When I see this, I want to switch scales....

[Scottl]

OK, this is almost too much. 

http://athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG40603

These are incredible... and I pretty sure Athearn will not do this in n-scale

I may have to buy a pair, they are soooooo nice. 

Back to regular programming.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Run them on a Horribly Oversized track that's a 3"-4" shelf around the front-lower edge of your benchwork and call it "forced perspective".
"Train" them to deliver the 12 oz. (or 16 oz.)  "Moosehead Express" every hour and you yourself can be a happy serviced industry during modeling and ops sessions 

[Zox]

"premium" GP38-2 with DCC and speaker: $279.98
32-inch LCD television: $279.99 (several models, at Best Buy)

Nah, this hobby isn't getting too expensive. 

[Wlal13again]

"premium" GP38-2 with DCC and speaker: $279.98
32-inch LCD television: $279.99 (several models, at Best Buy)

Nah, this hobby isn't getting too expensive. 

Now thats an eye opener...

[GaryHinshaw]

There is an antidote for HO envy.  It's called a layout:

-gfh

P.S. I like MC's solution too!

[Hiroe]

There is an antidote for HO envy.  It's called a layout:

-gfh

P.S. I like MC's solution too!

That video would have been 100% better without all the oblivious people walking around in the background.

[C855B]

"premium" GP38-2 with DCC and speaker: $279.98
32-inch LCD television: $279.99 (several models, at Best Buy)

Nah, this hobby isn't getting too expensive. 

Don't forget that sound continues to carry a $100 up-charge, for some inexplicable reason. Subtract the sound, the street price for this model is around $120. Still more than N, but not a lot more. I'm amazed that some nice HO is less than the same model in N, and there's much, much, much more variety.

(Which makes me want to smack a certain Athearn rep in the virtual chops. He tells me, "No, we're not doing anything new in N since the tooling costs the same yet it only gets 1/3 the sales." And then I see that they've produced a GP40X in HO, and a bunch of other minority-interest stuff. Like how much ******* demand is there for a GP40X?  There's still a lot of low-hanging fruit in N, you moron! )

[Scottl]

Yep, forced perspective, with some z scale townbuilder in the deep background- it will be almost like 3D!

You can buy a TV for the same cost, but why bother?  Your brain and butt will thank you for buying the loco!  In this case, it buys a loco with sound that has detailing I would expect on a $1000 brass unit.

My options for a HO layout are pretty minimal, but I may buy a pair as trophies. 

Awesome video Gary- thanks!  I"m going into the basement to run trains!

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Yep, forced perspective, with some z scale townbuilder in the deep background- it will be almost like 3D!

And if you're modeling an earlier era it will be almost like 4D! 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Now thats an eye opener...

Yeah, TVs have gotten CHEAP!

[ednadolski]

There is an antidote for HO envy. 

Scale envy is a funny thing.   For a variety of reasons, the N scale guys envy HO,  and the HO guys envy O, and the O scale guys envy both HO and N.....   

The only solution is to have one of everything -- then you don't have time for any of it.   

Ed

[C855B]

I'll second Scott's thoughts about "trophies". I have a couple of bits of HO brass done in the '80s that will NEVER be produced in N (or again in HO). I bought them mostly as references for scratchbuilding/kitbash projects, but my wife enjoys the bare brass look and we display them on the mantle.

The only thing I envy about HO is the product variety. Then I think about the poor schlubs doing S - if they want something specific, it's either scratchbuild or not have it. All relative, I guess.

[SkipGear]

It's kind of odd, the HO guys for the most part are cussing the move of the GP38 to the Genesis line. They claim the price jump doesn't equal the amount of added detail over the older version. Then again, none of them I talked to were modeling canadian cab versions.

I try to stay out of those conversations at the shop, just listening to customers gripe to each other.

[Brakie]

gfh,HO has more going for it then N Scale with all its scenery.

I have HO and  N and find it hard at times to justify the cost of a  N Scale car or locomotive since some HO cars and locomotives are the same street price!! I seen some HO Trainman cars that had a cheaper street price then their N Scale counterpart!

[Scottl]

It's funny, I discovered the GP38s going to look at the n-scale husky stacks on the Athearn site.  The SP and Southern units are nicely detailed too, lots of specific details (to my untrained eye).  If I had the space, I'd seriously consider HO again:  it is a golden era for CN models:  MTH and Athearn SD-70M-2, Athearn GP38W, Atlas GP40W, IM ES44DC, Kaslo SD50/60W...  What a difference 10 years makes!

However, going back to the basement and running a 20 car train with broad curves in a 10`X 7`space makes me appreciate n-scale, every time.  It would be hard to give up all the operational and scenic advantages n-scale offers.