The key issue has been cited and recited. What do you want from your
hobby?
I modeled in N-Scale for over 30 years because I really liked long
trains that were dwarfed by the scenery. I had a passenger station with
6 tracks that could accommodate a Great Northern S-2 4-8-4 steamer
hauling 11, full-length passenger cars on one track. My Big Boy would
routinely pull 40 reefers. There was a U-50 diesel hauling an ore train
up a mountain to a strip mine. These were big trains in a small scale.
My trains would run forwards or backwards with no derails. It was a hoot
and much more fun than my previous 9 years spent in HO. Dirt on the
rails was a significant maintenance problem. I spent a lot of time
cleaning.
Once I reached Grandfather age, I discovered that I just couldn't see
the small parts, wheels and details on those tiny trains. My friend
convinced me to switch to S-Scale. Now, I run shorter trains of shorter
equipment. Clean track is not the issue it once was since the powered
items are about 15 times as massive.
For me, S-scale is a comfortable compromise. The trains run reliably.
There is sufficient variety in locos and cars to keep me happy. There is
a large supply of scale autos and trucks - perhaps the best of any of
the scales. HO buildings and kits are often easy to adapt for use in
S-scale (Increase the foundation and door size for the lowest floor does
the trick for me.) to supplement the S-scale offerings. Many O-27 items
are very good fits for S-scale. In a standard size bedroom, I can have
an interesting layout with more than one destinations, scenes and points
of interest.
I no longer concentrate on the full-sized experience in trains and
scenery because I just don't have the room for it. A friend of mine has
a 2-story, 4-car garage. We are building an O-scale empire in the second
story. A space 20 feet wide and 40 feet long is big enough for some
good-sized trains and some significant scenery. Do you have such a space
that is heated or cooled as needed? Very few people have the space it
takes to support a model railroad in O-scale. Without the space, O is
best for a place to collect toys and de-emphasize the scale experience.
Do you want to run full-length trains or are shorter trains adequate?
Do you require large scenic items such as mountains, ships, steel mills
or refineries or will smaller scenes and buildings do it for you?
Do you want solid, trouble-free operation with a minimum of maintenance
or are you willing to do the routine chores required to keep things
running smoothly?
Do you have the space in an all-weather environment to support your
wishes or are you buying space from the rest of the family?
Do you enjoy finding a structure or scene in the real world and then
recreating it in miniature or do you prefer to place ready-build
structures on the table and proceed to the trains?
Is your interest in operating trains with timetables, signals, switch
list and friends or are you more of Christmas looper?
Do you crave maximum flexibility it controlling the trains with a
Command Control system or are you happy to run one train at a time and
park any others on sidings or shelves?
Ruminate on a few of these questions to help you decide on a scale. This
list is a good place for such ruminations because we all have plenty of
opinions to share.
Bill Porter
Loxahatchee, FL
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