Product Code Database
S scale (or S gauge) is a model railroad scale modeled at , S scale track gauge (space between the rails) is . S gauge trains are manufactured in both DC and AC powered varieties. S gauge is not to be confused with toy train standard gauge, a large-scale standard for toy trains in the early part of the 20th century.
American Flyer was a manufacturer of standard-gauge and O-gauge "tinplate" trains, based in Chicago, Illinois. It never produced S-scale trains as an independent company. Chicago Flyer was purchased by A.C. Gilbert Company in the late 1930s. Gilbert began manufacturing S-scale trains around 1939 that ran on three-rail "O"-gauge track. This was known as -inch O gauge. Gilbert stopped producing trains during the Second World War. When the war ended, Gilbert began producing true S-scale S-gauge trains in 1946 under the American Flyer mark.
The term S scale was adopted by the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) in 1943 to represent that scale that was half of 1 gauge which was built to 1:32 scale. A.C. Gilbert's improvements in 1:64 modeling and promotions of S gauge largely shaped the world of 1:64 modeling today.
As early as 1948, an industrially produced narrow-gauge railway on tracks with a model gauge of 16.5 mm was available from the French company Allard. The vehicles in the scale of 1:60 to be assigned to today's Sm gauge run with direct current on commercially available H0-gauge centre-conductor tracks from the same manufacturer or from competitors, which also have a model gauge of 16.5 mm and centre conductor. The traction units, a steam locomotive and a rail bus (autorail), were also available with a clockwork drive.François Robein: 50 ans de trains miniatures H0 en France 1950 - 2000. LR Presse, chapter 4: Les productions françaises Antal, VB, PMP, Allard, TAB et les autres, page 80 ff.
S gauge entered what many consider its heyday in the 1950s (although there is more available in S scale today than was available during this period). However, during that period, Lionel outsold American Flyer nearly two-to-one. American Flyer's parent company went out of business and the brand was sold to a holding company that also owned Lionel in 1967.
Lionel re-introduced S-gauge trains and accessories under the American Flyer name in 1979. Another S manufacturer, American Models, entered the marketplace in 1981 and is now also one of the major S suppliers. S-Helper Service, another major S-gauge manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, track and other products, began operations in 1989 and delivered their first S products in 1990. In 2013, S-Helper Service was sold to MTH Electric Trains. And while the S-scale market has seen a number of brass model manufacturers, today the major brass model supplier in S scale and S gauge is River Raisin Models. Today's S-gauge and S-scale modelers have a greater selection and higher quality products, from a wide range of manufacturers, than at any time in the past. In addition to the basics of locomotives, rolling stock, and track, various manufacturers now offer S-scale structures, detail parts, figures, other scenic items, bridges, and more.
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