A/F 2014

Hi All:

I truly feel your pain. I really do.

There were many factors in my decision to return to HO, one of the prominent ones being "time".  

Like many of you have voiced, starting from scratch in S scale (like I did about 6 years ago) it slowly dawned on me that I simply didn't have enough time to slowly acquire appropriate items that became available on the used market, and for sure didn't have enough time to wait for the mfg'ers to bring new product to the turbulent S scale niche.  When I entered S scale, I had what I thought were attainable goals.

I wanted to have a reasonable chance at having a functional layout with adequate equipment on the rails to accomplish my goal of a functioning and equipped layout in a couple years or so. That was 6 years ago, and I still didn't have enough stuff, or available product, to reach that goal, to say nothing of the dismal situation for switches in "scale" S.

So, I caved in and about two weeks ago, returned to HO, and started selling my S scale.  In that short time I have amassed the following "new in box" products:

* RTR SLSF VO1000 #214 (to be sent off for DCC/Sound.) Price: $80

* RTR SLSF VO1000 #224 (to be sent off for DCC/Sound.) Price: $80

* RTR SLSF SW7 #301 Factory installed QSI DCC/Sound. Price: $149

* RTR SLSF SW7 #303 Factory installed QSI DCC/Sound. Price: $99

* Purchased an RTR Chicago Great Western S-12 with DCC/Sound installed, has separate wire grabs, runs fabulous, sounds great, and was almost half as much as purchasing the equivalent in S scale IF there was an equivalent.

* Purchased a RTR DCC/Sound equipped Alco S-4 in ATSF Zebra. Price: $104

* Purchased several switches from two manufactures for evaluation, and have decided to go with Peco Electrofrog code 83 switches. Truly plop n' play switches. (This is SORELY missing from "scale" S.)

* As soon as the sampler order of Peco code 83 flex track arrives, I'll be able to make a decision as to which brand of flex track to go with.  Peco products are in stock and readily available.

Once I make a decision on flex track, I will immediately purchase enough to almost do the entire layout.

What I'm saying is that my time factor wasn't working well with S scale, you can see from the results of my move to HO, and how that it much better fills my unique set of circumstances.

I truly hope for the very best for S scale.  It is indeed the perfect size.  Just wish all the baggage that goes along with it could be addressed quickly.  However, that will  not be the case, I'm afraid.

Much as I hate to admit it, Andre.  Baggage in S is one thing not in short supply.

Still keepin' the light on.

Rusty

The thing is, the product description isn't always accurate either.  There's a lot of "cut and paste" that goes on in the catalog.  There's a whole thread on the 3-rail side pointing out errors and goofs.

The only way to truly know if the car is an "all new boxcar body" or recycled O27 is to wait and see when the car physically manifests itself.

BTW, I don't suppose anyone's noticed how the C&O passenger sets have changed, illustration-wise...

Rusty

Would you truly plan on paying list price for them anywhere, if you buy them???

That is not the point. S gauge modelers/operators can be divided into three classes: those who want to be as prototypical as possible, those who like to run their trains just as they are, and those half-way between the other two who use prototypical couplers and high-rail wheels. The cylindrical hoppers do not function for almost all of these customers without extra work or expense (the expense is an extra 31% to avoid mentioning dollar figures). Scalers must remove the wheels and re-gauge them, then throw out the couplers (or the entire truck/wheelset if they want prototypical appearance). American Flyer enthusiasts have to pay the extra 31% and have extra couplers, trucks, and wheels they can't use. They pay a 31% premium for an already expensive car just to get it to work--assuming that a dealer will discount parts as much as the stocking unit. High-railers also have to pay the 31% or more and end up with four couplers they won't use and an extra set of trucks they won't use. However, they too can just dump the original wheelset and install American Models trucks and Kadee couplers.

The simplest solution is to offer these cars and the mechanical reefers with high-rail wheels so that they work out of the box for most people. That problem is solved. For scalers and anyone who insists on prototypical height, offer a redesigned truck with a lower bolster and replaceable scale wheels aligned to the NMRA standard. Skip the coupler to keep costs down. Scalers replace the original wheelsets and put on their own couplers. High-railers either replace only the couplers or, if they insist on prototypical height, buy the scale wheelsets and swap out the scale wheels for the original wheels. More people will be satisfied with the cars as they are; those who want more accuracy will end up paying and throwing away less.

Lest anyone wonder, based on reading some of the entries, exactly what kind of a layout someone CAN build in S, please look at these links from the NASG site

http://www.nasg.org/Scale/index.htm

http://www.nasg.org/AF/index.htm

Little Tommy