I'm looking for inspiration for my Z scale layout and would love to see what you guys have built or are building. Forgive me if there has already been a thread to show off your layout. If not, post 'em here! Big or small, we love 'em all! Todd www.smallwonder-z.com
Don't build, buy. Right now on that auction site there is a layout: Clear acrylic covered portable case 13x25x55 sits atop furniture quality storage cabinet with metal frame and five spot lights. Has individual operating switches for fishing pond with pier, train roundhouse, ski lift, coal tipple, grist mill with paddle wheel, farm, train station, double tracks, operating railroad crossings, detailed bridges, roads, farms, fruit stand, church with wedding, home with family and laundry, power substation, factory, and more! Lots of trees, shrubs.....starting bid $800, AND NO BIDDERS! You can't build that layout for $800! A roundhouse-(by extension, sitting next to a turntable), is gonna set you back 6 bills alone for the roundhouse,track and turntable! Somebodies taking a haircut (heck, not haircut, a scalping) just to get rid of this layout, why? Owner probably tired of it, this one is in Ohio, and the seller is not going to contact the freight forwarders to get crating and shipping estimates, so you gotta pick it up. But my wife would kill me if i mentioned a trip to Ohio......arghh: Z track, wood, foam sheeting, sceniking materials are not cheap at your local hobby shop or hardware stores, and they are heavily bid up on the bay, People, buildings, wiring, switches and all the stuff that make up a layout are all PD Expensive by themselves. But put a little glue on em and assemble them onto a layout, and then try to sell them: The buyer of the used layout will just pay fractions of cents on the dollar! I didn't realize at first what was so attractive to z for me. You build a garden layout, you are stuck. No room to expand or change. just tear it up and start over. wife not amused You build an O gauge indoors, and again, you dedicate maybe 400-500 square foot to it. You are married to that line for life! But then it hit me: Z layouts... a Z layout is like getting a new toy whenever you want. When you tire of your present Z layout, hang it on the wall in the garage, or stick it in the back of your suv and take it to the dump for that matter. Then go get another z layout with a different track configuration and new challenges! Z layout swaps fly under the spousal radar for costs, fuss and muss to swap out, not so much with the big scales. And there are new Z layouts popping up for sale on the bay every week! The real estate and infrastructure for Z is truly a bargain if it comes preassembled, and then sold as used. But that is about the only deal there is in Z, so enjoy! :thumbs_up:
Bits of my first Z layout: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/772 2nd: http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/ZScale 3rd (short lived) http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/ZScaleLayoutTake3 4th and current http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/ZScaleLayoutTakeFour
Todd, This will be a good thread for Trainboard. It reaches some of the most talented modelers/craftsmen/artist in model railroading in any scale. Z Central station also has a wealth of Z photos- not only in the recently posted section, but in thier archives. Fred
Our layouts My wife Angela and I have more than one layout in Z that we take out on the U.K model railway exhibition circuit. we appear as the 'Mardy model railway club' Our first famous layout was called the 'Mardy model railway club' and was a model of an exhibition layout using Z scale to represent roughly gauge 1 and modified 'Action men' and 'Barbie' dolls to represent the club members. It has caused great amusement over the years Our second layout was a rehash of a Z gauge based park layout representing a typical model engineering club and used both N and Z to represent minature steam with 1.32nd scale figures. This used to hide the hidden sidings on our big, gauge 1, coal mine layout. When the main layout was sold we kept he little one and it was christened ' Mardy Model Engineers'. One that we don't take out very often is our model of a model shop called, You guessed it, Mardy model Shop The two layouts that we tour now are 'Midsomer Mardy' an English outline Z layout that along with the previous three layouts uses a common plinth and lighting rig. all of these layouts are 4ft by 2ft 6 inches. Midsomer uses a lot of scratchbuilt stock and a lot of Locomotives converted from marklin ones. It has a theme based on a popular detective show on British TV called 'Midsomer murders' and has 6 Z scale murders hidden on it! this keeps the wives and kids interested at shows trying to find them all as dad admires the trains! I'll put the Pics of Cuyahoga on next
Cuyahoga The layout that is causing the most interest at present is 'Cuyahoga' our Nickel Plate Road layout. This is bigger than the others at 8ft by 2 ft 6 inch and has the abilty to run three trains at the same time on the main line and harbour line whilst switching and movements in and out of the roundhouse go on in the centre of the layout. These are quite old pics and a lot more detail has been added since. Hope this gives you some ideas
kevsmith very cool layouts and even cooler is the tug waker docked there i have the smit rotterdam in the garage in 1/50 scale
kevsmith, I love that you did a carfloat!!:teeth: I've always wanted to do the Milwaukee Road carfloat out of Seattle, or the same with the Seattle & North Coast RR for later years. What did you use for the barge, and the dock?
