As you can see it's built on a sheet of peg-board. Peg
board is light, provides a built-in grid, and the holes make under-surface
wiring easy.
Now think about it, what would be the ideal hobby for an aging yuppie/hippie/techo-geek? Probably something fairly expensive, that involved both raw collecting (things for their own sake) and using the things to make something. Letterpress printing was like that. There was lots of stuff that had to be bought: the press itself and its mechanical accoutrements, and the type collections, which had to be sorted, stored, and sampled. All that stuff could be used to actually produce something. In my case it was poetry, broadsheets and chapbooks when I got really ambitious. And setting type is just the sort of persnickety, delicate, marginally difficult, frustrating semi-artistic and rewarding task that drives me nuts in a more or less rewarding way. I still do it. It makes me crazy. I like it.
So, z-scale model railroading. I'd see these little briefcase-size layouts in fancy catalogs, and imagine having a little layout ruining on the bay windowsill in my office. The ready-made layouts are very expensive, and sort of over-decorated, and represent somebody else's imagination, not mine. Still, I could have just bought one, but no...
Instead I hit the web, did a little research and shopping. I discovered that z-scale is one of the smallest commercial model railroading scales (1:220) and that most of the stuff came from an outfit in Germany called Märklin, now bankrupt, and that now there were lots of interesting American manufacturers. The trains are expensive, small, persinckety, delicate, collectable and they work. The track is small enough that I can work with in in a corner of my office (although the smallest possible circuit layout will NOT fit on my windowsill, alas) and it just soaks up money, and time. And the reward? The trains go 'round (and over and through) and I can take pictures, make movies, create new layouts, figure out switches and block control. There's stuff to buy and sell on eBay, database programs to write to track it all, little closed worlds to create and operate, and plenty of frustration working with these tiny little machines. What more could one ask?
The good? Well, they're small, they're gorgeous and they work.
It's not a perfect world, however, and z-scale model railroading has many 'issues.' For all manufacturers the scale itself is the biggest problem. It's hard to be really accurate, especially in mechanical things that have to work (like couplers on the cars.) Wheels are always out of scale, other wise they'd be too narrow and the flanges too small to hold the cars on the track. The actual engine chassis (with their motors, electrical pick-up systems and drive wheels) are generally standardized rather than customized for each model, and the cast body shells usually have various compromises in design so they can fit on the standard chassis.
Since the stuff is really small and very light. it's hard to maintain performance. After all, a cat whisker across the tracks can practically stop an engine. Furthermore, at this small scale, only very low speed operation is really true to scale ('prototypical' to use the jargon of the hobby) and the delicacy of the engines and inevitable mechanical imperfections in track, switches and the like, make smooth low-speed operation almost into the holy grail: an unreachable ideal.
Märklin's couplers, the things that link the rolling stock together into a train, were large, out of scale and didn't look 'real.' They're fairly simple and reliable, but hardly 'prototypical.' An American outfit, Micro-Trains, that features couplers which are more to scale and which look and act more like the so-called knuckle-coupler on real trains. They're also to be harder to use and less reliable, and you can't mix and match. Neither style coupler can match the true scale intercar distance of a real train, although the larger Märklin couplers seem to actually keep the cars closer together. MicroTrains used to let other boutique manufacturers use their couplers and they used to manufacture a flavor of coupler which was compatible with Marklin's. As of this writing (2009) they no longer let other manufacturers use their couplers, and a third manufacturer, American Z Lines, has entered the market with their own 'knuckle' style coupler, which are compatible, sort of, with Micro-Trains' couplers.
Märklin switches (points, turn-outs, you pick the term) were the first on the market, buy they're kind of klutzy; they don't look real, they can easily cause a slow-moving train to stall or a fast-moving train to de-rail, and they're rather limited in available geometries. Various obscure European manufactures make more elegant switches, some with alternate geometries and configurations, some just matching Marklin. Micro-Trains has entered the market with its own line of switches which are part of a new line of track they've introduced which incorporate a rather ugly snap-together plastic roadbed. Their switches are more precisely engineered than Marklin's, but that makes them even less tolerant than Marklin's of variations in wheel gauge, loose pilot wheels, and so on. I have a whole separate page on MT track and switches.
