Modular Model Railroads

The NZ120 module standards are an interesting example of localization and adaptation using availbable materials to model New Zealand local prototypes.

The Automationz webpage explains, “NZ120 is the common name (within New Zealand Model Railway Guild circles) for a scale more accurately referred to as TTn3.5, that is 1:120 scale (or 1/10″ to the foot) modelling of a 3’6″ prototype (the gauge of all of New Zealand’s rail lines).”  This page also has a thorough review and comparision of other popular module standards and how NZ120 came to be.

 The New Zealand Model Railway Guild publishes the NZModel Railway Journal and has links to plan sets, FAQ, suppliers, photo gallery and events listings.  The sample article, One Thing or Another, is a sample article showing the flavor of New Zealand railway modeling, including wonderful railway model photos.

 The Chosen Scale Cooperative has their 1999-2002 newsletter index online and provide additional details regarding NZ120 cost, model availability and techniques.  The Cooperative also has a brief “What is NZ120” introduction available.

The Railmodel Electronics and NZ120 page as links to photo galleries, NZ120 module standards, and thorough discussion of the NZ120 design concept.

 There are also several active blogs covering the world of NZ120, including:

• Motorised Dandruff -Active
• Little Trains of Thought

Finally, there is also a very active Yahoo NZ120 group with almost 100 members and 20-80 messages per month as of December 2008.

NMRA 4th Div, Pacific Northwest Region HO Module SIG has a photo album of its recent setups.  Of great interest to module builders are the two pages of recommendations and procedures on making setups at shows a better experience for both the public and the club.

The first page is titled, “Procedures and Reliability” and links to “during show” topics including: Read the rest of this entry »

 Z scale is the smallest, electrically operated model train scale commerically available.  Z scale (1:220) is about 3/4 smaller than N scale (1:160).  Z scale is a fascinating scale because the diminutive size of the trains can be realistically overwhelmed by the scenery.  Additional general information on Z scale model railroading is can be found in the bi-monthly magazine, ztrack.com.

There are two modular standards for Z scale, both have similarities to the Ntrak standards interface standards.  Unlike Ntrak, both Z scale standards are endplate or interface only standards and do not specify module length or angles.  This allows the free form of Free-mo modules with “balloon” turn around loops. Read the rest of this entry »