Need help from you Z'ers

Carl Sowell May 19, 2021

  1. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    I model in N scale and some of you may have seen my work on the N forum. Our club layout (N) has an amusement park and I am toying with the idea of making a "park train ride" by using Z goodies. So I have some questions, if you have time to make suggestion;

    1. I was thinking of Z flex track, no roadbed ala KATOU Unitrak. What brand flex would be easiest to work with?

    2. What make of train, most likely a diesel and one or two "old time" passenger cars ?

    3. Are there any wooden trestle kits available?

    Does anyone have a jpeg of an N and Z sitting next to each other?

    Any suggestion or links you know would be appreciated.

    Thanks & be well,
    Carl
     
  2. Zscaleplanet

    Zscaleplanet TrainBoard Supporter

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    Have you considered T-gauge as well??? Smaller yet than Z and may give a better representation of what you are trying to do.
     
  3. IronMan1963

    IronMan1963 TrainBoard Member

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    I have used the micro trains flex with very good luck. I have made some very small layouts with it. Including 2 in makeup cases. I have both Marklin and Micro Trains F7s. They both work well. There are also a couple hood type units out there. Most Marklin stuff is going to be European prototype. Although they have a Mikado that is a very nice runner. I have a few of the older type European passenger cars. I don't have any of the us prototype passenger cars so I can't comment on them. I will see if I can get a pic of a Z and N scale F unit next to each other.
    If you buy used equipment you are gonna want to see them run. If they have set for a while with out being run the grease in the Marklins turns to peanut butter. They can be cleaned up and got running not a terrible job, just a little tedious, as long as they have not burned up the motor trying to get it to go, or put to much voltage to the motor. 9-10 volts is MAX.
    Later Richard
     
    Carl Sowell likes this.
  4. mdvholland

    mdvholland TrainBoard Member

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    Carl, this was posted a while back here on this board:
    [​IMG]

    Matt
     
  5. mdvholland

    mdvholland TrainBoard Member

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    Carl Sowell likes this.
  6. Z train things

    Z train things TrainBoard Member

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    Wouldn't it be super if you could get that sort of detail in T as pictured above, plus have them run reliably?
     
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  7. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks to all of you for comments and link.

    Z t t,

    That is my concern with the T, I am afraid it would not run as reliably as a Z train would. I don't want to "mess" with the thing, especially during a show. I want to set up a station with auto stop/start built in so I may just go with the Z.

    Thanks again, be well,
    Carl
     
  8. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    I've seen a couple of T layouts in my area, pre-covid when we had train shows, and they were ran pretty much all day long with barley any glitches, really smooth runners. I've come really close to buying a basic set, just for fun.

    Some of the guy's in the T forum have come up with some great stuff!
     
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  9. SJ Z-man

    SJ Z-man TrainBoard Member

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    The T Gauge does run well, GREAT for SMALL sets and such, but, still a novelty. That US loco is custom. I have a lot of T offerings but just use them as an interest, on a table, at Shows.

    Back to the questions. MTL flex is greatness scale lookin rail. But only 12" long (about 10-11" in a curve) and black undetailed ties. no turnouts (switches) unless you use the road bed ones.
    Atlas 2810 flex is 24" long, more flexible, detailed brown ties (same spacing as MTL =U.S.) but uses larger rail head (but same head as Peco, märkln, Rokuhan) and offer sorta realistic turnouts and . . crossing. Note though that the turnouts and crossing are true number frog so the divergent (exit) rail is straight (not a continuous 490mm radius curve). This makes the layout a bit larger in both length as width. Atlas turnouts require a through mechanism to move them (finger, servo, motor or electrical slide switch [like, an on/off]

    You can play around with some example section (roadbed) track using the free SCARM software, then adapt to flex.
    http://www.scarm.info/index.php

    For running, I like freight. So many dynamic cars to put into a train. If you do switching (Micro-Trains [MTL] only), you can always have many variations of that freight cars. Nice when the are passed by a passenger though
     
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