S Gauge Trains-4-u

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2008-09-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

TRAINS
are one of my great loves in life.

TRAINS: have been part of my life, since before I could walk.
TRAINS: I love to ride, work on, run, travel on, build, eat & sleep on, play with......no matter what size or scale.

TRAINS: I love toy and scale model trains of all kinds, love it all, the creative expression to the little details.

"S" ....What is it? What does it mean?
S-Gauge Toy and Scale Trains are one of my favorite ways of expressing my love of Trains.
"S" is a designation of relative size of a model, S is 1:64 PROPORTION and 3/16" Scale (real dimension) equals 1'-0" (model dimension).
"S" Gauge refers to the Gauge or distance between the inside top edge of the rails.
"S" Scale refers to the "Size" or proportion/scale of the item(s) being modeled.

For most S enthusiasts the term Gauge and Scale are often used interchangeably. For some the term "scale" denotes a strict adherence to scale proportions and details, the idea being: obtaining a model that is as close as possible to reality and prototype fidelity as one can achieve.

Photo (right) by author of Richard Karnes, Seatle, WA layout with truly amazing S "fine scale" trackwork, featuring lots of intertwined turnouts and crossovers , with cantenary electrification laced over tracks.

Photo (left) is of authors S layout industrial area with (modified) "American Flyer" track, switches and steam engine . The "newer" caboose is made by "American Models". Most of the background buildings are "kit-bashed" from HO kits and scratch built add-ons.

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S Scale My first scratch built freight car
An accurate model based on photos and measurements from the real flat car:
Moscow, Camden and St Augustine RR in east Texas

The truss-rod flat car was built based on actual measurements taken in E. Texas at the then Moscow, Camden & San Augustine RR. In addition there was a logging steam engine, a coach kept under a shed and other RR cars. There was no visible lettering on sides, ends of car, there was some faded white lettering on some of the brake equipment under the car.
The model was built from scaled basswood shapes and flat stock, representing beams, cross bearers, end sills and decking. The entire brake rigging was replicated using hand made clevises, swing arms and rods. The piping used brass wire of correct sizes and "Tomalco" Lost wax, pipe fittings, K valve, turnbuckles and nut and bolt castings were utilized. The Arch bar truck side frames were "Kemtron" On3 with scratch built S bolsters and "Kinsman" S standard gauge wheels.

The stake pockets were scratch built using brass strips cut and formed using a home made former, and handmade brass wire U-bolts secured the pockets in place. The ends of the car have the truss rod nut/bolt retainer plate and Coupler pin lift bar.

Under Construction---- Trying to get this experiment up and working Please be patient!

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S - Scale Structures

Buildings and other Railroad Structures
Built-up, Kits, Kit-Bashing and Scratch Built

Some examples:
L.H. Converted to S- Scale: HO Street lights by "Aristo-Craft" on HO Bridge, "Model Power" kit with extra styrene, "Plasti-Struct" shapes and "Atlas" Truss bridge sides used as vertical supports. Wiring for lights is run through "drain pipes".

R.H. Scratch built Elevator, Made from plastic drain pipe, styrene, card stock and misc. plastic shapes and strip stock. Pipes are cut in half length wise, top and bottom styrene sheet, elevator conveyor house is styrene sheet with hand made window frames using styrene strip stock. Silo assembly was hot glued together from back, other items assemble with plastic glue and supper glue. Finished with base coat of gray primer, scraped vertically and horizontally scribed for different concrete pours. Then misted with various shades of beiges and grays to simulate weathered concrete. Interior lighting, and red flashing warning lights on roof to be added. Note bottom RH where RR car can be moved into silo for unloading.

L.H. Kit Bashed Industrial Building with unloading/loading dock underneath. This S-Scale structure is made up of two HO "engine shed" kits, obtained at a train show a a very reasonable price, plus several other components from other HO kits. Cut apart and reassembled using a variety of splices, junk box parts, "Plasti-Struct" shapes and misc. HO pieces, plastic sprues and "coat hanger" piping. Remember: "never throw anything away, it will eventually find a use!" Weathered with various flat water based model paints and some artists colored pencils and markers.

R.H. This S-Scale industrial building is made up of mainly three different HO building kits, plus many parts, pieces and junk box finds from other kits including O and HO. Brick columns are made from HO chimney halves. The orange beam is an HO girder section. Pipes are sprues and misc. parts and pieces. Including valves made from dress snaps. Note: HO bricks often scale out to S-Scale as they are often oversized for HO. In addition there are many different style, sizes and color of brick, so anything you can find will probably have some "real" counter part.

