The Bridge

The bridge, as it turns out is the most important part of the layout both as a scenic feature and the construction. I can't really begin the construction of the layout until I've made the bridge. I don't know how high above the water level the rail level will be until I've made the bridge. So I can't work on the ground contours. All construction hinges around the bridge. So I'd better get building. Tonight I took a look at it to try and work out how it will go together to suit my purpose.

Above: This is the bridge as it comes, a very nice simple kit. The sides fit on the side of the roadbed track thanks to some sturdy locating pins.
Above: This is how I want the bridge to look with the girders underneath. A slight issue is that the girders are not flat topped or bottomed. You can see in this picture that they are stepped slightly. But I can hide the uppermost surface when I fix the girders underneath the roadbed track and assume that the lower surface won't be as noticeable when it is assembled.

Add a new deck and railings out of styrene and "Bob's your Uncle!" A bridge.

First Run

OK. So I couldn't resist it. I had the set out of the box testing it out to make sure it worked and well, my iPhone was to hand so I shot a little bit of film of it. Just a little mind you just to make sure I could add video to this blog without too much head scratching. So enjoy a train running around in circles for a minute or two. Like I say It's quite cathartic.

If you'll excuse me. I'll go and start on the girder bridge for the layout.

It's here

When I arrived home from work yesterday there was this big brown box on the doorstep.

Look what was in there!
Alas I was too busy with other things last night to run it. But I did take a good look. Here's what the set looks like without the lid on. I have to say that this is a well presented box of trains. Simply and cleanly laid out, the individual rolling stock items are in plastic cases like retail models. (In fact the retail model prices are on the back of the cases.) So the items do come well protected.
Here is the loco, and to totally surprise you I'll say this. It's so BIG! With my current T scale mindset these trains are huge. They are twice the size of T. Of course if you have a HO or O scale mindset these trains are tiny. Just shows how your point of view can be influenced.
I so want to get this train running. Perhaps tonight.

Thanks to Zscale monster for a speedy delivery.

Happy Birthday honey! Here's a field trip for you

'Tis my Birthday today, (you don't need to know how old) and to celebrate my wife took me away to Duluth/Superior for the weekend.

Saturday was a truly wonderful day weather-wise and after a visit to the scenic Gooseberry falls we stopped at the Knife River Bridge so I could take some photographs for the project.

Above: This shows the decking arrangement quite clearly.
Above: The Centre Pier. A nice big piece of driftwood there.
Above: The Northern Abutment, flippin' dead bush manages to catch the point of focus rather than the bridge abutment. Not to worry though...
Above: The Southern Abutment it seems essentially identical to the Northern one (and why wouldn't it be?)
Above: Overall view of the bridge. Even in the Winter this is a beautiful scene.

OK. So those pictures should be enough to see me thought the job. Being the winter I could not get the other side of the bridge for reference shots. The campground was closed. But I have found shots of the lakeward side of the bridge online.

I still think that the Micro Trains bridge might be a good starting point for the project as I could cover the bridge ties (sleepers) with .010 styrene or similar, add some check rails and other bits and I'd be sorted for a starter project. We're not going for scale accuracy here, just something that feels like the scene.

P.S....

Just discovered this bridge on the Micro trains website.
I wonder if it's possible to remove the sides, invert them, reposition them and add some hand rails and give it a spray of brown paint so it would look more like the knife river bridge...
Anyone know?

What to do?

It's a good job I didn't promise not to post every day on this blog otherwise I'd be in a mess very quickly...
So, what to do with my Z gauge set when it arrives? I like to plan ahead. That way I'm not "Umming and Ahing", wasting valuable modelling time later on when the stuff actually gets here.
The first plan for this Z scale stuff is to accompany the T scale layout to shows so that the naysayers can compare the two scales and see the difference. I'd really like to have some kind of scenic development on the baseboard in time for the Granite City Train show at the end of April. Not long, But heck, I can build a layout in 5 days! So that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just keep it simple.
But what?
How about this scene?
The Knife River bridge on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
It's certainly simple enough, a single line on a bridge over a river that appears and disappears behind trees immediately before and after traversing said bridge. Flipping perfect if you ask me.
It is a location I am very familiar with I have plenty of pictures of it myself.
It should be quite an attainable goal for a starter layout don't you think?

Its early days

Oh how I love them!
You know, the early days in a modelling project when you're fired up with enthusiasm and can't wait to get on with it.
I know you know, we all get it. Wether it's blogging everyday (though I will try not to...) or spending inordinately long periods of time actually working on the layout/building/item of stock. When I start on a project hours can literally fly by I'm so fired up and into a project. Or whatever, you know you do it.
With my Z scale knowledge still being somewhat limited I've been doing a lot of web surfing checking out websites for layouts, products etc; with the intention of posting them in a little bar on the side over there to the right.
But no. You are spared the agony of having to potentially see a section entitled "LinkZ"*
Because there is only one link you need if you model in Z. This one. American Z Scale. Therein you will find links to just about every manufacturer, dealer and Z scale modeller of worth.
I am still ploughing through it. I never realised there were so many people out there producing items of all sorts, structures, locomotive kits, rolling stock for Z.
Then there are the layouts. I was quite impressed here. Yes, there are people producing the novelty "layouts-in-a-suitcase" to showcase the space saving qualities of Z. But at the other extreme there are also people producing models of the California coast or Arizona desert where really long trains can stretch their legs and look like long trains should. Super.
A great idea to pull all these links together in one place. It makes everything so much easier. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off back there right now.

*No, I wouldn't have really done that. I have to much respect for you, my readers to do something that twee and naff...

Gone and done it now...

Travel with me if you will in my Tardis "borrowed" from reknowned time traveller "The Doctor" from the classic British TV series "Doctor Who".
We arrive outside a small curio store on Steep Hill in Lincoln, England in 1981.
A group of Art college students walk past and one spies a tiny Z scale train set in the window.
"Would you look at that!" He says in a rather loud voice.
The store owner responding to the shout sets the tiny train set of an 0-6-0 tank loco and three freight wagons running. The student was fascinated...
You guessed it that Art Student was me. I can't remember accurately if it was just a few hours or days later that I was in the store and handing over some of my hard fought for student grant for this Z scale starter set.
At that time Z scale was the smallest commercial model railway in the world. Since recently passed by T scale which I also enjoy modelling in.
I did manage to buy a few other items of Z scale and even put together a small exhibtion layout on a small board which I showed in Lincoln a couple of years later just before I left the college.
Z was very expensive to me back then so I never had much equipment. One diesel, one steam loco a couple of coaches and the wagons. But it was fun stuff to have and I enjoyed watching the tiny trains navigate the small oval. Much in the same way as I enjoy watching my T scale do the same.
Alas when I emigrated to the USA I left the set behind (along with many other things I regretted leaving) I thought I'd left Z behind. Until however I started modelling in T. I started to remember the fun I had in Z. Especially when I was struggling with some scratch building in the scale. Even more so when people would come up to my T scale layout and say.
"This is Z gauge."
Some would be quite incredulous when I told them otherwise. Some refusing to believe me. So I thought to myself perhaps it might be a bit of fun to have a Z scale layout alongside the T.
Just to shut those naysayers up.
I started to dig and I followed this blog intently. I've read every post time and time again, wrestling with making a foray into Z.
So with getting a rather nicely sized bonus from work just in time for my birthday. I took the plunge and ordered a SOO line starter set from Z scale monster. They seem to be regarded very favourably in the Z scale world. So the set and power pack is on the way.

I wonder where this will all lead?