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{{Short description|Model railroad scale (1:64)}}
{{Infobox model rail scale
|name = S scale
|image_filename = Modelleisenbahn Spielzeugmuseum Nürnberg 02.jpg
|image_caption = German S scale model railroad
|widthpx  = 
|scale    = {{frac|3|16}} inch to 1 foot
|standard = 
|ratio    = 1:64
|gauge    = {{cvt|0.883|-|0.905|in}}
|prototype_gauge = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}
}}
'''S scale''' (or '''S gauge''') is a [[model railroad]] scale modeled at [[1:64 scale]], S scale track gauge (space between the rails) is {{cvt|0.883|-|0.905|in}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is S scale? |url=http://www.nasg.org/NewToS.php |publisher=National Association of S Gaugers |date=2017-09-23 |accessdate=2018-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=S-1.2 General Standard Scales |url=https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/S-1.2%202009.07.pdf |publisher=NMRA |date=July 2009 |accessdate=2018-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=S-3.2 Trackwork Standard Scales |url=https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/s-3.2_2010.05.08.pdf |publisher=NMRA |date=February 2010 |accessdate=2018-03-14}}</ref> S gauge trains are manufactured in both DC and AC powered varieties. S gauge is not to be confused with ''[[Standard Gauge (toy trains)|toy train standard gauge]]'', a large-scale standard for toy trains in the early part of the 20th century.

==History==
S scale is one of the oldest model railroading scales. The earliest known 1:64 scale train was constructed from [[card stock]] in 1896.<ref name="ukhistory">[http://www.s-scale.org.uk/history.htm S Scale MRS Standards: History]</ref> The first working models appeared in England in the early 20th century.<ref name="ukhistory"/> Modeling in S scale increased in the 1930s and 1940s when CD Models marketed {{frac|3|16}}-inch model trains.

[[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 Co. in the late 1930s. Gilbert began manufacturing S scale trains around 1939 that ran on three rail "O" gauge track. This was known as {{frac|3|16}}-inch O gauge. Gilbert stopped producing trains during WWII. 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 Railroading 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'' ran with direct current on commercially available H0 gauge centre conductor tracks from the same manufacturer or from competitors, which also has 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.<ref>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.</ref>

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 Corporation|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.

==Terminology==
The terms "scale" and "gauge" are often confused. Strictly speaking, ''scale'' is the ratio of the size of a model to that of its prototype and ''gauge'' is the distance between the track railheads.  In the case of S scale, the proportion is 1:64 or {{frac|3|16}} inch modeling 1 foot. Standard S gauge track has a spacing of {{cvt|0.883|-|0.905|in}}. Three-foot gauge in S scale (Sn3 gauge) is {{cvt|0.563|-|0.585|in}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-06-09 |title=S-3.2 Standard Scale Trackwork |url=https://www.nmra.org/s-32-standard-scale-trackwork |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=National Model Railroad Association |language=en}}</ref>

==Narrow gauge==
*[[Sn3½]] or Sn42 gauge - {{RailGauge|3ft6in}} gauge on {{RailGauge|16.5mm}} gauge track (the same as [[HO gauge]])
*[[Sn3½#Sm|Sm]] – 1&nbsp;m gauge on 16.5&nbsp;mm; Continental European.<ref name="NEM010">{{cite web
  |url=http://www.miba.de/morop/nem010_d.pdf
  |publisher=[[Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen|NEM]]
  |title=Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen Maßstäbe, Nenngrößen, Spurweiten
  | language=German
  |year=2011
  |accessdate=2014-05-15
}}</ref>
*[[Sn3]] - {{RailGauge|3ft}} gauge on {{RailGauge|14.3mm}} gauge track.
*[[Sn2 gauge]] - {{RailGauge|2ft}} gauge by the majority on {{RailGauge|10.5mm}},<ref>[https://sn2trains.com/faq-couplers-and-track-gauge/ Sn2 Trains, Standards], S-scale Two-foot gauge modeling railroading. Retrieved 22. November 2021</ref> the same as HOn3 gauge track, or {{RailGauge|9mm}}, the same as N gauge track)

==Associations==
The S scale SIG is an NMRA-affiliated special interest group dedicated to promoting and providing information on scale model railroading at 1:64. The National Association of S Gaugers serves as an organization to promote all forms of S gauge model railroading. The S Scale Model Railway Society also works to promote the scale in the UK.

==Notable layouts==
The largest S scale layout in the United States is the Cincinnati in Motion exhibit at the [[Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal]]. A large Sn3.5 or Sn42 scale layout of Swan View belongs to the Australian Model Railway Association in Bayswater, Western Australia

==See also==
* [[Rail transport modelling]]
* [[Rail transport modelling scales]]

==External links==
{{Commons category|S scale|S scale}}
* [http://nasg.org/ National Association of S Gaugers] (NASG)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Scale models}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:S scale}}
[[Category:Model railroad scales]]
[[Category:Scale model scales]]