Which scale?
trevo...@yahoo.com
This last Xmas I received from my wife's grandmother her old O scale
model railroad. It consists of the trains (loco + 5 cars) and about 40
pieces of track. It has greatly peaked my (since childhood) interest.
I have the space to build a small O layout or a huge N. But before I
jump in and start planning a layout I thought I'd get people's
suggestions on the why's of each scale. I am concerned that O might
get too expensive. I am concerned that N might be too small. But I
already have some O track and a transformer and some a train. So I am
thinking about possibly using HO but feel I would have more options
spacewise by using N. If anyone has the time, could you please offer
your opinions on why one may be better than the other? Thank you very
much for any suggestions and thoughts.
David Nebenzahl
> Greetings people,
> This last Xmas I received from my wife's grandmother her old O scale
> model railroad. It consists of the trains (loco + 5 cars) and about 40
> pieces of track. It has greatly peaked my (since childhood) interest.
^^^^^^
that's "piqued"
> I have the space to build a small O layout or a huge N. But before I
> jump in and start planning a layout I thought I'd get people's
> suggestions on the why's of each scale. I am concerned that O might
> get too expensive. I am concerned that N might be too small. But I
> already have some O track and a transformer and some a train. So I am
> thinking about possibly using HO but feel I would have more options
> spacewise by using N. If anyone has the time, could you please offer
> your opinions on why one may be better than the other? Thank you very
> much for any suggestions and thoughts.
(Groan) oh, dear Gott, a great excuse for opinions flying every which
way. But anyhow, here's mine (I'll try to make this painlessly brief):
o O: +: great for super-realism
-: expen$ive
less stuff available than smaller scales
too big to represent large spaces, unless one owns a man$ion
o HO: +: most common scale (in North America)
relatively inexpen$ive (except for brass, etc.)
large enough for good detail and realism
small enough to model large spaces
(my preference)
o N: +: can represent huge (modeled) spaces in a small physical area
+: good amount of stuff available
-: too dang small for good detail or realism
too dang small for those without perfect eyesight
The larger scales (G, No. 1, etc.) are generally used for "garden" or
outdoor railroads. Then, of course, there's live steam, and TT and Z
scale if you have eyes like an eagle.
--
The only reason corrupt Republicans rule the roost in Washington
is because the corrupt Democrats can't muster any viable opposition.
jpsacrey
Mt thoughts on this are:
O Scale
Wonderful detail, quite expensive, need to have a large room/building
to do anything of any size.
HO Scale
Obviously the most popular (in the US). Can be relatively inexpensive
or VERY expensive depending on what you want to buy (Brass, entirely
too expensive).
One can model pretty much what they want with the space they have.
N Scale
Small (too small for me). The price for N now pretty well matches a
lot of the HO scale stuff.
Hope this helps.
Ken Day
<trevo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
First of all , what are your main interests ? Operation , building
structures ,motive power , scenery , Your primary interests will
pretty much dictate the scale.
A good place to start would be magazines , seek out a local model RR
club and hang out there a while , go to some model railroad shows and
conventions. It won't take you long to find out which scale is for
you. As long as you're having fun, thats the main thing. Just don't be
in too big a hurry to jump into building a big layout.
Ken
William Pearce
could be quite old, so might be quite valuable to a collector.
Regards,
Bill.
"Ken Day" <kd1...@aol.com> wrote in message
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