The past history of American manufacturers who have entered and left the Z-scale field is interesting, and maybe someday someone will write it. I can only summarize by saying that some small, boutique and hobby efforts have evolved into two major American sources, Micro-Trains and American Z Lines, and various continuing boutique, hobby scale efforts. If you dig a little into the people involved, you'll find a soap opera of past and present relationships, which I don't know enough about to comment on.
Märklin was a German company; the scale was popularized in Europe. Most of their available Märklin engines and rolling stock were based on German and other European prototypes. That's fair, I suppose, since most of the real-world railroad activity is in Europe. But if you like American diesels, and passenger rigs, you have more choice if you buy from Micro-trains or one of the boutique manufacturers. American steam engines were almost the exclusive domain of Märklin, probably because of the difficulty of precision manufacturing the coupled driving wheels. Even then, there were only two of three basic chassis available, and prototypical accuracy was not their strong suit. The latest American steam models available are brass, and expensive.
These days most of the American manufacturers all concentrate on more modern diesel locomotives. and there's a good selection available. Since these engines are the latest designs, they tend to run well, much more quiet and smoother than older models.
Z-scale passenger cars look a little strange on the relatively tight curves that are featured on most z-scale layouts, but lately (2009) there's a minor run on new passenger cars being released by American manufacturers.
Japan has entered the market with some intriguing z-scale sets, including formed and lighted layouts, and several available train sets. The cars and locos all look pretty Japanese, but they have vocal advocates who praise the quality of their engineering, as well as their relatively reasonable price point.
The thing is that up until a couple of years ago most of this stuff was from Europe, and looked like it. If you were into z-scale, you learned to live with it, or stuck with Micro-Trains and 'scratch-built' scenery. But Marklin may fail altogether, or exit the Z-scale market (either of which are possible,) and in any case the American and world-wide market seems to be expanding.
You have three options here, staring with the most common form: standard 'sectional' track in fairly small pieces that follow a few standard geometries (in length, curve radius, etc.) The pieces can be combined into fairly complicated layouts, something like a flat erector set. The drawback here is that because the pieces are relatively small there are lots of mechanical joints to get just right. Those joints also provide an opportunity to divide the track electrically, for so-called block control, and that's a good thing. They also can loosen and cause potential stalling or de-railing, both bad things.
Another track option is called flex-track. Longer pieces which can be bent into longer, smoother and/or more complex curves. It's usually cheaper by length, but you have to work harder, and of course it removes that comfort zone of 'standard' geometry. Märklin flex track is notable for not being very flexible (unless you nip out the occasional plastic tie.) Other manufacturer's flex track don't match the Märklin look. Pick your poison. But flex track is often the only solution for any but the most rigidly defined small layouts, and is always the only solution for larger layouts with realistic, wide sweeping curves.
Micro-Trains used to re-sell Marklin sectional track, and also manufacture and sell their own flex-track, which had different tie spacing than Marklin's and which was in relatively short pieces. They still manufacture and sell the flex, but they've also introduced their own line of sectional track with integrated roadbed. As of the writing this is a pretty limited line with only a few basic sizes and one switch geometry available. Some people love it, some hate it. Put me in the middle, and check out my separate page on MTL track.
The third option, of course, is making your own track, and yes there are people who do that. You control the tie spacing and appearance, you set the geometry and get to lay the track just where and how you want it. You can make your own switches, for cryin' out loud. You can buy rail material in long sections, buy or make ties (cut circuit board is a popular material), lay the ties and attach the rail (just like real life here) using a gauge to maintain the gauge, and using little tricks like widening the gauge and/or super-elevating (very slightly tilting) a bit on curves, and generally just driving yourself nuts. But it comes out great, so they say.
Most standard track, the kind that comes in pieces, comes bare-naked: just rails and ties. A proper layout needs some kind of track bedding both for realism, and for smoother, quieter operation. Some people use flexible cork as a semi-realistic, relatively easy to use form of track bedding, others carefully spread their own imitation ballast in the form of sand or finely ground rocks, and glue the ballast in place around the track.
