Why in the heck am I not in 00 gauge!?

[scottmitchell74]

I keep getting the Kernow Model updates on my facebook feed...and so many great deals in 00. They have so many more options as well. 00 must have 4-5 times as many "things" across all the spectrum of Model Railroading.

I already know the answer to my own question...all the ones we've stated before...but sometimes I wonder...

[Bob Tidbury]

Because we like a challenge and dont play wth toys .
Only joking
I chose N gauge because I just love to watch the trains running through the countryside with reasonable length rakes of coaches or freightwagons .
Most of my passenger trains are too long for my platforms so just run round a couple of times ,not very prototypical but never mind Im happy.
Thats my idea of the hobby to enjoy myself.
Bob Tidbury

[scottmitchell74]

And that is one of my main reasons. I'm a roundy-rounder, and I love that long(er) consists that snake through the scenery.

[broadsword]

Most of my passenger trains are too long for my platforms so just run round a couple of times ,not very prototypical but never mind Im happy.
Bob Tidbury

Actually that is prototypical where I live in Scotland, on some trains they announce that the
platforms at the next stop are too short so move to coach A or whatever, so feel free to
stop your trains at the short platform,

[daffy]

One of the many reasons I chose N Gauge was because the tremendous choice of locos and rolling stock available to me in the larger gauge would have led to bankruptcy and divorce.

Only kidding.

I think.

Real reason was the lack of choice in Z.

[Graham Walters]

My choice to go to N was lack of space, but we do suffer because it's not as popular as OO, there are far more discounts to be had in OO than there in N, OO is a much more cutthroat market, if you think we have it tough you want to look at the prices O Gaugers pay!

N is getting there though, Metcalfe for one are starting to produce as much in N as they do in OO, in the shop we promote N as much as possible, and when people compare they prefer the space saving of N, and usually take it as the option.

[AndyRA]

I would have to agree with Graham. I stuck with N because of the space advantage over 00. The visible viewing section of my layout is barely 30 inches across, which would need about double that for double O. Not to mention the length of trains! It would have reduced my ambition considerably in the larger scale. I would definitely say hang on in N 

Andy

[NeMo]

if you think we have it tough you want to look at the prices O Gaugers pay!

Actually, the way I see O at the moment, it looks more like ready-to-run locos and rolling stock is becoming cheaper. At the very least, Dapol have blown the market right open with their £200 locos and £50 wagons.

N is getting there though, Metcalfe for one are starting to produce as much in N as they do in OO, in the shop we promote N as much as possible, and when people compare they prefer the space saving of N, and usually take it as the option.

This is pretty much what happens in Japan, where smaller homes encouraged the development of a vigorous N scale hobby. I believe it's actually the preferred scale.

If people were less snobbish about Kato Unitrack, I think it'd be a lot easier to sell N gauge as a viable scale for casual railroaders. Traditional set-track is, I think, less attractive in N than 00 because it doesn't have the weight necessary to stay put when clipped together. But Unitrack-type set-track systems are much more resilient, and there's nothing to stop a relatively young modeller choosing N on Unitrack as a starting point.

But while that's what happens in Japan, over here anyone who uses Unitrack has to fight against a certain degree of snobbery that it isn't 'proper modelling'. That may or may not be true, but either way it could scare people off N as a starting point, and towards 00 instead.

Cheers, NeMo

[njee20]

I'm not sure people rebel against Unitrack because it's not proper modelling, rather it just looks a bit toy like out of the box.

That said... if you're buying set track it should be a very viable alternative.

I do love N for the 'long trains in the landscape' thing, even if you have the space in OO the extra size means the trains dominate more.

[Graham Walters]

I'm not sure people rebel against Unitrack because it's not proper modelling, rather it just looks a bit toy like out of the box.

That said... if you're buying set track it should be a very viable alternative.

I do love N for the 'long trains in the landscape' thing, even if you have the space in OO the extra size means the trains dominate more.

We find that if you stock Kato on the shelf and expect it to sell you will disappointed, you have to engage with people and point out the benefits of it in todays smaller homes, we point out thing like it can be set up and dismantled without any problems, replacement joiners, it can be laid on short pile carpet without too many problems, explain that once show anyone from about the age of 7 can set it up, the ease of wiring the points etc. Altogether since we opened I expect we have sold about six M1 sets and loads of track pieces, the biggest problem we have with it, is the catalogue being in Japanese !

