I used to post here back when I was putting together my current 20"X40" layout (seen below), getting all sorts of good ideas and help, but I drifted away and got into more general "making". It turned out to be a good thing as I'm much more capable electronically for having played with circuit boards and servos for a while. In fact, not only have I learned to solder, I now teach people how. That'll probably make my lighting more reliable. My 3D printer will also come in handy. Also, upon inspecting my current roster, I was able to get a couple of trains running that I previously written off as dead/get-a-professional-to-fix. So, that bodes well. That I can't find replacement Micro-Trains motor springs does not. I'm also much more confident about converting my non-DCC trains. My current plan for a brand new layout is a similar, but bigger 24"X50" town/industrial mixed setup (with all current structures used or replaced). I've got an Arduino/Motor Shield running DCC++ with which I can control both locomotives and turnouts using JMRI and some leftover Digitrax turnout decoders, so I've reached just beyond the minimal level of competency to operate a model railroad using DCC. I'm planning to put in a block detection/signaling system although I haven't found any Z-scale signals (I might just design my own in EagleCAD). I might also set up transponding for full automation, but probably not. I do like those micro-servo based turnout machines from Tam Valley, as they seem much better for Z than the Tortoises I abandoned long ago, but I also like the way Rokuhan track actually works and fits together well and I'm not sure if I can put a switch machine on those (I can't find anything about anybody doing that). I'd probably want to get the Atlas turnouts for that, but I'm not sure if I want to put off everything while I wait on them. I do have a lot of choices to make at this point and I'm going to have to make a decision before going forward.
Welcome back! Glad to hear you have expanded your skill set, and looking forward to seeing how you put those new skills to work!
Which prototype and era (of any) will you follow for this project ? And what about the trackplan ? Continuous running ? Dogbone ? Point to point ? Anyway, will closely follow this thread. Dom
At this point it's going to be a passenger based setup. One station with Local and Express trains (double loop). There will also be a smaller, industrial setup and I'll run some long freight trains along the outer loop now and again. I'd like to keep all 3 industries, but I'm willing to drop one. My prototype is a modern Northeastern (I'm in Jersey City) setup that keeps old trains around (or forget to repaint them for new owners) for sentimental reasons and has a tendency to buy other peoples trains when local alternatives do not exist. So, semi-freelance. I'm going to get an extension set for that Shinkansen and run it around the outer loop and run the Metro-Link as a local. I have 3 more Pennsy passenger cars for that GP9. I'll probably get a Penn and/or NYC Light Mikado (with matching cars) as well. There's also an Amtrak P42 and Phase II car set in my future along with a NJT P42 on pre-order. Industry will be run with more attention to prototype as Penn/NYC/Erie/Lackawanna/Conrail/CSX cars/locos are more available. Anybody who builds a Z scale Acela has at least one guaranteed sale. That also goes for anything NJ Transit or PATH. My current track plans involve having the longest station spur and the widest turns I can muster. Everything else is in service to that. Right now the station is 83cm inside a 270/245 mm radius loop, which will let me park all but one of the extension cars on the Shinkansen. I could put the station on the outside and make it much longer, but that would mean using narrower turns and separating the station from the town or the station from it's tracks. I'm still experimenting, but if I can get an extra 11cm, I think I can get the whole Shinkansen on the platform without having it sit on a switch. Industry will sit wherever is left over after I make room for the town. The town will have every bar/casino/brothel sign in the Miller Engineering line up, because I always wanted to build Pottersville. Much more fun place than Bedford Falls. Oh, and I'm going to build some form of animated structure on this layout. I'll mount another Arduino to control that. Not sure what yet, but a carousel seems like the easiest option, not sure how a children's ride fits in the with Bedford Falls motif, but I'm working on it. edited to correct the fact that the Penn is a GP9, not GP7.
