Being new to the scale, and having limited space in my home for a layout, I find myself in the exact situation we are all talking about. First, the car issue. Smaller is relative. Like John stated earlier, 57' reefers and 60' boxcars are a common sight on most shortlines across the country today. However, 30 years ago, there was a good mix of both 40, 50 and 60 foot cars. The farther back in time we go, the shorter the cars get. Now there are always exceptions to the rule. The Brillion and Forest Jct. railroad ran between it's two namesake cities. Forest Jct. was an interchange point with the Milwaukee Road. From there the railroad ran 5 miles to the east to Brillion. There the Ariens company made snowblowers and lawnmowers and loaded them into 40 and 45' trailers and then loading these onto 89's piggyback flats. Now that's just one example. I'm sure that there are plenty of others.
Now with that being said, my layout is only going to be about 18" wide and will run around three walls of my workshop. A total linear run of 30' Now I plan on running 54' covered hoppers, 50' boxcars and longer LPG tanks. Power will be a lone GP9. Now this is "perfect" for me at this time. Scale is exactly that. Scale. If space is a problem, and shorter cars are desired, then just model an earlier era. the 50's and 60's perhaps. If space is still a problem and you want longer cars then perhaps the 70's and beyond may be a bit more to your liking. However, the main issue isn't car length or space or anything like that. It's the fact that S Scale needs to catch up with the rest of the model railroad industry. This scale more than any of the others is divided in ways that are holding the scale back. I understand the Flyer guys. And I understand the narrow gauge guys as well. However the standard guys need to come together and start to come to terms with which direction the scale needs to go. I know easier said than done. I hear a lot of reasons why things wont work, from both modelers and manufacturers. So I don't think that "getting modern", is a problem that's related to space, but availability of product. So let's start moving forward and get S Scale up to speed with the rest of the scales. Michael Ostertag Green Bay, WI [email protected] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
