What can make Z scale better?

[ztrack]

Ed that is the one think you almost don't have to worry about in Z. We typically run 50+ cars all of the time in Z. No kidding. Bumping up to 100 is almost easy if you have three big locos up front (thin AZL SD70 series) and cars with metal wheels (AZL or Full Throttle couplers). MTL couplers have too much slack and are weak when you start running long trains. We found MTL couplers could break due to the weight of such long trains.

Here is a fun video of a 91 car tank car train being pulled by 7 diesel in Z:

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In 2001, we tried to run 200 plus cars on a module display. We were breaking couplers left and right! I don't think we will have this issue now with AZL and Full Throttle couplers as an option.

Rob

[Catt]

The hobby shops in my town know of only one Z scaler in West Michigan (Me).There are at least 6 active Z scalers besides me but they would rather shop on line.It's almost like they are ashamed to be Z scalers. The local shops would stock Z if they could sell it.Well three of them would the forth one doesn't believe any scale but HO exists.

[jimmo]

This would sell in N Scale! I would buy some for industrial trackage and spurs.

Roy Stevens sells tie strips for code 40 rail to make Nn3 (Nn40) flex track on Shapeways. He even has turnout tie strips in point and stub.
https://www.shapeways.com/product/BTX66NG4A/nn3-code-40-ties?li=shop-results&optionId=42996270

[up1950s]

Tankcars that don't look like they were separated via The Chopper . They are neither flush convex or recessed convex .

Price vs lack of prototypic fidelity is a put off for me .

[sundowner]

Body mounts from the factory would be great, I have two AZL GP38-2 that run great and look just like the Atlas GP's until you see the gaping hole on the pilots for the truck mounted couplers. I have to say AZL has been bringing some great cars to market, there ACF 2-bay and coil car are great.

[ednadolski]

Here is a fun video of a 91 car tank car train being pulled by 7 diesel in Z:

Say Rob that is a really impressive video -- thanks for sharing!   Would I love to see what that looks like in-person, it really shows off the benefits of decompression.    Just curious, what kind of grades and curve radii are on that layout in the video?

I've used the LEZ (Lee English Z-scale) couplers for N scale trains and found they are pretty strong.  I'm able to pull a 65+ car train up a >2.5% average grade on relatively sharp curves (as low as 16.5" radius) so I'd be pretty confident that you could pull substantially more in a Z-scale train without the couplers being an issue.  (IIRC in the raw strength test I did I was able to dead-lift a weight of over 11 ounces with a pair of the LEZs).

Since body-mounting was mentioned: I made an etched brass pocket for body-mounting the LEZs on N-scale cars, but I see no reason why it could not be used for Z (at least with large curves).  The pocket actually included a simulated "air hose", and on one of the early versions it was decidedly undersized for N scale - but I bet it would have been fairly close to scale for Z. 

Roy Stevens sells tie strips for code 40 rail to make Nn3 (Nn40) flex track on Shapeways.

How does one affix the rail?  It looks like it should just slide onto the tie strips, is any sort of adhesive needed?  (It looks like if they were made wider and with a different profile then they could be a fair representation of concrete ties in N scale.  Hmmm.....    )


Ed

[nkalanaga]

My only experience with Z locos has been as Nn3 kitbashes, usually with a good slug of lead putty.  Has anyone here tried running electrics from live overhead?  Does that work any better than a similar sized diesel mechanism?  It looks like, if there was enough pantograph pressure for good contact, that might also force the wheels down a little bit, aiding contact there.  But theory and practice don't always agree in models...

[keeper]

Another thing which is missing are kits of North American buildings, something like DPM for Z Scale. There are some but not many and Stonebridge is no more.
Not everyone wants to scratchbuild everything... 

Thomas

[ztrack]

The brass coupler pocket sounds interesting. Do you have a photo?

Yes, I have run the off of the overhead on my Marklin European layout. It is very cool to see. You have to run with both pantographs up in order to get enough power, but it works. Occasionally you will see a little blue arch between the pantograph and the overhead wire. The Marklin overhead system is clunky. I blacken all of the overhead wires to knock down the shine of the bare metal. This is goes a long way to improving the appearance of the wire.

So true about American kits in Z scale. Stonebridge is just another on a long list of companies that have disappointed the Z community. What we need is sustainability. There are a few companies that have supported Z with kits for many years, but we need more selection. Take a look at GC Laser, Micron-Art, Creative Laser Design, Animek Models, and N Scale Architect as examples of companies that offer Z scale kits. Having a line like DPM for Z would be incredible. Don't discredit the European manufacturers. We import and sell kits from the Luetke line. Many of these can work on US layouts, or be a basis for kit bashes. There factories for instance are just incredible and can be 'Americanized'.

Rob

[ednadolski]

The brass coupler pocket sounds interesting. Do you have a photo?

This looks to me like one of the older ones with the smaller hose:




(Thanks to Gary Hinshaw for the pic -- better than any I have taken.)


Note the trip pin is cut off, but that's more an aesthetic consideration.  Alternately you could cut off the brass hose if you wanted.  WRT body-mounting, this should not have any limits on operating curvature that would not already exist with other types of body mounted couplers.

Ed

[nkalanaga]

Rob:  Most commercial catenary, in any scale, is clunky.  It seems to be the nature of the beast.

[sirenwerks]

If I could afford it I would love to model a prairie line with lots of 40' boxcars and graineries.  The structures I could do on my own, the boxcars not so much.  I think Z is ripe for Shapeways-fueled innovation to give us the sort of variety we are starting to see in N from established bricks and morter-based manufacturers.  And since Shapeways doesn't crank out painted and printed models, we would need to do that ourselves.  Paint we can get, decals not so much.  So I say - Z scale decals.  They don't have to be highly detailed, but some capacity to decal cars with the many different schemes we seeon rialroads would help move Z along, IMO.

Of course, the biggest roadblock for me is still cost. 

[ztrack]

Ed that coupler box is impressive! It really has me thinking.

A prairie layout is very doable. Joe Szajko has done one that I really like. See the January/February 2009 issue of Ztrack for more information on this layout. Here is a thumbnail of the cover:



http://www.ztrack.com/issues/issues_09.html

GC Laser offers very nice granaries. One of which is on the cover. The 40' boxcars and even the grain doors are all available in Z. Of course, if you are going more modern, we have ACF hoppers in 2, 3 and 4 bays as well as the PS2-cd covered hoppers.

Rob

[SkipGear]

From talking to customers in the store....(we carry a small amount of Z but it is shrinking as it certainly isn't selling like the other scales).

The people that can comfortably afford the product and have the time to build a layout, have aged out and can't see the details. They look at it as a cost / value situation and if I they are going to pay for the details, they want to be able to see them.

[up1950s]

From talking to customers in the store....(we carry a small amount of Z but it is shrinking as it certainly isn't selling like the other scales).

The people that can comfortably afford the product and have the time to build a layout, have aged out and can't see the details. They look at it as a cost / value situation and if I they are going to pay for the details, they want to be able to see them.

I used to play with trains , now I bowl because the ball makes the same sound as a model train , especially when I yell out all aboard .