Heres my work in progress. 2'x4' layout using micro track, with a single loop through a tunnel for continuous running. A 4% grade to climb the hill, and some switching possibilities.
like your track plan. continuous running and interesting industrial switching too. very nice. congratulations, churn. dave f.
The car float and transfer bridge are scratchbuilt and used a series of articles in Railroad model craftsman as a base.. Its the only vessel that is fastened down to the layout as we can switch cars on and off it although we have to do it very slowly and carefully because of the changes in the slope of the track. The tug that was intended to be alongside ended up on one of our other layouts 'Midsomer Mardy' and I'm still trying to find another kit as it has been discontinued since Heller/Humbrol went bust.
Ok...so I'm way to young for Grandkids (emotionally) ) ... but my kids are breeding like Feral Cats these days and their kids are starting to pay attention to the clattering and cussing in the Garage. I've done enough shows to know that when given the opportunity to watch a super detailed SD70 in Z course through a professional level layout, or a bright blue train with a face on it charge around a piece of plywood...the talking blue train wins every time. Hey what ever it takes to get them interested I figure. I spent most of my professional life working with Disney and I have to admit there are times when I miss the creativity and watching the looks on kids (and adults) faces when they exit something I worked on or got as a present. My Grand kids still go straight to the latest Disney project I may be working on because they can identify with it. Appreciating a table full of colorful engines in the middle of being repainted...not so attractive. So, to kill two birds with one stone, I embarked earlier this summer on a project I hope to have wrapped up for Christmas this year. Working with the now long gone Natures Wonderland ride at Disneyland as a launching point, I'm working on a NN3/Z scale "Tooned" up layout for the kids to enjoy when they come over. It'll have a wild west flavor and have many of the elements of the ride like the Rainbow Caverns complete with floresent water, quaking rocks, old town and a few other iconic pieces. This has been a fun break from "Protohead" projects and I would encourage others to let their "creative" hair down and do a little free form modeling. Disney The base is made out of Pink foam and the rock work is carved out of simple Floral Foam I got at Wallmart. Once everything is cleaned up, the layout will get a few coats of Latex primer and then painted. Have a great Labor Day Weekend...back to the salt mines! Joe MTL
i think that was one reason karen's Dizzyland layout was so popular and interesting. it was a z train around the perimeter, but it was the fun stuff people could identify with. interesting. maybe we should have one leg of modules that is kid friendly. if we are good at what we do to any degree, wouldn't it be a gift to make something good because we care about the kiddos too. not just trains, but some trains their way. dave f.
Sweet! Thanks for the 411. The only tug model I have found is a 1:200 scale modern tug by Revell, part #05209 "Harbor Tug SMIT Frankrijk" I bought it at the local hobby shop here. It wouldn't take much to make it into a 50's steamer!
Time machine? Joe, What I want to know is... When did you make a time machine? With all that you have going on... family, work at MTL, this layout, work at MTL, custom orders, work at MTL, etc... you must live on a different planet with a slower rotation to make our Earth 24 hours into 36 or 48 hours per day. I'm lucky to have enough time in my day to change my mind and underware.
Joe, You have done it again! Would you care to adopt me as a grandchild? How about a psuedo-grandpa? That layout will be a killer for all ages. I LOVE Toontown at DL. Not a straight line to be seen anywhere. Your creativity always inspires me. PLEASE keep us posted with updates along the way. I enjoy seeing the WIP as much or more so than the finished product. I am sure the hidden Mickey was subliminal! Lindley
