# Kinda have a dilemma right now



## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

About 6-7 years ago, I was really “gung-ho” getting into this hobby and at that time, we were about to move to our current house. I bought Athearn Genesis Santa Fe F3’s (HO scale) and was ready to go, but due to some personal hang up’s and concerns about really committing to the hobby for various reasons, I backed away. Based on previous history with other hobbies, I’ll go all in for awhile, get extremely frustrated with myself because of whatever and then back away for a period of time. I’m not artistic at all yet my wife is, so I know she’ll help me if I ask, so that‘s one dilemma I have a solution for. 

Long story short, a buddy of mine talked me into getting back into it after a long conversation and I’ve started to work on a track plan. So far I am planning a 4x8 typical newbie layout because don’t want to go too crazy if I feel like this hobby won’t work out. I have planned a loop run with an option of future expansion if I go that route yet I feel it’s too cramped.

My dilemma is this; I’m now wondering if I should have gone with N scale because of it’s appeal of fitting more in a smaller space. The issue is, I have these unused Athearn’s, that I’ve tried to sell before and got zero interest and I feel I’ll be stuck with them if I go N scale. 

As a total newbie, I could really use some advice as to what I should do. Should I stick with my HO plans and maybe add a small extension to make it work? (I have the room) Or should I go N scale and try to sell my other locomotives? If so, where can I have success selling them? 

Sorry for the long post but I’m trying to make the right decision here.

Thanks,

Burbs


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I wouldn’t invest a lot in a new scale…..sounds like you may be susceptible to changing your mind again….just continue with what you have, and if you decide to get out if the hobby again, you’ve lost nothing….IMO…


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Your post reads as if you are impatient and expect too much too soon from other hobbies you have had in the past. I may be 180° off though, but that is the impression I get.

This is not a hobby that you will magically have an operating, sceniced, trouble-free layout overnight, as you might have already imagined. Nothing really happens very fast in this hobby, and depending upon your interests and direction, can be quite expensive. Something to think about ahead of time to keep you from backing out again.

You need a lot of patients in this hobby and instant gratification isn't part of it. It can also be a very exacting hobby during certain construction and assembly. Attention to detail is mandatory so if you are an ADHD type of person, this hobby may not be to your liking after a month or two.

Just something to think about before committing a lot of time and money.

Scale doesn't matter. The same principles apply to any scale.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

I do have ADD and it‘s something I’ve lived with for a long time. That being said, I can pay attention to the details but you’re right, sometimes it can be a struggle. That’s what I think has been making it hard for me to move forward, with my ADD, it can be a struggle and while I don’t always need that “instant gratification” I do get easily frustrated with things if I screw up. I know in this hobby, screwing up is a given and it’s not that I’m afraid of making a mistake, I’m more concerned with how frustrated will I get?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That depends upon how well you will be able to focus and pay attention to detail and take your time. A rushed job will result in bigger mistakes which will lead to more frustration. Not seeing immediate results could also lead to frustration and rushing the task at hand, which will lead to more and bigger mistakes compounding the frustration.

This is just a hobby to have fun with. You're not building a Saturn V to go to the moon. Relax, take your time, and walk away from it for a day or two if it gets too bad.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Get the N and put the HO's on a display shelf.


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

*Burbs*,
It's not 'fitting more within a smaller space' as much as it's to get smaller trains in the same given space as a larger scale's, so as to hopefully wind up with wider curves and longer scale distances than the larger scale in the same given space.
In other words, if, IF you have room for HO, say, keep that same footprint but filled with N scale depicting a more wide open 'world'...(Or, stay with HO..[ as would I ]).
That is not to say what scale you should chose. But do bear in mind HO has the greatest amount of train and structure choices due to it's popularity being of the greatest, word wide..
N has grown immensely though, and is a close 2nd now to HO in that respect..
Far as train control, If $$ is not a big issue, I'd go right into DCC with either NCE (my choice) or Digitrax...An NCE PowerCab is about $160 these days and DCC is actually way less a hassle than analog DC to wire up and to run trains with.
If you have engines that are still DC you could cut your losses and get at least one loco, HO or N, that is DCC/Sound on Board at about $150-$250 depending on make and type loco. Bachmann makes great stuff today and can be found at low prices on ebay...Beware though. If ad does not say "Sound" or "Sound on board" it can still be DCC, lights will work, but will be silent (and lower price than w/ 'sound') It's perfectly OK to not have sound...But DCC is the way to go...
Don't fret about it all..It's supposed to be fun; a hobby.. Go slow with purchasing, track laying, benchwork, kit building..
We all once were where you are..You need patience and that inner drive and love of trains...
If you have that, that's the only thing you really need..
You will run into problems. Hey, it's electricity, bro !..But there are brilliant folks around here who will take you through those perplexing times where trains are doing mysterious things and you'll get it corrected...
I'd say the No.1 challenge for most is the 'reverse loop', both trackage-wise and circuitry-wise.
Again, DCC will simplify those situations via what is called an 'auto reverser', or 'AR'..
But if you wish to remain analog DC control, it still can be handled with special wiring...

