I enjoy technical tinkering with my layouts and found an inexpensive, electronic module on ebay (JLK60, from France) that stops a Z-scale train (or any form factor, for that matter) and restarts after an adjustable time. It does so by interrupting power, thus creating a sudden stop (like old analog signals do), but nice effect nonetheless. The trigger is a reed switch under the z track that is activated by a small removable magnet at the bottom of a wagon.

The picture shows the wiring and a test track with a homemade isolating segment (stock z track has unseemly large wire connectors). Final soldering will use thin black wires, but these color wires help with planning and testing (white wire creates the powerloop connection in the test track that full layouts otherwise have).

There is also an option to control a signal, but I have none. Instead, I connected a lamp that turns on when stopped and off when restart (opposite off-on is possible too).
Ben

Edited by user 21 October 2022 15:25:32(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Just a couple of personal opinions. The inner loop, if you are running anti clockwise be careful with gradient. Clockwise on the diagram you can have better gradient.

If you bring the track in a bit from the edge, you don't really lose that much track, but having some scenery on the edge of the layout will improve the look of the track considerably. Growies are handy to hide a multitude of sins!

Testing the basic layout with frame and (old) mat on dense foam base. Turns are 8520 and 8530, as 8510 radius seemed a little tight. The outer loop turnout section uses flex track, as I could not get standard track to work. Ramps and bridge for inner loop is next.

I made up the columns myself and spray painted with touch up spray cans. The bought columns looked a bit ordinary. If you need various bridge radius, use high impact styrene. If you don't really see under the bridge, don't bother with the detail underneath.

To get a textured finish with spray cans, for concrete use grey, white and black. From a distance to get drier texture paint, spray grey, then a touch of black and white colours. Then a touch more base colour grey to cut back the black and white as bit, looks better from acute angles, as the last colour shows up the most, so you need the base colour.

If you are after a bit of moss paint bottom of columns with a whisker of green. Also looks better with a bit of base colour over the top. For finer spray warm spray cans up in a bucket of hot water. Practice on test pieces first.







Same spray painting process for road texture. The bridge structure I spray with a touch of heritage red colour to cut back the plastic look, but it doesn't show up in these photos.

In Australia you can buy these colours from https://www.crlaurence.c...;ModelID=22122&pom=0 a mixed dozen or two is the way to go to amortize freight cost.

An old colour chart, quite a few of these colour are not available now.



The paint is the same as the touch up cans from the auto stores, but just in the building colours and powder coat colours, and a lot cheaper (on the left is a can from Eckersley art and craft supplies, they are expensive but they are a different range of colours. Bought this colour for one of the Unimogs when I eventually get around to finishing it)

vanderZ layout complete (for now).

Focus on Z-scale analog automation using small electronics modules for stop-and-go and shuttle functionalities. Working catenary on 2 train shared outer section of layout. Shuttle and overpass inner sections use own power control.
Basic landscaping for now.