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S scale

Model railroad scale (1:64)

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 6, 2025
Entity authorityQ454996
Source-derived summary

S scale (or S gauge) is a model railroad scale modeled at 1:64 scale, S scale track gauge (space between the rails) is 0.883–0.905 in (22.4–23.0 mm). S gauge trains are manufactured in both DC and AC powered varieties. S gauge is not to be confused with 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. The first working models appeared in England in the early 20th century. Modeling in S scale increased in the 1930s and 1940s when CD Models marketed 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 Company in the late 1930s.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “S scale” as model railroad scale (1:64). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around scale, Model and railroad.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1896—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with scale, Model and railroad providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “S scale”, the useful work is to connect “model railroad scale (1:64)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q454996. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1896.

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A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from S scale” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.