Page 13 - November December 2014

American S-scale
Des Browne
It is acknowledged that 3/16" to the foot or 1:64 scale emerged in Britain with examples as early as the 19th century, but as a hobby scale it was developed in America during the search in the 1920s for more modest and practical physical sizes other than the early No 1, No 2 etc scales. The first was No O scale (1/4" to 1 foot in America) but Half No O (soon known as HO and OO) and Half No 1 (3/16" to 1 foot), initially called H1 also emerged. At a meeting of the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) in 1937 it was decided to call H1 “S” scale, supposedly because S appears in “one Sixty-fourth” and three- Sixteenth so it was easier to remember. The NMRA was formed in America during the late 1930s to develop common standards between manufacturers, so that customers could run any manufacturer’s product on another’s layout. This has largely worked for HO, though to a lesser extent with O and S, where a large divide between tinplate or “Hi Rail” and “Scale” stan- dards still exists.
At that time, one of the manufacturers concerned was “Chicago American Flyer” (CAF), who amazingly were making S scale models running on three-rail O gauge track! By this time Lionel in particular was already dominating the American model train
market. A lot of these trains were made from “tinplate”, familiar to us in the Hornby O scale range. However, CAF and Lionel were using metal diecast techniques to improve the weight of trains and especially engines, thus improving reliable running as well as having more three-dimensional details “moulded in”. Tinplate details are mostly part of the paint scheme. (Hornby Dublo trains were built using these same techniques.) CAF’s idea was to use S scale to make their products look more accurate and more economical than Lionel while running on the same track. Nearly all of these trains used AC motors with a ratchet type of reversing mechanism. Along came Mr AC Gilbert, the maker of “Erector”, a competitor of “Meccano”, and other toys, who bought CAF to get into the model train market, and called the range “American Flyer” (AF). World War II intervened and the AC Gilbert plants converted to armament production.
Gilbert, however, was planning for the return to peacetime conditions and after the war, the AF products emerged running on two-rail S-gauge tinplate track, still Hi Rail with AC power. His reasoning was to make a complete line, which would make users stay with his brand. He now offered near-scale trains with reasonable quality metal diecast locomotives at competitive prices, which with 20" radius tinplate track would fit in more modest homes than O scale, with their standard 36" radius curves. Lionel competed by reducing quality with their O27 range, 27" radius track with stunted-looking rolling stock. Most AF rolling stock was moulded in plastic, though some items, mostly operating cars and devices, were still made in tinplate. In a few years, Gilbert American Flyer became second only to Lionel. However, after the death of AC Gilbert, the company became insolvent and was bought by the owners of Lionel, who greatly reduced availability of AF products and for a decade, new mass-produced S scale products were difficult, if not impossible, to get.
The National Association of S Gaugers (NASG) was formed in 1960 to promote both Hi Rail and scale S-scale modelling. There were of course huge quantities of AF product still in circulation and some small one-man manufacturers of kits, both cars and buildings. In the early 1980s Mr Ron Bashista started “American Models”, a company making new products in diecast metal and plastic to a higher standard than AF, with a choice of AC and DC power and much better detail. This company has grown to offer a “ready-to-run” range larger and better than American Flyer ever was, with highly detailed track using code 148 rail, compatible with AF and NMRA wheel standards. Minor modifications to turnouts allow use with scale NMRA wheels. At least one highly-regarded modeller, Brooks Stover, keeps the AF wheels and only changes couplers to near-scale magnetic type. He uses AM track with very well-finished scenery and buildings to produce a layout arguably as good as any with scale wheels. It only falls short where there are photos including larger track formations. All AM products are available with
Illustration above from the catalogue of American Models (www.AmericanModels.com) and used with permission
Nigel Bowyer’s S Scale layout at Warley Photo: Des Browne
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