Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Authors
Magazine Articles By Don Heimburger

2006 Fall S Fest Beloit, Illinois

(ed. the title of the article is wrong; it should be "2005") Several photos taken at the event.

2006 NASG Convention Round-up

A review and many photos of the NASG's annual Convention.

2007 NASG Convention - Baltimore

Photos and contests results of the convention.

2009 Fall S Fest - Rockford, Illinois

A photo essay of the event.

2009 NASG Convention - St. Louis

A photo essay of the event.

40 Years Ago

Brief highlights of what happened in S-scale in the 1960s.

50 Years of the S Gaugian

The author reflects on what it is like to have published 259 issues in 50 years.

A 4-8-8-4 Big Boy Works Sherman Hill

Gawaine Dvorak converted a K-Line 4-8-8-4, which was sold shortened and intended for the O-31 modelers, to S-scale. He describes some of the issues he had. Includes two photo of the final model.

A Carnival of S Gauge

A revisit of this 5-level layout, owned, by Tony Yorio, that features a carnival.

A European Rail Adventure

The author travels the European train system on his vacation.

A Mine You Can Model in S

Brief info about Stearns, Kentucky. Includes one coal mine photo.

A Quick History of S Gauge

The author describes some of the major dates relevant to S-scale modeling's history.

A.C. Gilbert's Colorful Trains

Many photos and descriptions of rare A.F. items.

ABC's of S...

The author draws the conclusion that S-scale is growing, and specifically mentions the contributions of American Model and Overland Models to the increase of available equipment.

ABC's of S...

The author responds to last month's request for a hypothetical company being formed that produces S-scale items for the AF/hi-rail community.

All American Railroads

That is the name of Bob Spaulding's layout. The "scale" layout measures 20'x24', build using a series of modules. Includes photos of the layout (no track plan).

American Flyer Line Upgraded; New Steam Locomotive Coming

This is an interview with Todd Wagner of Lionel about the future of American Flyer.

An Alpine Rail Adventure

The publisher and his wife describe their journey to Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria.

An Update on S Scale

The author describes S scale, and where to find steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, track, structures, and detailing parts. The last section is about the NASG and the upcoming 1981 NASG convention. Includes a few S-scale layout photos.

Auto Transport Car

The author covers the A.C. Gilbert #24566, which was interesting in that the catalog's road name didn't match the actual production road name. Includes two model photos.

Bob Tufts, AF Column Editor, Dies

A memorial to the Collector's Column that Bob wrote for the S Gaugian.

Bridge Floors

This article describes how bridge floors are built, and includes several S-scale model photos of layouts, as well as a detailed design diagram of various types of floors.

Bring Out the Wrecking Crane!

The author describes how Dave Smith took a Lionel O-27 crane to build this car.

Bulkhead Flat And Frisco Plug Door Box Car

Two photos taken by the author of Stan Furmanak's scratchbuilt TTPX bulkhead flat car and a plug-door box car. Both were shown at the 2007 NASG Convention in Baltimore, MD.

Collector's Column Editors Through the Years

A summary and photos of the various column's editors.

Colorful Choices in New SHS Rolling Stock

The author describes a good number of new S-Helper Service's freight cars that are available.

D&RGW Class 8-33 0-6-0

James "Rusty" Rustermier of San Jose, California built the S-scale model of D&RGW #51 from brass, silver and 303 stainless steel. The frame was machined from solid brass stock, and the boiler began as a solid round piece, turned down to size, then bored out. Includes one photo of the finished model.

Did We Forget Something?

The author's vision of the future with regard to S hasn't come true, yet.

Diner Conversion

The author describes how to convert an NH A.F. coach car into a diner one.

Giant Trains of Steel Thundering Through the Dawn

Prototype information about circus trains. Includes circus images of posters and prototype photos.

Gilbert Wheel Is a Winner

The author built a display where the train runs on a vertical circular track, which he uses as an attention-getter for train shows.

Highlights from Altoona NASG Convention

The 2005 NASG Convention was held in Altoona, PA. This two-page article has lots of photos of people at the show, a listing of the winners of the contests, and a brief description of which vendors were at the show and the NASG awards handed out.

Historical Passenger Cars of S Scale

The article reviews some of the older manufacturers that produced S-scale passenger car kits. It is essentially a photo-essay article featuring models from Super Scale, Dayton, Train Stuff, Strafford, and Chester.

How to Build a Quick, Portable Layout in S

The author and one other person build a small layout using S-Helper Service, Woodland Scenics, and Plasticville products to build a Christmas display layout for a local bank. Includes the construction process, and a photos of the finished layout.

It's the 5:26 on the New Haven Railroad in 1953

A brief introduction to Jack Miller's layout, with a couple of photos.

Make A Clean Sweep of Dusting Your Locomotives

Tips on using various paint brushes to wipe off dust from your models.

Manufactures Help S Grow

Various manufacturers respond to the current and future state of S.

Measure the Time

Don reflects on 45 years of being an S-scale publisher.

Meet the S Gaugian Staff

The article covers the members of the Heimburger House publishing company, and shares photos of them.

Meet Your Fellow Collector

Several collectors are profiled in this article.

Midnight Modeler

Quick tips on how to build a wayside ramp/loading dock.

Model a Marble Quarry

The author describes how he planned and built the marble quarry on his layout. Includes several photos.