Welcome aboard
🛤🌄🛤🌵


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

I can't say what I think you should do, only you can, so I'm not even going to try. I will tell you what I am doing. I too can get very frustrated, therefore I have a few hobbies and break down the railroad into manageable sections, benchwork, roadbed, track, a building, so on and so forth. I also play with photography, building scale models, 3d puzzles, reading, plus others. I see a hobby as something I work on when I feel like working on it, no time frame. The last plastic scale model I built took me more than 3 years to do, not because of the detail, because I only worked on it here and there when I felt like it. If I had the HO trains I'd just go with that to start with and a small layout for learning to see where it goes. If I really enjoy it then I'd give serious consideration to how to do the next one.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> You need a lot of patients in this hobby


uh, I don’t think he’s a doctor….…😁

Now, patience….well, that’s something else…..🤣


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Hopefully he can find enough of the latter.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

At the risk of adding to your dilemma, you said your HO units are 6-7 years old. Have you run them at all in that time? If not they may need some additional work to become operable. I think the choice of scale you should go with should be based on what you want to do with the space you have and not on whether you can sell the HO locos.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I think the choice of scale is actually irrelevant here. And more importantly, no one can actually tell you what you will prefer and be able to do. Yes, you can fit more in a smaller space; the tradeoff is that you have to deal with smaller trains and tracks. Which one will frustrate you more? Only you can answer that question.

The real issue, as some others have alluded to, is whether or not you can invest the time and effort required into the hobby. There is no instant gratification in model railroading, and a lot of thing require persistence and patience to get it right. You're absolutely correct when you say that you know you will make mistakes. You absolutely will. So do we all. If that's going to be a source of frustration for you, then I'll be blunt: this hobby isn't for you. If you have coping techniques that will enable you to move forward towards getting a more-or-less completed, operational layout to enjoy, then by all means, keep going, in whatever scale you prefer. 

And also, this isn't a cheap hobby. If you can't afford to part with the occasional purchasing error, then I'd avoid the hobby as well. I'm sure you could succeed in selling an unopened set, if you chose, but it's going to require time and effort, and you will not recoup your initial investment.


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## NC_P.FOWLER (Aug 31, 2021)

CTValleyRR said:


> I think the choice of scale is actually irrelevant here. And more importantly, no one can actually tell you what you will prefer and be able to do. Yes, you can fit more in a smaller space; the tradeoff is that you have to deal with smaller trains and tracks. Which one will frustrate you more? Only you can answer that question.
> 
> The real issue, as some others have alluded to, is whether or not you can invest the time and effort required into the hobby. There is no instant gratification in model railroading, and a lot of thing require persistence and patience to get it right. You're absolutely correct when you say that you know you will make mistakes. You absolutely will. So do we all. If that's going to be a source of frustration for you, then I'll be blunt: this hobby isn't for you. If you have coping techniques that will enable you to move forward towards getting a more-or-less completed, operational layout to enjoy, then by all means, keep going, in whatever scale you prefer.
> 
> And also, this isn't a cheap hobby. If you can't afford to part with the occasional purchasing error, then I'd avoid the hobby as well. I'm sure you could succeed in selling an unopened set, if you chose, but it's going to require time and effort, and you will not recoup your initial investment.


Nicely said, I started in HO and G scale years ago and have now settled to N Scale!