Z-scale, like HO, runs on DC current carried in the track: one rail positive, the other rail negative. Locomotives pick up the current through their wheels, and motor speed is directly proportional to the strength of the current. Reverse the polarity of the current, and you reverse the direction of the motor.
There is an alternative way to feed the current: catenary. [Catenary is a great word (see this link)] In railroading catenary refers to systems of over track wires which distribute power. Overhead pantograph fixtures on engines make contact with the catenary. Z-scale catenary systems carry one pole of the DC, combined with one rail track. Engines can draw power from the rails, or through the pantograph, but not both at the same time. I don't have any pantograph-equipped engines or catenary-supported track, yet. In this realm, most of the stuff that's made by Märklin, Viessmann and other manufactures, and looks very German.
Accessory lights, switches and other non-motive systems generally use a separate AC feed. The single transformer usually provides both the constant AC accessory feed and the variable DC feed for the track or catenary. These days a lot more LEDs are being used, both to replace operating lights on engines and for layout illuminations. Some of the locomotive modifications require their own little electronic boards to operate off standard track power, and that makes them a bit expensive, but they really improve the look of the locos. Older filament bulbs barely glowed at the low-voltages used for low-speed operation, whereas the LEDs shine nice and bright.
DC straight to the rail seems neat and simple, except that it means ALL locomotives on any given section of track powered by a single transformer will ALL travel in the same direction, hardly 'prototypical.' You can overcome the single track/single direction problem by mixing catenary engines and rail-supplied engines and using separate transformers as power supplies for each, but that gets complicated.
A lot of modern model railroad enthusiasts have switched from simple electronics to a more sophisticated method that feeds a constant DC current to the track and engines, and uses tiny micro-circuits in the engines to control motor speed (and direction) while keeping engine lights constant. Other processors control the AC power for switches, scene lighting, and so on. These digital control systems can be computer driven, or can use dedicated, stand-alone controllers.
In the digital world of model railroading, even in z-scale, there's real competition, and Märklin was on the losing side. They used a proprietary system with chips from Motorola, while everyone else uses a system with components based on a standard called DCC. In any case, and unfortunately, the little receivers that are required in each engine are only starting to be miniaturized down to z-scale. Of course, if you have a steam engine you usually have room to stick a standard controller in the coal tender and wire it back to the locomotive.
I've experimented with digital control in a couple of HO models I own but I've been waiting for the state of the art to improve a bit, and the standards to get more established, to convert any of my Z-scale stuff. Until then it's hands-on transformers and switch boxes and control gizmos, and occasionally hands-on the little engines themselves to nudge them through a switch when that low-speed just won't pull them through (the hand is also known as the 0-5-0 switcher.)
A real attraction of this for me is using the track systems to create new layouts. The standard track pieces follow standard geometries, and the little booklets that come with them illustrate fairly standard layouts: mostly variations on the basic oval. But there are lots of possibilities.
Personally, I like S-curves, and overpasses, and I prefer double layouts that can have two trains running in opposite directions.
There is software you can buy to plan layouts, and there is less sophisticated software that's free. So far, I'm on the cheap stuff.
Here's one of my first successful layout designs. As you can see it's built on a sheet of peg-board. Peg
board is light, provides a built-in grid, and the holes make under-surface
wiring easy.
The layout was basically a figure eight, with a long s-curved ramp/bridge section at the crossing. There are a couple of long sidings added where I'd been experimenting with track isolation, block control, signalling and the like. I use the peg-board for a base to hide some of the wires, and also to provide a reference grid. Obviously, I wasn't into realism or decoration at this point, just making the trains go 'round.
The next layout was a similar figure 8 / overpass combination, with a
second independent track around it.
Simple cross-overs connect the two
sections, and more substantial sidings and 'marshalling areas' provide for
storage and 'play' space.
This layout gave me my first experience with flex track, and really challenged the little engines to make it up the grade hauling anything like a real load. The potential for nice pictures went up with trains passing each other in the same direction on one side and in different directions on the other. Very neat.
