Well, we survived our first show. BAZ, short for the San Francisco Bay Area Z Scale Module Cooperative, showed Z Scale trains at the SF GATS in the Cow Palace last weekend. We learned lots of things. One was that Kidz Love Z Scale: So do Adults! Jim Manley was running a Coca-Cola train on His Toporama at the BYOZ table. BYOZ is the Bring Your Own Z, started by the Pacific Northwest guys, and we had 3 layouts on the tables. Ted Lamar was transfixed by something at the BYOZ tables...
The modules sported to the Bill Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Bill would sure have been proud! Now Ted had a whole crew transfixed? So... This is what Ted and the guys were looking at. Loren Snyder had came to the show from Oregon to help man the BYOZ tables. See what you guys up north started? Cool tunnel portal! I hear the radius is less than 3", and trains were running all day long! Loren had built this layout inside a silverware case:
Dig that shack! Fantastic! I was told there was a bicycle, but could not find it while we were playing "Where's Waldo?" but now I see it! NMRA guy's kept coming by, and invited us to display modules at the Coast Division Meet in 3 weeks. Jeff Merrill was running a Noch layout at the BYOZ table to the left, and showing available trains to show goers that expressed interest in Z. After a little Centerbeam roundy round action, Jim Manley found himself ready to drop to the floor! Or is that from lack of sleep? Hey Jim... STREAMING VIDEO! He snapped out of it and started messing with his computer and phone, trying to see if he could stream some video of all the action. Not one to be ill-equipt, he had laptop, full subwoofer sound system, and a high speed phone modem service setup with him. Well, that's about it. We had a great time, converted several modelers from other scales, and hav about 400-500 people stop by and look at trains. Busy all day both days, this may have been the first time these train buff's have ever seen such a collection of Z Scale running. -Robert [ 15. February 2005, 01:14: Message edited by: pray59 ]
Great shots. That silverware box layout is amazing! What really makes me chuckle is the looks of amazement on the faces of the people and kids watching. You just get the sense that Z is being takend more seriously.
Some wonderful looking layouts there. Just cannot imagine a whole show of Z scale Z is certainly growing (in popularity, not in size)
The only time I have seen Z in a train show was at Plano, TX last January... But it wa no less cool with a MOPAC-led reefer block making the rounds on the simple loop...
That's a nice shot Hemi. That looks like a Z-Bend Track module, but I cannot be sure because I have not seen a Z Mod System layout, which is the other Z Scale standard. They are 3 Z Scale modular clubs in Texas: Northwest Crossing Z-Bend Track And these 2 Z Mod System clubs: Dallas Garland & Mesquite Texas & Beyond Model RR Society Did you happen to see which club it was?
