N scale is enticing.....

The performance of today's N scale is amazing, as is fidelity to scale, but low and behold better glasses won't help, it is too small for me.  I wish I could use it with my limited space, but alas, not to be.  I predict that N scale will be the predominant scale or close to it, due to the lack of room many folks have, and the quality of equipment and track available,  so enjoy and keep railroading!

Peace Bill

Some amazing N scale models here

Some sites are scale specific, such as the FaceBook groups on HO scale modeling, or On30 groups, but MRH is a big tent and all are welcome. Be polite and accept constructive criticism as it is never ok to stack an individual. The admin will admonish then restrict posts (or banish) if it occurs. 

Learning how to post photos and videos here is a little learning curve but encouraged. Lots of info on this site to help. Just use the search box in the upper right corner of the page. 

Welcome. 

We love N scale

It's not the space

It's what you do with it. My N Scale shelf layout is a decent amount of room in N and tiny in HO, and next to nothing in O....

If you were to take the typical December Model Railroader Magazine's 4x8 HO layout and build it in N Scale with the same dimensions and radius, you would have a dream layout for most modelers, but still something that is achievable. I have contemplated doing this with the old Turtle Creek plan, in downtown Los Angeles, under the wire....

N scale is alive and well

I'm a N scaler since this scale was proposed in the late sixties.

I invite you to take a look to my blogs on this site and especialy the one about FOS Wharf.

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/fos-wharf-a-n-scale-wharf-for-my-port-elisabeth-12213142

There are also numerous discussion on this forum about N scale.

I like like fine model workmanship in any scale from O to HO or any else; that does'nt matter.

But I'm proud to model in N scale.

I don't beleive this forum is centric to HO, but I think this forum is looking for good discussion in any scale.

Like Jeoff, no scale in fact which is centric but any scale is centric here, the reason I like this forum. 

There are

always a few Grumpy Guses out there that put things down they don't like to somehow feel better about their own choices, but they are to be ignored.  While HO has been the predominant scale for decades in North America, I also predict N scale will become a much larger piece in the next two decades.  The quality and availability in N scale now is orders of magnitude better than just 10 years ago.  

I did switch from N to HO about 6 years ago because I found it more and more challenging to work on with my eyesight and slightly shaky hands.  I figured it would only get worse as I got older so thought I should switch then and be ahead of the change.  The availability of stuff I like to model was also extremely limited then (VIA and CN). 

Now I do have some regrets I didn't stay with it and am considering keeping a small switching HO layout and having a larger N scale layout using things like Unitrack to avoid issues with the shaky hands and decreasing eyesight.  Rapido has or is coming out with a lot of the VIA and CN stuff I would want in N scale also, which has me rethinking a lot.  An N scale Canadian would be super cool.  I could actually run that in the space I have, where as the HO Canadian takes up about 20% of my available HO run.

What MRH faces as to N scale article submissions

HO scale = Red Force..N scale = Blue Force

Lone Wolf for sure!

LOL  When you get to that certain age. Where you use glasses, OptiVisors and jewelers eye loupes. And you shake even with two hands, you still have that choice. I prefer to work as a loner. That way, no one can criticize what I do. When at a club, I was always being defensive about the quality of my work. It never measured up to the "other guys". But if you do join a club, you can always get help. And some modelers actually like to help others.Just MHO.

The performance of today's N

I feel pretty much the same way. Eyesight is a non-issue, I can see N-scale parts fine with strong reading glasses. It's handling parts like N-scale couplers, wheels, & trucks which became frustrating for me as I approached 60.

I was in N-scale from the late 80's due to space constraints, and thought it would eventually rival HO in popularity. But as the average age of model railroaders continues to increase, I think N has possibly peaked in popularity and will start to decline, unless there is an influx of younger modelers.

I switched to HO earlier this year, and working with it is so much easier. Also, after half a year of working with HO when I pull out the N stuff it seems ridiculously small.

It's really a shame that TT never caught on, at 1:120 it seems the perfect compromise between HO & N.

Speaking as a former N-scale

Speaking as a former N-scale modeler with decades of experience I can say that there used to be quite a bias towards HO vs. N. It's well known that for many years, even the NMRA engaged in it. As a young man, my very personal and awful experience with that bias soured me on that organization for life even though I'm now an HO modeler. That being said, I really don't think it's the case now. Most N scale modelers are granted the same respect as their HO and O counterparts now although i suppose it's possible to still run into bias occasionally. I didn't switch to HO so much because of eyesight as I did nerves. The fiddly nature of MT N couplers is what finally did me in.

The performance of today's

This is the "Junk Talk" that Wyatt is referring to...granted they may be few and far between, but it still doesn't help.

"But as the average age of model railroaders continues to increase, I think N Scale has peaked in popularity and will start to decline."  Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.

Wait....What?  The average age increases, what the??

Now you're planning to leave the hobby?  Thanks for chiming in with your awesome opinion.

"The fiddly nature of MT N

  Like Michael this was one of the factor that made me decide to tear down my N layout and replace it with TT scale. The difference between 160:1 and 120:1 was just enough to make TT easier to work with. The downside is not much USA TT scale stuff is made so I have to scratch build almost everything.  However I think a nice N scale layout could be made with Kato  unitrack and factory installed MT couplers on the cars which would eliminate much of the more fiddly work, if I wanted to run long modern trains I'd certainly lean that way. ....DaveB

"But it is my scale..and the

You've hit the nail on the head. Modelers with that attitude are what you are complaining about :> )  .....DaveB 

Now you're planning to leave

I deleted that b4 u replied, how were you able to quote it?    

