Cheapest Scale/Gauge?

[Santa Fe buff]

I've had this on my head for some time... This is simple "I wonder what's the..." question. Here it is:
"Wonder what's the cheapest scale and/or gauge?"

I am wondering that... I think G is knocked off already! ()

Joshua

[richG]

Probably N or HO, especially if you model and abandoned railroad. No loco or rolling stock issues. No electrical issues either unless you want a few street lights.

Rich

[Nathan]

How are you defining cheap?  The lowest cost per car / loco, or the losest cost that puts the most rolling stock and loco's on a 4 x 8 sheet?

If one goes to swap meets and looks for close outs you can probably get both HO and N for the same price per car, but you put a lot more cars in the same area in N.

How about reliable?  There are a lot of low cost items in G that one can find in flyers, but the trains you get do not last to long.  But pay a little more and you have a loco like my  Dad's pair of Big Hauler Porters that have been in use almost 10 years.  They get lubed and oiled once a year or so and spent a lot of time running at trains show when he lived in the San Antonio area.

I have one that I bought used for $25 and had to send it for repair one time.  I have under $75 into it, but it is running good.  Once more, I lube and oil it before each train show, 3 to 4 a year, plus run it at the club layout several times a year and at the Botanical Gardens for 10 to 15 days 6 to 8 hours a day.

Do you just run trains and watch them or do you do switching?  There are a lot of low cost cars that the couplers just do not work well enough to switch, but spend lets say 50 cents more per car and you have one that you can switch with.

We have one person in the area that was at the right place at the right time and got and estate full of 3 rail 'O' scale for about $100.  There were over 50 cars and 10 locos plus track and two power packs.  Is that cheap enough for you?

[jward]

HO used to be the cheapest, but in the past 10 years or so, N scale has them beat.

[glennk28]

Many years ago the manufacturer of a line of rather expensive but well-detailed kits suggested the modeler figure the cost per hour of his fun--by example--a locomotive that costs $20 and you have in service in less than an hour costs you $20 for an hour;s moceling fun.  A super-kit for a building that casts $20, and takes you 20 hours to build, costs you $1 per hour.    gj

[jward]

you can think of it another way. the manufacturer(s) who made the $20 locomotives that lasted an hour is/are no longer making them. they either went out of the train business, or upgraded the quality of their line. put out junk to-day, and you get roasted alive by the serious model railroaders. some companies are still trying to live down the reputation they got 30 years ago.....

in both n and ho, the overall quality of the stuff out there is light years ahead of what it was. knuckle couplers and metal wheels are pretty much standard now, just a few short years ago they were both aftermarket upgrades.....

[rustyrails]

First, maybe we should use the word inexpensive here rather than cheap.  Cheap implies poor quality as well as low cost. 

Generally speaking, the most popular scale will be the least expensive.  HO is far and away the most popular...N scale is a distant second, and then everybody else is stuffed into about 5% of the market. 

I know advice is worth what you pay for it, but I'm going to offer some free advice anyway.     I'm an old retired guy on a fixed hobby budget.  I have learned over the years that quality is much more important than quantity.  I'd much rather have one locomotive that runs really well than 5 that don't run worth a darn.  This hobby is about running trains and having fun, and I gotta tell you, if the trains don't run well, it ain't much fun.  Just my 2 cents worth.
Rusty

[az2rail]

I am going to copy "rustyrails" here. A wise man once told me that it is better to have one good item, than a bunch of not so good items. ~ I wish I had listened to him.

If you want to keep costs down, I think the simplest advise I can give is, pick the scale that best fits what you what to do in the space available to you, and stick to it. Do not waiver!!! And only buy what you will use. Don't go out and buy something because it looks nice and not use it. As all you've done is added to your cost, and taken money away from something else you will want later.

Bruce

[CNE Runner]

Bruce, why...oh why didn't I follow your sage advice years ago? I could have bought an island (and run G-scale on it to boot).

I think one needs to define (and stick to) a particular road, era, and locomotive power. Trust me when I say that jumping from diesel to steam, or from modern to 19th century railroading can eat up a lot of hard earned cash. The decisions you make early in the game need to be well thought out and based on reliable data (which you are already doing by asking on this forum). Finding a surefire way to keep model railroading costs down is like finding the map to Atlantis.

I have seen a lot of hearses and none of them were followed by a U-Haul truck...you can't take it with you so enjoy!

Ray

[az2rail]

I have seen a lot of hearses and none of them were followed by a U-Haul truck...you can't take it with you so enjoy!

Ray
[/quote]

Thanks for that. It made me laugh, and how true it is.

Bruce

[jerryl]

Probably N or HO, especially if you model and abandoned railroad. No loco or rolling stock issues. No electrical issues either unless you want a few street lights.

Rich

If you are only curious, the answer has to be HO. If this will influence your choice of scale...It's the wrong question.  Go with the scale you like, You will be happier in the end, even if it costs a little more.  Jerry

[9911A E5]

I would say HO.

  9911A E5

[Conrail Quality]

I'd actually say N is slightly cheaper than HO. Both, however, are significantly cheaper than any other scale.

Timothy

[CNE Runner]

Another variable to consider is your eyesight and eye-hand coordination. N-scale will give a bigger bang for the buck in that you can model a lot more in the same area as HO. I chose HO for the variety of materials available and for the fact that I can't see N-scale well enough ('comes as a function of aging).

If you like lots of detail on trains that demand a higher level of realism, I would recommend O-scale (not to be confused with tin plate or Hi-rail. Two rail O-scale is amazing...if you have the space. On30 is a rapidly growing segment of the hobby that essentially puts 0-scale trains on HO track (I have deliberately oversimplified On30 for brevity).

So in summary: consider your eyesight, product availability, layout space, and level of craftsmanship before laying down your hard earned money.

Ray

[jward]

n scale is great for scenery. you can build mountains that look like mountains that the railroad had to tunnel through. operations, though much improved, still leave something to be desired if you like switching. most of the cars have truck mounted couplers, most of the locomotives body mounts....

HO on the otherhand, runs like a fine swiss watch. because of its size and weight, electrical contact problems are minimized. most cars and locomotives now have body mounted couplers, and switching is a breeze. it is still small enough to build respectable scenery, yet large enough to detail....

sacles larger than HO, you get all the detail at the expense of the scenery....

HO is the best compromise, but a quick check of  any hobby shop will show slightly lower prices for n scale cars and locomotives....