I have seen those prices. They may be driven by a presently lesser market share. Needing to pay for the tooling, etc., on smaller sales numbers of each model. Whoever can break this, with a quality model, may be the one who kicks the doors wide open for Z scale. For me, both in price, and due to health issues, it's currently beyond reach. Yet still fun to follow. Boxcab E50
Bah, 500 for a loco is too much, but I noticed they were brass. Just think, one of us could be the next Kato in Z scale. Who's going to make the investment and take the risk!
Yes that is the SP layout that Lyn St Laurent built. He sold it to Hans Riddervold of AZL, and shipped it to Oslo, Norway. Some of the guys on the Yahoo list went to visit it, and Svein-Martin Holt took that photo of the Surfliner and California cars at Hans Riddervold's place Be sure to visit those links; those guys know how to model in Z!
Yes I agree that 5 Bills is steep, but the F59PHI's are the first of a line of injection molded plastic engines, and they are only $170 ea. This year AZL is releasing a brass Cab Forward, and plastic SD70/75's in several phases. The SD-70's are supposed to have Faulhaber motors w/dual flywheels, and run excellent. Price is supposed to be about $225-250 for the SD's.
Is Lyn still living up in the Seattle area? He was part of the N scale gang, when I was still living there. That suggested price mentioned for the coming SD's sounds much better! Boxcab E50
I took a look at those two links and it's amazing what they have done, but it makes sense. The small size really allows prototypical curves. I could get within 75% of the prototype curve radius right now on my layout, that's incredible. Oh well. Maybe one day when I'm rich I'll finally be able to make a convincing Cuesta Pass in a basement in Z scale. I hope more manufacturers get into it and make some more switches and track. *edit* this is what i'm talking about! : It appears to be 1.6m x 1m in overall size which could be scaled up to get closer to prototypical perspective without taking up an entire room.
I'm not sure, but he has Tom Gilchrist of the Northwest Pacific Z Scalers selling all his Z Scale SP brass on eBay, saying he is getting out of Z. Maybe he got tired of waiting for NA style turnouts to be released. A couple of us from the BAZ group went up to Seattle for the NTS, where Ton and the NPZS group let us run our trains on his modular club's layout. Lyn was supposed to bring his SP layout to the NTS, but had decided to sell it instead. They're a kooky bunch of guys, but the have fun:
Now that's what I call a trackplan! Yes you could do this in a bedroom in Z. Within 5 years i think all the pieces will be in place for a modeler to build a layout like this using ready to run models and track pieces. -Robert
Robert- That guy in second photo, on the left, is certainly a familiar face! Looks like you were at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. Boxcab E50
I have heard of Father Nature and PennZee cars, but not realised that Bowzer had made them. Those wood reefers look good Actually, so do the hoppers!
Actually I met those guys in July at the NTS. I just linked to those photo's for your sake, as they are locals from your traindays past.
