questions from a complete beginner

Hi Mark,

Welcome back to model railroads and especially to Z scale.

I think the perimeter of a 12' x 14' room is perfect for Z scale and will allow you to create tons of realistic scenes - especially for long trains. You will probably need about 18" off each wall for a really good scene, and if you can do 30" off the walls for the turn around loops then you will be in great shape (you can still do plenty with less)

To start planning I suggest a free planning program called SCARM www.scarm.info/index.php that will alow you to plan to your hearts delight. As learning, it all depends on how advanced you were with your N scale layout. The skills are the same in both N and Z, its just that Z lets you pack more into the same space. If you are a "snap" track type guy, then I recommend Rokuhan track www.rokuhan.com/english/ as they have the largest selection out there. If you do more advanced flex track, then you are in luck as Atlas has just announced that they will be releasing Z scale flex track in the near future.

I dont think there are any Z specific books that are really applicable. I have always liked Dave Frary's books on scenery: www.mrscenery.com/ because his advice applies to all scales. For things like trees, just buy the smaller N scale trees and you will be fine - same with things like tunnel portals (frequently HO culverts work out fine) just think a little smaller. For electrical, its the same as other scales, but you can probably use a little smaller gauge wire as Z scale locomotives dont draw much current.

Track cleaning is importnt in Z scale, but the good news is that it is not too complicated. After years Ive discovered that the best track cleaner is small squares of an old white t-shirt. Just rub the rails and the dirt comes off. If its really bad, a small ammont of rubbing alcohol or a light use of a bright boy will do the trick. That being said, Aztec makes a great track cleaning car in Z scale www.aztectrains.com/zscaletrackclean.html

Yes we have DCC in Z scale no problem! In fact it works just about the same a N scale. All of the locomotives we have made here at AZL in the past 5 years are all 12 volt compatible - thats the same as N scale, so you just set up everything like you are using N. All of our modern AZL locomotives also accept drop-in DCC decoders, as do many MicroTrains locomtoives. Lots of basic DCC sets are avalable - NCE makes a good one - but you might want to add a little extra short circuit protection to whatever DCC system you choose. I really like the DCC specialties PSX units www.dccspecialties.com/products/powershield_x.htm they have faster, more inteligent, short circuit protection than what is built into most DCC boosters. This is important for our smaller wheels and locos, but the price is reasonable at about $40.

Phew! thats a lot, but I think you will find the community here happy to help you on your new adventure in Z scale.

Best,
-Rob(A)
AZL

Good morning Mark,

If you have never done Z-scale, I would highly recommend that you just get your feet wet and give it a try by purchasing a small loop of track, a loco and some rolling stock. The reason for this is to just try it. Your room would be enormous for Z-scale but for long trains, perfect for what you want. I had done N-scale for many, many years and Z is different in many ways; not just being smaller. As Rob had mentioned, even with the very best of power packs and locomotives, track cleaning is very important in Z scale. Getting used to handling the locos and rolling stock is different and placing them on the track is different. The voltages used and speed of locomotives is different (not in a bad way, mind you). Lastly, Z-scale is higher cost than N or HO; probably on average, 40-50% higher. As others have mentioned, you can do DCC with Z-scale.

I am not sure what era you want to model; maybe modern if you want long trains. If modern is what you want, here is what I would recommend that you get to try it out. You will have about $400 in this setup.

AZL SD70ACe locomotive
4 Pack of AZL Coalporters, Hoppers or 23,000 Gallon Tank Cars
Rokuhan 270 degree curved track (you will need 12 pieces for a circle)
Rokuhan 220mm straight track (4 pcs to a package)
Kato power pack (you will need to be careful about your voltage with this, but I just made a mark on mine and don't exceed it when using it)

There are several Z-scale vendors that I use and you can gather good information about what is available from them.

zscalemonster.com
z-gauge.com
us-zscale.com
modeltrainstuff.com
needtrains.com
normstrainworld.com

Dave

In addition to the other resources presented here, I might suggest bookmarking and studying David Karp's "Do It Yourself In Z Scale." His site has been a great starter resource over the years.

www.zscale.org/

Also, for power pack discussion, check through the archives here at this forum, but here is one in particular I just found:
www.azlforum.com/thread/297/power-controllers

Cost-wise, it makes sense to use an N scale power pack if you are transitioning from N. But be careful to not use N controllers on all z locomotives. I would hate to spend $200 on a locomotive and then burn it out or void the AZL warranty. Seems wise to spend the extra $45 to get a z-rated controller.

Hi Mark,

I would recommend that you build your first Z-piece with Rokuhan tracks. They are robust, easy to install and optically acceptable (take a look at one of my layouts and judge yourself: azlforum.com/post/7221/thread )

I am happy to help out with any kind of advise when it comes to land scaping. In the meanwhile, you find a lot in my thread, e.g. about trees, water, hills and dunes and many more: azlforum.com/post/4259/thread

Best, Sven