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Model Railroad History Articles

40 Years Ago

Brief highlights of what happened in S-scale in the 1960s.

45 Years of S Gaugian Readers' Achievements

Personal layout stories by Chip Essex, John DiNapoli, and commentary by Bill Fraley, John Hodges.

45 Years of S Gaugian Readers' Achievements

Layout descriptions by Bob Kiehl and Jim Roberts.

50 Golden Years with S Scale

The authors cover the history of the first 50 years of S-scale, what is available now (1987), and the formation of the N.A.S.G. Includes a sidebar by Don DeWitt about S-scale modular groups and standards. Includes photos by Bob Werre of layouts by members of the Houston S Gaugers club.

50th Anniversary NASG Timeline

A detailed timeline of significant events over the 50 years of the NASG.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to 45 Years

Funny and interesting tidbits in the S Gaugian magazine's 45-year history.

A Quick History of S Gauge

The author describes some of the major dates relevant to S-scale modeling's history.

Blame It All on WWII

How A.C. Gilbert dealt with materials shortages and change-of-focus during WWII, and the author theorizes how WWII led to the eventual demise of A.C. Gilbert.

Boxcar Ken

O scale catalog.

Canadian Double O

This article covers the development of OO scale in Canada, and what can be done these days to model in that scale.

Development of 7/8" Gauge

7/8", the original distance between the rails of an S-scale piece of track, has its roots in other gauges. The author covers model railroading history in general, starting with "live steam" engines from the 1850's. 7/8"-gauge was half of No.1 gauge's 1-3/4" rail spacing.

Ground Foam: Realistic Scenery Made Easy

Ground foam rubber was introduced in the 1975 by Woodland Scenics.

In the Beginning was Rivet Scale

The author describes the first ever models produced in 1:64 scale. Includes photos of some of the surviving older models.

Interview With Dick Karnes NASG Founding Member

Dick Karnes, who was there at the meeting that eventually led to the formation of the NASG, provides background information.

Jeff's Junction

The author compares S-scale's evolution to that of HO-scale, to see where S is in its growth compare to HO (and O).

Measure the Time

Don reflects on 45 years of being an S-scale publisher.

Mid-century Prototypes part III

Early diesel models.

My S Scale Journey

The author shares how he got started in S. He concludes with his thoughts on the current state of S. The article includes a scan of the two-page ads that Model Railroader magazine used to carry showcasing S.

Names for 7/8" Gauges

How "S" got its name.

NMRA Standards Down Through the Years

The author provides a brief overview of how the NMRA's standard for S-scale was different from the NASG's standard (which was more prototypically accurate).

Origins of the Engineers Cap

How the engineers cap got created.

President's Message

The NASG's annual Bernie Thomas award is explained, and the author describes why Bernie's name was chosen for the award.

Remembering the Gilbert Company

Two photos of the AC Gilbert's facilities accompany this brief one-page article where the author describes where the corporation stands (as of 1982) and what remains of the original company.

S Roots

This article covers the history of Cleveland Model & Supply.

S Roots

The author covers the locomotives produced by Nord in the late 1940s. Includes photos and several Nord drawings.

Scale Scene

The author revisits old S-scale products that might be available on auction web sites, but their quality is dubious, and they may require quite a bit of work to get them to run properly on today's layouts.

Scale Scene

The author, having been an S-scale modeler for 50 years at the time, reflects back how he got started in the scale and how the scale has grown to where one can easily model in it now.

Souvenirs and Memories

This article describes what the author and his model railroad friends remember of the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. The article accompanied by photos from his and his friends' layouts depicting the area. The scenes are very detailed and realistic.

The Beginnings and Growth of HO Scale

The first ad showing an HO-scale freight train.

The History of the NASG

One of the founders of the NASG provides early details of how the organization formed.

The People of S Gauge

Photos with captions of some of the better-known people in S-scale, such as Jack Sudimak, Dan Olson, Russ Mobley, Claud Wade, Robert Miller, Don Heimberger, and Bob Blois.

The Straight & Narrow

This article chronicles the history of U.S. narrow-gauge prototype railroading.

Through the Decades

This installment covers the S-scale events from 1978 through 1983.

Through the Decades

This installment covers the S-scale events from 1983 through 1989.

TT Anyone?

Describes the now-commercially dead truly American scale.

TT Scale: The All-American Export

The scale died down in the U.S. during the late 1950s, but in Western Europe and Communist Bloc countries it seemed to thrive much longer.

What Can We Learn From Other Scales

Comparing S to, and learning from, O-scale. The article also describes the end of the S Gaugian magazine.

With My Best Wishes, A.C. Gilbert

The author's father was a distributor for A.C. Gilbert. When A.C. wrote his autobiography, he sent a copy of it to all of his distributor. After many years, the author's re-interest in American Flyer sparked a search for his father's book. When he finally got it, it appears to have been autographed by A.C.