keep in mind is that the width of your aisles still has to be the same.  Our bodies do not shrink along with our train equipment.  In my case that is an unfortunate thing.

I wish you well in your new endeavor.  I have been in N scale since 1983 and now at the age of 71 I still enjoy it as much as ever, maybe even moreso.

Bill

I have always said the eye

I have always said the eye thing is just a excuse as the smallest part you will get use is the same size in all scales. As for a layout in N scale I say figure out the size then find a HO layout you like that fits then build it the HO size with N scale track.  That shows off what N scale is best for open spaces and room for building and scenery. Most layout have way to much track for me .

rich 

I'm considering N scale. A

A very good choice. Go for it.

+1 for colours and textures

You'll need to be quite careful when choosing ground cover and ballast, bearing in mind the texture (i.e. size of the particles), and also how the same object can appear to change colour at different distances. Which may be overthinking the issue, but as other have said the overall colour and texture will be important. 

What else is there ...

Steam locomotive pistons, rails, whistles and tender connections will all be smaller and more delicate which is something to bear in mind for storage and care. 

When building structures you can afford to leave out more small details at less of a 'realism cost', and you'll have more space to build bigger structures, and likewise your raw materials will go further. You've probably got more chance of completing a full steel mill or other multi-stage industry, with 'correct' proportions, in N scale.    

Grandt Line make properly scaled N windows and doors which solves the old problem of window mullions/frames being moulded too thick, Exactrail and Microtrains likewise with the details on their rolling stock. 

N Scale Shift

Great freight cars available now from FVM, Accurail, Trainworx, BLMA, Exactrail to name a few of the major

players. 

"Great freight cars available

and the great thing about them is they are detailed well enough that they look good on an N layout without spending much time on them. Here's an Intermountain hopper that just has a light weathering wash about 5 minutes and was ready to go..... DaveB 

I've been modeling in N scale

I've been modeling in N scale almost all of my life and I have the same problem when I try to model in H0. I just can't think H0! I'm used to broad curves and long trains/stations that I have trouble designing a decent H0 layout. Have a look at my G&AM, it gives you an idea what you can do in N scale!

Scratchbuilding

Although I've just started in the hobby (Jan 2015), I enjoy scratchbuilding My space constraints dictate N-scale, and my concerns are two-fold: My eyes and I aren't getting any younger, and my plans for my next layout, if in N, will require that almost everything be scratch built or kitbashed. Not an attractive prospect. I like N for the scenery aspect ratio, and the fact you can fit a lot of railroading into a given space. But it is small. 

Optivisor

My vision has always been bad, and worsens as I age.  But ever since I started using my Optivisor, I find I have no problem with scratch building my n scale structures. If you don't have one, I suggest it belongs high on your list of must-haves.  That and lots of light are the key. And it took next to no time getting used to it.  I also have the extra magnifying loop on it, but I find I almost never use the loop because I don't generally need to (and because of just how close you have to get for the loop to be in focus.)

-Ed

N TO Z

Maybe some laughs will come but I have been following and thinking about this for a week.

By coincidence I have been setting out a 15 stall N scale roundhouse and turntable plus about 8 ancillary sheds and every morning I think it is huge and compare the space it would occupy in HO scale where it becomes a large piece of real estate.

N scale buildings are relatively easy for my old hands to handle, glasses and good lights provide the seeing Ok and I paint, make things, repair those fiddly bits  and couldn't imagine going up to HO I did buy some pieces to consider but they weren't for me. Be interested to see some HO roundhouses and turntables though.

So without being too serious Z scale came into my thoughts as a scale one could fit in a reasonable space and have that spacious feel which in my space I won't have in N. I will end up with about 45-55 square feet of countryside and the roundhouse end takes up about 10 sq ft.

Any Z scalers out there that would like to comment I'm too far into my N scale to change now but I see somewhere where a N scaler had a Z scale adventure ride. Looked good so I filed that away for the future.

So Brothaslide fair chance you will enjoy N scale it will take a little while but one advantage is things are smaller.

Regards to all

Kenn down under in AUS.

Thanks for all the comments

Thanks for all the comments. . .I am truly enjoying all the different prespecitives. . .

I just ordered a couple of BLMA Santa Fe box cars in N and will get my feet wet a bit. . .

BOTH EXTREMES

I perfectly understand your dilemma, I have two layouts, my main one in O scale and my other one is N scale. 

N vs T vs F scales

My son mounted a T (1:450) gauge loop on one of our F (1:20.3) flat cars, so N scale is not much of a challenge.

N-scale shift.

Also have to mention the current locos by the likes of Kato,Atlas and FVM.They are things of beauty.Sharp,crisp printing and ever finer detail with every release.The only downside I have found is sound can be somewhat "tinny" due to lack of speaker size.