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Burbs said:


> About 6-7 years ago, I was really “gung-ho” getting into this hobby and at that time, we were about to move to our current house. I bought Athearn Genesis Santa Fe F3’s (HO scale) and was ready to go, but due to some personal hang up’s and concerns about really committing to the hobby for various reasons, I backed away. Based on previous history with other hobbies, I’ll go all in for awhile, get extremely frustrated with myself because of whatever and then back away for a period of time. I’m not artistic at all yet my wife is, so I know she’ll help me if I ask, so that‘s one dilemma I have a solution for.
> 
> Long story short, a buddy of mine talked me into getting back into it after a long conversation and I’ve started to work on a track plan. So far I am planning a 4x8 typical newbie layout because don’t want to go too crazy if I feel like this hobby won’t work out. I have planned a loop run with an option of future expansion if I go that route yet I feel it’s too cramped.
> 
> ...



Burbs;

"A hobby is something you get goofy about to keep from going goofy about things in general." I don't know who first said that, but I do know that it is true. I don't have ADD, but I do have clinical depression. My life-long obsession with model trains has helped cheer me up, and also, at times, bring me down. I have had plenty of frustration with the various layouts I've built over the years, but a whole lot more satisfaction. That's the key to picking the right hobby for yourself; it should produce more fun than frustration. A hobby is supposed to be fun. If you're not having fun with any hobby, there's no point in being in that hobby. Conversely, as long as you are having fun, its worth doing, even though you absolutely will get frustrated along the way.

As for scale choice, personally, I don't agree with the idea of "getting more in the same space." While that's physically possible, its not model railroading, at least not the way I see it.
A model of anything, a plane, a boat, a car, whatever, is a "scale model"  rather than a crude toy, because it looks, (and in some cases moves) like a scaled-down copy of the real, full-sized, plane, boat, or car, it represents.
The same is true (at least for me) of model railroads. The model railroad should look, and run, as much like a real, full-sized, railroad as possible. Now that is just one of many schools of thought about what constitutes a "model railroad." There is nothing "wrong" in building a layout that assays out to 90% track and 10% "rest of the world", as long as you personally, are OK with that. We have a saying here, "Your railroad, Your rules." If you like it, that's all that matters. 

Also, you are new, and I am not, so its likely that we have very different views of what kind of layout each of us wants. The ideas I'm proposing are applicable to my present, (7th) layout, but they were not to my first.
Fitting "more" into the same space usually means more track, at the expense of much of anything else. If you look at a real railroad, it won't have loops of track, or figure eights, around which trains endlessly chase their own tails. Modelers however, like trains to be able to run continuously, which makes loops necessary. Some tricks can be used to disguise the loops though.

I would not base your scale choice on either the fact that you now have two HO-scale locomotives, or that Home Depot has lots of 4' x 8' sheets of plywood available. Layouts can be built in other shapes, and they can be built a little at a time, in sections. Doing that will let you "try out" the hobby, and whatever scale you choose, without "going all in" financially, or to the exclusion of other things you enjoy. Model railroading is different from many other hobbies. As has been pointed out, its a very slow process. You have to enjoy planning and building, or its not the hobby for you. It can typically take years of "spare time" to build a small, relatively simple layout, when you have a full time job and a family. Most of us, with more elaborate layouts, have invested decades of time, and more money than we let our wives know about! 😄 On the other hand, model railroading is a very diverse hobby. If you get bored with trackwork, you can switch to building structures for a while. There are so many different aspects to this hobby, that you can choose from a variety of different activities.

Whew! and you thought your post was long. 😄
The file below is where I recommend you start. It will lead you through a series of decisions, for you to make, which may help you decide what kind of layout, if any, you want to build.

Good Luck & Have Fun with whatever you choose;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

I really can’t thank you all enough for the great feedback, it is extremely helpful. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in feeling the way I do and somehow, that’s comforting. 

I’m going to take the advice and do this in sections as not to overwhelm myself. I think that will make a big difference and I’m going to look into doing something a bit bigger than the 4x8 as I have the space and do my research on other layout to get ideas. This is where the ADD gets me…I want to start right away but I’m going to do my research. 

I’m just warning you all right now, I’m going to be asking a lot of questions so don’t get too annoyed with me…right away at least!


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Burbs said:


> I’m just warning you all right now, I’m going to be asking a lot of questions so don’t get too annoyed with me…right away at least!


Remember: The only stupid question is the one you don't ask! Ask all the questions you want, we won't charge you for answers!


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

NC_P.FOWLER said:


> Nicely said, I started in HO and G scale years ago and have now settled to N Scale!


Very nicely said in post #3 and #5 too. But what do I know?


