Z Gauge Downunder

Firstly, by way of introduction - how I became a Z Gauge modeller - the story begins in the UK …

My first rail memory was when I was about 5 travelling way above the water over the Firth of the Forth with the bridge superstructure flashing past the train window, on the way to visit Grandpa in Windygates - his roots and thus mine are over west on Arran.

The next clear memory was at Kingswear station in Devon, watching the former GWR loco being turned around before heading the train to Paddington, with me and my mum on board - visiting my godfather who had a TV on which we would watch the Coronation.

Apparently I blabbed on and on about the trains to my godfather - that interest earned me a Hornby O Gauge clockwork set which, expanded each Christmas & birthday, travelled with us out to Australia a couple of years later. I downsized in my late teens and had a brief foray into table top 00, then sold that as part of financing a trip back to the old Dart in the early 70’s. A couple of CKD wagons which had dropped down the back of a cupboard survived the sale …



A couple of years later, still in the UK and married, I was promised a train set if the imminent arrival was a boy. Consequently I was surprised when I was presented with a Z Gauge Freight set and H&M dual mode controller after the arrival of daughter #1. When I ‘dragged’ my new family to WA a few months later, the set came too.



Bought in 1974 and still going strong - the tags were added in 2008 (see a later episode )


Next post will be start of down-under action

Peter

 

That would be the T Scale 1:450 model - appears briefly in Paul’s slideshow of the Glasgow Show - 10:48 minutes in ...
http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/glasgow-secc.1221/page-3#post-24070

Edit : don't blink or you'll miss it

 

One influence I left out of the intro, was my late brother-in-law’s Hornby Dublo three rail layout (now dismantled and in the hands of his grandsons) …



Barely a square inch of space left, and all on a single controller !

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

OK, so on to Home Layout #1 - I ended my first post with a reference to down under “action” - this layout was mostly inaction …

Shortly after arrival down under, a 3’ x 2’ (92cm x 61 cm) plain MDF baseboard was acquired and the track went through some very small developments over the next year, before I was posted through work to the Kimberleys for 4 years - the trains only came out for birthdays and Christmas (if we were home).



Christmas/ New Year 1978/79 saw us back in UK for a visit, and the first opportunity to increase track and accessory holdings, including a allegedly compatible dual mode twin Gaugemaster Controller. Once home, with the switches set for the lower power output, the voltmeter readings on the outputs showed I could only use just over half a turn on each controller before reaching the 10 volt maximum track output recommended for Märklin’s Z gauge locos. Anyway, this stage of my Z gauge modelling culminated in three loops on two levels.

The elevated section was supported on styrene foam cut and shaped from 20 mm (¾”) sheets held together with PVA glue, but not glued to the baseboard. On the final design the overhang on the right side was carved out of the styrene support using a template cut using a tunnel portal. No buildings or other scenery/landscaping was attempted at this time.



Unfortunately there are no surviving photos taken during that pre digital camera time, so the plans are it. Next I’ll cover the development of the current home layout (#2), before getting down to details of the exhibition layout.

Peter

 

Thanks Kim, Pete & Ian for the encouragement. So continuing …

Back in Perth and shortly after daughter #2 arrived, we added an extension to the house. In addition to the extra bedroom, etc, I gained a study, which doubled as a train room. I recycled two doors recovered from the builder’s skip, one as a desk (reduced in length by about 30cm [1’]) & the second as a baseboard. The layout structure was transferred from storage to the baseboard, With some ideas going around in my head, the left end of the ‘late 1975’ styrene base got cut off.



SWMBO swiped the old MDF base as a bed board, still in use to this day, and still with the pencilled guidelines for the final layout (and some earlier variations) !



Progress at the start was slow, limited to making up kits, as I had enrolled for a computer course through TAFE. The following Christmas, the kids needed somewhere to wrap presents away from other family members, so the undeveloped base got pushed to the other end - a blurry enlargement of part of a quick pic taken at the time, shows completed Märklin kits for a coaling station (black), engine shed (red brown with grey roof) & station (maroonish roof only visible), plus a Faller arched bridge (lying on its side) …


As the first two items are today - this pic also features the Good Shed (another Märklin kit) …

The section in front of the water and sand tanks is isolated from both the Shed and the approach track. allowing storage of multiple locos on that track. The engine shed doors are solenoid operated, while engine stopping is activated by a diode across a track gap (hidden inside the shed).

