As the title says is N gauge growing? After what seems like a long period of neglect - remember the Bachmann announcement where they got a brand new diesel and all we got was a toilet, it seems to me N gauge is growing now and todays announcements from Farish backed that up.

Thinking on those lines I quickly compiled a list of announcements in the last 3 releases from Bachmann comparing OO to N.

For information:-

I counted a coach or wagon pack by the total in the box not one unit.
If they did 2 running numbers on one body/colour scheme that counts as 2



The results are staggering to me, we are 3:1 up on OO which is supposedly the more popular scale. It would be 4:1 if I counted train set items individually.

No what has caused this surge? Revolution said N gauge is growing as houses shrink so this data backs that up. But I am going to offer a potential addition here. Hornby TT Scale!

A few people thought Hornby and TT would harm N gauge but I am now thinking did it have the opposite.

Hornby made a big song and dance about it but kept it in house, now supposing little Jonny and his parents saw this and went to their local model shop to purchase some. Only to be told its not here but we have N gauge which is actually smaller. Has this appeal of TT boosted N gauge and we are now seeing the benefits of this?

I feel I've read this before

It's not too far back in history when all we had was BachFar, Dapol, Peco and Union Mills
BachFar and Dapol, fairly or unfairly, have been accused of ignoring N gauge to concentrate on larger gauges and this, I believe has led to the success of RevolutioN, Rapido, Kato, Sonic and Accurascale in N along with them actually listening to what their customer base desires.
How long have we been bemoaning the lack of MK1s from BachFar and only now are they starting to arrive.
Dapol state they have several unannounced N projects in the wings. Union Mills sadly no longer exists and EFE comes under the Bachmann bunch of brands.
I wouldn't jump to this being a growth in the N gauge market, more a shake up which is giving us more choice and more niche models. I do think much is going on behind the scenes but we just don't get to hear of it

I thought for a moment you had written "listening to their customers' base desires". I hope they do no such thing.

It's certainly good to see more models coming out of the Bachmann/Farish factories. The numbers of new releases are somewhat skewed by they producing multiple versions of some - two or three running numbers of a maroon Mk2 SK for example.

It's interesting to see the EFE brand being used for new models - perhaps Barwell are as fed up of the problems of getting a Kader factory slot as we are!

Hopefully the trend will continue.


Steven B

Yeah, I think there's some cognitive bias there. I'd say OO gauge have had far more new models than N. I don't particularly begrudge it, just think your counting is off.

Looking at Rails of Sheffield, they list 61 OO gauge items released today, and 69 N gauge. That's SKUs, so the 90s account for 10, even though it's 5 DCC-ready and 5 sound-fitted. Also includes scenic items.

Quote from: Newportnobby on August 02, 2023, 11:33:16 AMIt's not too far back in history when all we had was BachFar, Dapol, Peco and Union Mills
BachFar and Dapol, fairly or unfairly, have been accused of ignoring N gauge to concentrate on larger gauges and this, I believe has led to the success of RevolutioN, Rapido, Kato, Sonic and Accurascale in N along with them actually listening to what their customer base desires.
How long have we been bemoaning the lack of MK1s from BachFar and only now are they starting to arrive.
Dapol state they have several unannounced N projects in the wings. Union Mills sadly no longer exists and EFE comes under the Bachmann bunch of brands.
I wouldn't jump to this being a growth in the N gauge market, more a shake up which is giving us more choice and more niche models. I do think much is going on behind the scenes but we just don't get to hear of it

Sometimes Mick @Newportnobby writes some really deep stuff.

I often look at the retailers adverts in modelling magazines and think that N-guage is the poor relation of the railway modelling world, the ugly step-kid that gets no attention. There is just so much more available to the OO enthusiast.

Things are much better in N now than when I started back in the early 1990s; quality is so much better and there is a wider range of diesel and electric locos and DMUs available (can't speak for steam as it's not my area of interest).

