Hello Michael,

Are you thinking about HO, or one of the smaller scales? Trix do N scale and Marklin the even smaller Z scale. I ask because you've posted this in "small scale", but I'm not sure if that's what you intended.

If you are looking at HO then you should decide whether you want 3 rail Marklin or 2 rail Trix trains. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and the decision would very much be a personal one.

If you are thinking about buying new I would recommend you to look at the online shop for Marklin or Trix. From the link you can access both.

https://www.maerklinshop...ef34caf9dba820fd250&

You can also look at second hand starter sets on ebay, but then you need to be aware of how old the set is and whether it uses the latest digital technology.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like in this forum, and good luck!

Hi all,

Thank you for the advice, I am looking at either N or Z scale for my wife. I currently have a Marklin HO digital layout and she would like something that is a little smaller.

I am not so worried about DCC or non DCC

Hello Michael,

You're wife is at that critical stage of selecting the scale. It influences all your other decisions. Both Z and N have plusses and minuses....I's say up front I collect Z and have no N gauge stuff myself.

Z offers more complex track layouts in a smaller area (1:220 vs 1:160) vs 1:87 for HO. But it is the smallest detail for working with, and it can be fiddly. Because the market size of Z is smaller there simply isn't the range of Locos, rolling stock, buildings and landscaping options available also. I also use digital (from Velmo) and think is gives you more control over the speed of the trains than you can get from an analogue operation.

Whilst I love my Z layout if I was starting over again I think I'd go with N simply because there is a wider selection of suppliers and models to choose from. And N scale is still small enough to create a "big" layout in a small space.

And I would go digital rather than analogue because of the way you can control multiple trains on a single track from a single control device.

Cheers,

Wal

Yeah, when you look at the detailing it really is quite disappointing on a Z gauge item. Things like the spokes on steam engine wheels are so coarse there just about isn't any pace between them, and other similar detailing mis-outs make me wonder where Marklin is really wanting to go with Z.

"I think it can look good as long as you don't get too close". True, and Z scale trains look OK if fine detail doesn't matter all that much to you.

Hi Carim:

With the advent of Rokuhan and American Z Line, the days of fiddly and expensive are long gone.

Expensive answered:
You can buy an AZL GP38-2 diesel locomotive for $95 and a Rokuhan controller for under $40. A loop of track is around $25. This is quite reasonably priced.

Fiddly answered:
Marklin's locomotives and track have traditionally been a bear ... connectivity issues from track section to track section and gunked gears / hardened oil inside the loks (from the factory) have led people to have the "it's not worth the trouble" mentality with z scale.

Rokuhan's track solves the connectivity issues and many newer designed locomotives (AZL and MTL) make these just as reliable as N scale. Even Marklin realizes that AZL is a good manufacturer by teaming up with them on the USA E8 release due any minute now. Take a look and see Z is good!

Has all this answered the original question? Does it get down to your wife looking at what's available and deciding on the one she most likes the look of?