My current layout, I decided only to have straight points. Didn't use any curved or crossing points as first layout. Just not worth the headaches.

Be very careful aligning fish plates, it seems to be with points that a fish plate can completely go under the rail. Get some spares 8954 & replace if they get damaged (8954 also comes with isolation fish plates).

4 axle locos are the best runners. If you want to go a bit extra, they are easy to add a bit of lead, but if your track has one RL (relative level) you won't need lead unless you are aiming for train length records!

Build your track say 50mm above the base board so with your landscaping above & more importantly below the track's common RL, for bridges, rivers, culverts & road underpasses etc. Create an illusion of gradients without actually using any. Landscape negative RL's (lower than track) will make the layout look a lot better. Very easy to do, but only if you plan the layout before laying track. Make a master plan (drawn it out to Z scale).

A few freight carriages I have glued a couple of grams of lead to the bottom & use those directly behind the loco. There always seems a few temperamental carriages that derail whatever care you provide! Put them at the end of the train or don't use them.

Don't use 145mm radius track.

If you insist on gradients, 2% maximum, also better to increase radius to 300mm using the 660mm length rail & cut as required. Use 660mm lengths where you can to minimise joins.

Edited by user 04 July 2023 09:19:57(UTC)  | Reason: Fix typo issue for part number

Hello, hope all is well.

I like everyone’s comments above. There are pros and cons to your choice of track, both are great. Many don’t like the look of grey plastic “ballast” on Rokuhan, but Marklin and others, require you to do the ballasting.

My advice is to watch out for the hills, if one or more are going to be on your layout.

If you like longer trains, it is possible hills on your layout may present a major problem for a Z locomotive.

Take good care, best wishes for your project.

Dwight

The Peco track is good. It is 600mm vs Marklin 660mm.

The flexibility is great as the sleepers are already designed that way. Marklin sleepers need to be cut every 3rd or 4th.

The Peco sleepers are a bit larger so that may be a bit of an issue if one is fussy about visual issues, say in the foreground.

The fish plates need to be pushed on both ends, whereas the Marklin fish plates are already keyed in place. When you cut Marklin rail cut from the non fish plate end.

I found out about the fish plates a while back, having an at first unexplainable derailing every time. Thanks for mentioning it :-).

I have quite a lot of 4 axle locomotives, but since I like steamers, I have those as well, and they do seem to be a lot more picky. The german crocodile on the other hand is awesome!

In z scale the pulling/ traxxion power is for me one of the hardest things I had to get used to, because the difference between n and ho scale is quite big.

The idea of the scenery is smart and useful, I m still setteling on a plan, so maybe there wont be any climbs, but the idea of the illusion is great!
Isn t 145mm track industry radius?

Thanks,
Kristof

Hello Dwight,

I love the look of both, both of them have something about them and I like them both. The plastic part can be fixed with some drybrushing, so that isn t really an issue for me either.

I noticed the traction effort being quite low in z, so if any hills are on the layout, the climbes won t be made too steep. I for myself find long trains and z scale not the best combination, so I will do a double header, or keep the length/ weight of the train in check.

Thanks a lot,
Kristof

No, it looks like they only have the flexible track and rail joiners.
https://peco-uk.com/collections/track/1-5mm-z

On my own layouts I use Marklin track. On a club layout I used Peco track to save money. The Marklin points do fit the Peco rail, it's just a bit more fiddling with the fish plates which I couldn't be bothered stuffing around with for my layout, but did it for a club layout.

If you are fortunate to have very long runs for a large layout then the savings maybe of interest.

I even have about 20 lengths of 660mm Marklin rail for my next layout, if it ever happens!

I "mix" it with the marklin turnouts and other marklin rails.

That s an option too, but I think I ll just stick with marklin track.