In this next current pic, the bridge referred to above is the third one (the other two are also Faller kits) - and visible in the background is my scratch built low level river crossing bridge. The two foreground tracks rise to the tunnel portal together, then the front one continues to rise to the upper level, while the second drops back down …


The design of the extended layout still based on a fictitious location was guided in part by observational research at the annual AMRA WA exhibitions, where the younger visitors were seen/heard to be keenly interested in trains coming out of tunnels, crossing bridges and appearing in other unexpected places. About 18 months later, I was given another freight set complete with a Märklin Miniclub controller (240V input & Z Gauge specific outputs : a nominal 8v DC track output + 10v AC accessory output), enabling me to temporarily retire the original H&M controller.



At this point in time the engine shed and coaling station were sitting in their designated area, and had been joined by the goods shed but without the tracks shown in the earlier pic. Similarly the Faller arched bridge was in place, but connected to a temporary styrene block pinned to the base sheet. The section over the lower loop track was a temporary structure using a standard single track Märklin bridge unit.

I bought a couple of lengths of newly marketed Peco Flexible track SL200, however decided against using it on any of the main tracks, keeping for backscene areas …



A local coffee machine dealer also had a sideline in Märklin HO, and started to stock Z items as well as Volmer, Kibri & Faller kits. He was also able to order in spare parts, so some niggling issues with loco running were resolved with new brushes, while an ongoing problem with dirt build up on the original plastic wagon wheels was resolved by buying in stock of new metal wheels that had been introduced in 1979. Even as recently as last year, I was buying second hand rolling stock fitted with plastic wheel sets. Around 1985, I obtained another Märklin controller through this supplier, and so was able to dispose of the problematic Gaugemaster unit, while bringing the trusty H&M unit back into use.

This is the only other pic I can find taken during that early period. The building is a early Kibri kit labeled as Z, but from the size of the drums, doors, roof corrugations, etc is really N. A scratch built fence reduces the impact of the barrels alongside the siding track, while those on the yard side have been removed. Just visible under the road tanker (also from a Kibri kit) is a hole (since patched) resulting from spilt plastic glue! I also found a use for a cut down BP drum tag as part of the fence. At the time the photo was taken (ca 1992), I didn’t have any BP tank wagons, that has since been fixed.


The open boom gate just visible at bottom left above is from a Märklin Crossing. While I intended to automate this via track switches, SWMBO bought a manual switch for the kids (little and big) to operate it. Still going strong 30 years on, although the original tight fit has loosened somewhat, and I've now wired both SPST switches to ensure reliability …



In 1994 the local coffee machine dealer went out of business and with it my local supply of Z gauge items, my mum went into a nursing home, and other family pressures totally cut back on my free time, so work on the layout stopped - makes a suitable point to break the story of this layout, so will resume from 1999 onwards next time.

Peter

 

I think a week is a reasonable gap between posts to represent a 5 year gap in the narrative, so first up a correction - the fuel depot building pictured in my last post was from a Faller kit, not Kibri.

There was a brief flurry of activity when I received a Metcalfe ’N’ Gauge factory kit from my brother-in-law for Christmas 1999. No way did it fit size-wise, however early in the new millennium, I was able to scan it, reduce it to Z size (the manufacturer helpfully stating that the kit was manufactured at a scale of 2mm to foot, rather than true N scale). The loading dock entries had to be made larger using what-ever was the current version of Abobe PaintShop back then, and finally print it onto suitable card. The end result was …



Ha, just realised it also appears in the background of the ‘current’ pic that I posted last time, the one featuring the Faller bridges - the alignment of the buildings has been changed to fit the limitations of the track layout.

