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Back2Basics
PART 17– S-SCALE
By Desmond Browne
Introduction
S-scale is 1/64” = 12” proportion. For standard gauge, track width between rails is nominally 7/8”, but actual NMRA S3 standard for G minimum is 0.883”, max .905”. Mainly attractive due to its greater “heft” compared with smaller scales and greater ease of use of space compared with larger scales, large enough to be able to more easily able to achieve fine details, yet small enough to fit medium spaces. Consider that the increase of Gauge between HO and S, is HO x 1.36 but the volume is cubed i.e. HO x 2.5 For standard gauge prototypes, there are several manufacturers of RTR Locos and Cars and Track. Kits and small parts for scratch- builders are also available. The range available is smaller than for other scales, especially for steam outline Locos and for that, there has been much work to convert On30 locos and other rolling stock to S-scale as the heft of the narrow gauge On30 prototypes are similar to S-scale main line prototypes. Interestingly, 16,5mm track is quite close to Sn36! Prices for S models are not much higher than for similar quality HO. Quality of detail will vary with price. For Narrow gauge prototypes, there are only brass RTR but kits and parts for scratch building are available.
It is acknowledged that this “imperial” 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 1920’s for more modest and practical physical sizes other than the early No1, No2 etc scales. The first was No 0 scale (1/4” to 1 foot in America) but Half O (soon known as HO and 00) and Half 1 (3/16” to 1 foot), initially called H1 also emerged. At a meeting of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) in 1937, it was decided to call H1 “S” scale, supposedly because S appears in “one in Sixty forth” and three/Sixteenth The NMRA was formed 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” standards still exists.
At that time, “Chicago American Flyer” (CAF) was making S- scale models to allow their products to look more accurate and be more competitive than Lionel, while amazingly running on the same 3 rail O gauge track! Lionel, already dominating the Model Train Market, started, with CAF, to use metal die cast techniques, rather than painted tinplate, improving the weight of, especially, engines, thus achieving more reliable running and 3-dimensional details “moulded in”. Nearly all these trains used AC motors with a ratchet type of reversing mechanism. Mr A. C. Gilbert, the maker of “Erector”, a competitor of “Meccano”, and other toys, procured CAF to get into the Model Train market, renaming the range “American Flyer” (AF). World War II intervened and the Gilbert plants converted to armament production.
After the war, the AF products emerged running on “realistic” 2 rail S gauge Hi-Rail tin plate track still with AC power. Gilbert’s reasoning was to make users stay with his brand. He now offered near scale trains with reasonable quality metal die cast locomotives at competitive prices, which with 19” radius tinplate track would fit in more modest spaces than O gauge with 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 now 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 in popularity. However, after the death of A. C. 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 to get.
The National Association of S Gaugers (NASG) was formed in 1960 to promote both Hi Rail and Scale modelling. S- gauge came to refer to AF (i.e. Hi Rail) standards while S- scale tends to mean adherence to the former NMRA S standard, now also adopted by the NASG. In 1980 Ron Bashista founded American Models (AM) to manufacture S scale products to provide a new source for S-trains. Models were closer to scale than AF but also offered scale wheels.
The S scale Model Railway Society caters mainly to British scratch builders and offers various parts.
Narrow Gauge is, of course, an important part of S-scale. However, there is no convenient ready-to-run rolling stock except the lovely brass models. A good range of kits and parts are available some of which are listed later.
Photo 1. A corner of Nigel Bowyer’s S-scale layout. The MTH F3A is operating on Tomalco well ballasted track.
December 2019 - ROUNDHOUSE 15