An overall views of authors layout industrial area. On right is another
structure, partially scratch built using, 3/16" foam-core board, Plasti-Struct shapes (concrete beams and columns), styrene strips, and HO brick engine house wall panels cut to fit. Notice unfinished warehouse loading dock an door openings. All the buildings will eventually have interior and exterior lighting, as well as some lighting animation to indicate industrial processes.

This scratch built Warehouse on
authors layout is made from mostly scrap acrylic and plexi-glass. See page 11 for more in-depth views, details and explanations.

MORE TO COME!

Page 11

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S-Scale Cold Storage Warehouse.

A Scratch built building "flat" parallel to railroad yard tracks for a lineside business to load and unload railroad cars.

The Cold Storage Warehouse is mostly made from scrap pieces of plexiglass/acrylic window material of varying thicknesses that were obtained "free" from a local window/door business scrap bin. In addition commercial dimensional styrene strip and tubing stock of various sizes were used to construct window and door framing, roll-up door covers and some details.

The scrap flat plastic pieces were measured, laid out and cut to size by scribing cut lines many times and then snapping along scribed line. Pieces, edges and shapes were finished by scraping, sanding, filing and some detail shapes were "carved" using files.

Parts were glued into sub-assemblies and and these attached by gluing with tenax/plasti-weld etc. to the main body, a larger piece of 3/16" thick plastic. The roll-up door openings were cut out with careful saw work and finished with filing. A stack of thicker plastic strips were cut and glued to make the loading dock adjacent to tracks. The top piece of plastic (the loading dock and warehouse floor) was cut fit into roll-up door openings. Any gaps that are to wide can be filled with plastic compatible p

utty and the entire assembly should be sanded with a very fine sandpaper, finishing with strokes going in direction of beams and columns.All the window and door

Front and Back

frames as well as "roll-up" tubes are appropriately sized dimensional styrene, that was cut and fitted to surfaces and cut out openings. Then building and fire door windows were masked (very carefully and precisely - front and back) with tape (to prevent paint from covering).

Painted both sides of the entire warehouse with a plastic compatible gray primer, after a week to dry, other variations of grays and light beige's were misted over base primer coat to give a convincing "concrete" color and texture. Then all the trim was painted, and finally the corrugated metal doors were cut and fitted. The roll-up doors are HO metal corrugated tin (came in 4"x 12" size) mine are 'Suydam" an old HO manufacturer of kits, especially industrial buildings, also noted for their extensive "traction" supplies and rolling stock.

You can make a similar building and roll-up doors of any size you want. The opening size is determined by what would be going through opening (people, trucks, rr cars). BTW some plans have appeared in the model rr press showing how to make a working "roll-up" type door. It would pull straight up (flat) to simulate the action of a roll-up door.

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Improving S Helper Track Appearance - Weathering

Shown here are straight S Helper Service Sectional Track used to create a Grade (in Back) and curved sectional track connecting to custom made double crossing on Authors Layout. The crossing will accommodate "scale" and "Hi-Rail (AF) wheels, just as SHS track does.

Some ideas on a greater realism, modifying and customizing SHS Sectional Track and Flex-Track

Comparison of "weathered" SHS sectional track (top) and untouched SHS sectional track (bottom)

Below both sections joined showing various
degrees of weathering and improving
realism of SHS sectional track.

Removing rail by sliding rail out away from joiner, carefully so as not to damage "spikes" and tie strip. Top and bottom view

Tie strip from Flex and Sectional SHS track, painted and weathered

more coming and greater in-depth explanations and" how-to's" on S track also see links in adjacent column to SHS, AM, and Tom's etc for their track product lines, and helpful information.

Your contributions are welcomed!

