The S Scale SIG
S Scale Track Products
Standard Gauge
S Scale Track Products - Standard Gauge
By Dick Karnes
The trackage situation for S scale standard gauge is nowhere near as robust as in HO. That said, there is a spectrum of trackage products that should provide what you're looking for.
S scale has correct proportions, unlike a few other scales. The standard-gauge track gauge (.833") is actually a scale 4'-8 1/2". Wheelsets having the correct thicknesses (.088") are commercially available. All measurements are English, wherein 1/64 inch is equal to a scale inch. I purchased a dial caliper at my local hardware store that reads directly in integral 64ths of an inch; i.e., actual S scale inches.
I'll go through ready-to-run, then kits, and end with construction ideas for the trackwork nut. There are three primary sources of assembled standard-gauge track and turnouts for the S scale modeler: Tomalco Track, Shinohara (available only from "S"cenery Unlimited), and S-Helper Service (SHS). By "assembled," I mean a turnout's rail components are firmly affixed to a tie bed, properly gauged, ready to drop in place on your layout.
"Ready-To-Run"
S-Helper Service
S-Helper Service (SHS) makes meter-length heavy mainline flextrack in nominal code 125 (actually .131 inches) per Pennsylvania Railroad specs (152-pound rail, eight actual inches high.) (The reason for the extra .006 inches arises from the tolerance allowed by the SHS specification to the Chinese manufacturer, who chose the maximum.) However, SHS makes no turnouts or crossings that specifically mate with this track.
Fig. 1. S Helper Service (SHS) makes No. 3 turnouts that come on raised plastic roadbed with simulated ballast. Note the absence of guardrails, functionally not needed because of the novel frog design. The illustrated turnout is electrically operated, but can also be manually thrown by means of a small lever embedded in the ballast bevel.
SHS' only turnout is a No. 3, made with the same .131-inch rail size. However, it comes mounted on a molded plastic ballast base. As such, it is not the same height as SHS's flextrack, which has no ballast base, unless you lay your flextrack on roadbed that matches the turnout's ballast base thickness. The turnout will match perfectly with SHS's sectional track. Some scale modelers used SHS sectional track and turnouts. In order to offer one turnout design that will accommodate both hirail and scale wheelsets, SHS's turnouts have a frog point that moves according to the direction for which the switch is thrown, thus providing a continuous railhead through the frog. These turnouts do not have guardrails, and they are not needed because of the frog design. They can be purchased for manual operation or already motorized, accompanied by wired control boxes. No other vendor offers a motorized S scale turnout.
Fig. 2. The electrically-isolated SHS turnout frog has a point that moves according to the route selected when the turnout is thrown. This design ensures a continuous railhead through the frog, making guardrails unnecessary. The design permits all S wheelsets to pass through the turnout irrespective of whether or not they conform to NMRA standards.
SHS's matching sectional track comes in straight sections of several lengths, plus 20-inch, 25-inch, and 30-inch radii.
(SHS is in the process of moving production tooling to a new facility in China. Check before ordering; in April 2012, SHS was temporarily out of track products.)
Railway Engineering
Railway Engineering does not offer flextrack. However, they do offer ready-to-lay flextrack-compatible turnouts. Railway Engineering's turnouts are covered below under the "kits" category, but for an extra fee, Railway Engineering will complete the turnouts for you. These have some PC-board ties to which the rails are soldered, thus assuring proper gauge. The rest of the ties are wood, already attached to the rails.
Tomalco Track
Tomalco Track offers flextrack (manufactured for them by Micro Engineering) and a wide variety of turnouts and crossings in code 100, code 83, and code 70 rail sizes, with either weathered or unweathered rail. Tomalco's flextrack tie bed features eight-foot ties with integral scale-size spikes and tie plates. It can be glued or spiked in place. Pilot holes need to be drilled into the ties in order to use spikes because the tie strip's plastic cannot be penetrated by spike points.
Fig. 3. This standard e-sheet from Tomalco's website speaks for itself. Tomalco turnouts come attached to laser-cut wood tie beds with thermal-sensitive glue. Once installed, they should be spiked in place, checked for gauge as you go, and adjusted with a warm soldering gun as necessary.
Tomalco makes its own crossings and turnouts. These are constructed of rail affixed to laser-cut wood tie beds with a thermoplastic cement, and they mate properly with Tomalco's flextrack. Because of the cement, Tomalco turnouts are often a tad out of gauge, and if they're not, they soon will be. They must all be checked. They can be restored to gauge by heating the railhead and moving it laterally so as to conform to the NMRA/NASG track gage. Once the rails cool, the turnout should be spiked down to prevent future glue creep. In this sense, one might suggest that Tomalco turnouts be placed in the "Kits" section.
In addition to their catalogued turnouts and crossings, Tomalco will make any custom turnout and/or crossing configuration. Tomalco will also provide their turnouts "DCC-friendly" for the asking. These have insulated throwbars, closure rails grounded to their adjacent stock rails, and gaps in the closure rails adjacent to the frog.
Shinohara
Shinohara flextrack, which is all code 100, has eight-foot ties with highly-visible molded wood grain, molded-in tie plates, and somewhat oversized spike heads. The modeler therefore has a choice of the less fragile rail-to-tiestrip bond of Shinohara versus the more scale-appearing Tomalco flex. Shinohara's tie strip plastic is soft enough to allow spiking to your roadbed without the need to drill pilot holes.
