HO scale has ruled the model railroad hobby in America from the time of its introduction. With its large and visibly detailed models giving a real sense of size, and the sheer pleasure of the weight of the model cars in your hand, its appeal is obvious. But the smaller N Scale models have long held on as second place favorites. In fact, as many people begin down-sizing, N scale model railroading is actually increasing in popularity.

Already, in Japan, where living spaces are generally smaller, N Scale is currently the most popular scale for model train builders. The scale is also popular with railroaders in the US. N scale, being about half the size of HO, allows the hobbyist to build longer tracks in the same amount of space. They make a more expansive model than they could with HO, and create some truly amazing miniature landscapes.

In N scale - sometimes called N gauge - the distance between the track rails is 9 mm - or 0.354 inches compared to HO's 16.5 mm - or 0.650 inch rails. N scale began to be standardized in the mid-1960's when commercially produced models started to become available. Improvements in design and coupling quickly began to help the scale grow in popularity. Modern models have more improvements,in both coupling, now often magnetic, and with computerized voltage regulation, allowing n scale model railroading builders to program the speed of their trains as they move through the display model. N scale is also a more accurate scale to most war gaming miniatures, allowing some interesting additions and variations to N scale model railroading themes.

N scale models are every bit as detailed as their HO cousins, but the details are smaller, giving some the impression that they do not seem as "real" as the larger scales. But N Scale model railroad enthusiasts have risen to the challenge of bringing those small details out. With carefully painted "aging" and some "wear and tear" added to the railroad cars, they can be every bit as convincing to the eye as the larger scaled models. And some model railroad builders combine the two scales - HO to the fore, N to the back, to give the forced perspective illusion of great distance in the same model. This is especially effective on large layouts.

So if you're downsizing, or you've held off getting into the model railroad hobby because of the size of your living space, or just want to make a more expansive, interesting model and challenge your abilities, N scale model railroading might be just the "railroad" ticket for you!