Welcome to the NASG Web Site

The 2025 NASG Convention, to be held in Norwich, Connecticut in August, is now officially open for registration! We invite you to join other S enthusiasts to the "S Event of the Year", where we will have rail- and non-rail tours, vendors bringing their S wares, informative clinics, and contest models to show. Get inspired and enthused about modeling and about S! Bring your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, and your display or contest models. Spend time with old friends and make new ones. Make a vacation out of it! Visit a beautiful part of our country. You can find all of the details on our web site here, or click on the "Events" button.

copyright © Bill Lane; used by permission.

Bill Lane shows his current collection of SW1 switcher engines. General Motors, via their Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) started building SW diesel switchers in February of 1935. The company was later renamed to Electro-Motive Division (EMD). In 1938 they started producing the SW1. The main difference between the SW and SW1 was that the former used the Winton 201-A engine, while the SW1 was the start of EMD using their own 567 (600hp) engine. Later versions of the SW1 got the 567A engines. The "W" in the name came from the fact that these locomotives had welded frames (the earlier "SC" locomotives had one-piece cast frames). While EMD continued to produce the SW1 until November 1953, they actually didn't make any during WWII. This was because the U.S. government restricted (due to materials shortages) which companies could produce which types of engines. Alco was designated to continue to produce their switcher engines, and EMD was to produce only their road diesels. Over the years, EMD produced several SW models, concurrently. For example, the SW7 (1,200hp) was started in 1949, and the SW9 (1,200hp) was started in 1950. The SW1 was replaced in 1954 by the SW600. By that time "SW" simply stood for "Switcher" and the number indicated the horsepower. It used the 567C engine. Among the distinguishing features of the SW1 separating it from the other SWx engines, is that it had a sandbox up front and a "half" grill radiator (as opposed to a full-grill one), it had one stack (older SC ones had two stacks), and a short flat surface at the top of the engine just in front of the cab (as opposed to an immediately-sloping surface). These engines could be found performing yard switching as well as road switching duties. In S-scale, SW1 models were produced by Locomotive Workshop (~1970s; kit), Oriental Limited (1985; brass), and S-Helper Service (2000; ready-to-run plastic).

• All S-scale SW1 models ever produced
• Bill Lane's SW1 web page (more photos; modifications made; DCC)

copyright © Roger Nulton; used by permission.

A coal drag holds for scheduled freight #43 at Wallace Junction, IN where the Midland Coal Branch meets the main on the Monon Route. Roger Nulton photographed the action on his 29' x 62' layout. The Pacific locomotive and the coal hoppers are from American Models. The BL2 diesel locomotive was built from a resin kit made by B.T.S. The track is code 100 Tomalco Track with Shinohara and hand-laid turnouts. The coal chute, as the Monon called them, was built from a Lehigh Valley Models kit. This photo appears on the inside cover of the May 2025 issue of the Railroad Model Craftsman magazine as part of the NASG's promotional ad campaign.

• More photos of Roger's layout
• Share your photo in an upcoming NASG RMC ad!
• The May 2025 RMC (this issue also features a 10-page article by Trevor Marshall on how he built a William Flatt S-scale etched-brass locomotive)

copyright © Gaylord Gill; used by permission.

This scene represents the countryside of western New York State on Gaylord Gill's "Buffalo & Chautauqua" layout. The locomotive is a B&O E-27 2-8-0 by S-Helper Service. While the body is plastic, the details rival some of the brass imports. Track is Tomalco Track flextrack code 100 (now owned by Micro Engineering). The weathered barn (center-right) is a board-by-board kit from Finest Kind Models. The foreground barn is scratch-built. A Pringles® can forms the silo tower. The brick farmhouse on the right was kit-bashed from HO-scale modular components by DPM. The position of the red barn in the side of a hill, with access at two levels, was inspired by the farm Gaylord's grandfather had in the 1940s through the 1960s. This photo appeared in the April 2025 Model Railroader magazine issue in their Trackside Photos column. Contact NASG Central VP Brian Jackson (central_vp@nasg.org) about submitting your photo as a potential candidate for the Model Railroader Trackside Photos column, to help promote S-scale to other modelers.

• S-Helper Service 2-8-0
• Finest Kind Barn
• More photos of Gill's layout

copyright © Tom Lennon; used by permission.