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"Earning" MY First American Flyer Train Set

1. An ad in the Chicago Tribune
2. Sell over 24 subscriptions - win (hard earned) a train set!
3. Subscriptions for 1 year-verified sold door to door up and down 4 story walk-ups, took months of many stairs and many apartment bldgs.
4. Finally got the required verified subscriptions signed up.
5. Going downtown to the "Trib" to pick up my prize for selling subscriptions.
6. The "Trib" , elevator to the "top" the large floor of desks, impressions
7. The desk, the choice of prizes, the "reward" for all that work.
8. A brand new A.C. Gilbert American Flyer freight or passenger train set.
9. The choice: A large , heavy box, with a passenger train, a steam engine with choo-choo, smoke and whistle , 4 aluminum lighted passenger cars with silhouettes , track, and transformer.
10. Carrying that box...could barely get under arms, beaming pride, the trip home on the subway.
11. Home and reception

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Discovering American Flyer

Then the one that really caught my attention in that huge department store world filled with every toy and, of course trains ...it WAS the MOST realistic looking of everything there... puffing smoke, a chuff-chuff-chuff sound preceding each puff of smoke trailing from the smoke stack, the heavy rumbling sounds as trains passed in both directions, lighted passenger cars with people in the windows, carried towards unknown destinations, and the clickity-clack of the following cars trailing off as they hurried on down the track. And then...the beckoning wailing of a steam engine whistle blowing it's song, a familiar pattern. Oh and that wonderful scent of the smoke tickled my nostrils. What cinched it though was the realistic looking track, silver-gray with flat top, a real T rail profile and only two rails, not three like all the others! If that was not enough reality, the great looking 2-rail track was nestled in gray roadbed. I grabbed the sleeve of the nearest salesman, yanking it urgently like a bell Cord. Looking up exclaimed: " Wow that looks so real, its beautiful, and the two rail track its like a real railroad, what is this?" The Salesman, following the source of impatient yanking smiled, proudly I think, and said: "Young man, THAT is AMERICAN FLYER!"
American Flyer had me hook, line and sinker right then and there! It would be over another looong year before I would get my American Flyer set, they were not cheap and my parents could not afford to pamper the impulsive needs of a child who already had several Marx toy trains. But I had seen the Grail, tasted the sweet nectar of fantasies and dreams encouraged by "realistic" looking AC Gilbert American flyer "toy" trains.

Next installment: how I worked for my 1st. American Flyer train set......

Page #2

2008-09-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

My introduction to S-Gauge:

Chicago, mid fifties, winter... Excitement was in the air, it was cold and a pushy wind was prodding it's way down the lake. The invigorating smell of snow yet to come heightened my anticipation as I boarded the CTA at Wilson Street Station, after a ten block walk pushing into the weather.
A North Shore "Electroliner" stoped briefly on it's northward schedule to Evanston and Milwaukee. Boy it had a lounge/dinner, was I ever envious, wanted sooo much to look out the window, eating, hearing the clickity-clack of the rail beneath, increasing in staccato...accelerating away! Well I had another mission this day...on my way to the "Loop" to Marshall Fields and their great big Toy Department. It was a ritual for me this time of year...that is to visit and spend as much time as possible experiencing it, soaking the noise, toys, bright lights, the excited (like me) children running every which way, trying not to miss anything...and the grown-ups, a bit embarrassed that they were having a LOT of fun too!
The train arrived , squealing brakes, a whoosh of warm air laced with pungent aromas of searing brakes, oil and creosote....I inhaled deeply, it was good. Climbed hurriedly aboard the first car and just about ran to the front window seat, a sideways seat right across from the engineer's cab, a box about the size of a telephone booth. Now... I was on my journey... downtown, a pack of Wrigley's Doublemint, and I was all set.
I loved sitting there, as a conductor might or pretending to be the engineer, It was great, the track rushing towards us, on-coming trains, signals, stops at stations, all the noise and clattering over switches, flashes of blue-white light as contact was made or broken with the electrified outside third rail, and then... those roller coaster type turns, sometimes it seemed like I was hanging in mid-air, and the exquisite screeching of the wheels and rail against each other, neither wishing to relinquish, both complaining loudly.
Suddenly we headed downwards into a black abyss, a deafening roar of the subway overwhelms the senses, wheels complaining through a curve, lights and signals flashing by so fast as to seem almost a continuous band, lights approaching, a station stop, accelerating, ear-splitting noise, and dive under the river to come up and into Downtown - the "Loop". Alert now, anticipating my stop, bound out the door, up the stairs-three at a time, out into crisp winter and the canyons of tall buildings, the lake, the turquoise blue-green of the river, and many of the stores holiday window shows with animation.
There it was, the huge street clocks standing sentinel, and the grand edifice of Marshall Fields... almost unbearable, all the slow moving coats and package carriers clogging my way to get to the source of my longing, impatient youth struggling to push through crowds, being rude, have to get there fast, I might not have enough time, or worse, miss something. What a grand glittering palace, I entered, dash to the elevator, the operator calling out floors, sounding like station stops on a railroad, I was just about to pop. Then as if magically transported to another dimension..."Toy department!" was hailed aloud, as the hand crank turned artfully by the operator brought us exactly to a stop, a slight bobbing up and down, and then as the doors were nudged away...there in front of me...oh my! oh my! oh my! ...were the lights, colors, sounds, smells ...there in front of me... paradise!
At that moment, everything made sense, everything was perfect I was the happiest kid in the world! Traversed the "windy city" by myself, overcame weather, crowds, subways, more crowds and my little fears of being "on my own" to prevail and find, in front of me a dream come true. A bit proud,and smug and rubber legged from the shear excitement of it all, the Toy Department of Marshall Fields drew me into the amazing maze of all kinds of toys, kids and grown-ups. My heart was about to jump right out, the mesmerizing sounds of train whistles, bells and clattering of rushing train cars of all kinds and sizes drew me like the "Pied Pipers" flute ever closer ever deeper into the cavern of toys.
Closer and closer the lights, the movement of dashing about trains and frantic accessories, The green landscapes, mountains, tunnels, streets with buildings and cars and even miniature people came into view. Bigger trains and littler trains and in-between trains - three rails, 2 rails and even a monorail, from the USA and Germany and elsewhere...Woweee! Marx, Lionel, Maerklin.

