Ztrains: Z Scale Guest: Joe D'Amato

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Design Engineer At Micro-Trains® Line
October 2007
Some of the most exciting new Z scale products are coming out of Talent, Oregon these days from the Micro-Trains® Line company. From their new DCC-ready coreless motor equipped locos (with dual brass flywheels) to their all-in-one track and roadbed sectional track system, Micro-Trains® is serious about the future of Z scale. In this interview we talk with MTL's Design Engineer Joe D'Amato about the future direction MTL sees for Z scale, and we also see what it's like to be a Z scale engineer! Visit Micro-Trains® Line website.


	Joe D'Amato, Design Engineer

Ztrains: What exactly is involved with your job as Design Engineer at Micro-Trains®?
Joe D'Amato: It's a unique position really. I'm sort of the Rex Hudler of Micro-Trains if I can abuse an obscure baseball analogy. A utility player of sorts since I need to be able to contribute on all sorts of different levels throughout the company at a moment's notice. Perfect place for someone who has Attention Deficit Disorder. If a ferret could type, this would be a great position!

In a nutshell there are two main areas. The R&D Engineer maintains the Coupler Conversion Database and does all the engineering and research to support it. With that, I field all the technical and customer support questions that come in internally via email or over the phone beyond what the front office staff may be able to answer.

The second major responsibility involves new product development. A couple of times a year I make formal and informal presentations regarding new tooling subjects or product lines I think would be a good fit for our company's strategic goals. I also keep an eye out for trends in the market and look at our existing catalog of cars and motive power for updating or conversion. Beyond that I do some trouble shooting, tons of research to support just about every department in the building, develop and fabricate all the resin loads, assist in project managing various product lines (Z track and motive power, resin and laser cut kits) and cruise the internet groups to answer questions and promote the hobby



	Joe D'Amato's workspace. Click to enlarge.

Ztrains: What's a typical day at Micro-Trains® like for you?
Joe D'Amato: Picture being locked in your favorite hobby shop and it's your job to play with everything... that's a typical day.

Generally though the day starts with dealing with any number of phone messages and emails regarding conversions or questions about our products. I also hit the model railroad groups on the internet to see if there are any firestorms heading our way and then I dig into my ongoing list of research projects or assigned tasks. Every day is a little different, sometimes it's a lot of hands-on work on the bench or the test track, other days are spent preparing for meetings or supplying research to Creative Services (graphics) or Marketing. I'm also given the freedom to troubleshoot the product line and suggest changes or upgrades as I think necessary. The day goes pretty fast and generally I'm forced out at the end of the day by the Plant Engineer.

Ztrains: The Micro-Trains® GP35 has gained incredible popularity among Z scalers and it was the first all new MTL loco design since the F7. Why do you think the GP35 has been such a big hit?
Joe D'Amato: Simply it was the first mass produced Geep at an affordable price that ran well and was widely available... and we gave our customers what they wanted. I think the scale had progressed to a point where it couldn't go much further unless a product like the GP35 came on the market. Sure there were brass models out there and a huge assortment of European prototypes but the average guy couldn't build a fleet of American motive power at those prices. The business model was already out there if anyone watched Athearn in the 1970s. Offer motive power at reasonable prices and more people will want to model in your scale. I liken it to a locomotive driving a train, it can also drive a product line... and did.

Ztrains: Micro-Trains® new Micro-Track® sectional track has been received very enthusiastically by Z scalers' since it's introduction, what are the future plans for Micro-Track (new pieces, etc)?
Joe D'Amato: We will continue to add new sections in the future. We have a 220mm straight section in production and are developing an in track re-railer, different types of bridges and a number of others. One piece I want to do is an expansion track to link up modules and give the modeler some flexibility when doing layouts. As for long term, it's market driven of course and there are plenty of other sections that need attention.



	Texaco tanker assembly. Click to enlarge.

Ztrains: How did you initially get involved in model railroading?
Joe D'Amato: I've dabbled in Z for many years but for the most part I modeled N scale. I designed and built things at work all day so doing it at home was difficult. I found I could do a nice layout in N scale and everything was ready to run and easy to find. Z was hit and miss, I picked up a few MTL F7s and landed a few of their Z Moguls at an estate sale and they piqued my interest. Frankly it wasn't until our Marketing Director at the time and I discussed what it was going to take to really make an impact on Z that I decided to focus on that and put the other stuff away. I figured if I modeled it and moved in the community, then I would have a better sense of what the market was looking for. What started out as a fairly sterile decision turned into an avocation of sorts. Now I can't get enough of it.

