Today I was in Young's models, Barnstaple, N.Devon.
During a chat to the owner I asked how N was selling these days. His reply took me aback. He said that he now sells more N gauge than 00. A reason customers often give for switching from 00 to N is that when moving out of their parents home their new home is usually smaller, certainly with newer builds. I think manufacturers have often been slow to capitalise on this.
My local MRS is Kernow. I asked the same question around 2 years back and was told they sell around 8 x 00 locos to every N gauge. That said they do have lots of commissions made for them in 00, so this probably accounts for the the wide differential in sales. I have only known Kernow to have two specials in N, a china clay wagon set and a DMU.
Have you ever asked this question in your local MRS, and what was the response?
Steve Davidson
W.Cornwall N gauge group.
Interesting thought Steve.
Enjoy your break.
Good to see the WCMRG reference in your posting.
And......put us out of our misery......what did you buy in Young's ?
Again Steve intersting thoughts.
I know when I was a wee boy you very rarely saw a decebt sized collection of N gauge for sale but now well there is a good amount to choose from.
Although there is still a gap it will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
Quote from: trkilliman on June 20, 2016, 07:37:13 PM
Today I was in Young's models, Barnstaple, N.Devon.
During a chat to the owner I asked how N was selling these days. His reply took me aback. He said that he now sells more N gauge than 00. A reason customers often give for switching from 00 to N is that when moving out of their parents home their new home is usually smaller, certainly with newer builds. I think manufacturers have often been slow to capitalise on this.
Steve Davidson
W.Cornwall N gauge group.
I dont know how true it is but a factoid I have often heard bandied about is that on average, new build homes in the UK are now smaller than they are in Japan! So maybe the size of houses is starting to influence the size of scale choice.
Cheers
Kirky
Well Port Perran,
I nearly bought some of the new Farish cows, but decided to wait until the E.U. referendum result is known.
To be honest, I have so many cows I might be able to claim something from the common agricultural policy...or maybe not by next week.
Perhaps I'm just trying to pull the udder one...?
I haven't asked my local model shop, but they certainly have as much N gauge in display cases as OO now, and a pretty large range of items in stock. Not just locos etc but track, buildings, scenic items etc. Yet in our club there are only three N gauge modellers out of forty or so members, and one of them is about to move out of the area :( Leaving us with a current era club layout and two members with transition era locos and stock. Oops.
Quote from: kirky on June 20, 2016, 08:32:22 PM
Quote from: trkilliman on June 20, 2016, 07:37:13 PM
Today I was in Young's models, Barnstaple, N.Devon.
During a chat to the owner I asked how N was selling these days. His reply took me aback. He said that he now sells more N gauge than 00. A reason customers often give for switching from 00 to N is that when moving out of their parents home their new home is usually smaller, certainly with newer builds. I think manufacturers have often been slow to capitalise on this.
Steve Davidson
W.Cornwall N gauge group.
I dont know how true it is but a factoid I have often heard bandied about is that on average, new build homes in the UK are now smaller than they are in Japan! So maybe the size of houses is starting to influence the size of scale choice.
The survey quoted here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm) indicates the average UK newbuild is 76m2 - assuming that's referring to houses and doesn't include flats/apartments, this could well be true, as the minimum size for a new-build house in Tokyo is 80m2. There are plenty of tiny apartments though...
Quote from: railsquid on June 21, 2016, 12:01:05 AM
Quote from: kirky on June 20, 2016, 08:32:22 PM
Quote from: trkilliman on June 20, 2016, 07:37:13 PM
Today I was in Young's models, Barnstaple, N.Devon.
During a chat to the owner I asked how N was selling these days. His reply took me aback. He said that he now sells more N gauge than 00. A reason customers often give for switching from 00 to N is that when moving out of their parents home their new home is usually smaller, certainly with newer builds. I think manufacturers have often been slow to capitalise on this.
Steve Davidson
W.Cornwall N gauge group.
I dont know how true it is but a factoid I have often heard bandied about is that on average, new build homes in the UK are now smaller than they are in Japan! So maybe the size of houses is starting to influence the size of scale choice.
The survey quoted here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm) indicates the average UK newbuild is 76m2 - assuming that's referring to houses and doesn't include flats/apartments, this could well be true, as the minimum size for a new-build house in Tokyo is 80m2. There are plenty of tiny apartments though...
There's also more people renting in the UK now compared to a decade ago, many agreements (for private landlord rentals) are often on a 6-month or yearly basis.
It's not only the amount of room one can devote to the hobby an issue, it's also the ability to pack away and move easily at relatively short notice, the size of N gauge being an advantage in that respect.
Quote from: gc4946 on June 21, 2016, 06:58:29 AM
Quote from: railsquid on June 21, 2016, 12:01:05 AM
Quote from: kirky on June 20, 2016, 08:32:22 PM
Quote from: trkilliman on June 20, 2016, 07:37:13 PM
Today I was in Young's models, Barnstaple, N.Devon.