Model Contest Entries

Photos with brief descriptions of the models found at the 2014 NASG Convention. Also includes the results of the model contests.

Model Your Own S Town: Zachow, Wisconsin

A brief history and an aerial photo show that the town could be modeled, in its entirety, in S-scale.

Modeling Pennsy's DD2 Electric

After covering the prototype information about this engine, a few paragraphs and two photos show the model that Keith Thompson built using resin casting.

Oconomowoc NASG Draws Happy S Campers

Photos and a review of the 2003 National Association of S Gaugers Convention held in July 2003 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Ontario Midland box car

Oliver Clubine from Brantford, Ontario, Canada, built the S-scale box car featured in a photo from an S-Helper Service outside-braced box car.

Rare AF Missouri Pacific Passenger Set Returns

The author conducts an interview with Jeff Jones, American Flyer Production Manager at Lionel about their new offerings for 1991. Included are pages of advertisement showing photos of the new AF products.

S Firms Record Past Growth and Positive Outlook

Interviews about 2005 and 2006 with Hoquat Hobbies, S-Helper Service, Tomalco Track, River Raisin Models, and Hunterline.

S Gaugian Interviews MTH's Mike Wolf

This is an interview with Mike Wolf, owner of MTH, about AF accessories and MTH's future involvement in S-scale (note that MTH bought the S-Helper Service tooling in 2010, and is now indeed producing S-scale equipment as well as accessories).

S Personalities of the Past

Photos of many people in S-scale.

S Product Review

Reviewed is the bus by Catzpaw Innovations. Includes model and prototype photos, and information about how to assemble the model.

S Scale at a Crossroads

The author discusses the Sanda Kan notice to 60 companies stating that they will no longer make products for them.

S Team Builds Promotional Layout

"S Team" is the name of a group of S standard- and narrow-gauge modelers in the Chicago area. They built a 10'x30' layout.

Scale Test Car: A Unique S Model

Some model, and lots of prototype information and photos of this SouthWind Models brass car.

Scranton NASG Convention Largest Ever

The article covers the 2001 NASG Convention in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Sn3 Modeler

This page introduces the magazine-within-a-magazine, the Sn3 Modeler.

Switching Puzzle at Storkville

Jack Miller's New Haven Railroad layout features switching operations to make the layout interesting for the owner to operate it.

The #719 and #919 Dump Cars

The author covers these two A.C. Gilbert cars. Includes model photos as well as prototype photos.

The American Flyer 'Moe & Joe' Flat Car

This article covers the 1956 A.C. Gilbert Southern Pacific #971 Lumber Unloading Car with animated figures unloading the car.

The Basics of L-Girder Construction

The author describes how L-girder layout construction is done, with three large diagrams included.

The Budd Cars: Stainless Fleet of Modern Trains

After a brief prototype introduction, the author covers the 74-foot, four-car Budd sets that American Models has released. Includes several prototype photos.

The Ever-popular Streamlined Pennsy K-4

After some prototype information, the author reviews the new American Models PRR K4 model. Includes one model and one prototype photo, and a small copy of the scale drawings.

The First S Gauge Conventions

The author describes the first NASG Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Gilbert Circus Train Continues to Amaze

While mentioning the A.C. Gilbert set #5002T, most of the article covers the prototype circus train, with several photos.

The Great Northern & Central

Introduction to layouts open for the 2014 NASG Convention, with focus and photos of Steve Lunde's layout.

The Hart One-room Schoolhouse

Prototype information, photos, and scale drawings for this schoolhouse found in Tuscola County, Michigan.

The History of AF Showcased in New Book

An interview with the authors of the "American Flyer Classic Toy Trains" book.

The Last Stop

While the author's allegiance is with S-scale, he does enjoy and outdoor garden railroad with his grandchildren.

The Ma & Pa: An Inspirational Prototype for Modelers

A bit of history on the railroad, and scaled drawings of the Maryland & Pennsylvania 2-8-0 #26.

The S models of Joe Greynolds

This is a follow-up to the November/December, 1989 issue article of Joe Greynold's layout, in which the author shares photos of Joe's cars which didn't fit in that previous issue. Photos only; no commentary.

The Short-lived C&EI Two-bay Hopper

The history of this particular A.C. Gilbert model.

The Swiss-Italian Rail Connection

Info and photos of a vacation.

Thief River Falls & Minnetonka RR

A description of this railroad, and an example track plan to fit an S-scale layout in a spare room.

Those Beautiful Wabash Moguls

A brief history and technical details about this engine type, including a drawing.

Through the Decades

Covering the years 1969 and 1970.

Through the Decades

The author recollects major S-scale-related events from 1970 through 1974.

Through the Decades

The author recollects major S-scale-related events from 1974 through 1978.

Through the Decades

This installment covers the S-scale events from 1978 through 1983.

Through the Decades

This installment covers the S-scale events from 1983 through 1989.

Uncovering the Past from Old Magazines

The author enjoys reading through old model railroading magazines and see what they contained that was related to S-scale.

Union Pacific: The Grinch that Stole Christmas

The author shares comments he received from Don Thompson (S-Helper Service) of the possible legal ramifications by the accusations the Union Pacific RR has launched against model railroad manufacturers.

Welcome to Table Rock, Arizona

The author describes his planned fictitious layout.

Wisconsin Central Southern & Santa Fe

The author visits Gary Children's freelance layout. Includes many photos and a complete trackplan.