Time travel and N scale

Time travel, clearly.   It takes time to type a response, he probably started before you deleted and finished after.

I’m also a former N scaler.  Got my start with N (well, after Lionel).  Went through HO, On2, O, back to N, and now most likely back to HO (not 100% committed to a scale for the new layout yet).  My second round through N scale was very interesting - performance of N scale diesels is just as good as HO and better than O scale twin motor drive diesels.  The code 55 rail is still on the large side (equivalent of code 100 in HO) but looks way better than the old code 80 stuff, and with fast tracks jigs code 40 is easier than it used to be.

But if you want decent sound, HO still has the edge.  Well O has the edge, but HO is good enough whereas what I’ve heard for N isn’t really, yet.  No doubt there will come a time when that’s overcome as well, but the time is not here yet.  The soundtrax load sensitive tsunami 2 decoders convinced me I want to try sound in diesels again, which is one reason I’m doing my planning in HO.  The other reason is friction.  Everything is just a little harder in N than HO - less variety of cars, more difficult to get non-slinky effect couplers installed on everything, more difficult for guest operators to uncouple cars without derailing them, etc.

But man, you can make some prototypical track arrangements in N scale in the same space where HO feels a little cramped and O is out of the question.  I may yet return to N scale.  Again.

Dave nailed it - you appear to have the same attitude you are complaining about! 

...more difficult to get

That, and coupler pins falling out on Atlas & Bachman N couplers was the final straw.

meeting the negativity quota early this month

  If the OP was mad about comments "on other forums and youtube" why did we need the negativity here?   Too many constructive threads lately? Maybe next week can get a post about if the hobby is about to die or why kids today suck.  Too bad all the "I'm quitting the hobby" guys don't.

  If the point was just looking for sympathy, try being a serious modeler that likes large scale.  Very few companies exist to start with, much less an aftermarket. The grass is always greener on the other side of the tracks I guess.

Now you kids get off my lawn.........

N Scale.

I model in HO. Started when I got a train set when I was about 8. A good friend of mine models in N Scale. He got back in after seeing my DCC upgrade and sound locomotives. I helped him build his layout. We once went to a local hobby shop. I was looking for HO stuff and he N stuff.  When the guy noticed we were together, joked about us getting along! I like what you can do in N scale, but it's too small for me.   Joe

I like model trains and the prototypes they represent.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Daryl

 "if you want decent sound,

and don't forget S scale. Enough room for some nice speakers and keep alive caps. The negative is limited models available so lots of hunting for product and scratch building what can't be found.....DaveB 

N scale, HO scale, S scale have.....

.....all advantages and disavantages; often switching to a scale comes from the choice of our dad who introduce most of us in train.

I hate such debate, because it's a never ending story, which will never end with people which agree each scale is fine, like me.

I have a lot of pleasure to see fine HO layout or O layouts, I visit blogs of these scales more often than blog in N scale, my scale.

I often made copy of HO models and O models for my use in N scale, these scales are very inspiring for my modeling work.

I feel good in N scale and did't have any pretention to say N is better than the other scale, but I hope to find people who appreciate each scale for their just values, no more no less and with arguments which are credible.

About N scale and when I read most of the post, the reluctant arguments about bad eyes and small parts to work with for N scale are for me the baddest arguments, but they are always coming back when speaking about N scale.

To kill this old song which has really no sense, here is what a N scaler, me,  answer about it;

If you are modeling in any scale and you are asking for a fine model railroad, you need to work with small things.

For example some mechanism in N scale or in HON3 are similar in size but I never heard any complaints from the HON3 modelers about small size pieces and small mechanism; the same about details in HON3 or couplers

In HO models reliable couplers need tuning and putting sound in some models is really tricky like putting fine details like photoetched ones to a diesel or a steam model; eyes bolt are extremly tiny in HO, never see any complaints about it in the HO community, spring of a couplers fly away like in other scale, never heard real complaints about it...

Friend of mine has an O scale layout in Europe, his layout is well know in the European O scalers community, he has some operation sessions for his layout, but he use a scale model of the real european coupler, this thing with a small chain and a ring to put on a hook; beleive me it's really small and extremly difficult to put the ring in the hook of the next car or locomotives.

All these examples just to say working with a scale is just to be comfortable with it; often this is an heritage of dad, but I will appreciate to find more exciting arguments than the old song about bad eyes and tiny things about N scale.

We have not speak about Z scale which is growing slowly; really it feel it small .

I have shared a lot of my N scale models on this forum and for working with I need glasses with a dioptry of three....

I have had only congrats about them, thank you all.

Scale debate

It shouldn’t be viewed as a debate, it should be viewed as an informative discussion for people who might be considering other scales.  When chosen to match your goals, an appropriate choice of scale can really enhance what you’re doing.  There are some obvious tradeoffs, and some less obvious tradeoffs, and some interesting observations, all of which can help someone pick the most appropriate scale for their next project.

Why not multiple scales?

My main scale is currently S.  But I have been in HO and O.  Built an N scale layout for my middle son who is now heavily into 3 rail Union Pacific.  I still dabble in HO and O, and still have my son's N scale - eventually I may build a small layout in some or all of those scales.  Heck, I might even try Z scale.  And then there's my G scale train set.  Plus I have some narrow gauge stuff in Sn2 and On30.

This is a hobby, do what's fun for you.

Paul