Z Scale

#6 Code 40

Another turnout from our NMRA Train Show display. With a set of HO scale wheels for comparison, this Z scale code 40 turnout is very tiny.

The tip of an X-Acto blade sitting on the guard rail of the Z scale turnout. The PC board and wood ties are a mere .040″ (1 mm) wide and are the smallest we produce.

The pieces of ballast on the side of the rail just past the wing rail look like boulders in this shot, but they are actually no larger than a speck of sand. The frog is dwarfed by the HO scale wheelset shown here.

I would love to build a Z scale layout one day! Maybe at this years Train Show I will pick up some Z scale locomotives and tinker a bit. There really is some exquisite stuff available in Z scale.

The lack of a switch stand on this piece is a glaring omission! Will have to see if I can find some in California.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the smallest piece of trackwork on the display!  There is one smaller.

-T.

About the Author:

I'm your host, Tim Warris, a product developer in Port Dover, Ontario. Since March of 2007 I have been documenting the construction of the former CNJ Bronx Terminal in HO scale. For my day job, I design track building tools for Fast Tracks, a small company I own and operate. Fast Tracks makes it fast and easy to hand lay your own trackwork. Stop by our website to learn more!

Posted by: Tim | 06-30-2008 | 08:06 PM
Posted in: 2008 NMRA Train Show - Anaheim | Latest Posts | Comments (3)

Dual Gauge Turnout

Part of the Fast Tracks NMRA Train Show Display

click on images for larger version…..

No, I’m not starting another layout. For the upcoming NMRA Train Show in Anaheim California next month I have built several displays of finished trackwork showing some of the numerous scales and gauges for which Fast Tracks produces fixtures.

One of these displays is for Dual Gauge turnouts, like the example shown above. This piece, HO/HOn3 is code 70 and is built using our Dual Gauge Left fixture. With dual gauge track, the narrow gauge portion can be either to the left or to the right of the standard gauge track is shares. This gets very confusing! Especially because there are left hand and right hand versions of dual left and dual right turnouts. To make it even more fun, there isn’t always a turnout for both gauges, sometimes the narrow gauge will diverge, but the standard gauge will be straight. There are quite a few combinations, all of which can be built with the dual gauge fixtures.

With all those rails its hard to believe the trains can find their way through the turnout! But they seem to manage….

There are several more pieces like this being displayed at our booth in Anaheim (booth 64-65). If you make your way down to California, drop by and say hey!

About the Author:

I'm your host, Tim Warris, a product developer in Port Dover, Ontario. Since March of 2007 I have been documenting the construction of the former CNJ Bronx Terminal in HO scale. For my day job, I design track building tools for Fast Tracks, a small company I own and operate. Fast Tracks makes it fast and easy to hand lay your own trackwork. Stop by our website to learn more!

Posted by: Tim | 06-27-2008 | 10:06 PM
Posted in: 2008 NMRA Train Show - Anaheim | Latest Posts | Comments (5)