I realize I'm getting in on the tail end of this discussion, but I would like to encourage everyone to share their opinions, good and bad, about the RMC "S" insert with Bill Schaumburg, the editor of RMC. It does little good for us to express our opinions to each other. We "S" gaugers do WAY too much of that. We need to share them with the person/people who can influence if or when they'll be another similar piece, and what it might contain. For what it's worth, I am strongly in the camp of 'this was a huge opportunity missed'. One big thing missing in my mind were photos of what can being done in S today, photos of layouts built in our favorite scale showcasing the fine equipment currently available. Including only photos a single small, toy-like diorama which appears to have been built for the insert is not going to inspire the average RMC reader (a pretty mature bunch of modelers) to switch to "S". As soon as I finish this, I'm going to drop a note to Bill. I hope you all will do the same. If we don't, the next "S" piece might look just like this one. By the way, does anyone know the author, George Riley? I couldn't find his name in the NASG directory. Brooks Stover
--- In [email protected], "paul.tenney" <paul.tenney@...> wrote: > > While I hesitate to the discussion, I think there are a few points that have > been missed about the 2 articles included in this S Scale Primer. > > But first I think the idea a good one and it does have several S advertisers > displayed on its pages. The articles do provide a nice overview of S - > although the second one intersperses the Toy Train, Hi Rail, and S scale in > ways that are not always very clear. > > The deficiencies are four. > > 1. There is no resource list at the end, of manufacturers and web sites. > > 2. S Trax is presented as suitable for a scale layout. It is not. While > the 24" radius curves and straights work fine with scale wheels, the 19" > radius curves are too sharp. Only the #3 turnouts are available and these > are curved 19" radius turnouts which are too sharp for a scale layout. The > #5's have been TBA forever (this is a shame because an S Trax layout with > closed frog #5's and 24" curves would probably be able to mix AF and scale > wheels). > > 3. No mention is made of Shinohara or Tomalco track which are suitable for a > scale layout. Be nice to mention FastTracks also. > > 4. By far the worst deficiency are the statements that S is only a third > larger than HO and an S layout can be built in an area slightly larger than > an HO layout. If these were true, there would be no point in moving from HO > to S. Models are 3 dimensional objects and the models are 2.51 times the > size of HO. A layout's size is 2 dimensional, so a layout in S is 1.85 times > the size of the same layout in HO. The joy of S scale is that you get models > 2 and half times the size of HO on a layout slightly less than twice the size > of HO. That is the reason I switched to S from HO. > > Paul Tenney > ------------------------------------ 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/