Continued on Page #3

Page 10 - Views and info on my last layout

2008-09-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

The layout is located in a spare bedroom, approximate size of room is 12 x 14 feet, The layout is a"shelf" design running around the walls of this room. The windows and doors represent a challenge in that they have to be "bridged" to allow the trains to run all the way around.

Vertically the layout room consists of, from floor up: table, workbench, desk, storage shelving up to approx. 30" height. Next would be a clearance of between 18-24" for access, storage and head clearance when sitting at desk/workbench. Then the Layout "shelf " at generally 46" +/-height. There are some track grade and elevation changes of a few inches for visual separation and interest on layout

The terrain features vary from flat, coastal, industrial, to mountainous. The backdrop space is 2'-0" high. Above this is a Light box with lighting to simulate day to night conditions utilizing white, red/orange and blue lights on dimmers. The light box runs around the room following contours of the layout for the most part. The top of the light box serves as a light mounting and containment platform (underside) and a display and storage shelf (top side).

To the right a "daytime" scene of the industrial area. To left: A night time scene of the industrial area, using blue lights in light box only
There are, for the most part, no sharp right angles or corners on layout front or light box face to serve as a visually smooth"guide" around the layout, creating a sense of flow and continuity that make the layout appear as much larger visually. The track plan also tries to avoid a rectilinear/parallel appearance, utilizing curves and straight track that does not parallel walls where practical.

Use of mirrors to give illusion of a continuing railroad beyond wall.

Careful placement and attention to angles, using the old "eyeballing" method helps align mirror to track. The mirrors are held in place with some dabs from a hot-glue gun. The mirrors need to be cleaned to make the effect perfect, but do help to show the "surface" and location of mirrors. The effect is surprising and startling and fun for those who's curiosity compels them to look into the tunnel.

Below are cropped views of the backdrops I painted along the "Mountain Division" in full moon light (left and right) and in the center, a dusk view of Mount Mc Adams in the distance.

Left: backdrop view in moon light. Center: view of Oregon mountains at dusk. Right: wider view of the Pacific North West on a full moon night. All photos and backdrop painting by author. Painted on primed 1/8" Masonite board, 2'-0" high, 8' long strips. seams were carefully covered with a flexible spackling, sanded and primed several times to achieve a seamless surface.
The bottom of photo's also show "nearer" backdrop "cutouts" applied in several spaced layers of high quality artists matt board, primed and painted to enhance a 3-D effect and illusion of distance. The matt board can be easily manipulated and cut to represent contours and trees in the distance.................Details of "cut -outs" will be shown explained and added in near future..............

