Hi, my name is Hamp.
I am an avid model train enthusiast in Southwest Virginia, and have collected trains from several gauges over the years. I modeled HO scale for some time when I was younger. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found it more difficult to work in HO and smaller gauges due to my eyesight. I switched over to S gauge trains a few years back. They’re not as large as O scale, so they don’t take up as much room, but I can still work on them rather easily. There aren’t many companies that manufacture S gauge trains, but that statistic may be slowly changing as S gaugers are beginning to grow in number.
The most popular S gauge trains were manufactured by the A.C. Gilbert Company back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s under the name American Flyer. These trains take up most of my collection. The Lionel Corporation bought the American Flyer name in 1967, and eventually began offering Flyer merchandise again in 1979. Lionel, LLC was making new American Flyer models on a regular basis, but as of 2025, it’s becoming more sporadic. There are other S gauge manufacturers out there, such as American Models and Scale Trains, but not many. Hopefully, they will increase in number over time!
I own several A.C. Gilbert AF models, several Lionel AF models, and a few American Models engines and rolling stock. I also own several pieces from now-defunct companies, such as S-Helper Service, and MTH (whose S gauge tooling was sold to Scale Trains in 2021).
Hamp's Trains 