O.K. lets start thinking outside the box, first there was great big lionel stuff a long time ago, then along came something called HO, then someone decided they needed something smaller = n gauge. then someone decided they need something bigger and put it outside = G gauge, and thats it folks. So why not a new gauge 1/2 way between O and HO? and a set of standards that manufacturers must adhere to, and something that normal income people may afford. I’m finding the smaller (HO) is getting harder to not only to see but work on also(I’m no longer 26) Along with this new gauge must be a new coupler system that actually works and uncouples automatically and is actually included with the car you buy, sound feasible? remember, we are thinking progressivley here, isn’t this what free enterprise is all about? who thought a few years back that they would be running big fat trains around their garden??
S gauge has been around already for a long time. 1/64th scale, between HO (1/87) and O scale (1/48).
There are at least two magazines out there for the scale.
Bob Boudreau
S scale. For vehicles just use hot wheels (1/64th).
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
And don’t forget TT, halfway between HO and N. Just about every size you can dream up has been done already at one time or another.
Hmmmm, American Flyer, A.C. Gilbert, S gauge, now it all comes back, I remember now one kid had a set and because it wasn’t lionel everyone laughed at him, come to think of it, it was a really good scale, I guess senility is setting in, I just went to 'American Flyer" on the 'net and read the story of S gauge,very interesting. So all you ace gauge guys got me straightened out eh? well, back to the HO logging stuff, good responses, thanks.
Yeah what they said. But lest we forget Sn3, Sn30, Sn15…and on and on.
This site http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html is the best one for showing what’s available in S scale. It also has links to the manufacturers as well as individual modelers’ sites.
Kadee couplers are available, though not usually included. NMRA and NASG have recently come together on standards (NMRA had the older standards). NASG sells a standards gauge http://www.nasg.org/ Prices are in line with the better quality HO - a little higher to reflect the bigger size. But there are no economy lines like Athearn, Accurail, MDC, etc.
Exactly why I’m in S scale. The size is a delight to work in.
Enjoy
Paul
It sort of sounds like S gauge is the forgotten gauge of MR, I was unaware of the rising popularity of this gauge and the availability of equipment out there, it is the fastest growing gauge now, so who is going in this direction? old timers with $1.5 million worth of HO equipment? or brand newcomers to the hobby? and what drives them to S scale? If they continue with good standardized equipment, good selection of engines,cars, etc. superb quality, I can see a trend toward this scale, I will continue to follow this trend. keep more information coming to this forum, please.
About the TT scale, is there much stuff out for it?
And have u guys seen the TY ( like 1/2 of n )
about the TY, (sorry i hit the wrong key) i think it’s 1/2 of z, anyway the whole layout fits in your hand
‘S’ has a very loyal following, and the ‘new’ stuff is very nice. As usual, there is a very limited selection. Is it growing? - Sure, but ‘N’ has got to be the big ‘number 2’ in scale model railroading. Both ‘S’ and ‘O’ have made comebacks in the past 10 years, but a lot of the ‘thunder’ has been taken by ‘G’ scale stuff. The current ‘rage’ is On30 due to the Bachmann support. I have not seen the number as of late, but I thing it sort of shakes out like this:
HO - 70%
N - 20%
Everything Else - 10%
N has been the big grower since the late 80’s due to excellent engines with great running qualities, and has taken ‘market share’. That said, HO is still the ‘dominant’ scale. Another decision maker is what do the other local model railroaders have for scale in your area, and what scales do the LHS’s offer? I was in HO since the late 60’s, and then started playing with N in the late 80’s. I never really got out of HO, and am now firmly back in HO as it has more ‘parts’ so I can scratch build. Also, I moved to an ‘outstate’ area and just about everyone is in HO.
Jim
You can check it out at www.ttscale.com, look in the “products” section. There’s not a lot, it’s coming as a trickle but soon we’re hoping to have a better diesel power truck than is currently available- and maybe some diesel shells to go with it! Lionel made an F3 and a GP7 that power kits are available for, but more current diesels aren’t available- yet. For steam locomotives you can find some of the originals from HP Products or Kemtron, or modify some of the many European models to more closely match American power. TT is the only scale that originated in the United States, but it’s more popular in Europe- go figure!
And nothing is RTR! Everything is a kit, and not like an Athern Blue box. You need a little skill and patience, but it will make you into a real modeler.
TT is caught in a Catch 22, it wouldn’t take much for an N scale manufacturer to turn out a TT scale locomotive, but they claim there’s not a big enough market for it. But most guys that look at TT like the size but don’t get into it because there isn’t enough available?
Gotta win that Powerball and start production!
The people that I know who have switched are narrow gauge people. An Sn3 box car is about the same size of a standard HO 40’. For a while there was even a bunch of Sn3 equipment made to run on HO track.
They switched because HOn3 is just to tiny to get the kind of detail that they wanted.
In my case, I found HO too small. I had been in the scale for about 4 years and built 2 small layouts. So I switched to O, but that was too big. I started an O scale layout but it was dificult to get much of a layout in a small space. I realized that S scale is the happy medium and by 1990 there was enough commercial support to make it viable. And I have been in the scale ever since. Currently, I have an 11x18ft layout. However a large chunk of basement space has become available and I plan to start a new layout this winter.
Enjoy
Paul
so which do you peoples think is better, HO or N ??
- and why ???
areibel, that tt stuff isn’t well detailed, looks like stuff from the 80’s. anyone got a link to that TY stuff? Danny
There is more out there in TT scale than most folks realize.
You just have to know where to go to get it. Kinda like a treasure hunt!.
Try TT Scale Model Railroads at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TTSMR
You might be surprised !
Don
TTSMR
TT aint gonna take off in your lifetime or mine (i am 13). i am almost certain of that. i would like to go into it, but without any real market i don’t want to be left with trains that no one knows about.
The TY isn’t powered stuff. The track itself moves, and the locos and cars just ride along on it. Last time I saw it, it was VERY expensive, about $400 for a 4x4 layout (that’s 4 inches, not feet) It is kind of cool, just not very practical.
Greg