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N or HO? Which Scale To Go With?
Craig is deciding between HO (similar to UK OO) or N:
“I am new to model railroading and trying to decide which scale to go with. I have a medium size space, think corner of a garage. I would like to run fairly long trains though I am not sure what my layout will look like. I am getting older, think 50 and the old eyes can’t see the small things anymore. What are the pros and cons of each?”
Yes, Craig you are correct, the smaller the train the more fiddly they are to work with especially if you have unsteady hands. N scale is smaller than HO. There are certainly pros and cons of both N and HO depending on the space you have available and what you really want from a layout. N would allow you to build a layout in a smaller space, or put longer track runs in the space. If you look at the results of the poll on this blog you will see that HO is more widely used than N, and for that reason there is an large selection for train supplies and accessories available in HO.
I would certainly suggest you read about the various scales in my Model Train Help ebook. You will find it particularly helpful.
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Definitely HO, in my opinion. Big enough to enjoy the details, but small enough to fit in smaller areas.
As I’ve mentioned on this site before, I will have a county fair section in my HO layout, but will use an N scale for the kiddie train ride. If you can foresee a kiddie train ride in a park or such thing in your layout, why don’t you buy a small set & play with it? If it works for you, then go N scale. If it doesn’t, you can always use it per the suggestion above.