Welcome to the National Association of S Gaugers' web site! The NASG is a non-profit organization that supports all 1:64, or S-scale, modelers, manufacturers, and vendors. We have a ton of content, so take your time exploring this web site.
Below is a bit more detailed information about the photos shown in our home page's rotation. Click the photo to see the larger version used on the home page. To help keep this listing fresh, please consider sending the webmaster a photo of your layout, diorama, module, model, or an S-scale event.
Paul Washburn scratch-built D&RGW C-48 class 2-8-0 #1151 from brass and styrene. The drivers are from North Yard and detailing parts are from P-B-L, Precision Scale Co., and River Raisin Models. The model was painted with Tamiya acrylic paints. Paul used San Juan D&RGW Steam Locomotive decals. The engine's crew are figures from Modelu in the UK (part #22050, #22005). The box car is an S Scale America Fowler kit (part #SSA708) painted with P-B-L Star Brand paint (part #str14) D&RGW faded box car red. The decals are also from S Scale America (part #ssaD&RGW). The bridge is made from a variety of wood parts. The pillars are 3/16" dowels from Cindoco Wood Products while bracing is made with Northeastern scale lumber. The bridge ties are from Clover House, and the small spikes and code 70 rail are from Micro Engineering. This photo appeared on the inside cover of the October 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in the NASG promotional ad campaign. For information on how you, too, can have a photo of your layout appear in one of the NASG ads in RMC, see this page. You can see more photos of Paul's layout on this page, and other examples of models he has scratchbuilt via this page.
A scene not often captured in photos, because it is rather mundane but yet important, here are members of the maintenance-of-way crew performing an inspection of the caboose track on Rich Gajnak's former Kansas Grain Belt layout.
Earlier this year, this Canadian Pacific 2-6-0 made an appearance on The S Scale Workshop's club layout set up at a local train show.
NW2 #13 positions flat-top caboose #C-303. The custom-painted locomotive was made by S-Helper Service, now a division of ScaleTrains. The Monon's black and yellow paint scheme was short-lived and was replaced with the more familiar black and gold. The caboose is scratchbuilt. The code 100 track on the main, the code 83 on the siding, and the turnout are all Tomalco Track (now "S Scale Track") products that were installed by Dick Karnes. You can see more photos of Roger's layout on this page.
C&O H-8 1659 is emerging from the east portal of Alleghany Tunnel at Alleghany, VA, the highest point on the C&O. The scene was photographed on Jerry Holmes' beautiful 35' x 27' C&O layout. The locomotive, by River Raisin Models, was C&O's most powerful steam locomotive. The C&O called locomotives of this 2-6-6-6 wheel configuration "The Alleghany". The hopper cars are from American Models and S-Helper Service. The depot building was professionally scratch-built from photos and original drawings provided by Jerry. The figures at the depot are pre-painted from Arttista. The tunnel portals are scratch-built out of a base 3/4"-thick cabinet-grade plywood. This was overlayed with 1/16" styrene to simulate concrete. The styrene was engraved with the tunnel's name and the year the tunnel was completed (as were all C&O tunnel portals). The track is Shinohara code 100 nickel-silver flextrack which is spiked every 6" onto 1/4" Homabed roadbed. The track and ties were then painted, weathered, and ballasted with real stone secured with diluted white glue. The mountains and ridges are of hollow construction, formed over contoured plywood ribbing, spaced about a foot apart. The ribbing is covered with screen wire or cardboard strip matrix, covered in two layers of plaster cloth. The rock formations are a combination of carved plaster and rubber rock made by Cripple Bush Valley Models. The trees are all hand-made from natural shrub cuttings coated with various autumn shades of ground foam. The sky and clouds were painted on the walls of the train room by a very good artist friend of Jerry's before the trees were installed. This photo appeared on the inside cover of the September 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in the NASG promotional ad campaign. For information on how you, too, can have a photo of your layout appear in one of the NASG ads in RMC, see this page. The layout was featured in the Kalmbach Great Model Railroads 2021 annual issue, and you can see more photos on this page.
The Sundance local passes Copeland Feed while the local deliverty truck waits for his turn at the Depot loading dock. All models shown in this photo were scratchbuilt by Paul. There are many more photos of Paul's layout on his page on this web site.
Joe has the ability to make equipment look well-worn. This S-Helper Service NW2 was not repainted, but rather Joe wet-sanded off the original heralds and reporting marks, and then applied custom decals for his freelanced Texas Southern. A recent update to his layout has been the addition of painted backdrops, such as this sunset setting. You can see more photos and details about Joe's switching layout on this page.
Bob Werre took this photo on his layout, after he had a local modeler help him diagnose and fix the turntable's ability to actually rotate. Bob is a retired professional photographer. He stated that it took him several nights to get this shot, as it required after-dusk settings. He used 6 LED lights, some blue gels for the "mood", and then photo-stacked five shots in Photoshop to bring the whole scene into focus. The 2-8-2 is a custom built model of Southern Railway heritage, but Bob decorated it for his Milwaukee Road.
Those who were returning home west of the Harrisburg, PA 2023 NASG Convention and in the general direction of Pittsburgh, PA, were invited for a limited open house at the Greater Tri-Town Area Historical Society in Dawson, PA. It is in this facility to where the famed S-scale modeler Sam Powell's layout was moved after his sudden passing. The layout is being maintained and completed by the Pittsburgh S Gaugers club. This is a marvelous layout with incredible styrofoam scenery, about 98% complete now, which represents a freelanced railroad set in southwestern PA roughly in the 1955 to 1962 time period. The scene in the photo is the upper and lower McMichael Yards on the Penn Creek Valley Railroad. The Society does not have a web site, but they do have a Facebook page. If you are planning to be in the area and want to see the layout, it is best to contact them by phone to find out their hours: (724) 529-2427 or (724) 529-2368. Sam's layout was covered in these articles in the NASG's The Dispatch: September 2016 (pg. 32), May 2017 (pg. 22), July 2017 (pg. 8).
We want to reward you for scrolling all the way down to the bottom of this page by offering a featured video. This video will be replaced from time to time as S-scale modelers make new ones available, so scroll down here every so often! Contact the webmaster if you would like to nominate a video.
August 31, 2023: Craig Wright's railfanning at his Sn3 layout's Toltec Tunnel.