*****MORE TO COME*****

Page #1

2008-09-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Early beginnings of a budding train nut

Well, this all got started in some previous life experience working on the railroad somewhere in time, I get goose bumps hearing the distinctive style of the engineer's (me?) hand on the whistle cord pulling out a melody of long and short whaaaaiiling whistles, using skill and art to bend the notes through the night, echoing off hillsides and sent adrift by gentle winds, heard miles away...you knew the train was on time, and who the engineer was.
So, there on the floor, barely able to walk I sit. Drooling at a sight in front of me: a white floor, and rising from it, a cone of bright colored lights winding up and up... and... a whizzing, clanging, clattering noise, that came and went... and came again, as it rounded the lights. Hypnotised by the movement and sounds of a mechanical contraption never seen before... it was silver and red, ran around at a dizzying speed, flashing by... pulling eyes, head and the rest of me after it. Woweee..I was excited, and boyo boyo was it FUN. I was hopping up and down in my seated position. Then the miracle slowed ever more till it stoped. A long silver thing with holes, bent around and following two metalic ribbons on the floor, it stood silent. Dad bent down and twisted some thing on the side of that silver train many times, and.....HOLY COW!...it started to zoom around the colored lights again and again and again clanging and ringing a bell.... ding...ding...ding...ding...ding as it clattered, clickety clack around!
This turned out to be my first train at a very young age and it was a wind-up O gauge toy train, probably made by Marx. It was the Holidays and the train was set up on the floor over some white cloth and a tree was at the center. That was a loooong time ago in the late 1940's.

A few years later, it was winter in Bloomington, Indiana ... and as I day-dreamed looking out an evening window, watching lazy big snow flakes falling silently... muffling the sounds and quieting all ... the big day was quickly approaching. There was an electric tingle of anticipation in the air, my parents had been oddly furtive and had been kind of getting me curious as to what was going on ... it sure was not their regular activity, they seemed a bit giddy and nervously happy...what were they doing? I had been put to bed, and admonished to go to sleep, the door was closed and ... I layed their wide awake.
An endless time went by ... climbed out of bed and went to the window wondering about the wide cold world outside ... slowly eyelids began to drift down, just about there, asleep. THEN, something startled me and brought me back to consciousness ... muffeled sounds of a softly ringing bell, then there was a kind of subdued metallic dragging, and I thought I heard ... was I dreaming?... a hushed distant whistling sound and more faint metallic rustling and again soft ding..ding...dings.
That was it! I had to find out what the heck that was ... snuck to the bedroom door, opened it very quietly and entered the darkened hallway... down at the end ... a light was beconing from under a closed door. The sounds were more distinct, and mom and dad could be heard softly whispering and laughing. OK that was all I could handle, just had to know what was going on behind the door at the end of the hall. I crawled as quietly as I could, with great fear and sure sense of dread should I be discovered ... the noise of my heart banging away in my chest must have been as loud as the now louder sounds of action ... made it to the door... pressed the side of my face hard into the floor, spying into the light under the door, to see what all the commotion was about, (would regret this later the next day). My eyes adjusted as I squinted, one eye closed to see...........
OH MY Gosh, gee whizz, woooowee, there were flashing lights and moving gates and ringing bells, lighted houses, tracks with a crossing and switches and the metallic rushing sound of a steam engine and train cars racing around the track with smoke trailing behind, and then the best ... a whistle blew... my cheeks flushed, thought I was going to black out, my heart stopped ... I was so shocked, so happy, so surprised, so excited ......... and soooo stupid!
It was just about the neatest thing my parents ever did for me, taking weeks of secrecy and effort, and their loving toil into the wee hours, and there on a plywood board on the floor, decorated to the 9's, was THE greatest present and surprise I could ever have imagined. A train set , with action accessories, scenery, lights, a mountain with tunnel, streets and of course a steam engine smoking away as it clattered around the layout.
I ruined it with my curiosity, spoiled their joy at a wonderful surprise, and kind of wound up very disappointed in myself. I slinked off back down the hall, and very, very quietly slithered into bed, having closed the door behind me noiselessly. I could not sleep ... how was I ever going to be able to act surprised enough, on that great day of expectations?

This was my first electric train set, and what a beautiful, loving and generous thing my parents did for me...it was grrrrreat! It is one of my fondest memories I have of my younger years and my parents ... all was well in the world and I felt loved and secure.
This electric train set was a Marx O gauge three-rail set, a steam engine that smoked, and beautifully lithographed metal gondola, boxcar, tank car and caboose, along with a 90 degree crossing and two crossing switches, making a figure eight with one side connected with the switches, there was a red flashing road signal with bell, a Girard station with whistle, a crossing gate that went up and down. And then the things my parents made like the mountain with tunnel, streets, houses with lights and grass. I wish I had photos...but all those material things have dissipated over time...the memories remain.

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