Although I speak as an interested spectator rather than an active participant
at the time, that is not quite how I remember it. True, SOME modelers were
using HO track and mechanisms with S scale superstructures. Swede Norlin
intended his castings and kits to be used for real Sn3 (wheelsets were true
Sn3, although one could use HO wheelsets with just his truck sideframes if one
wanted), and he imported the first run of C-16's in BOTH Sn3 and Sn3 1/2. I've
seen the figures but cannot recall them now, although my vague recollection was
that about two-thirds were Sn3 and the other third for those who might not want
to have to lay their own track and would want the convenience of all the
commercially-available HO components.
Jace Kahn
General Manager
Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co.
> It's fun to remember that Sn3 actually began as S narrow gauge running on HO
> track. The New Mexico NG Club had an extensive layout running this gauge in
> the 1970's with lots of nice scratch-built rolling stock, including a work
> train and San Juan train set. The earliest Tomalco 2-8-0's were all gauged
> to HO track. The "Cascade" car kit line was designed to be used for HO
> trucks before Bill Peter bought it. We made do with cardboard & wood based
> structure kits from Mini-Structures. There were lots of articles in the S
> Gaugian on how to convert HO cars to S ng. Don even wrote a soft cover book
> on it.
>
> Then we rivet counters took over and look where Sn3 (and more recently scale
> S) is. Some things do improve with age.
>
> As already mentioned, the folks down under in New Zealand run their S scale
> models of the NZR on HO track to approximate their 42" Cape Gauge prototypes.
> South African modelers of the SAR started out the same way but have now
> pretty much universally migrated to HO scale models running on HOn3 trackage.
> Too bad, as I wanted one of the GMA/M Garrets they were going to offer in S.
> I did get a 19D in S, at least.
>
> Bob Hogan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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