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Choosing the Right Scale
George has a question that most beginners in the hobby ask:
“What Scale do I pick …there are so many scales of model railroads that it is difficult to select which one? I favor the Old West …what is the best Scale for it?
You can add your comments to assist George with getting started.
5 Responses to Choosing the Right Scale
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Buy a Lionel; small children can handle it. yhe track is wide so it is easy to install the trains.
HO Scale has the most available for the old west.
HO Scale is the most available from the old west to the present. Since it is widely available I consider HO the best for the money. Over the years everything getting smaller from HO has generally been more expensive and everything getting larger is the same. (Not necessarily the case now a days especially in Ho and N scale.
What kind of room do you have and how shallow the curves can be can be a factor. The space available such as a small apartment you may need to consider to decide the scale you should use.
Starting with a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood is a good start but usually ends up with tight turns and trains that cannot usually handle these.
All scales have great qualities and can be great to work with. from Newman Atkinson
Actually, the best scale to select is:
1- size that you can easily handle and see details well enough.
2. consider the available location and size of the location.
a) If you have a large area free of obstructions, you may consider “O” scale. This scale is made large and sturdy and a good size for children to handle.
b) If you have an area about the size of a large room, “HO” scale is a good choice. This scale has a large selection of hardware and rolling stock to choose from, with a wide selection of period pieces, from early American Western to Japanese Bullet trains. This is also a good size train scale for teens..
c) If you have a small location like a studio apartment, “N” scale may be a good choice to use. This scale is second most popular scale in America and Europe.
d) If you are in a very limited situation where you hardly have room but for a small table, like a coffee table area and you can easily handle small items well, “Z” scale is a choice to go for. At this time there is not too much available in way of pre-made structures and scenery material. This scale is small enough that some people have created layouts is suit cases and brief cases.
e) The smallest scale available is “T” scale. This is a recently created scale that is very small and has few producers or suppliers. Not a good choice for people with large fingers, poor vision or for children. Hardly anything in the way of pre-made structures or scenery is available at this time. If you can handle really small things and not into super detail, you could create a good sized layout in a small area, like a brief case.
1) Draw a plan of the space you have available, listing and showing the features you want to include.
Consider if you want more focus on the track, or the background scenery.
HO has the most amout of trains etc readily available, and is easier to handle.
Going down to N scale allows the representation of a greater distance of track and area of land.
(But N scale is a little bit fiddly for many people.)
2) There are some free model railroad track planning programs available.
Though most are based on HO scale, it is simple to scale up or down.
Try out your ideas on screen or on paper,
3) As mentioned by others above, consider your personal dexterity skills and your eyesight (with reading glasses) when choosing a scale to work with !