Ztrains: You previously worked with Disney down in Florida, tell us a little about that.
Joe D'Amato: I liken it to dashing back and forth across a 5 lane freeway with a crew in-tow 12 hours a day. Fast pace. Interesting work with some of the best artists in the world. It was a life long dream to work there and because I was a sub-contractor, I had the freedom to work on everything from character sculpture to designing and fabricating full size elements for the park. The first time I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in 8th grade I thought how cool it would be to see how it all worked. 20 years later I was standing in the main lagoon with hip boots on walking the ride. The most rewarding part of it was being able to take my kids to the parks and show them what their Dad did during the day.

Ztrains: Do you see any correlation between the skills needed for working with Disney and working at Micro-Trains®?
Joe D'Amato: Sure, I think working with Disney gave me the experience and skills you can't pay for and some of that translates well here. The transition was difficult to be honest, it always is when you go from working in that type of crazy environment to a smaller, more focused business. My whole career involved what I called "Meat Ball" engineering... working on the fly with insane deadlines, forcing materials to do things they weren't supposed to do with tools designed to do something different. Here, things are done the right way, methodical and with a great degree of precision. I bring the "Out of the Box" element into the equation and an ability to function in both the 2-D and 3-D environments. Model making skills and a questioning nature are the most valuable skills I guess.

Ztrains: With the new track system, locomotives and rolling stock it appears clear that MTL management is committed to Z scale, talk to us a bit about this.
Joe D'Amato: Yes, in a big way. I think our first real exposure to Z was at the 2002 NMRA show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Jeff White and others took the time to show me what they were doing and explained what was needed. It all seemed so obvious then that Z scale had reached a point where it couldn't grow much more without someone investing in it in a big way. AZL, Rogue and to a limited degree, Marklin were producing American products but it was limiting to the average modeler by price or availability or subject matter. If you were a European prototype modeler you had it pretty good, if you modeled domestic subjects your only real options were F7s or relatively expensive brass. In many ways the GP35 was a real leap of faith because we didn't know how deep the market was. Let's just say the response was huge and made future decisions on growing the product line much easier.



	CNC milling of a mold insert. Click to enlarge.

Ztrains: Many people say that Z scale is now where N scale was many years ago in terms of being a mature model train scale, what are your thoughts on this?
Joe D'Amato: I think we are still taking baby steps to be honest... we are on the cusp of something much bigger than we expect. Now that we have created an easy to use track system and growing catalog of reasonably priced freight and motive power, we are seeing folks from other scales take notice. I think there's an understanding now that Z isn't just something rich old guys do between board meetings. We are evolving out from tiny briefcase layouts to really sophisticated layouts that technically and artistically rival anything in larger scales. What Z represents is a medium that allows modelers to finally realize layouts that don't require so much compression or compromise. It's really exciting to be part of a company that has made it a strategic goal to grow Z scale.

Ztrains: Can you let any secrets out of the bag as far as what MTL is planning next?
Joe D'Amato: No big secrets these days. Management has encouraged me to be out front talking about new products in Z, sometimes even before we start designing them. We have our SD40-2 on the way which will be huge I think, along with the E8 A&B units to replace the aging F7s. For me the big push around here are the new smooth side passenger cars which is the next important step for us. The possibilities are staggering. There are a lot of obvious holes in our product line we are addressing at the moment, I think the next two years are going to be eye-opening.

Ztrains: What's your favorite part of working with Z scale?
Joe D'Amato: Finally finding a hobby that allows me to balance scratchbuilding with ready to run subjects. Also the unlimited possibilities and being part of something that is just starting to come into it's own. The other favorite thing of course are the people I've met along the way... a more giving and selfless bunch of men and women you'd be hard pressed to find in any other pursuit.

Ztrains: Ok, now what's your least favorite part?
Joe D'Amato: Developing a new car or engine and having to wait 9 months to play with it! It goes counter to my immediate gratification - inner child! Whaaa!!

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.

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