[Intercity]

As a kid I grew up with a Hornby Orient Express set with class 47 and a second engine was a class 73 (broadlands I think) in OO, model trains fell by the wayside as I started buying rovers and riding the real thing was more fun, then I found myself going backwards and complaining the new train were all junk and no character, the model bug bit hard and I found N has made huge strides forward in detail and reliability.

I started buying a few locos and wagons, but never had a dedicated place to build a layout, fast forward a few more years and a huge move across the pond, now I had been introduced to really big trains and I knew OO simply wasn't going to succeed if I wanted something on a layout that look remotely like what I had seen thundering past me earlier that day, the Computer and EBay (what a curse) and my American collection started to build up, a couple work colleagues (many railroaders are modelers even if they won't openly admit it) showed me the Kato stuff and the bank balance started dropping.

Fast forward again to today, I found farish has improved ten fold and Dapol have some really nice stuff (if you can match it) and the bank balance is once again going down the drain.

I still don't have the layout started but a million ideas swirling around in my head, and that's why I'm a 'N'ormal gauger and not Horredously Obese as they say here

[Webbo]

Scott

Why not? OO is a great gauge and HO scale is even better as its body widths scale properly with the track gauge. Comes down to personal choice just as does the choice of Peco or Atlas versus Unitrack. In N scale, I like the long trains as do others here on this thread. And, I don't care for tight curves relative to rolling stock lengths and this is the real clincher for me. If I had a whole basement available to fill with trains, I might go with HO, but maybe not as I could run even longer trains if I stick with N.

Admission: I have an OO/HO circuit built around the room at a higher level than my N layout (the main game) so I have access to the worlds of both N and OO/HO.

Webbo 

[The Q]

I'm Not in OO.... I'm Modelling in EM , However If I had realised the size of shed I'd need to get my chosen Station in, It would have been 2mm. The Shed size...      63ft by up to 16ft, still building the layout supports....

I'm here because less than a month ago, I inherited an N gauge Layout ,   Even though it's not doing anything as specialised as my EM layout, I find the availability of stock limited in N, especially in the secondhand market.
On the EM layout most stock is secondhand since I need to convert it and I wish to improve it.

I decided The N gauge layout will be my Exhibition layout, It, will be a lot smaller than a section of the EM layout.. it's taking time to adjust... 

THe Economics  of such a large shed and now two layouts mean the shed itself was 10 years+ in the building, due to waiting for money and time to build it.

[austinbob]

I too originally modeled in EM gauge. I spent around 20 years purchasing mostly kits for locos, rolling sock, scenery and track in readiness for my retirement. I spent many happy hours building some of the kits and planning my layout 'in rough!!!'
Every time I adjusted the plan it got a bit smaller and a bit less complex. When it got to the stage of my retirement I eventually came to the conclusion (which I probably knew all along) that my proposed EM gauge layout was still too big for the room available and would not allow me to run 'proper' length trains etc.
So... I sold my collections of 4mm stuff, at incredible loss, and started up in N gauge.
Its taking me a long time to get my layout running let alone complete (do you ever complete a layout??) but I wouldn't go back to EM gauge.
Funny thing is, whenever I go to my model shop to look for N gauge stuff now, OO (4mm) scale stuff always looks SO BIG!! I wonder why I ever considered using it.

N gauge is great for all the reasons that people have posted before. I won't bore you with repeating all the good things about it.

[xm607]

Started off with the usual Triang stuff in the 60's found N in the 70's and went on to model the Woodhead route in N! with Parkwood Springs and Brookside, with N at the time you could get away with a representation of locos such as the class 76 and 77 and others quite well. Most built from plastic card and oddments, and then there was the range of loco's that could be produced from the Peco Jubilee including an 8F! , also modelled Ryde Eplanade with tube stock in N. I have built EM stock including the layout Trafalgar Yard set in Newcastle, all having been in the Railway Modeller at some time and have now been sold on. Idleford Town layout of the BNNRS provided a chance to try O gauge mostly with stock provision, currently I have a small G.W. Region layout Exe Halt and a Lone Star layout, so I sill keep returning to N gauge, and with a forthcoming house move its easier to box up.

Steve.