My first 'real' and permanent layout is below. It is 'decorated' and
gave me a platform to see just how bad a painter / scenery constructor I really
am.
It's a tiny oval with a small curved
interior spur, and it all fits under the plexiglas cover of my old AR
turntable. I tried adding ballast to the track (bad idea) and I put
commercially-made building (a hillbilly still, actually) off the interior
spur.
Most recently I've acquired a couple of the cast foam layout boards which are made by Noch. These boards have minimal decoration, but provide interesting up and down geometries, with overpasses, ravines, and real fake landscape.
Here's the one I've started; this used to be sold as an 'American Layout 509' by Märklin but was called 'Barenweiler' by Noch. I bought it used and a little beat up. I re-laid the track to the original specifications, and rewired the switches and the circuit tracks which had been added by the original builder. The nice signals were, alas, inoperative, but I've retained them as decorative touches.
If you click the image you'll get a page with a lot more images.
The layout includes a freight depot area off the spur in the middle, space for a few houses along the road and either a station or a main street in the front. I'm still picking up odds and ends of decoration. My favorite part is a tall TV tower on the top of the hill on the right, between the two tracks.
This layout can be set up to run two trains on two loops in opposite directions, or with the use of the circuit tracks and automatic switching, one train can travel on a continuous loop in either direction around the outer and inner sections.
The difficulty with this layout and other small and medium scale commercial layouts, is the 'up and down geometries mentioned above, combined with the tight curves. The little locomotives have some difficulty with the curves and grades, especially if you assemble anything longer than a two or three car consist. Steam engines, with all their wheels aligned in a rigid frame, have real problems on the curves, as well. I find it almost impossible to run a steam engine and tender around Barenweiler by themselves! And my favorite engines are steam locomotives. Ah well.
One of the ideas I had when I got into this was to build a small layout on the bay window sill in my office. It's really not big enough for a loop, so I built a relatively simple back and forth layout that uses a reversing timer device. Originally I thought of it as another 'practice' layout, built on homosote with an assortment of left-over structures, but actually, I've grown to like it and recently re-wired it and added some framing to keep it from warping too much. Click the image for an extra large view...
)
I also added lights, although the first set
all blew out in short order, probably because I'm using a power source rated
significantly higher then the 10v AC normally used. This time I'm using a
separate power source for the lights, so they aren't on all the time the set is
running, and it's closer to the nominal voltage.
Now that I'm retired I will rebuild the windowsill, make it use the full length of the available space so I can run slight longer trains, and re-configure it to have two trains running in opposite directions.
Of course, no discussion of layouts can be complete without the amazing (well, at least interesting) Marklin Solar set, which a bunch of people bought when they turned up at deep discount on eBay. Self-contained and somewhat bizarre unless you like the barren abstract look, but it is how I run my trains at the Cape! The layout is in a case, and the 'top' of the case contains a large solar cell which can power the set and//or charge the built-in battery. Amaze your friends!
I'm more of a 'runner' than a collector, but still, I've acquired a lot of stuff and some means of display is useful. I want to protect the little buggers, keep them clean, but also show them for what they are.
I bought some small display boxes from Imex, and set engines and cars onto a piece of track. The case kept everything clean. But it was a little sterile.
Then I spotted (and bought) some small plastic dioramas from Japan on eBay. Set a train in the little diorama, put the diorama in a little plastic display case, and voila! Except I was bugged by the fact that the diorama didn't fit the case exactly. (Hey, I'm like that.)
So it was only natural to use my left-over landscaping materials to start custom building dioramas: cork base, some track, maybe a small building, foliage, and there you have it.
Here's a page with a few early examples. I'm planning on adding some smaller boxed for fancy individual cars and bigger examples, with multiple tracks and elevated sections, for engine-tender-caboose combinations, and car sets.
My collection of actual trains has grown and shrunk over time. I over-acquired in the beginning, then sold off a lot of stuff I found I wasn't really interested in. Now that I'm retired, I'm buying withy slightly more selectivity, and after another couple of years I'll probably do another sell-off of stuff I don't ever run or display.
Visit this page to see some fairly primitive movies or trains running around my layouts, or for detailed (sort of) current inventories see:
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