Chronology of Our First Z-Scale Layout

This is the story of our first Z-Scale train layout. It all started with our trip to the California State Railroad Museum in November 2009. It was there that we saw our first Z-Scale trains, and were immediately hooked. Z-Scale is very small - 220:1, and is perfect for people like us who have limited space but still want a layout with lots of detail. Over the last two-plus years we have collected Z-Scale locomotives, rolling stock, buildings (some of which we built), scenery and supplies. The locomotive pictured is our first - an AZL Norfolk Southern SD70, and the AZL Norfolk Southern caboose is our latest addition. After lots of thought, we decided on a plan for our first layout. We had purchased a Marklin layout book and picked one of the plans we found in it. We then began to gather all the parts and supplies we would need. Our main source was EBay, and It was like a treasure hunt. Once we had all the parts assembled we had to decide what type of material we would use for the base of our layout. We settled on gator board and purchased a piece big enough to fit our layout. When we finally finished gathering all the parts and supplies we would need we were ready for the fun to begin. Almost two years to the day that we visited the train museum we got started. The following is a chronicle of our journey.

For our first layout, we wanted something more than a small oval (where's the fun in that)! So we looked through some Marklin books (Marklin is the German manufacturer that launched Z-Scale model railroading in the 1970s) and came up with the largest track plan that we could fit in our limited space - roughly 30" by 50". For beginners, it's a pretty ambitious plan that has 12 turnouts, 3 signal lights, 3 uncoupling tracks, a locomotive storage building and the ability to add two catenary lines (overhead electrical wires). It can use up to four separate power packs and a host of switches. Once it is done it can run up to four trains at once. Fun!

To make life easier on us, the layout is basically flat, so the landscaping should be simpler - adding roads, ground cover and buildings as opposed to hills and mountains. There is a raised bridge on the back end of the layout that adds some elevation interest.

Since we want our layout to be as portable as possible, we decided to use foam-type materials as opposed to plywood for the base. Woodland Scenics manufactures a variety of thicknesses of foam board for this purpose, but nothing big enough for what we wanted to do. So, for the base we decided to use a product called "Gator Board," which is basically foam sandwiched between outer layers of wood-fiber. It is very light and very strong - perfect for what we are trying to do. Our plan is to cover the Gator Board with a 1/2" layer of Woodland Scenics foam on top (this will give us some flexibility in doi