During a chat to the owner I asked how N was selling these days. His reply took me aback. He said that he now sells more N gauge than 00. A reason customers often give for switching from 00 to N is that when moving out of their parents home their new home is usually smaller, certainly with newer builds. I think manufacturers have often been slow to capitalise on this.
Steve Davidson
W.Cornwall N gauge group.
I dont know how true it is but a factoid I have often heard bandied about is that on average, new build homes in the UK are now smaller than they are in Japan! So maybe the size of houses is starting to influence the size of scale choice.
The survey quoted here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8201900.stm) indicates the average UK newbuild is 76m2 - assuming that's referring to houses and doesn't include flats/apartments, this could well be true, as the minimum size for a new-build house in Tokyo is 80m2. There are plenty of tiny apartments though...
There's also more people renting in the UK now compared to a decade ago, many agreements (for private landlord rentals) are often on a 6-month or yearly basis.
It's not only the amount of room one can devote to the hobby an issue, it's also the ability to pack away and move easily at relatively short notice, the size of N gauge being an advantage in that respect.
Which is why Unitrack (and Tomix Finetrack) have evolved in Japan of course...
There's also more people renting in the UK now compared to a decade ago, many agreements (for private landlord rentals) are often on a 6-month or yearly basis.
It's not only the amount of room one can devote to the hobby an issue, it's also the ability to pack away and move easily at relatively short notice, the size of N gauge being an advantage in that respect.
A very good point. We are rapidly heading towards the housing situation when I was an infant in the 50s. My parents had no alternative than to rent rooms, sharing a kitchen and bathroom. Buy to let has grown at an alarming rate for reasons it would be best not to go into on here. So yes, renting often a small property or part of one will also play a part in people looking towards N gauge.
all valid points about the room/house sizes being smaller and constant moving (need to included Uni students also there), but I also think its the general catch up in N to OO of attractiveness due to better detailing and running. Comparing my first ever Graham farish N gauge Duchess starter set to not only the loco's and rolling stock but also control, track and scenic products available now is so amazing. Those paper graham farish buildings that you mounted on plastic blocks just seem crude now in comparison.
And as a final note.... :NGaugersRule:
Not much N gauge in the Grosmont model shop, and none at all in Redcar Models and Hobbies!
Just a little adage,
Could the rise of N gauge be due to the fact that when some people began modelling OO was the only option where as from the 90s onwards N gauge has been a viable modelling option, now ever more than ever before
This too, I remember in my teenage OO years in the 1980s considering selling up and going for N, but what was on offer didn't really appeal, particularly in terms of variety.
I'm finding myself looking at 0 gauge now more and more, especially with those Dapol 08's, and I could get a layout in the same space Foster Street takes up........ :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help:
I agree with the comments made on the quality of the models. When I started last year, I bought a few older Farish wagons just to get me some stock cheaply. Whilst they run ok, they really look like toys compared with the modern wagons.
I am in an old age quandry.
My eyesight is going, so 0 gauge and (hand over gob) 00 looks more attractive.
However, every show I go to makes me think they all look like toys. The bigger they are, the more toylike they look.
In the electronics world, smaller is the order of the day, so my aging eyesight is learning to cope.
N is THE gauge. :thumbsup: :beers:
Certainly of the people who cross the threshold at my shop those who are starting afresh, for whatever reason, tend to be looking at N gauge rather than anything else.
But if you look at the model railway magazines N gauge hardly exists. It is up to us here to push it more by sending potential articles.
Those of us who take N gauge layouts should consider if we could do more to get visitors into N gauge modelling. Maybe an NGF or NGS leaflet stating the adavantages of N to give out? Must confess I have never given promotion of N gauge to others any consideration, but I think we all should.
N gauge exhibition layouts should look more realistic. A 2 foot deep scenic section in N would have to be 4 feet deep in OO and over 6.5 feet deep in O to hold the equivalent amount of scenery. This is why O gauge exhibition layouts tend to be less convincing. The models are better due to their larger size but there usually isn't enough depth to create a complete scene. This is not knocking those who model in O, just saying how I see things. There are some truly excellent larger scale models but for me there are too many that have plenty of track but very little depth to the scenery.
The recent increase in detail allows realistic models but (it seems to me looking at you tube and so on) the tail chasing round and round layouts waste that extra detail. With Dapol's magnetic couplings and conversion kits, N gauge can become a realistic modeling alternative to 00 if only we allowed it to. As for smaller houses, it seems no matter how much space you have, it's never enough no matter what scale you choose !
Chris m said;
Those of us who take N gauge layouts should consider if we could do more to get visitors into N gauge modelling. Maybe an NGF or NGS leaflet stating the adavantages of N to give out? Must confess I have never given promotion of N gauge to others any consideration, but I think we all should.
---------------------------------------------------
The NGS members of the West Cornwall MRG have approached the committee of our society on the very subject of how they could help us promote N gauge at our future shows. We are currently awaiting a response when they have had time to consult each other and consider our thoughts/requests.
