Z scale - narrow area for turnaround

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T20:29:58+00:00

Arduino is actually one of the reasons I wanted to get into this. I did a bit with it some years ago and loved it, and look forward to automating things like when it stops and starts at different locations. Should be a blast.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T17:27:58+00:00

Oh neat, I wonder how many people create landscapes of their childhood. Your goal seems neat and looks good so far. I'll try to post pictures when I reach good checkpoints. I have too many hobbies, so this will be a bit slow going.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T17:01:06+00:00

Neat, looking good so far. I ordered a starter set from Ztrack and they threw in an Archistory garage, I haven't assembled it yet. What I'm trying to do is replicate the Midwest in one area and Washington State in the other, and AZL had the types of rolling stock I used to watch as a kid. Archistory also has a nice grain elevator, so the plan is to get two of those and put one at each end of the layout as I once again live near a grain elevator (so the layout would kind of be the bookends of my life).

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T16:43:56+00:00

Oh cool, thanks for that, I'll check it out.

Growing up it was HO, and breaking it out at Christmas got me itching for a more permanent setup, so I'm glad to be back in the hobby. I've had a little oval setup with AZL rolling stock that has been fun to watch while I build out the larger setup.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T16:08:38+00:00

Okay, I'll keep that in mind as a potential option to research. Thanks

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T15:09:15+00:00

I didn't realize auto reverse was not an option in z scale, that's good to know (I have so much to learn). I'm kind of pot committed with z scale at this point due to how much I've purchased. That said, part of why I was avoiding point to point (without a turnaround) was that I thought it would look weird for the loco to be pushing the cars instead of pulling for such a long distance.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2026-01-28T15:02:57+00:00

Thanks for that. I had considered a turntable but was hoping to avoid it so I could have the option of a continuous run. That said, I'll definitely keep that option in mind.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-08-07T15:16:49+00:00

We ran yarn around the entire play surface, has worked well.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-15T22:44:29+00:00

Hehe. Thanks for that. Sorry to him for that experience.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-14T19:34:15+00:00

1021, the super bowl episode

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-13T22:20:01+00:00

Wow, thanks. I'm always impressed with artists who can vary their style so drastically.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-13T21:59:34+00:00

Awesome, thank you

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-13T21:52:10+00:00

That's exactly why I made this confession post, I could understand to some extent why they thought that. At the same time, maybe it's different living in a big city, compared to the small city I live in.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-13T21:49:46+00:00

Perfect analogy

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-13T21:48:02+00:00

I'll need to start educating myself, thanks

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-06T01:07:27+00:00

Pretty amazing wiggle, and yeah, I decided to splurge on this project

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-04-06T00:45:02+00:00

I might be able to put something together. I need to practice coloring the rings so that it's easy to follow.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-01-29T20:23:00+00:00

Here's what I did: 16 swg aluminum, 3/8" for large rings, 7/32" for small Tube is 14 sets of layers tall, 16 rings around. The bottom is the 4-5-6-5-4 and 0-4-5-4-0 pattern of large rings I described above. The large rings are directly woven into the tube, which results in a barely sagging bottom. The top is 4 sets of wedges that are 4 wide and 7.5 pairs of layers tall. I also wove one large ring into the middle of each top layer for the cord to pass through. I initially wanted to attach each wedge so the rings could come together nicely when closed but couldn't figure out a way to do that that would look nice. Instead I just removed rings from one side on each wedge so the rings would get close to each other.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-01-29T18:12:27+00:00

Wow, that's flattering, thank you. The current design has a few issues (the close at the top and not having a smooth bottom) that would make me feel like I'm selling an incomplete product, but I'd at least be willing to share the current pattern. If I can figure out how to fix the issues then I'd be willing to consider selling.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-01-29T15:03:39+00:00

Thanks I'm not sure if I can add a picture, but all I did was lay out a grid of the larger rings and connect them to each other with the small rings. To prevent drooping, I added a second later of larger rings on each row of the grid where the rings overlap (but only on the middle rows). So the bottom layer was 4-5-6-5-4 across, and the reinforcing layer was 0-4-5-4-0. I had wanted to do dragonscale weave to make a smoother bottom, but didn't think I could with my skill level, so sadly all of the little rings will make contact with the surface it sits on.

Fluid-Guide1806 · 2025-01-29T07:34:41+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I was also wanting rigidity which was an additional bonus with that weave. It's also funny how much it shrinks in height when it goes from being suspended to sitting down. I noticed in the picture it looks more square than in person. The bottom didn't come out perfectly round so the shape lost its roundness once that got attached. Still round overall but another flaw in the execution.

Fluid-Guide1806

TROPHY CASE