Full expansion of the Layout was not resumed until late in 2001. So staying in the factory area, the temporary embankment and bridge on the top track had been replaced by a combination Faller Viaduct and Bridge, kit-bashed to accomodate the turnout for the top station ‘Push-Pull” platform - the wiring being dropped down inside the nearest pier. This siding was the first track that I used a Märklin semaphore signal on - the mechanism includes an isolation switch for the track power. The long base is just visible at the top left of the photo - some consider it ugly, I was/am just happy to reduce clutter on the control deck, plus the kids back then, and now the grandkids like to see the semaphores in action. For getting wiring from the top level down to through the styrene blocks to the underside, careful measurements were taken, then transferred underneath, and a 5mm hole drilled through the door base to the limit of the bit - this left about 5mm un-drilled. A 2.5mm crochet hook (acquired from SWMBO) with a 4mm flat section in middle was then used to gently probe through to the surface, usually OK for location the first or second time. Then each wire was pulled through using the hook.

Hum, as Kim says in his posts on LSD, photos reveal all the blemishes - I’ll need to address those white corners on the factory buildings. The Kibri wall in the foreground was not added until 2011, prior to that the styrene ramp edge sloped out at about 10° …



… as the other side still does for now ...


Thereafter the track in-fill occurred quite quickly leading to this state …


The first station isolating section was added on the main loop at the top station with the wire connections mistakenly soldered to the inside of the relevant rail. Fortunately/luckily there was no interference to rolling stock wheels. All future connections were done to the outside of the rail ! The wire between the two outer arrows is simply “buried” in a V slot running between the two points then ‘backfilled’ after the point of the V was cut off. Keen eyed readers may just be able to see the cut lines.
The methodology adopted by Marklin for these early signals, required the use of a solenoid switch on the Control Deck to cover both the isolation and the signal change - there being two globes in the signal base feeding light via optical fibre to the signal head. In time these signals may be replaced with LED based signals (both layouts).





A Faller country station island platform that arrived as part of a job lot, was pressed into service for the halt on the top track …


I’m not sure the trees that arrived in the same lot will stay

Finally for this post, a siding was added to the lower platform at the two level station for Push-pull operations. The Kibri platform ramp still needs attention to better blend in with the Märklin platform and have the correct clearance from the P-P track. The previous owner of the semaphore signal had shortened the wires, so I wasn’t able to go down and back up, consequently ‘cut and cover was required here - and a rare case of before and after photos …





Next post will cover the expansion onto the back of the desk area (with consequences).

Peter

 

Hi Cameron, burning the post midnight oil over here in the west, so you'll probably see this tomorrow over on the east coast …

I can only speak for the WA scene as far as layouts go, and that is only from conversations during attendance at the last two AMRA WA exhibitions - not counting mine, there are at least four Märklin Z Gauge layouts in the Perth metro area in private hands, and one at one of the German clubs. To balance that, last time I checked out the local dealers for 2nd hand stuff, there were two layouts for sale.

None of the local WA dealers stock new Z items, but there are dealers in Sydney & Brisbane, and one in NZ that have new Märklin items in stock, and provide a mail order service.

Then there are the competing products : Japanese Rokuhan, and the US Micro-Trains which have built up a good following. There was a tiny Rokuhan tracked layout as part of the Märklin Club's display at the AMRA WA exhibition last year.

With the advent of 3D printers, there has been a blossoming of new kit items - for example …

The hook is a scratch built addition - I will cover what was supplied, when I get to the exhibition layout.

If you take eBay as an indication, then there are currently 5,000+ total items offered for sale/auction across these categories : Z Gauge; Z Scale; Spur Z; Märklin Miniclub; and 1:220

Peter

Footnote : There was a crisis at Märklin in 2009 partly due to GFC in 2008, but more to do with them out-sourcing production and not being able to maintain quality standards. However, what I believe they call a “white knight” came forward, and the Company was back on a firm footing in 2013 with all production back in-house.

 

OK Kim, the saga continues …. however the advent of grand-children led to another long period of inactivity in terms of development of the home layout, although not with running trains, nor buying items for future use.

