Joes
Fireman
Posts: 84
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Post by Joes on Jun 12, 2012 14:24:53 GMT -5
Just wondering what people have seen the past that inspired them to get into Z. Myself, if was Model RR March 2004 issue. Lyn St. Laurent had his California in Z. At that time I was into N and they didn't even have a Mogul but here was one in Z! I found one and purchased it for retail, and never looked back. The other layout that really impressed my was Vern Sargent's Southern Indian Layout from the March/April Ztrack. Less famous, but a work of art for sure.
Basically the two motivated me to have a small town yet mainline layout. So, what if any layout inspired you?
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Post by Rob Albritton on Jun 13, 2012 7:41:23 GMT -5
Two things: Greed and Sex.
1) I wanted to do a larger layout than would fit in the space I had available. HO and N would limit me. I could do what I wanted in Z. Thus Greed. 2) My girlfriend at the time thought they were "cute"
Also, I was (and I still am) a big European fan, so Marklin's Z line worked perfectly for me.
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Post by zbarr474 on Jun 13, 2012 10:04:12 GMT -5
My first layout was in N Scale, designed by John Armstrong. You can find it in Model RR Magazine -- One unusual feature is that it hung from the ceiling and used a garage door opener to raise/lower. FWIW the suspension system as shown in MRR is wrong and will NOT work but in about 25 years no one has caught the error, so I guess no one else did any hanging. About 15 years ago my wife and I built a new home. The movers moving the layout helped make it so I had to start over. Z was here, so I used Armstrong's design as a starting point.
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Post by dave on Jun 13, 2012 12:49:17 GMT -5
It wasn't really a layout that made me want to play in Z scale, but rather the incredible detail and precision in something so small. It is the same thing that drew me to N scale over a decade ago. I do both now along with some G-scale.
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Post by Ztrains on Jun 13, 2012 16:35:12 GMT -5
It wasn't a specific layout for me either, it was the Marklin Orient Express set sitting on the top shelf of a Marklin glass case display in a local hobby shop. Still an amazing set all these years later. John www.ztrains.comAttachments:
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Post by jamestraction on Jun 13, 2012 19:09:56 GMT -5
ZoCal's layout at Anaheim. Liked it so much I joined the group! -JamesTraction
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Post by zscaler on Jun 14, 2012 18:37:25 GMT -5
I also saw the beauty of the Z Bend standard at a train show with ZoCal and BazBoyz showing their stuff back in late 2007. Abandoned my N Scale stuff since.
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Post by hobbycraftsnmore on Jun 14, 2012 19:06:53 GMT -5
It was back in the late 80s when I had to tear down my HO Layout at my parents house and I saw it. Modelrailroader Western Pacific layout in Z Scale. It was in than magazine and then at Trainfest ,
It was modular and easy to move( unlike the HO that did make the move)
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Post by zcratchman on Jun 14, 2012 19:33:33 GMT -5
For me it was the incredible detail that could be captured in such a small environment. I got away from trains (N scale) many, many years ago when space considerations became a premium commodity for me. I’ve always loved miniature things, no matter what the subject matter, so when my wallet matured to the point Z scale was an option, and when people began producing professional looking North American layouts, I could no longer resist the lure of these tiny creatures.
Joe
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Post by loadmaster on Jun 14, 2012 20:05:45 GMT -5
Robert A: I would like to see pictures of your Gottard Railroad. I never purchased a copy of Model RRer that had that article and pictures, bummer.
Robert
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Post by earthdick on Jun 14, 2012 21:29:08 GMT -5
the suit case layouts, Noch!
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Post by ztrack on Jun 15, 2012 7:30:34 GMT -5
Robert check out the March/April 2008 issue of Ztrack. We ran an article on Robert's Gotthard. MR was kind enough to allow us to use the line drawing they published for the article. We still have back issues in stock or you can download the PDF! www.ztrack.com/issues/issues_08.htmlRob
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Post by gyroflyer on Jun 16, 2012 2:37:39 GMT -5
Jim O'Connell's CCRR Southern Division really got me going in Z and being from Montana, seeing Loren Snyder's setup in Denver really convinced me that I could model my neck of the woods realistically in such a small scale.
Mark
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Post by peterrex on Jun 16, 2012 3:28:26 GMT -5
Well, I was inspired by Frank C. Ellison and his articles "THE ART OF MODELLING RAILROADING" and by the many articles of John Armstrong, one of the first to take in Z-Scale model railroading whole heartedly. In Scale 1:1 i was inspired by the engine changes on the PRR: GG1 and first steam, then diesels! My "dream" - to do such an exchange in Z with engines only, but along with a fast clock and a timetable for freight and passenger trains. That will take some time though.
Rainer from Germany
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Post by mdlieske on Jun 17, 2012 10:13:27 GMT -5
Not a layout, but I was stationed in England from 1987-1990 and was on a trip to Bavaria in 1989 when I picked up my first Marklin set (8167). Been dealing with the addiction since then! Also got to see Rob Allbritton's amazing Z world when he hosted a Ztrack one-day con a few years back in the DC suburbs. Awe-inspiring!!!
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