Because I just spent over a grand the past 3 days just on Z alone and I told my assistant to put me at a 1500$ Z budget per week and I have OCD with going over my budgets. I do this because every dollar adds up, and you guys are right about how many "friends and fam" tried contacting me everyday that i don't even know. I had to change my number 12 times in a month. Also I get about 60 letters a day of people asking for money. I've gotten letters from the mob asking for 20% lol. And I'm very generous with my money to my real friends and family, Just the other day I was in Manhattan and gave 3 lucky homeless people 500$ each cash. I really like to help strangers out and donate for needy children. It just makes me feel like I give back and theirs no better feeling then seeing a persons face who really could use the help. I mean theirs only so much you can do with your money before you get bored. I told my self If I ever hit the lotto (and ended up hitting) that I would always remember the small people. And that I would always give back to my community. This way when I'm gone people will know I made a change impacting their lives. I'm only 22 years old, have been dating my high school sweetheart for 6 years now, and shes been by my side forever never ever broke up or took a break. She became a nurse in the mother baby unit over at the local hospital. And she loves her job till this day. Very strong women . But the strip pole and bar I installed in my house isin't her favorite hehe. The more I get to know some of you, I'm going to fly 3 or 4 of you over here to my house and we can chat and you guys can train my Z skills. Everything will be all inclusive seeing I have a returant style room, and 16 bedrooms and 11.5 baths. So far Hobo Tims right there at the top. THANKS HOBO! BNSF 4 LIFE shirts will be made if you come visit!
Oh now you've done it, we are going to have every Z Scale Modeler showing up here fighting for that chance. Hmm, might be good as a membership drive idea... Enjoy Life on the interest and keep that principle nice and safe!
60 mil good luck to you, but if the above has happened why would you mention your good fortune here? could get more of that unwanted attention..... keep sending updates of your layout progress, base board looks good, I have used the woodlands foam risers with great results. Mike..
It looks like you have a really good start on a new layout, and you have lots of great buildings for it, but really, really, don't use Woodland Scenics ballast, it looks like termite droppings. It really does, each piece is exactly the same size, and that's pretty much too big for Z Scale. Get the Arizona Rock and Mineral N Scale ballast, which is the correct size for Z. Also get some of their finer dirt and rock powders. Get a large assortment of them, and blend. Their stuff looks so much more real. You can use all the other Woodland Scenics products though, as they are really good, it's just their ballast is offensive! haha!
Smith and Sons is also exceptionally good. Available direct or from Scenics Express. They don't advertise it but there is a whole line of Z. <<ALL>> of it is real ballast. Harley Smith takes his 20 ton dump truck and goes to various railroads, generally within 1,000 miles of Northern Ohio - loads up and brings it back to the shop. He then grinds it, filters it for some larger sizes, HO N and Z. Way back in time I posted the direct contact info somewhere on this forum. ...don
Door Skins are thin plywood panels that are used to skin hollow core doors. Create the frame with a plate for your lock set and bracing in Pine or other wood and then glue the skin in place. sand and stain to produce a interior door for a home or other building. cheerz Garth
Door skins are the 1/8" mahogany or birch plywood skins that are glued to either hollow core or solid core interior doors frames. Birch is extremely smooth to begin with and gives a very nice surface to work with for the module top, or the side trim pieces. Paints up nice or can be stained. In this manner you can really spruce up your layout borders if you so wish. Here in Medford we have a business called Builder's Bargain Center that sells all sorts of left overs from mills, and wood products businesses. I can pick up all sorts of very nice dimensional lumber, plywood, and other odds and ends. This is one of my favorite places to shop. The prices are really good.
Yes, I am an advocate for using the correct ballast. Track is a model, and needs to be treated as such. You would not build an expensive laser kit then paint it with finger paints would you? Same goes for ballast. Why pay big bucks for Z Scale track, and cork roadbed, then slop down Woodland Scenics crushed, dyed, blendered, then screened to the size of termite droppings walnut shells on your track, when you can find real crushed rock products out there that look just right?
Matt, Arizona Rock and Minerals "N" scale ballast (the -1 part numbers) is really closer to Z. MUCH closer to Z than Wookdland Scenics Fine or High Ball Z. Trust us ! Haven't tried that Smith and Sons. Think I'll order a trial. Smith And Son Ballast Owners: Harley & Dale Smith 13630 GAR Highway (Rt. 6) Chardon OH 44024 Hours: none - just call ahead to make sure someone is there Phone: 440-286-4890.
You will be very very happy. Trust me. When you talk with them ask what unusual items they have. It is not the same as poking around bags of scale ballast, but they do have materials I've never seen before such as rusty ballast and things like that. It may only be 10 or 20 lbs of "something", but it is to scale...and prototypical ...don
For example, the prototype Siskiyou line between California and Oregon and that sports grades up to 3.7% runs 35-car trains (3500 tons gross weight) with lashups of 7 GP40s or GP40-2s at the point... Dom
Yeah, myself I'm using extruded foam I glue into layers with a pre-cut shape. Once they're glued I do the final cuts with a hot knife. Then I add a layer of light paper (such as the sample you're using in your toilets:tb-wink I fix to the layer with a mix of water and white glue. Then I add a layer of Sculptamold. Once all this is done, I paint the relief with a brown matt paint (myself I'm using Humbrol # Matt 119). Afterwards I apply a layer of white glue with a wide brush, and I drop some sand I just caught on a beach, after having it dried...cool: Finally I airbrush a thin layer of the same Humbrol paint and I have my desert inspired landscape.:tb-wink: Dom