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## LocoChris (Jun 26, 2021)

Burbs, I was in a similar boat as you a couple months ago. I didn't have any trains to begin with, so I decided I'd try both N and HO. I live in an apartment so not a ton of room. However, once I tried both scales I realized I like HO better. So I bought a couple folding banquet tables. Didn't plan on doing anything permanent until I moved into a bigger place, just wanted to run trains, so I bought Kato unitrack. It's been quite a learning experience, for example last night I just glued my first locomotive back together after it jumped off the table and hit the hardwood floor. Having no past experience with gluing models, that was a bit stressful, I couldn't imagine trying to glue an N scale back together. Anyway, you could try buying a cheap N set just to see how it makes you feel. I personally felt that even though HO takes up more space, the way it feels and looks makes it worth it, if that makes any sense. Plus there's a lot more variety out there to choose from.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

I started in HO as a kid because my dad had HO. I really liked building cars and engines. When I started again a couple years ago I thought about N gauge but my eyes aren't so great so I stuck with HO and still like building cars and engines.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Burbs said:


> I’m going to be asking a lot of questions so don’t get too annoyed with me


A lot of us are in the same boat Burbs. Brilliant info here on the forums as well as many websites, one site I recommend as well is Layoutvision dot com, where he discusses some great topics on track planning.
And I am not affiliated in any way, just learning the same way you are.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

flyboy2610 said:


> Remember: The only stupid question is the one you don't ask! Ask all the questions you want, we won't charge you for answers!


That's because we charge what our answers are actually worth! 😄


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Burbs said:


> I really can’t thank you all enough for the great feedback, it is extremely helpful. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in feeling the way I do and somehow, that’s comforting.
> 
> I’m going to take the advice and do this in sections as not to overwhelm myself. I think that will make a big difference and I’m going to look into doing something a bit bigger than the 4x8 as I have the space and do my research on other layout to get ideas. This is where the ADD gets me…I want to start right away but I’m going to do my research.
> 
> I’m just warning you all right now, I’m going to be asking a lot of questions so don’t get too annoyed with me…right away at least!


Burbs;

I think you have made a wise choice in starting with "the three 'S' principal." Start out small, simple, and sectional. If you have plenty of space, that doesn't mean you have to fill it wall-to wall with railroad, at least not yet! 😄
One of the many advantages of sectional construction is that you can use the sections as "building blocks," and expand your railroad by simply adding more sections. Hopefully, you have read the file I sent you called "Where do I start." For anyone brand new to this hobby, the decision chain in that file should help with narrowing down things a bit. For instance some research about real railroads might provide a rail company, location, or time frame, that particularly interests you, and that you would like to model. Or you might want to go very generic and just set up track and run trains through scenery that could be "anywhere." I'm sending some more files for you to look through, if you wish. They cover some of the same ideas expressed in the "Where do I start" file, but in more detail, and going further on the idea of a long skinny shelf layout, made up of sections.

My suggestions to you at this point are:

1) Research real railroads online.
See if you can find one that appeals to you. Remember, as a modeler, you're not limited to only the four big U.S. railroad companies running today. There are both contemporary small, regional railroads, and a whole bunch of historic railroads, that you can model. On your model railroad, It can be any time, and any place, that you choose. You can even "fudge" a little, or a lot, if you want. Having a favorite train stop in a fictional town of your own imagination, for example. 
Say that, like so many others, you really like those silver and red "warbonnet" diesels operated by the Santa Fe railroad in the past. Well, just turn back the clock to the 1950s when the "Super Chief" crack passenger train was running, pulled by those locomotives. Even though in the real world of 2021, the Santa Fe has been absorbed into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and they only haul freight now, It doesn't have to be that way in your model world.

2) Buy, and assemble model boxcars in both HO-scale and N-scale, so that you can get some personal, Hands-on, experience with those two scales. You may want to go one step further and buy an O-scale boxcar kit. That should help you with your scale choice, without spending a lot of money. Intermountain company sells excellent boxcar kits in N-scale, HO-scale, and O-scale.

3) If you have a local hobby shop, go there and look at the different types of track available. The three basic choices are sectional track, flex track, and roadbed track.

I'm going to dismiss the first type, sectional track, because it will limit your choice of track shapes, and has many rail joints, which can cause trouble and frustration.

