> I'll use Kadee no 5
Quite a few S guys use the so-called HO Kadee coupler which is a bit oversized
for HO. You are not alone.
> ASSEMBLED (why can't KD do that?) couplers.
Kadee does offer 'ASSEMBLED' No. 5 couplers. It is called the No. 3 coupler.
RTR in every sense of the word.
> Some things in S that frustrate me...
You are not alone here either. Ever try to get indications of interest for a
J-1 Hudson? Lemmee tell you that story sometime.....
> coupler issue,
No issue here. Many of us use the same couplers that the HO guys use. Others
use the KD#802 or SHS equivalent couplers. They all work with each other just
fine. No problems at all. Issue..?? What issue? Our coupler situation is
the same as in other scales.
> SHinohara switches,
Well, there is TOMALCO TRACK and also FAST TRACKS fixtures. While Shinohara
turnouts are not perfect, they can be made to work reasonably well with some
effort. I understand there is a fellow now who offers RTR turnouts made from
the FAST TRACKS fixtures. Those ought to be superb. TOMALCO TRACK makes
turnouts darn near RTR with isolated frogs to simplify wiring.
> now the 45 degree crossing I paid $50 for has to be cut apart in order to
> operate correctly.
Yes, gaps in track do need to be cut from time to time. Same thing is required
for turnouts in some cases. And crossovers between mainlines. This is all
part of modeling trackwork and building a layout. It is true that S does not
have RTR trackwork like ATLAS in HO with plastic frogs and integral motorized
turnouts. Cutting gaps is not hard once you have the correct tools for the job.
I would be willing to bet that TOMALCO TRACKS (Larry Morton) will sell you a
pre-gapped crossing upon request. He sells turnouts with pre-gapped isolated
frogs and gapping the crossing is not that much more work. Why not ask him?
> I'm really begining to wonder if I made a mistake switching scales?
Not sure I understand the problem here. Kadee has RTR couplers and Larry
Morton has RTR crossings. Am I missing something?
> And, the lack of any kind of ready built building...
Correct, S scale does not have RTR structures. But Plasticville can be
detailed, painted, weathered and used. Not hard to do at all. Then there is
the Heljan Brewery, Revell bakery, Walther's Cornerstone Series and other
easy-to-assemble mass-produced large HO plastic kits that can get you to your
goal with minimal effort. Serously, none of this is very hard.
> Look at Woodland Scenics,
Yes, I have. And I use a lot of their products on my layout. Even Chooch
makes great HO retaining walls and bridge piers useful in S scale.
> now doing finished stuff in O...
There are probably five times as many O guys as S guys. Every one of them has
a simplistic layout consisting of an oval of track that barely fits into a
bedroom or 2-car garage with no large structures except simulated flats on the
walls. An O scale passenger train with full length cars wraps around the
entire room. (Slight exaggeration, but not much.) Is this a reasonable
trade-off for the more complex and interesting track geometry possible in the
same space with S scale? We each have to make a series of compromises along
the way. That is what model railroad layout building is all about.
> Thanks for letting me vent...
Venting is part of being an S guy. You are not alone on the S planet. Every
problem has a solution. Sorry to be appearing so unsympathetic, but the
couplers and rail gaps are not major crisis issues.
I have the sense that you really would prefer everything you buy to be
ready-to-run. If that is truly the case, you might find S scale frustrating.
Of course,learning new skills and asking lots of questions will help greatly to
overcome the frustrations. Most all of us have done just that over the years.
Keep chugging and you will like the end result very much.
"S"incerely.....Ed L.
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