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Travis,
I'll go against the grain. No Sn3 isn't dead. What does "dead" mean? To me it means no one is modeling Sn3. We'll they sure are. Look at the NG&SLG, last two issues covered and Sn3 layout. There's a magazine for just Sn3, there are two active Sn3 Yahoo groups. Wisemann carries several Sn3 items for the SP, so does PBL, etc.
Heck, there's even a "convention" just for Sn3 modelers http://2017sn3symposium.com/. Look at the adds in the NG&SLG for two new Sn3 car kits. Yes, there still coming out with new stuff! Dead, heck no, less people working in the scale/guage - yes.
Yes, it IS a smaller community. If you look at most Sn3 modelers, they are doing great work, fine detail and are willing to spend the time building what they need. You can find it on the web and in the NG&SLG.
Is it harder to find stuff? Yes, it is a smaller community. However, you'll likely find a closer nit community. If its anything like the On2 community, you've got to be a part of it to even know who's making what stuff - a lot of time its not advertised in magazines and common model RR outlets. You gotta "know" - yes, that can be (is) frustrating.
So, I would say if you like the SP and Sn3, there's some good equipment out there (Railmaster and PBL) and some good kits. Check out Trevor Marshall's blogg for a small SP layout. Based on one town on the SP. Yes the PBL SP loco's are hard to find, so I would suggest a Railmaster Kit. I bet you could even find a pro out there who would build it for you.
Sn3 -It depends on what you like and what you are willing to do. If you want R-t-R stuff, its likely not the beast choice. If you want to have your local buddies over and share equipment, well that might be very difficult. However, if you like building kits and scratch building, don't need a huge inventory of equipment, like the size; then I would say it is a good choice.
Will PBL and Railmaster be gone in 5 years? I can't say. Will there still be Sn3 modelers out there? I think so, you just gotta find them - check out the yahoo groups, ask questions and start building.
Is it the right choice for you? Only you can answer that. I would suggest a list of pro's and cons and decide what you want to do.
Just my two cents............
Whatever you decide, I bet it will be fun.
If I listened to all the negative thoughts on On2, I wouldn't have built my On2 Module. Man, I'm having a BLAST! Hard to find equipment -yes, small community -yes, have to scratch build -yes, few kits -yes. Did I have to wait and search for a loco - yes, Is it fun - YES!
Cheers,
Brian
I'll go against the grain. No Sn3 isn't dead. What does "dead" mean? To me it means no one is modeling Sn3. We'll they sure are. Look at the NG&SLG, last two issues covered and Sn3 layout. There's a magazine for just Sn3, there are two active Sn3 Yahoo groups. Wisemann carries several Sn3 items for the SP, so does PBL, etc.
Heck, there's even a "convention" just for Sn3 modelers http://2017sn3symposium.com/. Look at the adds in the NG&SLG for two new Sn3 car kits. Yes, there still coming out with new stuff! Dead, heck no, less people working in the scale/guage - yes.
Yes, it IS a smaller community. If you look at most Sn3 modelers, they are doing great work, fine detail and are willing to spend the time building what they need. You can find it on the web and in the NG&SLG.
Is it harder to find stuff? Yes, it is a smaller community. However, you'll likely find a closer nit community. If its anything like the On2 community, you've got to be a part of it to even know who's making what stuff - a lot of time its not advertised in magazines and common model RR outlets. You gotta "know" - yes, that can be (is) frustrating.
So, I would say if you like the SP and Sn3, there's some good equipment out there (Railmaster and PBL) and some good kits. Check out Trevor Marshall's blogg for a small SP layout. Based on one town on the SP. Yes the PBL SP loco's are hard to find, so I would suggest a Railmaster Kit. I bet you could even find a pro out there who would build it for you.
Sn3 -It depends on what you like and what you are willing to do. If you want R-t-R stuff, its likely not the beast choice. If you want to have your local buddies over and share equipment, well that might be very difficult. However, if you like building kits and scratch building, don't need a huge inventory of equipment, like the size; then I would say it is a good choice.
Will PBL and Railmaster be gone in 5 years? I can't say. Will there still be Sn3 modelers out there? I think so, you just gotta find them - check out the yahoo groups, ask questions and start building.
Is it the right choice for you? Only you can answer that. I would suggest a list of pro's and cons and decide what you want to do.
Just my two cents............
Whatever you decide, I bet it will be fun.
If I listened to all the negative thoughts on On2, I wouldn't have built my On2 Module. Man, I'm having a BLAST! Hard to find equipment -yes, small community -yes, have to scratch build -yes, few kits -yes. Did I have to wait and search for a loco - yes, Is it fun - YES!
Cheers,
Brian
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