Steve Davidson
WCMRG.
Quote from: BobB on June 21, 2016, 06:52:39 PM
The recent increase in detail allows realistic models but (it seems to me looking at you tube and so on) the tail chasing round and round layouts waste that extra detail. With Dapol's magnetic couplings and conversion kits, N gauge can become a realistic modeling alternative to 00 if only we allowed it to. As for smaller houses, it seems no matter how much space you have, it's never enough no matter what scale you choose !
I agree with that post, but I must add that over the last few years at shows and in the various media there are a lot of N layouts to
much higher standards than appears to have been the case 15- 20 years since.
It people can see what quailty can be achieved they may well be tempted to have a go themselves.
Quote from: oscar on June 21, 2016, 09:39:30 AM
Not much N gauge in the Grosmont model shop, and none at all in Redcar Models and Hobbies!
But plenty of N in Peter's spares, in M'bro.
Redcar models have had N gauge stuff in the past, but probably only second hand. Don't know about you tho Oscar, but I don't regard it as a proper train shop anyway?
(Not seen you for a while btw. Are you well? Did you know we (CMRC) are building a large steam layout based on Stockton, in N?
Might we see you at the exhibition in August?)
Cheers
Kirky
Quote from: Chris m on June 21, 2016, 06:34:11 PM
Those of us who take N gauge layouts should consider if we could do more to get visitors into N gauge modelling. Maybe an NGF or NGS leaflet stating the adavantages of N to give out? Must confess I have never given promotion of N gauge to others any consideration, but I think we all should.
A very good suggestion. But it should be purely to promote
the scale, rather than merely promoting membership of a society or forum, or a manufacturer. Given that, I'm not sure who would be prepared to pay for it.
On a related note, I've heard quite a few traders say that N gauge is pretty much non-existent on the second-hand market, and has been for some time. Prices of such are very high on eBay & the like, too. Maybe that's because of the increase in N gauge modellers - more modellers chasing the same amount of SH stuff available?
Quote from: Chris m on June 21, 2016, 06:34:11 PM
But if you look at the model railway magazines N gauge hardly exists. It is up to us here to push it more by sending potential articles.
It looks like it may very well be up to us. Here is part of an editorial by Joe Fugate, Publisher and Editor, in the May edition of the Model Railroad Hobbyist:
Our greatest struggle is to get more N scale article submissions. We're at a huge disadvantage here for several reasons. First, the N scale modeler population is only about a third the size of the HO modeler population, so right away at best that tells us to expect only one N scale article for every three HO articles we get.
But it's worse than that because there are two, count them two N scale-specific model railroading magazines. That means 90 percent of the articles on N scale topics go to those magazines and not MRH.
At the end of the day, we only get about one N scale article for every 30 articles on HO scale modeling projects.
We're desperate for more N scale modeling project articles.
Can you N scale guys out there consider sending a few more N scale articles our way? Please? Pretty please?
Webbo
Quote from: jrb on June 22, 2016, 12:00:48 AM
On a related note, I've heard quite a few traders say that N gauge is pretty much non-existent on the second-hand market, and has been for some time. Prices of such are very high on eBay & the like, too. Maybe that's because of the increase in N gauge modellers - more modellers chasing the same amount of SH stuff available?
Nearly every time I visit a shop or exhibition, second-hand OO scale models far outnumber those available in N.
I also suspect people hang onto their stock because of the higher cost of new replacements, also N gauge takes up less storage space so it's less of a burden to transport and store stock if individuals relocate or other personal circumstances change regarding their hobby.
Quote from: oscar on June 21, 2016, 09:39:30 AM
Not much N gauge in the Grosmont model shop, and none at all in Redcar Models and Hobbies!
I live in town and he's even reluctant or extremely slow to order items for N gauges . also catalogue prices apply.
Quote from: kirky on June 21, 2016, 10:10:14 PM
Quote from: oscar on June 21, 2016, 09:39:30 AM
Not much N gauge in the Grosmont model shop, and none at all in Redcar Models and Hobbies!
But plenty of N in Peter's spares, in M'bro.
Redcar models have had N gauge stuff in the past, but probably only second hand. Don't know about you tho Oscar, but I don't regard it as a proper train shop anyway?
(Not seen you for a while btw. Are you well? Did you know we (CMRC) are building a large steam layout based on Stockton, in N?
Might we see you at the exhibition in August?)
Cheers
Kirky
Hi, Kirky, thanks for asking. Been really under the weather since the accident and have had to bring my layout downstairs and half the size of it! I'll be there in August, though, all things being equal. Didn't know about Stockton, we lived next to the station when I was a kid.
Reason I forgot about Peter's Spares is that we hate the 'Boro, so very rarely get there. And £4 postage is not on.
Hi Oscar
Looking forward to seeing you in August. Come and have a play on Northallerton by all means.
Stockton is a layout in progress and I believe it will be at the exhibition.
Cheers
Kirky