Product choices, HO vs N
#1
Just trying to finish up my latest "do something" challenge and it would be nice to put a few vehicles on the streets and parking lots. I looked through what I have and I'm ashamed that most of it looks like lumps of plastic toys, even 10 feet away. It's hard to show a lot of detail in N scale, but there are vehicles available that are better looking than what I have, so I pulled out the current Walther's flyer. Yup, there's a few N scale vehicles in it, lots more choices if I was doing HO though. As a matter of fact, I would have a heck of a lot more choices of anything if I was doing HO. Just as an example, in the flyer:

Vehicles in HO in flyer - 55
Vehicles in N in flyer - 11
New items in HO - 65
New items in N - 5
Pages of HO on sale -23
Pages of N on sale - 5
Scenery items on sale in HO - 80
Scenery items on sale in N - 9
Parts on sale in HO - 21
Parts on sale in N - 0

I'm not knocking it, I chose N scale for a reason, knowing that I would be in the minority, and that HO was far the most popular scale. I feel for those in any other scale, I thought I saw a few items in O or Z, but I couldn't fine them again. I'm just pointing out one of the downfalls for working in N scale. It's not enough to make me want to change, way too late for that, even though my eyes and hands wished that I would.
Don (ezdays) Day
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founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#2
Shop to your heart's content!

https://www.trainmastermodels.com/N-Vehi...s-s/94.htm

I have about given up on Walthers and go to several large hobby shops or direct to the manufacturers in a lot of cases.
Trainmasters has wealth of N scale and also sell used as well! They are a TRAIN ONLY hobby shop and carry all gauges and scales. If you want you can tour the store on your laptop, tablet or cell phone as well.
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
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#3
Thank you for the link Mike, I've not heard of them before now. They certainly have other scales as well. I know Walther's has a lot more in their full catalog,  a lot of which is labeled, "out of stock". I'm just pointing out the emphasis on HO over N in their sales flyer, (not complaining, just saying). I tend to buy what is on sale if possible. These guys seem to have it all, and it's "in stock". Lot's on sale, pricing comparable to Walther's. I'm sure they have a new customer...
2285_ 2285_
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#4
Yeah...N scale should be known as The Forgotten Scale. An entire era is missing, not to mention the focus on larger and larger scales.

Makes us better modelers, I guess.
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#5
I'm not sure that n-scale is exactly the forgotten scale. There is probably even less available for s-scale or z-scale. I think we tend to focus on what is not available that we want rather than looking to see what is available. As long as ho is somewhere around 80% of the market, n-scale is at 10-15% and the rest of the scales take up the other 5%, the available products will probably continue to reflect the market. I'm not sure where On30 sits in the overall picture.
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#6
Working for a model RR museum we get all sorts of trade mags. The breakdown right now seems to be around 68% HO, 20% N, O (including O standard 2 and 3 rail, On 2, On 30 and On3) 7% and S, Z, G making up the remaining
5%.
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
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#7
I must live in a quirky area because many of the hobby shops nearby cater toward the O crowd. There are several that are O only. Many are 10 rows of O, 2 rows of HO with N on the end caps. The ones that were HO heavy have closed.
Tom
Silence is golden but Duct tape is silver
Ridley Keystone & Mountain Railroad
My Rail Images Gallery
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#8
We have one shop here that advertises, "narrow gauge almost exclusively". It would be a waste of time to go there even for HO, never mind N.

I do understand the ratio and it would be foolish for any dealer to stock equally in all scales when the market isn't there. One the other hand, maybe if they were a bit more balanced, there would be more N scale modelers. Still, the link that Mike posted really does have an adequate amount of N scale, Walther's does too, but they seem to have an awful lot of, "out of stock", and even then, I've had stuff put on backorder when it was suppose to be in stock. I've been to the Trainmaster site, got eight, "in stock", items in my cart, and ready to complete the order.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#9
It's a paradoxical situation. I talked about it a lot with the owner of the last shop in Colorado Springs. He didn't stock a lot of N because "the demand wasn't there", and I countered that demand would never exist until there was a good selection to choose from.

I won that particular argument because I had a large birthday gift to spend and he had very little that I wanted.

The other relevant argument goes to the heart of it all: the advertising industry is solely focused on creating markets for things that people otherwise aren't buying.

"If you build it, they will come" is a basic truth, and if you stock it they will buy it.
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#10
Sounds right with just about everything being sold. Had a Chinese buffet we used to go to. Business fell off a bit, so the pile of shrimp became smaller as did the size of the shrimp. They put out less and less food and of course, fewer people came back, so they put out even less until they finally closed for good. I've seen that happen to other businesses, a downward cycle. Don't know if offering more N scale would attract new modelers to that scale, but offering more choices should improve their business, you can't sell what you don't have, or can you?

What has always amazed me is that model railroading is one of the few businesses where the manufacturer can sell vaporware. "Our new (add product name here), will be available to the masses sometime next year. Place your order now for delivery six or eight months from now". Accompanied by very attractive photos of the "product". This gives manufactures time to tool up and build the product if sales are good, or just walk away if they aren't. This is true for any scale. I really like shopping, touching, smelling, tasting or what is appropriate, that's why I'm disappointed with the demise of the LHS, as well as that Chinese buffet... Icon_cry
Don (ezdays) Day
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founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#11
(05-08-2021, 07:34 AM)ezdays Wrote: Sounds right with just about everything being sold. Had a Chinese buffet we used to go to. Business fell off a bit, so the pile of shrimp became smaller as did the size of the shrimp. They put out less and less food and of course, fewer people came back, so they put out even less until they finally closed for good. I've seen that happen to other businesses, a downward cycle. Don't know if offering more N scale would attract new modelers to that scale, but offering more choices should improve their business, you can't sell what you don't have, or can you?

What has always amazed me is that model railroading is one of the few businesses where the manufacturer can sell vaporware. "Our new (add product name here), will be available to the masses sometime next year. Place your order now for delivery six or eight months from now". Accompanied by very attractive photos of the "product". This gives manufactures time to tool up and build the product if sales are good, or just walk away if they aren't. This is true for any scale. I really like shopping, touching, smelling, tasting or what is appropriate, that's why I'm disappointed with the demise of the LHS, as well as that Chinese buffet... Icon_cry


I agree.  That's why I don't buy vaporware, and I tell the manufacturers that.  I also see no reason to be made an involuntary investor is a venture that might fail, using my money.
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