I'm very grateful to Dapol for the class 26 locos that have been released;  although I don't own any of their products, am also grateful to Revolution for the quality of what they produce, this standard sets the tone for what I think we N-guagers want and should expect to receive.

Of course, with the improvement in quality and features comes an increase in price. I'm still surprised at how much some models cost, especially wagons or coaches but this is probably due to a long layoff of around 25 years where I wasn't aware of the changes and price increases. With this increase in prices in general, I'm concerned that it discourages younger modellers getting into N-guage, as that is where the future lies and where the "growth" will come from. Those of us "old farts" (I include myself in this group) who can afford the prices due to maybe a higher disposable income having dispensed with mortgages and child rearing costs, are pushing up the cost of pre-owned items, which is where I started as it was cheaper to buy "second hand" in order to get started in the hobby. Maybe these higher prices are stopping youngsters from wanting to get into N?

Will n-guage become unaffordable and unsustainable in the long run? I hope not.

Just been to an exhibition, and I would say the traders had 95% OO and 5% N gauge, so I am not convinced it is growing.

Trade stands at exhibitions always have far more 00 than N. Over the last 20 years or so Bachmann have put a lot of effort into developing the N gauge market and to be fair so has Dapol. I'm disappointed than N has not gained more popularity. It is possible to argue that if you want highly detailed locos and stock with a big presence but aren't too bothered about running main line trains then go for 0. If you want to run realistic main line trains in a reasonable space then go N. 00 could be described as a good compromise that achieves the best of both worlds or a poor compromise that is now out of date. I don't know which. If I was starting out now I would choose between 0 and N. I think the fact that is still far more choice in 00 and also far more secondhand is what makes 00 so attractive to new starters.

I can't say that I have seen any signs of N gaining in popularity, but I live in hope and keep banging the drum. 

Quote from: F2Andy on September 03, 2023, 03:52:18 PMJust been to an exhibition, and I would say the traders had 95% OO and 5% N gauge, so I am not convinced it is growing.

When I go to an exhibition I don't expect to see much if any N Gauge for sale and if they do it will not be of interest so my card won't come out; self fulfilling prophecy.

I suspect many of us N Gaugers tend to head to the specific N Gaauge shows such a TINGS or the large ones such as Warley and online.

Is it possible that N Gauge is a younger persons format as it's only really had 20 years from relaunch and we are wedded to  hying online where as OO has plenty of second hand stuff as collectors pass on and tend to prefer parting with cash at a show.

The vast majority of my purchases are from ebay nowadays. Huge market and plenty of choice.

I agree I don't expect to find much N gauge at exhibitions, even less so for me as a European N modeller in the UK.

Quote from: Capeham on September 03, 2023, 07:44:08 PMIs it possible that N Gauge is a younger persons format as it's only really had 20 years from relaunch...

Eh?  Commercial RTR N gauge has being going since the 1960s. Relaunch of what?  It's never stopped as far as I'm concerned.  Quality has improved, though as far as European stuff goes the models from the late 70s onward by the likes of Fleischmann, Minitrix, Arnold and others still hold up very well and get to run on my layout regularly at exhibitions alongside current models, and best of all the old stuff is easy to maintain as long as parts are available.

I think Capeham has a point. Up until about 20 years ago I had no interest in British in because the models just didn't look very good. It was only when Dapol came along about 20 years ago that things started to improve. Their early N gauge locos were so well detailed and looked the part even though the gearing was all wrong. At around the same time Farish (under Bachmann) started to make big improvements with locos such as the jubilee which was an excellent model. Since then things have got better and better.

I think part of the issue as regards N availability at shows currently is likely to be more about limited supply than any lack of demand.

Roy

I would like to think the likes of RevolutioN, Kato, Rapido and Sonic are, unlike a certain Mr. D. Jones, sensible enough business wise to get involved in N.
Now it's just down to them choosing models they believe will be popular and down to us to buy them.
I'm looking forward to my first motorised item from RevolutioN i.e. the class 128