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Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Ztrains Change Is Coming


This morning as I was having my coffee and stopping by my favorite Z scale websites for a look to see what was new, I saw an announcement that one popular Z portal, Z Central Station, is currently up for sale. The owner of the site said that his busy work and family life have been preventing him from dedicating enough time to ZSC to keep it in good and growing shape.

I sympathize with his position. Running this website takes up a surprising amount of time, effort and money. I'm fortunate in that we have very good web traffic here, between 300 and 700 unique visits per day on average. We also have some great advertisers who believe in what we're trying to do here at Ztrains and we're grateful for their support.

Can we do more here at Ztrains? Can we take this successful Z kernel of an idea and open it up more? This is what's been on my mind for several months now. At the heart of this question are the Z scale trains which I have a real passion for, as many of you do as well. Can we take the quantum leap and make Ztrains a viable, if modest, honest-to-God business? Again... this is the question I have run circles around.

I contend there are two ways to run an entity such as Ztrains... either purely as a hobbyist or as a business owner. Now in Z, once the word "business" is brought up, many people think you're the enemy. I've always thought that wildly unfair. Information, articles, tips, techniques... these are the lifeblood of a good TV show, magazine and a good website. We pay for cable TV, we pay for magazines... but information on websites should be free? If that website is part of a bigger commercial entity, maybe. When a website is standalone proposition however, free generally spells the end of that website.

We've all seen these... websites that look good and started out strong and then gradually fell by the wayside. They don't get updated or tended to in years and are eventually forgotten. Call it arrogance, pride or just plain stubbornness... but that isn't my plan for Ztrains.com. To make sure this doesn't happen things at Ztrains are going to change. Yes, Ztrains will become firmly rooted in the commercial world. There are a world or articles and article series I'd like to address, specific how-to's, maybe even a video series or two
. Maybe some of these will be offered as individual article downloads for a modest fee, maybe make part of the site subscription-based... again for a modest fee but for a fee of some sort.

The reality of it is... Ztrains is fast becoming a bona fide small business and to survive it has to be profitable. Passion for the trains alone isn't enough, there needs to be a business plan in place which insures a consistent state of health and growth. Once this is in place it's very much a win-win. Ztrains.com grows and the readers / subscribers get more information, articles, tips, techniques.

Our new plan is now being looked at but before I jump and change things for the sake of change, this plan needs to be finalized. What I can tell you is that these changes will benefit both the visitors and readers here at Ztrains.com as well as insure the continuing stability of our little corner of Z scale model railroading.

As always we welcome feedback on our editorials:
Tell us what you think!

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Z Scale Basics

Z Scale Basics to Micro-Trains is one of the best resources available to beginners and advance modelers alike. It provides a solid foundation of model RR knowledge that addresses specific challenges encountered when working in Z scale. Breaking down the individual steps in the way these article do really takes the fear of the unknown out of these projects and enhances the overall experience. Making this kind of information readily available will only help the growth and popularity of Z scale to continue

Ben Thielemann
Micro-Trains Line Marketing Director
Z Scale Basics
Learning About Z Scale... Step-By-Step

We began theZ Scale Basics series as a way to share information with others involved in, or looking to get involved with, Z scale model railroading. No one jumps right into a hobby and has all the answers... everyone is a beginner at some point.

This goal of this series is to illustrate some common Z scale projects and situations and how I work through them. Often there's more than one way to get a job done, this series will show some of these ideas.

Many of these articles and ideas are not 100% original, in model railroading we tend to learn and build on what others have done before. We're all still learning and every good modeler I know asks a lot of questions. I'd encourage you to ask questions as well if you don't understand a particular aspect of an article or if you'd like to see a specific article written. Above all... enjoy yourself! It's a great time to be in Z scale model railroading. We'd like to thank Micro-Trains Line for sponsoring these Z Scale Basics and for their continuing support of Z scale.

Z Scale Basics Articles
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Z Build Corner
Wednesday, July 14, 2010

We're busy here building the kits for our desktop layouts. At this point we'll have near-daily updates from one of our 3 laser manufacturers kit builds. You can follow each update through Twitter or by stopping back often to see what we've posted for the day.

Z Build Corner: 3 Laser Manufacturers, 3 Project Builds




ZTV



Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A Traction Tutorial

Here's a video from our Ztrains advertiser, Bullfrog Snot. See what happens when a Model Power 4-4-0 slips and slides pulling a single car prior to a bit of Bullfrog Snot being applied. After application check out how many cars this 4-4-0 pulls up the same grade.

Bullfrog Snot




RS Laser

Bullfrog Snot

Stonebridge

Fast Tracks

GCLaser

Scandinavian Galleries

Paw of a Bear Z Scale Monster

Ztrains Store Z-panzer

twitter Ztrack


Monday, August 9, 2010



Elevated or “EL” Model Railroading

I received an email from a reader who attended the recent train show in Milwaukee, WI., and they told me about a new company called:
Imagine That, Laser Art Productions.

