At one time a number of years (>8) back there was discussion and agreement between the NASG and the NMRA on "swapping" some S and Sn3 gauges so that both gauges were available from both parties. But in followup review the reality of the financials came into focus. If that was done, the NMRA would be charging more than the NASG did for the same gauge as it relates to the S standard gauge and thus modelers would be very frustrated with the NMRA if/when they discovered the S standard gauge could be purchased from the NASG for much less. And the NASG did not see much demand for the Sn3 gauge being purchased from the NASG, so in turn it would be stuck with inventory that did not sell via the NASG. So overall the financials really didn't work for either side, and the agreement in the end was that each organization would use its respective web sites to point modelers looking for one for the gauges to the other organization.
As they say the devil is in the details... Michael Sent from my iPad On Feb 19, 2013, at 8:47 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > > Hello Mike, > > I raised this same question a few years ago on the list after I purchased > an S scale track gauge but wondered why there didn't seem to be wide > acceptance or even knowledge of it in the model railroad community. > > As I recall, at that time the response was that the S scale track gauge > had to be administratively approved by the NMRA in order to be officially > recognized by NMRA. With that official recognition would presumably come > wider recognition (e.g., it would be included in pictures of and articles > about track gauges where now only O, HO and N appear and might be more > generally commercially available). > > I was also told that the NASG was responsible for taking and completing > the necessary action vis a vis the NMRA. As of that time, however, NASG had > apparently not completed the action. > > Since then, I've heard nothing on the subject. > > Paul Schilling > -----Original Message----- > From: Shur-Way <[email protected]> > To: S-Scale <[email protected]> > Sent: Mon, Feb 18, 2013 5:46 pm > Subject: {S-Scale List} Qestion about the NMRA & S scale > > I was wondering why the NMRA does not have track gages like it has for the > other popular scales in S? It was during the conversation at the end of the > operations session last night of a large HO layout needing 8 or more to > operate. Just a couple people knew me and the scale I model in. During this > conversation I mentioned to the HO guys in jest that if the kept watering and > feeding their trains vitamins they will grow up. The reason for the joke was > because we all were having problems reading the numbers on the car sides > during switching. > The conversation turned to what my scale was? “3/16ths”. Several asked if > they could come over and check out S. So it was very apparent that they we re > unfamiliar with our scale which lead me to thinking on the way home about the > NMRA (all these guys are members of), GAGES and promotion by that > organization in general for S. It seems that the NASG is in the game all by > itself. Is it because the NASG makes the track gages the NMRA doesn’t? I was > just thinking that may need to change. > Mike Swederska > > >
