Hi Raleigh --
I won't dispute the story of how S came to be S gauge, but I will take issue
with the distinction of scale vs. gauge.
Theoretically, all AF, Flyonel, brass, plastic wood and other material
rolling stock and structures are all made to a Scale of 1/64 (3/16"per foot)
in order to be called S (gauge or scale). The gauge is the distance
between the rails, and there are many S gauges: standard 4' 8-1/2", narrow
2', narrow 3', narrow 3.5', etc. I think that if the subject were
revisited by the NMRA, S gauge would be changed to S scale, but I will agree
that either one is sufficient to indicate the size of the trains.
I think most of us can distinguish between something that is "scale correct"
in all aspects or not. Although it is my one man battle, I have been using
the term Scale S to denote models and railroads that fall into the "scale
correct" area. P64 (to me) is actually a refinement of "scale correctness"
that uses real wheel profiles and real gauges (flangeways and the like) with
no compromises. NWSL has some wheelsets that are true P64, which look
great but have shown me that they don't perform in a model environment (our
curves are too sharp, and our suspensions are too stiff). You can say that
I am being too persnickety about all this, but making the distinction
between scale S and S gauge is the difference between RRM and AF. Both are
good, but they are NOT the same.
Gale's point is well taken, btw.
I hope I have not tread on too many toes!
Have fun!
Bill Winans
Prescott Valley, AZ
The correct designation for 3/16ths scale modeling is S Gauge, not S
Scale. It was so named at the 1943 NMRA convention where a committee
headed by 'Tex' Guess with members Louis Hertz, Willis Stewart and
Rolllin Lobaugh, and others I can't recall, designated the names for
the various scales.
To most S Gaugers the term is adequate and acceptable, but there is a
certain faction that do not like it and go to great ends to make the
distinction. But in the long run, calling S Gauge 'S Scale' doesn't
make the hobby less enjoyable. Anyway, that's how I sees it...
Raleigh in cold Maine
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