S Gauge help

[Anonymous]

Will power packs for HO work on S locos?
and what about using HO scenery for S, will it look bad?[:(]

[Anonymous]

re: Ho power packs working w/ S locos - depends on whether your S (I assume American Flyer) loco is an older AC model or later (mid/late 50s? -someone help me here) DC model , and how much output your HO power pack puts out & what the amperage draw your S loco has. You need to determine first whether your loco is AC or DC, and then I suggest you locate an appropriate American Flyer 'transformer' as most of the tinplate industry called them back then. If you have a local hobby shop with at least one employee with gray around their temples, as a min, I'd suggest you consult with them. You may want to also pose same question on "Toy Trains" Forum for they cater more to this aspect of model trains. Re" your second question, will HO 'scenery' look bad?' - rivers, mountains and trees scale up or down but I assume you mean structures, etc. the answer is YES, they will look bad, unless you want to depict buildings set in the distance to imply more depth of field, but I don't think that is what you meant. This is an unsollicitated opinion, but you may want to rethink starting out in S scale if this is your first exposure to and involvement in model railroading. S scale isn't for everyone and there are far less bits and pieces available, and what is available oftens costs far more than HO or N scale. Also, you'll need to decide whether to stay with American Flyer tinplate S gauge or go into the more prototypically correct scale S gauge. It's virtually impossible to intermix both unless you change out wheels, trucks, etc. Again talk with your local hobby shop before you go further.

[IRONROOSTER]

HO power packs can work with S scale if your S scale is DC. As noted above AF is AC. Newer manufacturers like American models makes both versions. DC versions are usually scale with scale wheels and operate on scale track. Smaller trainset HO power packs may not have juice for running older S models. Check your current rating on the power pack. I use MRC power packs with no problem, but I do get the ones with higher amp output - 2 amps should handle anything and 1 amp the newer stuff.


Scenery like trees will work fine since trees and other foliage come in all sizes, rocks also. Buildings are another matter. There are quite a few kits out for S scale. But some people use larger HO buildings and replace the doors with S scale doors (Grandt Line makes some). Other folks take smaller O scale buildings and again replace the doors. Using HO buildings set back a little from the track can look fine as forced perspective and if you don't put them right next to S scale buildings. But with so much available in S scale now there is no need to. The website http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html is excellent for seeing what is available in S. Since many hobby stores don't carry S, you may have to mail / internet order.

I disagree that S scale is not for everyone, it certainly is. While it may not have the product range, it does have quite a bit - as the site above will show you. Cost is deceptive. What S does not have is the low cost / low quality lines that HO has - there is no Athearn equivalent (I'm not knocking Athearn here, I liked them myself when I was in HO, but it is what it is) . But comparing like to like, Kadee RTR boxcars cost $25-$29 in HO and S Helper cost $39 in S. Highend HO rolling stock kits are $23 and up - S are $29 and up. Considering that S scale is 1/3 bigger in each dimension, this seems reasonable and not that much higher. S scale's big advantage over HO is that the bigger pieces make it a more delightful scale to work in. Also, it doesn't suffer from the electrical pickup problems of HO. While each scale has advantages and disadvantages, there is no reason not to consider S along with G, O, HO, N, and Z when starting out.

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Paul- You made several good points. Wher I was coming from was: someone starting out that may have only a fleeting interest in model railroading, limited space (we never have enough no matter what scale we model) and/or limited funds (never enough no matter how much), may take a more cautious leap with an inexpensive but reliable Athearn HO engine and a few cars, plus a few inexpensive swap meet structures and Atlas code 100 ns track. I use Athearn as but an example because they have been around for years and most likely were some of the first HO train stuff that serious modelers didn't regret buying and may still have. Not every *** use Kadee's freight cars, Broadway engines and the like because they can't afford to, don't see a need to, and are quite satisfied w/ what most of us used to be consider pretty darn good. I admit that the stuff we have available today is incredible in accuracy and operation; it is also expensive, as I found out having rejoined the hobby after an absence of 10 years. I am slowly replacing much of my older stuff but I've been a modeler for years and have a reasonable handle on what I want and what I need. I agree with you that S scale has some advantages over HO and you illustrated them-the heft of an S scale engine speaks for itself. I was just attempting to provide JCtrain 'some food for thought' relative to scale vs tinplate, and to consider just how far off the deep end he was prepared to go. FYI, I seriously considered Sn3 awhile back-now that's an idea-start out in HO, decide you like model railroading, and convert some of the HO to Sn3. By the was I had an American Flyer 4-8-4 Northern that was DC, not AC like my 4-4-2 which was later converted to DC, and if I remember correctly it had 'DC' marking on the cab - been along time and its even later. Goodnite