Bob Keller
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Ogaugeoverlord wrote:S gauge already has two high-quality manufacturers - American Models and S helper Service, so you might not want to wait ...
It is Good to see CTT mention S gauge in a positive light :^)
there just never seems to be enough flyer articles maybe because us S gaugers do not submit the material as there are quite a few good layouts and collections out there. I have an american models Pacific and really enjoy it a lot. New blood in the market is allways good. Atlas is planning on two steamers in O so why not MTH in S it may bring a new set of modelers into the world of S.
This comes from a diehard, dedicated, lifelong S gauge and major A.C. Gilbert American Flyer devotee -- collector AND operator.
I see S as "The gauge that just wouldn't die." Somehow, thanks to others who share my passion, the gauge/scale continued to survive despite any major manufacturers issuing any new products. Heck, the last decent Flyer came out of the factory in 1959 and 1960. And even though Lionel resusitated the brand starting in 1979 with four "reissue" cars to test the waters, there really wasn't any serious effort to do products that would entice beginners to start in S. For so many years to follow, Lionel only punched out reissues of known-successes (Gilbert products), targeting the collectors market rather than beginners. Lionel also didn't do itself any favors between 1979 through the mid-1990s when it failed to produce some promised products, while others came out months and years later than advertised.
Once Lionel started to reissue American Flyer sets in the early 1980s, they didn't include track or transformers so beginners had to look to other gauges. To run these sets when they first came out, the only option was to find someplace to buy used American Flyer track because no one was making affordable, quick-setup S track. That inconvenient necessity pushed beginners to other scales.
In the mid-1980s, American Models and later S-Helper Service started making original products geared toward the S operator. Their issues were much more detailed ("scale") than the original Gilbert Flyer and were marketed more toward Baby Boomers and not kids. Frankly, even the starter sets were too fragile (and expensive) to give to a 5-year-old for Christmas.
Through all this, Mike Wolf waited in the wings letting American Models, S-Helper Service, Lionel and a bunch of small-but-very-dedicated cottage manufacturers build S gauge up to a respectably representative scale. As evidence, the recent Fall S Fest in Chicago drew the largest crowd -- conventioneers, vendors, manufacturers and general public -- in history to an S gauge convention.
So S is still healthy and on the verge of another growth spurt. Until this MTH survey, Mike wouldn't have anything to do with S save for issuing a few knockoff accessories that can swing between S and O. That MTH is showing an interest in pure S trains is a back-handed compliment, and further evidence of S health.
Now that S is looking viable, Mike is looking to jump in to reap the rewards after letting else take the risks? Thanks, but no thanks. I'll continue to support American Models, Lionel, SHS and the other manufacturers who cared about S when things were thin, and not opportunistic band-wagon jumpers. Another was Maury Klein, who took a bunch of ancient Marx O-27 tooling and made a number of "S gauge" rolling stock -- the only thing that was authentic S was the trucks.Finally, the idea of sending out a "scale" survey like that in MTH's 3-rail-oriented catalogs is a waste of time and money. I'm in S, I know a lot of guys who are in S, and none of us have ever bought anything from MTH. So how could potential customers like us even be on his mailing list to get that survey? Silly.
PZ
WARNING Humor Follows! Do NOT take seriously! MTH fans with high blood pressure of other ailments might wish to STOP reading here!
Get into S Gauge BEFORE Mikey "invents" it and sues American Models, S Helper Service, and Lionel for infringing on his territory.
palallin wrote: Ogaugeoverlord wrote:S gauge already has two high-quality manufacturers - American Models and S helper Service, so you might not want to wait ... WARNING Humor Follows! Do NOT take seriously! MTH fans with high blood pressure of other ailments might wish to STOP reading here! Get into S Gauge BEFORE Mikey "invents" it and sues American Models, S Helper Service, and Lionel for infringing on his territory.
That is more serious than you think.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
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