While I initially kept the layout within it’s bounds, intending at some point to exhibit it, as is the nature of these things, the acquisition of a fourth controller (3rd Märklin), led to an explosion of activity. The layout quickly spread onto the back part of the former study desk (which had become a work space), with the addition of a Fiddle Yard and Oil Depot - thus becoming fixed in the process. In order to better display the height profile, I’ve rotated this 90° to the other plans …


The manual switch, attached with double sided tape on top of the H&M controller, is for the Fiddle yard lights, while the short signalised siding at the top right was not part of the original build. The lighter coloured board is a second hand 112 cm x 18 cm x 2 cm shelf (3' 8" x 6" x 3/4"), and the darker tapered section was cut from a bookcase upright, from the scrap timber pile in the garage. (The bookcase having collapsed due to overloading !!) The two pieces are joined with dowels and glue.

So to work - the first step was add a sheet of styrene between the wall and the river to the new limit of the scenery. Next was to open up through to the end of the lower push-pull bay, by cutting through the 10 mm (½”) or so of styrene supporting the left edge of the top tracks. Then extend that track through to the start of the ramp. Having a camera in the corner of the phone has its advantages to gain this normally hidden view from the station end …



To take the top track extension, a styrene block from a camera packing box which happened to be the right height, and close to the right length was cut to the correct width, then added. Another two blocks were added at the new scenery limit, cut on the front edge for rough clearance from both levels of the ramp track. A couple of small blocks were added as a base against which the Kibri brick retaining wall would be glued. The curved point/turnout was added to the top circuit, and the track extended towards the planned start of the fiddle-yard board - the join between these two tracks being fully isolated as per the plan. The former camera box insert was then cut back to the end of the track, and the tops of the two blocks (in foreground of pic below), were trimmed so that the fiddle yard would slide into place …


The grooves for wiring clearance were added later when seating issues arose, and the pier in the background has lifted due to the unsupported ramp end span dropping down - not fixed, as there needs to be free movement to disconnect this track first, before pulling the fiddle yard board out, and similarly when replacing it.

While the tapered end is supported on the styrene shown above, the main part is supported by two styrene blocks which have a small cut out at the back - the power supply cord to the controller runs through them …



With the fiddle yard board in place, the centre of the laid track was marked on it, then extended parallel to the edge as the base line for the whole yard. This pic of the power supply connections from the 12PST rotary switch (only 7 used) shows the guide lines (and the fact that I’m using slightly ‘worse for wear’ second hand track, hence the damage sleepers) …



I had the choice of using an expandable track at the top of the ramp to have the joint at the edge, however common sense prevailed and a standard piece of track was used - this meant a little chisel work on the end of the fiddle yard to bring the ramp track down to required level. The trimming of the length of the last track section on the ramp, I’ll leave until the story of the exhibition layout, as I have stage/sequence pics taken during that period.



As the design for the Oil Depot siding has it taking off part way up the ramp, a second sheet of styrene was added to this area - this did not quite make it to the river, so a double sided boundary wall was scratch built, with the inner wall stopping at the higher level. Two of the orange road tankers came with the depot kit, the other seven came from various job lots that I’d picked up over time. The initial point/turnout here was one of the original manual ones. With the tight area available, the first 45° section of the ramp curve was adjusted to 32° to fit with the 13° point curve. In the background the final skew pier for the ramp (blue arrow) was made up by cutting the semicircular end off two standard piers and gluing the larger sections together - as the modified pier had two sets of lugs, and wasn’t going any where near a span joint, these were cut off (see inset) ...


The curved ramp sections are standard Märklin ramps, while two of the three straights are modified standard Märklin straight ramp sections. The short 25 mm section on the right hand side above, can be seen in the foreground of the first viaduct pic in my last post.

So, the completed and populated fiddle yard (the support blocks [red arrows] are barely visible) …





Apart from adding catenary to track five and the extra siding, that just about covers the fiddle-yard expansion. Back to main board additions/modifications next time, including a pic of the entry section of the fiddle yard complete with the extra siding, and some comments on laying cork underlay for Z gauge track.

Peter

 

OK, next episode … back to the main layout area, the next action was the addition of the Factory siding point/turnout - all track including the buffer stop but excluding the point/turnout had been laid out sometime earlier. This area is still in a development state - I will decide what’s what when the cork underlay finally reaches this area.



