Yes, a 2' x 4' layout in Z would be great! I am currently working on 2 end modules that I assembled into a 2' x 4' layout, and there is lots of scenery space. I think those cars are N Scale Charlie, however this new car kit is Z Scale:
I guess those must have been N Scale Robert. I removed that post. I have trouble finding things on their site. Okay, I guess 2 X 4 it will be then. Charlie
I use about 8" radius on my layout (very close to 195mm) and all of my equipment runs on it just fine. You may want to ask the modern guys about the longer equipment though.
Thanks Chris. Nothing modern will ever run on my layout. :tb-cute: I'll want to have at least two trains moving so I'll need some help.... These units will run powered, two A units back to back like N Scale right, or is there a difference? Charlie
It's a craftsman kit Charlie, and must be glued together. It's an intermediate level kit, but only takes about 2 hours to build. The decals are laser precut, so once you get it painted, decals apply easy. The hard part is painting yellow. It takes about 5 coats of yellow to cover it. Maybe try spraying gray primer as the first coat. http://www.ztrack.com/craftsman/bulkhead/index.html
I haven't built this model, but I have built several others of Robert's. Don't worry about painting. Do a couple of paint coats with a little weathering and it will look better than new out of the shop. Should you see any woodgrain between coats do a little sanding with FINE sandpaper. The chances of seeing any grain, however, are pretty close to zero. ...don
Charlie, If you want to adapt the track to your space, you can also take Peco flex rails. This is always an alternate. The quality of the rail itself is equal to MTL, looks more like the real thing but in terms of flexibility it is much more easy to lay than the Märklin 8594.
Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'll order some of the track and see what I can do and formulate some further ideas. Charlie
Painting / Ballasting MTL Track So Joe, What was your MTL track painting and ballasting technique? Also what brand/color paint and what brand/color ballast? John
Remember to not use kindergarten "school glue" as it is shiny after it dries. Use "Glue-all" for modeling. These are the glue types as printed on the white glue bottle.
I used floquil grimey black, mixed with a touch of flat black. After my track was secured, I brshed it on everything and wiped the tops down and allowed it to dry. I was very carefull around the tournouts and used it sparingingly. I choose that color for two reasons,, one it looks good on the side of the rails and two, it makes the ties look like they are weathered so I get a two for one. This way no matter what ballast you use you have a dark base so any misssed spots don't stand out so much. Now after it was dry I used fine cinders from woodlan scenes and did it the old fahion way, slowely brushing it between the ties and keeping it looking uniform along the sides. I use 90% alcohol mist to saturate before slowely and I mean slowly dribling the white glue water mix. I really think that is the key. In the first section I did, the ballast just floated because I used too much glue, it does not drain off well, So used it sparingly and slowely and that kept the cinders from floating. It is painstaking work, but it really does look nice when it is done. I'll tell anybody to just take your time.
A trick I found on gluing the ballast is to use Elmer's glue 50-50 with water. The additional step to yours is to whip it up with a small Badger penlight battery paint mixer. this creates a frothy foamy glue solution. I dribble this on with a teaspoon or eyedropper. Since it is frothy it tends not to run.
Yep, Elmer's makes two white glues, the School Glue which is watery (should be able to see the seperation if the bottle has been sitting around) and the regular white "Glue-All". Flash, Don: if you get a commercial spray bottle, they spray the 50:50 glue (+ 2 Tablespoons of any Isopropal Alcohol). This also prevents those dang drips. I additionally tape a curve piece of plastic on the bottle and under the nozzle/trigger area to catch any that might occur.
Joe, Thanks! What process did you use to secure the MTL track? And what did you secure it to (foam, wood...)? John
John, my new layout is on about half a hallow core door, about 30 by 42in. I glued it in sectoins with super glue directly to the wood. I only need to tack it down I didn't apply it to the full lenght as I knew I was gonna ballast next. I used a hot glue gun when I was in N scale and used kato unitrack, but I didn't want to bother with that so I used the super glue on this one.
I'm sorta doing the same thing at home. Hope to post some pics next week. I am doing a 2x6' race track with some switching so I have something to run my trains on and to shot photo's. I probably mentioned this before, but as I attach the sections I line up three or four lengths and use Tester's solvent to glue the ends together while sitting under a weighted straight edge that fits between the rails. this keeps them straight and helps everything set up correctly. this reduces the seam quite a bit. I then respray the roadbed and rust the rails using lacquer. So far the test sections have come our really nice. Cheers Joe MTL