Flex track comes in longer (30"-36") pieces, so there are fewer rail joiners to deal with. It can be used as straight track, or as pretty much any curve you choose. Its also the least expensive type of track. Flex track requires more work to install than roadbed track. It needs to be soldered at the joints, and glued down to separate roadbed. After that, you may want to paint your track, and add ballast. This takes more time, and a little more effort, but it also teaches you more skills.

Roadbed track is the easiest type of track to use, it just snaps together, and stays connected very well, both physically and electrically.
There are two common brands of roadbed track Bachmann EZ-Track, and Kato Unitrack. The Bachmann track is OK, but the Bachmann "turnouts"(track switches) are definitely not OK. In fact, they are the worst on the market. So, if you decide to use roadbed track, go with the Kato Unitrack. Its a bit more expensive, but both the track, and the turnouts are very well made, and reliable. Kato also offers more track shapes than Bachmann.

4) Ask questions here.
Whatever train-related questions, and as many questions, as you like. We don't mind. In fact, many of us enjoy answering questions.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I have ADD too. I have found that when I get impatient I walk away from that project for a few days or even weeks. Rome wasn’t built overnight and neither is a model railroad. I personally went with ho scale due to my patience level which is still tested on occasion. I have messed with n and it was extremely frustrating to me. To each their own and so forth but I find ho worked better for me.


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## Maddog (Jan 14, 2016)

This was the beginning of my current layout. It was only about 26" by 28". It's as been added on to over the years where it is now a U shaped layout about 8' x 16'.

This is 35n2...1/35 scale, two-foot narrow gauge, with BPRC (battery power remote control).

You don't have to start out big. Keep it simple and take it easy. You can always add on later as your heart and budget dictates.


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## Railtunes (Jun 19, 2012)

traction fan said:


> Burbs;
> 
> "A hobby is something you get goofy about to keep from going goofy about things in general." I don't know who first said that, but I do know that it is true. I don't have ADD, but I do have clinical depression. My life-long obsession with model trains has helped cheer me up, and also, at times, bring me down. I have had plenty of frustration with the various layouts I've built over the years, but a whole lot more satisfaction. That's the key to picking the right hobby for yourself; it should produce more fun than frustration. A hobby is supposed to be fun. If you're not having fun with any hobby, there's no point in being in that hobby. Conversely, as long as you are having fun, its worth doing, even though you absolutely will get frustrated along the way.
> 
> ...


Traction Fan: This is an interesting discussion and I took the time to read through your advice for "newbies". However, I did get a chuckle out of your discussion of the figure eight track plan design, and the "ascetic" problem. I'm pretty sure your meant _aesthetic_, or (alternate spelling) _esthetic, _which relates to beauty, or, in this situation, the appearance of realism. _Ascetic_, on the other hand, means self-denial - as in living like a monk! As you mention in other places, this is not really an attribute of this hobby! 
As for your advice itself, I find it generally sensible and relevant.
Railtunes: big promoter of the modular approach to layout design, especially for new modelers.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Railtunes said:


> Traction Fan: This is an interesting discussion and I took the time to read through your advice for "newbies". However, I did get a chuckle out of your discussion of the figure eight track plan design, and the "ascetic" problem. I'm pretty sure your meant _aesthetic_, or (alternate spelling) _esthetic, _which relates to beauty, or, in this situation, the appearance of realism. _Ascetic_, on the other hand, means self-denial - as in living like a monk! As you mention in other places, this is not really an attribute of this hobby!
> As for your advice itself, I find it generally sensible and relevant.
> Railtunes: big promoter of the modular approach to layout design, especially for new modelers.


Railtunes;

You are right, I meant aesthetic. Thanks for the correction, I will make the change.

Traction Fan


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## Bonz85 (Sep 16, 2019)

I wouldn't get stuck on a scale just because you have a few items. Even if you fill a 4x8 it isn't to late to change scales. While having a change of mind down the road will get expensive it's better than sticking with a scale you're unhappy with. I was out of the hobby for 20 yrs, had a handful of HO. I had thought about going to N but after looking at several factors I stayed with HO, the fact that I had some HO was low on the list why I stuck with it. Have to look at all the pros and cons of each scale.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Bonz85 said:


> I wouldn't get stuck on a scale just because you have a few items. Even if you fill a 4x8 it isn't to late to change scales. While having a change of mind down the road will get expensive it's better than sticking with a scale you're unhappy with. I was out of the hobby for 20 yrs, had a handful of HO. I had thought about going to N but after looking at several factors I stayed with HO, the fact that I had some HO was low on the list why I stuck with it. Have to look at all the pros and cons of each scale.