Shinohara turnouts are available in No. 6 and No. 8 sizes. Both are nominally consistent with the NMRA track gauge and flangeway standards. Additionally, the No. 8 matches NMRA dimensions, while the No. 6 is about an inch and a half too short. The No. 6 has a true No. 6 frog, but the curvature between points and frog approximates that of a No. 4-1/2. Over time, the gauge of the Shinohara turnouts through the points will tend to narrow. This is because there is no lateral restraint of the stock rails in this vicinity.
Fig. 4. Shown are the somewhat controversial Shinohara No. 6 turnouts. While the frog is a true No. 6, the length of the turnout is somewhat foreshortened, making the curved radius closer to that of a No. 4-1/2. Because of this property, these turnouts are particularly well suited to freight yards, where their shorter length can provide more car capacity.
Also, the No. 8 turnout's curved stock rail is curved adjacent to the points; it should be straight. For certain long-wheelbase trucks with metal wheels (like an Alco PA diesel), the backside of a wheel tends to complete a short circuit by rubbing against the backside of an open point.
Fig. 5. Shinohara No. 8 turnouts, shown here, conform in all respects to NMRA length and gauge standards. Note, however, that the divergent stock rail is curved adjacent to the points. This portion of the divergent stock rail may have to be straightened in order to accommodate some long-wheelbase locomotives without shorting.
Both of these situations can be rectified by slightly kinking the curved stock rail about a sixteenth of an inch ahead of the tip of the point. Then, while using a finger to hold the rail straight adjacent to the point, apply a small drop of thin fast-setting cyanoacrylate glue ("super glue") to the outside of the rail base on two or three ties. Once the glue seeps under the rail base and bonds it to the tie strip, you can remove your finger.
Recommendations
In conclusion, S scale doesn't have the variety of ready-to-run trackage products enjoyed by those in N, HO, and O. However, there is enough available to build a complete layout. In addition to the products mentioned herein, S also enjoys the availability of Fast Tracks turnout-construction jigs, which make it easy to build reliable turnouts on your own.
Generally, the Railway Engineering turnouts should be the most trouble-free right out of the box. For small steam locos, four-wheel-truck diesels, and freight cars, the SHS and Shinohara products will give you little or no trouble. If you want to run passenger cars, diesels with three-axle trucks, and/or large steam locomotives, choose flextrack from Shinohara and/or Tomalco, and use Shinohara turnouts, preferably No. 8, if you don't want to spike the rails. Even then you may have to do some tweaking as stated above. And if you're not afraid of adjusting, regauging, and spiking, Tomalco turnouts may appeal to you. As of this writing (April 2012), there are no flextrack-compatible motorized turnouts in S, so you will have to provide a separate mechanism to throw your switchpoints. Common alternatives include Tortoises, Blue Points, Caboose Hobbies ground throws, and many other options, just as in HO and O.
"Kits"
Railway Engineering
Railway Engineering offers ready-to-lay turnouts in codes 70, 83, and 100 rail. Sizes offered are No. 6, No. 8, wye, curved No. 8 and No. 12, plus No. 6 and wye stub turnouts. These turnouts come soldered to PC (printed-circuit-board) ties in key places so as to maintain gauge. Wood ties to fill in the rest of the tie spaces can be obtained for an extra charge. There is also a "DCC-friendly" option similar to that offered by Tomalco.
BK Enterprises
There are other alternatives; I'll call them "kits." One such source is BK Enterprises, which offers its turnouts in code 125, code 100, and code 83. Sizes offered are Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12, plus curved turnouts, wyes, three-way turnouts, stub turnouts, and double-slip switches. Crossings are available in several angles: 19, 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees.
All of BK's turnouts are top-strapped (brass "keepers" soldered across the railheads) to approximate gauge. It's up to the modeler to spike the turnout or crossing in place to proper gauge, then unsolder the straps, then clean any excess solder off the railheads. You need to have glued, sanded, and stained your turnout ties before installing these turnouts.
BK also offers turnout kits (the complete turnout, but no straps); barer-bones point/closure-rails/frog assemblies, and frogs only.
"Scratch-Built"
Fast Tracks
Fast Tracks doesn't make turnouts, flextrack or crossings. But they do make jigs for these things. Their kits include a milled aluminum jig that holds your rail in place for soldering PC ties to the rail bases, point-filing jig, wood and PC ties, solder, rail for various turnout sizes and crossing angles, and instructions. Also available are flexible jigs for placing and spacing wood ties. The jigs are also available separately.
Fig. 5. Fast Tracks makes jigs, not turnouts. Shown is a typical jig, which comes with an instructional CD, tie templates, and a handful of PC-board ties. The modeler cuts rail segments to fit in the jig, railhead down (into the slots), then places the PC ties in the jig slots and solders them in place onto the rail bases.
Fast Tracks manufactures jigs for several sizes of turnouts, crossings, and three-way turnouts. Not all sizes are available all the time, so it's best to check before ordering. Each jig provides for assembly of both a left and a right turnout, and the jigs will last pretty much forever.
The jigs are pricey, but still, they will pay for themselves once you've constructed just four turnouts.