Tom Lennon took this photo at the Twin Cities Division of the NMRA's "2025 Modelers Retreat", which happened in mid-March in Plymouth, Minnesota. It is a Railroad Protype (RPM) style meet. Set-up is Friday evening and the show happens all day Saturday. There were clinics held, and visitors could admire and ask questions about models shown by fellow modelers of all scales, including S. This year there was quite a turn-out of S modelers. Five of the seven tables shown in the foreground of this photo held models from S-scalers from Wisconsin and Minnesota. They brought new products, rebuilt older models, 3D-printed items, as well as scratchbuilt models.

copyright © Bill Lane; used by permission.

Just for fun, Bill Lane set up about 30 feet worth of engines on his layout so he could take this photo. There were a few more than that could fit in a single photo. All of these engines were in one 5-amp DCC district. While he stated that the DCC system managed to handle it, starting the system up with these engines all in the block did not work. This is likely due to the in-rush current that the decoders (especially if they have sound) and any "keep alive" circuits require when they are first turned on; they draw more current than what they need after everything has stabilized. It does show, however, that modern S-scale locomotives can be very efficient with regard to current draw.

• Bill's Layout
• Bill's Models
• Bill's Latest Video (a 6-diesel train)

copyright © John Degnan; used by permission.

John Degnan set up this display at the recent Central Georgia Railroad Prototype Meet (RPM) in Macon, Georgia. It is a simple, but very effective way to demonstrate S-scale. John used older models of cars and engines, kits still in their boxes, undecorated shells, as well as the recent releases by ScaleTrains to show a wide range of available products, all positioned on sections of flextrack. NASG promotional material was used to promote both S and the NASG itself. John even had a tablet computer set up displaying a continually rotating display of more S items. RPM's are a great way to introduce other modelers to the size and heft of S models. John reported that there were two other modelers at this Meet showing S-scale products. See our "Events" page to find an upcoming RPM meet and set up an S-scale display or your small portable layout.

• Local Events

copyright © Simon Parent; used by permission.

It is 1939 in southern Quebec, and a CNR local freight behind H6-class 10-wheeler #1338 is heading east to Dunham with a short consist of gondolas. The locomotive was built by Simon Parent from parts of his own design plus parts that were available from S Scale Locomotive & Supply. The model matches the prototype #1338 details with the modifications it had in 1938. The stock car is a resin kit Simon produced several years ago based on a CNR Fowler car. The wood reefer is a modified S-Helper Service car with 3D-printed roof and hatches. The steel 8-hatch reefers are CNR Series 1 cars built from MLW Services resin kits. The CNR gondolas are pilot models of a kit Simon plans to release soon. The truck on the bridge is a modified Hartoy item. Simon hand-laid the track and scratchbuilt the bridge from engineering plans. Simon took the photo, which appears on the inside cover of the April 2025 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman in the NASG promotional ad campaign.

• View Simon's layout
• Share your photo in an upcoming NASG RMC ad!

copyright © Tom Lennon; used by permission.

Tom Lennon sent this photo for the purpose of adding it to the flat car entry in the Product Gallery section of this web site, but it was such a striking photo that it is featured on the home page rotation. Tom took this photo on Steve Doyle's layout. The 60-foot flat car is a kit available from Pre-Size Model Specialties, which Tom built, painted, and decorated for the Santa Fe. These cars were purpose-built starting in 1964 for transporting farm machinery and heavy equipment.

• The Pre-Size Model Specialties kit
• View Steve Doyle's layout

copyright © Tom Roell; used by permission.

Tom Roell provided this photo as "just another box car" to add to this web site's Product Gallery, as there was no listing of it. However, what makes this 2006 Toy Train Operating Society's SP Division convention car so unique is that, while it was commissioned from Lionel, it was actually built and decorated by USA Trains, who are one of the major manufacturers for G-gauge trains. This may well be the only S-scale product produced by an G-gauge company. The box' label indicates that it is a "Newport & Santa Ana Railway Reefer", but the car is correctly decorated for the Santa Ana & Newport Railway (reporting marks SA&N). That railroad operated about 11 miles of track in Orange County in California for a very brief time from its inception in 1890, through 1899. The Southern Pacific created the SA&N, but in 1899 decided to just merge it into the SP itself. The line was mostly used for transporting harvested celery, but was later abandoned as agricultural land became residential, and the wharf that its served became too small to handle the larger freight vessels.

• Product Gallery entry
• A brief history
• Wikipedia entry