Talking about cork, the use of this material began when just over 3.6 m (12’) of Itty Bitty Lines [IBL] cork underlay as 8x 45 cm (18”) flat strips, arrived as part of a auction job lot, and was enough to add under the long loop (front) track along the viewing side of the layout, plus the two loop tracks from tunnel to tunnel through the station (brown tracks below) ...



The long straight track was easy enough, however even the largest standard Märklin Z Gauge curve track (220mm radius) requires longitudinal splitting of the cork to get around the curves. This pic shows the cut off points within the tunnels, the left track cork cut shows my visible to the camera first freehand attempt, while the right shows the much better second attempt (aided by a 2B pencil line). The inset pic of a cork off-cut, shows the steps between the strips after making up a section of cork for a 90° curve of the smallest radius (145mm) which required three strips / two cuts …



The arrival of two more semaphore signals (one as new, one used) allowed me to add isolation sections at this station. As the locations still need adjustment, for now the connections from the signal are to each side of a 55mm Marklin isolation track section. The road also needs to be tidied up …



Now talking roads, my attention turned to road access for the top level (from whose heights the Factory pic was taken, which led to two scratch built bridges. The first spanning the river and the roads on each side of it …



The second spans the top loop (where it crosses the bottom loop) and disappears off layout - this pic features Herpa Z Gauge Mercedes Actros prime movers (ca Euro III and IV compliance i.e. mid 2000’s) complete with drivers and trailers - the other notable thing about these models compared to other offerings in Z Gauge, is that the road wheels turn, hence they have to be displayed on a level section of road !

Apart from weathering/detailing (both bridges lift out), another job to do here - the footpaths need to be built up to correct height with one or two layers cut from grey ABS sheet.

While building up stock for the exhibition layout, I obtained a number of as new electric points/turnouts as part of another job lot auction on eBay - with everything else that was in the 94 item lot (including half a dozen catenary posts), the point unit cost came in at something like A$7.50 (back when the A$ was for a short time at parity with the US$ - less than 4 quid each). This allowed me to add the planned “recovery” siding on the fiddle-yard board, complete with semaphore signal …


This slightly blurred pic also shows the Märklin Signal Box kit which was subject of a separate eBay auction (Aussie seller) which featured a small “as built” image that wasn’t able to be enlarged - one of those ‘caveat emptor’ warnings ! I won it for the reserve price (seemingly no one in Os after it, and postage overseas probably too high) - despite reasonable packing by the seller, it arrived in two pieces - the roof having parted company with the rest. This revealed that it had been glued with Tarzan’s Grip or similar. Undeterred, I stripped it down carefully, cleaned off all the useless glue and rebuilt it. About the same amount of work as a new kit at a third the price - must have inherited something from my Scottish forebears. Still needs a building light to be installed next time the Fiddle Yard is pulled out.

Next, the three remaining manual points/turnouts on the layout were replaced.
(A) the second container yard siding (top);
(B) the oil siding point/turnout (bottom left) - this one was paired with both a coloured light exit signal, and the isolator via a remote switch on the control deck;
and (C) the oil depot point/turnout (bottom right).


Partly visible on right of top pic is the rear end of a BR (Bundesrepublik i.e West German) class 89 0-6-0 tank loco - my first loco with a 5 pole motor - Märklin originally went with a three pole motor which causes sticking problems for the smallest locos - on the curved points in particular.

While continuing to do preliminary work on the exhibition layout, as far as the home layout went, the next six months were spent slowly accumulating additional Catenary items, which will be the subject of the next post.

Peter

 

Thanks Reidy, doing my best.

Chris, I can only take credit for the steady hand, the auto focus on the iPhone6 is the key - it can focus at as little as 75 mm (3"). I can blame the blurryness of some of the early pics on my old phone a 3GS.

Peter
In case anyone hadn't guessed, apart from Z Gauge, I'm a bit of an Apple nerd

 

One thing I omitted to mention in the last post, when talking about using cork underlay, was that I originally went with Mossmer (now Noch) pale brown foam combined underlay/ballast. Initially it seemed a good choice, however as time went by, the biodegradable nature of the foam reared it’s ugly head, and it started disappearing into the Dustbuster during periodic cleaning sessions.
Shortly after that, I removed it totally - not an easy job as the foam sections that had been weight bearing were stuck fast to both the plastic and metal parts on the underside of the track, as a dark brown goo.

