Well I guess curiosity got the better of me, 'cause I just got a Z set. I found what I thought was a fair deal on a starter set on ebay recently. Turns out the little Br89 isn't to happy about running. So I just received a very nice 8803 Br24 to take its place. I also purchased a Micro Trains starter track set because I like the idea of having roadbed. I must say the little Br24 runs beautifully and if it wasn't for the cost, I might get hooked on this scale! I have a few more freight cars enroute and an 8857 Br151 for variety. Now I'm kinda looking for ideas for a small, simple trackplan.
Anyway, I can see the attraction to this scale. It's really neat to watch it go!

Bill

Yup, mine is 1-gauge now

Per.

Welcome to the challenging scale Oxbill. And you're right, it really IS neat!

By the way, you've picked a couple of really good locos there with your 8857 and 8803. All you need now is an E44

Thanks guys! I'll give an E44 some thought. Do you know what the model # would be for it? Also, are there any particular loks I should avoid? And I'll accept any advise, tips or tricks about Z that anyone wants to throw my way. I hope to have a bit of fun with this scale.
BTW, Chris, I've been keeping up with your layout reports and like how it's going.

Bill

I'm getting back into Z again after an absence of several years. I enjoy my HO layout but it's pretty much saturated with trains and I'm ready to tackle something else. I've actually been into Z gauge for the last 35 years but not very active with it over the last 20. I sold about half of my stock and gave a grandson much of the rest. It was all European, mostly German in design.

Over the last several years I've collected a number of models of American prototypes and just yesterday bought another 13 Marklin freight wagons on ebay from my favorite vender in Holland. Also, Micro Trains is just up the road a couple hundred miles from me and they have a lot of good Z gauge American models. But most of my collection is Marklin.

After building 2 setups from scratch already, one Z and one HO, I'm ready for a commercial layout this time. I'm looking at one of the Noch layouts. They would fit my space just about right and some of them are expandable. Those Alps in their models look just like our mountains out here on the coast in my own neighborhood. I've got enough locos and rolling stock so it's about time to start the display.

Cheers, Bob

Crazy, you're right about having a clean track. Contact on the rails is much more important with Z than with HO. The slider on HO 3R makes the difference in runability. When I was still running Z I always paid special attention to the tracks. I found that the room needs to be especially clean and free of dust or blowing dust. However, 5 pole motors would help too at low speeds. When I get Z going again it will be a very clean operation.

Bob

Yes, clean track is very important in 2-rail operation and I would think doubly so in this small scale! I can't say for sure what kind of layout I'll put together as of yet. I'm kinda leaning toward simple trackwork with the emphasis on scenery. Maybe something like trains rolling through the countryside. I doubt I'll focus on any particular era either. Just run whatever my wallet and I fancy!
I'm really pleased with how the little Br24 runs. It's smooth and quiet at just about any speed setting. So far, I only have three freight cars for it to pull so I couldn't say how strong it is. I have a few more cars on the way and I'm really looking forward to the Br151 arriving.
Does anyone else use Micro-Trains track or do you stick with the marklin? So far, I really like the MT track. It's like miniature C-track.

Bill

When I started I was going to do a simple small layout with some nice scenery, but I ended up making it more complicated :( ... but truthfully it's :) . You can do so much in a small space.