First of all I am retired and not new to having model trains but have never done anything more than buy model trains sets and putting them on a piece of plywood. I was fascinated with the Z scale trains and recently bought the Marklin Christmas Train Set. The first problem I encountered was putting the track together. The track connections are so small and fragile and hard to see that I am having a hard time connecting them together. I know some will think this is ridiculous but actually am using a dissecting microscope to connect the fittings together so I don't damage them in the process. I would like to know if I am the only one struggling with this and any recommendations to ease the process?
My other question is about creating a layout. I bought the Marklin Z scale track nails which are actually so small that I consider them pins. I am not interested in glueing the track as I will eventually disassemble the layout. I tried nailing the nails to several different kinds of wood and gently tapped the nails but they bend as they appear to be too fragile for wood. I have spent hours researching this on the web and there is a lot of information on attaching Z scale track with glue but when it comes to nails, I cannot find what type of surface people are using.
I thought of using Styrofoam but a) am not sure if it is durable enough to hold these nails and b) it is messy to cut and I don’t want to invest in a Styrofoam cutter.
I considered using Homasite but that seems messy and I don’t need to buy a 4’ X 8’ sheet and again, am not sure about the durability of Homasite holding these small Z scale nails.
I read on some sites that some persons were using roadbed and/or other materials and glueing everything down but I am not interested a permanent layout. I would consider using cork roadbed if it could hold the track but I know nothing about roadbed. To give you an idea of my layout building knowledge (which I never did), I had to look up the term “roadbed” as I was not sure what it meant. Any advise on your experience would be deeply appreciated!
Hi there. Unfortunately, there are probably few Z scalers on this forum, and your title might not attract a whole lot of attention... Anyway, I don't model Z scale, but here are a few thoughts:
1) When you say non-permanent, what do you mean? At what frequency will you be disassembling it? To me, that is the key question. If you are intending to use nails, that suggests that the layout will be there for at least several months.
2) I have used nails for my current HO layout, mostly because I am not particularly skillfull using glues and flextrack. On the other hand, reading about how people use caulks to glue track and later removing them, I don't see a major difference between removing track that has been glued or nailed down. In fact, it's probably easier to slide a blade under the track to remove it than removing nails (I did that for my previous layout, and it was painful and not without any casualties!).
4) If you intend to put some kind of ballast, there will be tons of glue anyway on the track...
3) If your layout is really temporary, and if you are using some kind of snaptrack system, why not just let gravity hold it? That's what I do for one of my portable layouts. Or maybe apply just a little caulk so it won't wiggle around too much?
Simon
PS: Z scale is really tiny... I have some industrial HOn30 strips on my layout, and I find that small!
I have some experience in building a Z scale layout using Märklin track. Here is a video of this endavour:
Best to watch the video on Youtube!
I encounted many issues with this layout. Locos and cars derailed at one of the curved turnouts and even exchanging the switch did not help. I finally gave up on this layout and sold it.
Here are some lessons I learned:
Don´t use the tiny Märklin track nails! If you push them in too hard, they break the ties, distorting the gauge.
Don´t use curved switches, they are a constant source of derailments or stalling locos.
The only recommendable way to fasten the track is to use double-sided adhesive tape, 1mm thick. Run a thin bead of white glue along the edges and ballast the track. It´s a quick and easy way to good looking track, that even works. Don´t ballast the track using a conventional method, i.e spreading ballast between the ties and then applying white glue. This may also distort the track and put it out of gauge.
Take extra care when you connect the pieces of track. The joiners are easily destroyed. Don´t solder the joints.
If I should ever want to build a Z scale layout again, I will use Rokuhan Z scale track. It´s much easier to assemble and also much more reliable!
I hope this helps a little!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Ulrich, you are such a wealth of information. Is there a scale or gauge you have NOT modelled?
Let me think - I have built layouts in Z scale, N scale, Japanese N scale, HOn30, HOm (metre gauge), HO, On30 and G scale. Layouts in OO9 and HOn3 are on the waiting list. Unfortunately, there are more scales and gauges I have not yet modeled in than I have years left to live.
Thanks! I have not considered putting the track together and trying the train first but that is a good idea and so I will assemble the track adn see how it works. As far as permanency, I am not sure if it will be one month or several months as I have no vision of where I am going with this!
Thanks for the information. I am not sure exactly how long I will keep the setup but it won't be more than a month.
Thanks for the tips. I may try gravity just to get started. First, I need to assemble the track.