N Scale Collecting Miniaturizes Rail History

Collectors of model railroading have been plugging away for over a century in the Americas. Compiling a collection 100 years ago was much more difficult and time consuming than it is today and not nearly as much fun. N-Scale as an official gauge/scale made its first appearance in the early 1960s though similar sizes date back to 1927.

Worldwide, N-Scale has a large following of devotees. Its popularity is second only to HO scale's. In Japan, where space in homes is more limited, N scale is the most popular scale, and HO scale is considered large. Not all modelers select N because they have small spaces, some use N scale in order to build more complex or more visually expansive models.

So what makes an N Scale item collectible?

You can find someone somewhere who collects almost anything. Even broken engines and crashed railroad cars have their devotees.

When it comes to N-Scale you will find a collector for almost anything whether it is anything Union Pacific to a collection of 40-foot boxcars. From just cabooses (or is it cabeese?) to everything logging oriented.

But somewhere there needs to be a means of recording the values of collections.

The N Scale Collector Society is an organization that took on this challenge of determining exactly what constitutes an N Scale Collectible.

"From the very beginning, Wick Brandon (our founder) looked at ways of defining what it is that we collect. In essence, the major issue was how does one establish the “original-ness” of an object that is not sealed from the factory."

The organization displays its definition as: Collector Quality Car appears to be new, complete with all of the correct packaging, with no evidence of having been altered and no evidence of wear from running on a layout. Price tag is intact and correct for the car. Box is in good condition and appropriate for the release date. Labeling is appropriate for the original release. All parts are correct for car. Couplers, trucks, and axles are correct for the original release.

There is no way to determine that something has been opened or not. The real situation is with 95% of the N Scale products ever released there is no way to tell. In fact, we N Scale Collector does not advocate telling people that there is a “cost” for opening up their trains and looking at them, as members relish enjoying their trains.

The group's standards relegate that to be included in the "New" categories, the item's original box needs to be included, even the price tag. Failing to meet that requirement, the items are classified as used.

It makes shopping from home quick and easy. You not only can pick from a variety of sellers but you will get your order delivered to your door.