I kind of did the same thing. Although I didn't change scales, when I was in my early years, I pretty much bought and ran (or put on my layout) whatever looked cool to me. When I got back into the hobby after a 30-ish year break, i wanted a New Haven-themed layout. Most of my old stuff, I took to a swap meet and said $100 for the box. I ended up with $75 (sum of the original acquisition cost was probably more like $1000). Most of my old brass sectional track was donated to a troubled teen I met on the forum here.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

In regards to HO versus N...

*HO:*
Pros 
1) When it comes to selection of locomotives, rolling stock, structures, etc, HO is superior. This is true for both new items and the resale market.
2) Due to the bigger size, HO items typically have more details and they are also more visible, as the same level of detail on an N scale item is about half the size, which kind of makes it harder to see.
3) Also due to the size, many people find it easier to work with.
Cons
1) Size - The bigger the scale, the wider the radius of curves. In my opinion, this is the primary driver for most people who choose N scale over HO.
2) Cost - Most things cost more simply because they are bigger. I have come across this when shopping for structures for my N scale project. I will google an item I'm interested in, and tnotice that building kits are significantly more expensive in HO versus N.

*N Gauge:*
Pros
1) Size - N is roughly half the size of HO. Therefore, the same size table can almost double the size of the scene when compared to HO.
2) Cost - In my experience, N scale accessories are less expensive than HO. I don't think that's necessarily true for locomotives, but it is definitely true for accessories.
Cons
1) Size - many people find the smaller stuff more difficult to work with
2) Breadth of offerings. HO has been around longer, and also has typically seen not just more options, but the quality was also better. However, the gap between HO and N has been shrinking, as N seems to be growing in popularity faster than HO.

I chose N back in the 90's, but that choice was driven 100% by size constraints. I just recently got back into the hobby, and quickly realized that all my 15 year old locomotives, while they still worked, were generations behind the curve. So I ended up buying a new Kato locomotive. The difference was night and day.

So... my advice would be to go visit a hobby store and see if they will let you handle and study a style of locomotive you like in both HO and N. And use that discovery process to help you decide if you want to stick with HO, or go ahead and bite the bullet and switch to N now.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Railtunes said:


> Traction Fan:I'm pretty sure your meant _aesthetic_, or (alternate spelling) _esthetic, _which relates to beauty, or, in this situation, the appearance of realism. _Ascetic_, on the other hand, means self-denial - as in living like a monk! As you mention in other places, this is not really an attribute of this hobby!





traction fan said:


> Railtunes;
> You are right, I meant aesthetic. Thanks for the correction, I will make the change.
> Traction Fan


Oh, I don't know. I think there are some aspects where we all have to practice asceticism to one degree or another, either in space for a layout, money for a layout, or time for a layout. Not too many of us can do everything we'd like to do. I know I can't!


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

My interest in trains started with Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme plus the fact I love the 40’s and 50’s era. I did find that the F3 locomotive #26C was was delivered in May of 1948 and started to be used for their Los Angeles passenger service line on 1/1/59, according to the ATSF F3A power roster. So now I’m trying to find some photos of the actual locomotive ”in action” but that’s proving hard to find. I’m also struggling to find which route it was used on as well.

If I can find more of this information, it’ll only help me with my vision of what I want for my layout.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I have a warbonnet addiction. I just recently sold a warbonnet f7 a-b set to a kid and I think I’ll be replacing them with athearn genesis locos. They’re pretty nice


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Burbs said:


> My interest in trains started with Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme plus the fact I love the 40’s and 50’s era. I did find that the F3 locomotive #26C was was delivered in May of 1948 and started to be used for their Los Angeles passenger service line on 1/1/59, according to the ATSF F3A power roster. So now I’m trying to find some photos of the actual locomotive ”in action” but that’s proving hard to find. I’m also struggling to find which route it was used on as well.
> 
> If I can find more of this information, it’ll only help me with my vision of what I want for my layout.


Burbs;

It sounds like you're underway in the research department. Santa Fe warbonnets were so famous, I should think there are plenty of photos of them online.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I went on railroadpicturesarchives.com and found two photos of F3A 26. I don't know anything about SF numbering but would guess from the photos they ran these units ABA and 26A and 26C would be the same with 26B in the middle. Just speculation from the two photos but I hope this helps.


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