Model Railroading > Questions for modelers of various scales

Good day to all! Hope you're all staying safe and healthy in these strange times. I have here a few questions which have been left churning around in my brain after reading a great many articles and blogs regarding the perks of S scale, proto48, etc, etc... These questions are touched upon briefly in said articles, without any definitive answer. I'm hoping someone here can help.

For O scale people: Do you wish you had used a smaller scale in order to fit a larger operation into your available space? Is it worth giving up large operations in favor of greater detail?

For HO people: When I'm 50-60 years old, or older, will I be wishing I had gone with something bigger so my eyes can pick up on smaller details?

And most of all... Is S scale truly the happy medium between detail and footprint that it's cracked up to be?

As for selection of equipment and the cost of larger scales... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, even if I have to scratchbuild the bridge... Anyway, I'm just hoping to get some insight and opinions from operators and rivet counters alike in order to help decide on a scale to invest time in.

I sm 58 and model in HO, and there is no issue for me.  I can see things just fine, and I am still flexible enough to crawl under the layout when I need to or stand on a stool if required.

   I'm 64 and I do HO scale.I made my layout a little higher and my aisles are big enough that if myself or a friend is in a wheelchair there will be no problem. 

   Steve H...

While my own layouts and equpment are all HO, I have participated in operating sessions on HO, S, and O scale.   (So far, never on N or G).    I have found all to be very enjoyable.   I'm told that S scale is the most difficult these days to find scale equipment for.

I'm near 65 and model HO scale. For the smaller detail projects I use magnification and good lighting to compensate for aging eyes. Otherwise no problems to speak of with the modeling projects, outdoor yard work that's another story and off topic for this discussion.

Hope this is of help.

Cheers!

Bob

Sticking with HO and I'm over those age brackets. For me, it's the balance of details to operations to scenery. Also the variety of parts at the retail level.

Maybe if I wanted to scratchbuild every item a larger scale would work out, but then the scenery would be ...different, and the amount of space. Good idea to check the modular displays at shows. Maybe build a representative module in each scale, or even a building or boxcar with some track.

Let us know how it works out in 20 or 30 years....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/20 14:10 by TCnR.

64 here also.  HO is perfect for me.  I have friends in their 80’s that still model in HO with no issues,
other than crawling under the layout to fix a wiring issue.  For that they call me, the young gun, in our group.

i only know one guy who models O and it’s a roundy roundy, no S gaugers here in East Texas that I know of.

I also know a guy here in Tyler that models N scale, and he is 78.  He has a home layout and is a member of
a modular group, known as the Red River Ngineers.

i also have know modelers that didn’t make it that far.

Since no one knows the future, just get down to it and build your railroad.

I did 3-rail O gauge for many years because I consider HO and anything smaller to be too small and fragile. And I don't like to squint. I switched to S gauge about 6 years ago becasue I wanted to better utilize the space that I have, but I really dislike anything smaller than S. One drawback to S is there is not nearly as much "Ready-to-run" equipment available as with the other scales. But I like to scratchbuild, so that doesn't matter. I am the process of switching my layout to complete battery power. I am tired of having to deal with the inherent hassels related to using track power. S gauge is the ideal size for battery power, not too small, not too big. For more information about S go to http://www.nasg.org an excellent web site.
Bill Pyper
Lacey, WA
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/20 16:14 by wjpyper.

wjpyper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did 3-rail O gauge for many years because I
> consider HO and anything smaller to be too small
> and fragile. And I don't like to squint. I
> switched to S gauge about 6 years ago becasue I
> wanted to better utilize the space that I have,
> but I really dislike anything smaller than S. One
> drawback to S is there is not nearly as much
> "Ready-to-run" equipment available as with the
> other scales. But I like to scratchbuild, so that
> doesn't matter. I am the process of switching my
> layout to complete battery power. I am tired of
> having to deal with the inherent hassels related
> to using track power. S gauge is the ideal size
> for battery power, not too small, not too big. For
> more information about S go to http://www.nasg.org
> an excellent web site.
> Bill Pyper
> Lacey, WA
>  

Doesn't hurt that battery technology has advanced a lot in the past decade or so either.

I'll throw this in, even though N scale was not included. In our N scale group we have a guy who is 80 years old and has scratchbuilt a lot of scenery and buildings. N scale there is a severe lack of scenery stuff compared to HO but the selection of rolling stock and locomotives is on par or almost on par with HO. The beauty is no one cares about the minute details on N scale as various stuff just simply cannot be scaled down. With a few exceptions the reporting marks and car numbers are large enough to read. With N scale you can have a lot of fun with operations even in a smaller space. If you can scratchbuild scenery that is decent enough and maybe kitbash a few HO scale buildings and structures you create a complete scene and that is what people will see and enjoy. So N scale is good as long as you are good at trackwork and want to do operations.

Jim

 

My first experience with model railroading was "O" gauge (too big), then down to "HO" (too small). I'm now a very happy "S" gauger who just sticks to American Flyer! I guess it's also part childhood nostalgia!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/20 20:51 by patd3985.

I am 77 and still going.  HO for the most part.  I have had N scale 50 years ago with a school group I had.  G scale for some displays I still do.  1/8th scale is also a current endeavor.  
A lot is how interested you are and wiling you are to accept the challenge you chose.  

1/8 is the dream of course. I've been doing HO my entire life but I've been seeing a lot of great work in S and O scale online lately... I ran the idea of S scale by my 17-year old brother, utilizing code 100 rail from old Atlas HO flex track, to which he responded: "S scale: because I want O scale, but I really don't". Looks like that's gonna have to wait until I'm out on my own. Still, I thank everyone for their input and we'll see what the future brings.

I'm 72 and been in HO since 1961 and when operating I just have to wear my reading glasses to read car numbers.  Have a operating  GScale outdoor railroad as well, don't need my glasses for that.

84 and still with N..., with some old HO on display!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I’m 64 and model in O; mainly because of my eyesight. I’ve been blind in my left eye since my late teens and started getting a cataract on my “good” right eye a few years ago.

I’m blessed with a large enough basement that the scale hasn’t been an issue.

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