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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005 Gee, all it takes is one snide remark on my part, and a dozen Z scalers come out of the woodwork. It's nice to see you are all awake, even if you don't say much. Welcome to the forum gang, in the future don't be so shy. You might want to make some more noise, because I don't recall seeing too many articles about Z in MR.[swg] I guess it has been a while since I looked, sorry. 13 years ago I worked in a hobby store, back then we didn't bother to carry any Z, few American prototypes, few manufacturers, and expensive. Simply no demand. So, can you fit DCC recievers in it yet? One small thought here, and please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe part of the image and perception problem with Z is that people keep putting it in siutcases and briefcases. That certainly strikes ME as novel. [/quote] Big_Boy and other intereZted partieZ, I'm probably as much of a multi-scaler as anyone in or out of Z. I started in O-27 when I was given my uncle's WW-II era Lionel equipment, but over time, we moved to smaller houses, so my Dad and I built an HO layout, and by the time I got to college to earn an engineering degree (and what real engineer wasn't a model railroad engineer, first? [;)]) there was no room/time for little (or not-so-big, compared to the prototypes, for G! [:)]) trains. Moving over a dozen times all over the world during a Navy career resulted in starting again in N gauge, but this time via modules, so I could always "take it with me" without destroying it. Now that I'm living in a tiny home on a very expensive postage stamp-sized lot in SillyCon Valley (a Z gauge shotgun house? [:)]) where there are virtually no basementZ, siZe REALLY matters, and since my family and Navy friendZ live all over the country, I need to travel a lot. Not only is it a hoot to be able to run trainZ on an airline tray table (talk about getting the undivided attending-to from the flight attendantZ and other admirerZ - they think the little trainZ are so _cute_! [;)]) but I also have miniModuleZ that fit into a roll-aboard bag and connect together to form a 2' x 8' layout, so I can take it with me - anywhere. If I go with minimal clothing (Summer's almost here! [8D]), I could put more than four times that amount in two checked bags. Clean track is A Good Thing, no matter what scale you're modeling, but like you said, duZt bunnieZ can be boulderZ in our scale, and keeping corrosion at bay is a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American (and all other nationalitieZ [alien]) Way. As Glen pointed out, a miniscule dab of Wahl clipper oil every few feet works miracles in loosening up the gunk, and a wipe-down with a pad wetted with 90% isopropyl alcohol (with no rubbing-alcohol additives) cleans it all away. Up until recently, DCC decoders in locos required major surgery, but most new models coming out this year are DCC ready, and decoders are made specifically for Z scale by Lenz, Digitrax (see Loy's Toys http://www.loystoys.com/decoders) and Döhler & Haas in Germany. There's no commercial on-loco/tender sound products like SoundTrax specifically for Z (yet [;)]) but with enough trimming, rewiring and imagination, it is theoretically feasible to install the N scale version in the largest box cars (albeit diagonally along the longitudinal axis). However, for a small layout, who can hear whether a sound is coming from a tiny loco, or a speaker under the layout? Plus, you can simulate earthquakes with a very modest-sized speaker and amp! Supply and demand is always a chicken-and-egg thing in the early stages of any product. If it were the early 1950s and the Internet were somehow able to be based on vacuum tubes, forum folks here would be poo-pooing the ridiculous idea of a Half-O scale (BTW, HO had been around in the UK since the 1930s, but didn't overtake O scale in popularity in the U.S. until the 1960s)!!! "Who will be able to count the 'rivets' on a piece of plastic (UGH!) without looking from closer than six feet away??? By gum, in my day, we built our models with real rivets, heated in a furnace to thousands of degrees, and hammered them into cold-rolled iron!!! Who's brilliant idea was it to get rid of the middle rail, and what's up with non-metallic ties closer together than every six inches, that actually look realistic??? Bah, humbug!!! HO is nothing but a novelty that will never take off! Not on my layout!!!!! [;)]" Despite relatively minimal coverage of Z in model railroading magazines like MR, their demographics are rapidly approaching geezerhood (or is it codgerhood - I'm too old to remember anymore! [:p]) and someday, the younger generationZ, who tend to model in smaller scaleZ simply due to space constraints, will move into the driverZ Zeat (and the revolution will be televiZed! [;)]. In fact, MR has committed to publishing at least four articles on Z in 2004, the first of which was featured in the centerfold of the March issue, due in no small part to vociferous input by folkZ like uZ in the Yahoo Z_Scale group, not to mention the hard work on the fantaZtic four-seaZon/scene layout by our very own Lyn St. Laurent. Regarding building layoutZ in luggage, I guess a case (pun fully intended) can be made that larger scales are just a novelty because you can only fit the layouts into their own buildings - why not just go ahead and restore prototypes??? [:D] We now return you to your life, already in progreZZ! [zzz] All Z BeZt, Jim
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