Are there other model railroaders out there who model in “Scale,” S, that is, with correct profile rail, ties, and wheel flanges (No American Flyer or “Hi-rail”).
“Scale” S is one of the best scales out there, especially for modules, but also for home layouts, because of the natural nature of the scaling, the size of the equipment, the ubiquity of correct size rail for the scale (code 100, 83, & 70). I am grateful for American Flyer having established the basic scale, but with the movement in the past many years towards more accurate scaling, far more precision is needed than is provided by AF for one who is interested in more than “toy trains,” particiualarly for track and wheels.
The NASG (National Association of S Gaugers) is somewhat of a rallying point for “Scale” S gaugers, but because the majority of NASG members are interested in AF or “Hi-rail” S, the “scale” S focus is greatly diluted, and serves also to isolate “Scale” S gaugers somewhat from the rest of the model railroading community. Hence my participation in the NMRA. Drop me a line if you are a modeler in, or even interested in “Scale” S. prattjw@mail.manti.com
Most of the modelers who work in S scale, the ones that I know, do so in narrow gauge “Sn3”. I have seen one standard gauge S scale layout and that was in the Seattle area back in 2001.
I’m currently working on, albeit slowly, an Sn3 layout. I’ve got the track laid so far.
There’s a few ‘s’ scalers in north Idaho. They actually have a club composed of members living in a hundred mile radius of Spokane. Some guys are hirailers ,others totally scale and one like my freind here in Lewiston has both scale and hirail on his 14 by 27 ft layout.Another acquaintance from up around SandPoint is Jess Bennet ,who has had his layout in MR a couple times and has won awards for his scratchbuilt ‘s’ scale locomotives. He’s 93 yrs. old and not building locomotives now, but he’s still operating his layout and shows up at the local swap meeets.
NASG the “only S scalers out there”? Unfortunately yes (for the most part), which NASG seems to isolate us. THOUGH IT NEED NOT BE. I am therefore more active in the NMRA than the NASG (though still a member), as the NMRA and the NMRA Achievement Program seems more oriented towards scale than toy trains or Hi-rail. I also participate in NMRA shows and model contests. Well done “S” equipment at the contests really gets the eye of people, and so many have come up to me being apologetic for not doing S, as they really like it, but are tentative about launching into it. I am hoping through more non-isolationest participating in S Scale, that it will help it grow.
I have always liked s-scale. I got used to it using my father’s American Flyer stuff when I was a kid. It was all in pretty good shape until my brother got hold of it but thats another story.
Anyway, besides space which has me in n-scale right now, the main drawback for S-scale to me is the lack of off the shelf product. The rolling stock and locos are expensive and there are few kits. I am not much of a scratch builder, and S-scale really seems to require you to have very strong modeling skills.
I have always felt the S-Scale has had the best “look” to my eyes size-wise and hope that maybe someday, if my modeling skills, wallet, and available space all improve, I can visit it again.
I am currently building my second S scale standard gauge layout (benchwork started, tracklaying to begin shortly. This one is based on the Ma&Pa railroad. I will be using Shinohara code 100 track and plan to build my turnouts using FasTrack jigs. I use scale wheels and Kadee couplers. I also belong to both the NMRA and NASG.
While equipment selection is not as great as HO, there’s plenty of stuff available. Cost is comparable to higher quality HO, even more so when considering you’re getting a larger model. Only in steam is the selection poor and that is slowly improving - currently 2-8-0, 4-6-2, 4-6-4, 4-8-4 available non-brass RTR, also 0-6-0 and 2-8-0 available as kits, some others are available from time to time. See this site http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html for what’s available.
I have an S scale standard gauge 7 x 10 switching layout, set in northern Idaho in the autumn of 1939…and it is scale, not hi-rail or American Flyer. The track (including turnouts) is handlaid with Code 100 rail. Rolling stock consists of a Rex 0-6-0 and 18 cars…some kit-built, a couple scratchbuilt and some using American flyer car bodies.
The big difference in S, HOn3, HOn30, O, On3 and other minority scales/gauges where there is not a lot of plastic RTR is that rosters tend to be a lot smaller (more reasonable? [}:)]). When you build nearly everything from kits, it takes a lot more time to accumulate 10 locomotives and 40 cars.
That’s no longer true for S standard gauge. In fact it is hard to find kits for rolling stock and engines. But there is plenty of RTR. The two major manufacturers S Helper and American Models offer both scale and hi rail versions of their cars and locomotives all RTR. S Helper actually has theirs set up for hirail and includes the scale wheel sets and a spacer piece to use in place of the American Flyer compatible coupler (steam engines excepted - those are either scale or hirail).
With the two lines of scale flex track and turnouts, you don’t have to do any more model building in S than you do in HO.
My freind sure has no problem accumulating rolling stock. He probably has about 30 Locos and maybe 150 cars. Plus about thirty of those animated log loaders and gravel loaders and all that collectable stuff. Since he has only ten percent vision in one eye and none in the other, he doesn’t attempt scratchbuilding. But he has built all his own benchwork and laid his own track and done his own wiring. He’s actually pretty amazing at what he does. He also owns a ham license and knows alot about electronics. Hes also my goto guy in programming the digitax equipment.