This new company is producing laser cut “EL”, or elevated train kits and components for several scales. I wrote to them and asked about the possibility of working in Z scale and was told that this may be in the future works for Z. Check out their site and maybe drop them an email if you'd be interested in this decidedly cool idea.

Coffee Break Archives
Ztrains article archive


Introduction To Z Scale (1:220)
Z scale, Z gauge: The smallest model trains offer up some very big possibilities for the starter as well as the experienced modeler.

What's Available In Z Scale?
Z scale North American (NA) locomotive roundup.

Beginner's Q&A
A few Z scale questions (and answers!) to help get you up and running.

Z-Bend Modular Layouts
A look at using the Z-Bend Track modular standard for your home layout.


The Ztrains Scratchbuilder Calculator
Here is a handy online calculator to help you with all your scratchbuilding projects.

Static Grass Application Tools
A look at two unique products from the Noch company of Germany designed to help you apply static grass.

Timber Trestle Diorama
Build a Z scale diorama to test out new techniques and materials. Foreward by MMR Gerry Leone.

Handcrafted Z Scale Layouts
Building small, high quality Z scale layouts.

Cove Layout Photos
Photos of an early 16" x 19" layout.

Making Waves With Envirotex
Art Fahie of Bar Mills Model offers advice.

Final Water Touches
The finishing touches with Gloss Gel Medium.


Dull Cote Alternative
Ever try an automotive adhesion promoter in place of Dull Cote? You may want to read this.

The Ztrains Grassinator
For right around $35 you can build your own static grass applicator... the Ztrains Grassinator.

Cleaning Your Motors And Brushes
Some basic Z scale locomotive cleaning techniques.

Track Cleaning Techniques
Tips for keeping your tracks clean.

Power Pickup Installation
Richmond Controls produces Z scale power pickup wipers.

Locomotive Wheel Cleaner
A simple and effective locomotive wheel cleaner for Z scale trains.

Soldering Feeder Wires
Solder your feeder wires directly to the rails for better contact.

Z Scale Turnouts
Turnout terminology illustrated.

Inside A Marklin 3 Pole Motor
Parts description of a Marklin 3 pole motor.


Z-Panzer Creates WWII In Z
In a good way. You need to see this work from Andy Hart of England.


Marklin GG1 Locomotive
An American locomotive icon in Z.


Micro-Trains, Micro-Track Sectional
An initial look at the new sectional track from Micro-Trains.


Micro-Trains, Micro-Track Turnouts
A sneak peek at the sectional track turnouts from Micro-Trains.



Caution: User Forums Ahead
Useful, informative, not too useful, not too informative... you decide.

Z Scale As Art
Can Z scale layouts be looked at as legitimate works of art?

Z Scale And Artistic License
Exactly how big should a Z scale brick be?

Interview With Rob Kluz Of Ztrack Magazine
As Ztrack magazine celebrates their 15th year of publication, editor Rob Kluz talks about the state of Z scale.

Considering Quiet Locomotives
Some thoughts on locomotive sound levels.

A Case For Small Z Scale Layouts
Small layouts stake their claim.


Z Scale In The Local News
Story from the
El Dorado News-Times out of El Dorado, Arkansas.

2005 Z Scale Convention Car
See what goes into the design of a Micro-Trains special run box car.

Organize Your Workspace
Keeping your workspace organized and productive.

Designing Marklin Car Sets
Ztrains designs Ztrack magazine's 15th Anniversary 2 car set.

Choosing A Digital Camera For Z Scale
Why the Nikon Coolpix 800 was my choice.

Marklin Z, Now Made In China?
The President of Marklin talks about Marklin's production in China.


July 2010
Lance Mindheim, author of "How To Design A Small Switching Layout", talks to Ztrains regarding the difference between a shelf layout and a switching layout. Maybe we need more switching in Z scale!

December 2008
Tom Mann, author of the book "Weathering", talks with us about specific techniques and tools for effective weathering in Z scale.

October 2008
Tim Warris of Fast Tracks, makers of fixtures for building your own Z scale turnouts and track talk about their new Z scale products.

June 2008
Joe Fugate is a renowned scenery professional, writer and producer of "How-To" DVDs on the building of a model railroad.

October 2007
Joe D'Amato, Micro-Train® Line Design Engineer, sat down with us to tell us what goes on in a day at Micro-Trains® Line.

April 2007
Dave Frary, noted Kalmbach author, talks about his beginnings in model railroading as well as his ideas about creating great scenery.

January 2007
Reynard Wellman of the Micron Art, makers of fine brass kits and accessories, is featured in our inaugural Z Scale Guest article


Autoracks Near Vero Beach, Florida
On a trip to Florida in October 2009, I came across some parked autoracks and snapped a few pics.

The PRR GG1: Black Jack's Origins
Join Ztrains as we visit the GG1 in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Inside A Presidential Pullman
From the birth of N.O.R.A.D. to the funeral of FDR, this Arizona Pullman car has seen it all.



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