The gremlins got into the list of point changes in the last post - despite what I thought was careful checking of the text.
The first two should read …
(A) the oil siding point/turnout (top) - this one was paired with both a coloured light exit signal, and the isolator via a remote switch on the control deck;
(B) the second container yard siding (bottom left);

Moving along, I received a twin pack of IBL Double Switch cork underlays as part of another job lot - these need to be trimmed to fit with the adjacent track cork depending on the configuration of that track, but allowed me to see how to treat the other points. Just before Easter the following year I bought some very old AMRI 2mm cork underlay in 3’ tight packed rolls from a seller the eastern states - a lot paler than the IBL cork, and turned out to be N gauge. There was a fair amount of breakage when I tried to flatten the first roll.

The subsequent rolls had this process applied …
Day 1 : soak for 24 hours - weighted down and using drinking straws to expose the maximum surface area - needed to ensure straws were covered as the cork drank quiet a lot - I had to top up the first roll after about 12 hours.
Day 2 : remove roll, and start process with next roll - then before laying flat, towel dry the soaked strip, and then weight down for another 24 hours - resulting in …
Day 3 : … the age of this cork is shown by the variable width - fortunately I would be trimming it down to Z width anyway.
Inner End detail : very small amount of partial breakage only - the texture of the cork meant the repair joints for these couple of cracks was virtually invisible.


So this cork was laid in the following areas (brown tracks again) - the gap on the top track is the bridge over the bottom loop tracks, and the cork stops again at the river bridge …


The pic of the engine shed area posted on 16 June shows the colour variation in the foreground - one day (maybe) it will disappear under ballast. Work on the Exhibition layout then took precedence.

I did say I was going to cover the Catenary installation in this post, however jumping to the present, the other day while rummaging in a storage box, I came across the length of old cork underlay, that was intended to be used to finish off the ramp ...



No time like the present, so I trimmed the strip to Z dimensions … well after completing the bevel along one edge, had a slight hiccup with the width at the start of the strip, which required re-gluing and an overnight delay


While the glue is touch dry in about 30 minutes, before making new cork cuts in the same direction, the glue needs 24 hours to cure.

Next after finishing the trimming, I prepared a clean work area and drafted out the tracks …


Using the centre of the rear straight as the start point, I marked out the cuts and checked the fit with the cork around the outer edge before cutting the strips. For this step it is best to hold down the cork immediately behind the cutter, otherwise the occasional hard cork lump may cause transverse splits. Even with precautions, these splits do still sometimes occur, especially with old cork. So when it happened, I found it best to fix (glue) them straight away so the strips don’t get mixed up.
Just a half hour delay, then I pinned out the cork along the outer edge (using recycled pins from numerous shirt packages). The inner two strips of the right side curve, being between two straights, were cut before that outer strip was pinned down. The cuts are staggered to reduce likely-hood of breakage when moving the cork to the layout. I have found the simplest way to glue the strips, is to use a pin and dip into the full upturned cap from the glue bottle, then apply thinly to the cut edge. With three rows, I stagger the pins on the middle strip, makes it easier to remove them once last row is pinned in place. The shorter right curve was glued first with final trimming cuts to lap the ends (white pins & off-cuts), then the semi circle was done - anything over 90° I do in two halves - apart from anything else I would run out of pins. All done, so left overnight …



Today I trimmed the cork to the end marks, and lifted it - as usual there are a few places where the glue oozed out underneath and stuck to the base paper - these can be eased or cut free with a scalpel or blade cutter.



All that remained was to remove the few bits of paper (above), go to the layout, lift the tracks, glue the cork in place - a thin line down the centre line plus along the butt joints is sufficient, and replace the tracks - nailing through the cork - job done …


The stock crossing is an unused section from the Märklin footbridge kit (it has options for two or four tracks - I only used the two option at the station).

Next time, I will cover the installation of the Catenary.

Peter