Well, I have finished the 2'x4' table and frame, bought 2" thick extruded foam-2'x8', and used an old antique baby changing table to mount it on with wing nuts for quick removal. Works good! Now i'm trying to decide wether to wait until this fall for the new MT sectional track, or just start using the MT flextrack?!
I would not be able to wait either. I would just go ahead and use the MTL track. Do you have a track plan ready? -Robert
I somewhat have an idea. I want a scene divider going diagonally across so I can do two different scenes and probably just a basic loop since the turnouts i've seen don't look good. I'm going to model the GN in the Cascades in the mid-fifties. My favorite town is Skykomish and I even will model the west portal of Cascade Tunnel! All on a 2'x4' layout! Isn't Z-scale great!!
Ohh! Cascade Tunnel! Good choice. I like the scenery up there, and have been attempting to model it. Being an NP fan, I could not miss the NMRA National, so last summer I rode a fan train from the King Street Station to Cle Elum for a BBQ and back. It was a nice ride, taking 4 hours. I enjoyed the scenery all the way, and had hoped to see something left of the town of Lester, but the town is just a field along the right of way now. Here is my version of the Issaquah station, on one side of my ZBT module. I used a steep 7" mountain range as a scenic divider of the 2 sides of the module:
About three years ago, my dad and I took a rail tour to Yakima and back over Stampede and it was awesome!! The scenery was second to none. Everybody went to the state fair and we walked around Yakima for 5 hours and saw alot of stuff like the old trolley system and the staion and yards. And a couple of freights too. Abunch of people I talked to on the train were NP fans wanting to ride over the Pass!!!
Well, the waiting got the best of me! $105.00 later, and I have a loop with a siding! Marklin track, IBL cork roadbed, a bag of fine brown ballast, and a box of 100 Heki pine trees for the Cascade forest.
Hi Kurt, Have you layed any ballast and planted any trees yet? I bought some of those Heki pine trees too, as you can't beat the price. I hope you can post some pictures of your progress! -Robert
Gosh, I have'nt had any time to do anything! I did buy some N-scale Bachman crossing signals that I will use for block signals, ( like the target style), and I have cut down some N-scale telephone poles to Z-scale, really easy. Oh, and I'm almost finished with my western portal of Cascade Tunnel that I'm making out of styrene. Now I am in the process of building the old substation generator building that was in Skykomish. Just looking for the right kit to kitbash!
It sounds like you have some real neet projects under construction. Is the Bachman signal the black over the track signal bridge that comes in the set with 6 searchlight signals? That is a hard set to find, being out of production for years. It always had nice fine detail. The telephone poles is a good idea too! -Robert
They are actually for grade crossings, the white ones, just cut of the crossbucks on top and one of the red flashers, instant signal!
Check the post I made on the Z-Bend Track Yahoo group. I sell true Z scale telephone poles on commission that were left over from the demise of Rogue. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Z-Bend_Track/ Bill K.