Yes, the longer (modern) freight cars and locomotives will come, but the S community - hi-rail, AF, scale will have to evolve as to their layout designs, bumping up minimum radius curves, and the use of more gradual turnouts. HO went through this transition years ago. Remember when all the HOers started with 15 and 18" radius curves, and 22" radius was considered large. Brass steam locomotives, full length passenger cars, longer freight cars eventually forced HO folks to graduate to wider curves, # 6 and #8 turnouts, linear layout designs and so on in order to accomodate this greater variety of equipment.
Now, in S we will go through this same transition. Even many of the die-hard AF purists are struggling with these decisions now that the Big Boy is on the table. Most HO modelers long ago gave up the sacred 4' x 8' plywood tabletop layout for more creative designs - around-the wall, mushroom, etc. If you insist on tabletop - what's wrong with a ping-pong table (5' x 9')? Or, how about three 4' x 8' tables set to make an 8' x 12' layout. The best space utilization if you desire wider radii is going around the walls for S. And many S gaugers (scalers, hi-railers) still seem fearful of flex track - I don't know why, but it's a fact. Flex track is the great equalizer in makeing your curves whatever you desire, and you can get it in code 172 (Gargraves and American S), code 148 (AM), Code 131 (SHS), Code 100 (Tomalco, Shinohara), Code 83 (Tomalco) and Code 70 (Tomalco and ??). Bigger No. 6 and 8 turnouts can be obtained in codes 172, 148, 131 from Tom's turnouts and in the smaller codes from Shinohara and Tomalco. So we need to change the mindsets if longer cars and locos are desired. Jeff Madden ________________________________ >> > Hi John, It might take some effort but it could happen. It took a > long time for Lionel guys to accept MTH, K-line and AtlasO but they > eventually decided that the new well made stuff was worth breaking > ranks for. The scale sized 3 rail O gauge equipment is designed to run > on 36 inch radius so the S scale stuff would have to run on an > equivalent flyer sized curve, maybe 24 inch radius? What does SHS > recommend for their cars with big flanges? > I'm sure atlasO has already made their profit on the modern cars, > they've sold tons of them over the years and they are still coming out > with new ones. > I think the flyer guys would buy some of this new stuff once they > saw how nice it is? Do they really want to buy the same old stuff over > and over till they die? I don't mind any compromises if they produce a > scale sized body I can change the trucks and couplers a lot easier > than building the whole car from scratch or going without! Probably > half of my O scale stuff started as 3 rail and has been converted to 2 > rail, so flyer to scale seems pretty easy to me. Even N scale stuff > comes with big flanges and talgo couplers and has to be converted, > it's just part of modeling!!...dave > > > _________________________________________________________________ Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star power. http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_jan 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: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[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/
