My Z gauge 42x180cm layout

[ianlaw]

The scene near the short tunnel is nearing completion. After the glue dryed I did some serious plucking with small tweezers to make the foliage look better.

I used a scalescenes.com model of a small goods shed (free sample) which I had laying around.

And the shady character near the platform end might be a train spotter.... I might have to make a tripod for him.

The building in the foreground is a Sankei school.

The electrical cabinet is a scalescenes.com model.

The platform edge is from scalescenes.com (No, I don't get paid for promoting his stuff). The platform sides, high-vis tiles and asphalt are various texture I found and printed.

[cteno4]

Ian,

 

great work as always! is the fencing just printed on clear acetate? in these picts its great as it looses all shininess and just looks like great mesh fencing!

 

jeff

[ianlaw]

Jeff,

 

Yes it's standard Casco n-gauge fencing.

[Bernard]

Ian - I used the pen you are talking about and I usually started with a blot :( .....great work and it in "Z scale"

Bernard,

The lines were drawn on the printed asphalt before I glued it down on the layout. After trying various methods I used a 0.8mm white ink marker (from an artists supply shop). The type of pen you have to shake and it rattles. If I had more time I'd draw the lines onto the road before printing, because I cannot make other traffic signs this way...

I just added a Shapeways crossing gate to this scene. This is the side entrance to the station (there is no main entrance). The three wheeler is from Shapeways too.
The second photo shows the main problem with shapeways 3D prints... The sides are not smooth. I spray painted these two models (white), but the roughness shows up on photos and even to the naked eye. (It looks like a brush paint job  ) I don't really know how I could smooth the sides because then you lose the details...

 

 

[ianlaw]

Bernard,

 

I use a "Edding 780 paint marker". It doesn't normally blob, but I know that many ink pens do. If that was my problem then I'd put a small piece of painters tape where I start the line so the blob would be on the tape and not on the road and then remove the tape. :)

[ianlaw]

With some good information and pictures in another thread about fuelling points I thought it was a nice small project for the Sunday afternoon...

I still have to decide where to put it, but this could be a good spot.

The staff is clearly in anticipation (like me) of the arrival of a kiha 52....

[Densha]

Whoa! Awesome! :)

 

An EMU doesn't really need fuel indeed. Your line doesn't have catenary so I assume it depicts a diesel line or did it just happen so?

Edited January 6, 2013 by Densha

[ianlaw]

It was planned as a diesel/steam layout. Because of the limited rolling stock which is available in Z gauge I am thinking about putting up a catenary so I can run any type of rolling stock. Because the masts can easily damage I wouldn't have put them up until now anyway. The masts I need have also just become available. 

[ianlaw]

The sun is shining, so that's a great opportunity to do some trainspotting.... on my layout. As it's a weekend there is also a special working of a SL.

 

[bill937ca]

The sun is shining, so that's a great opportunity to do some trainspotting.... on my layout. As it's a weekend there is also a special working of a SL.

 

Excellent!  

[Bernard]

Ian - excellent work and you have set up great themes on your layout....anyone looking at your layout will have fun spoting situations you've created.

[ianlaw]

After watching some videos of trains passing close to houses I got some inspiration how to fill in a small area on my layout.

The first shot is the original which wasn't really heading anywhere. 

Then I added a retaining wall and a collection of nondescript buildings.

Textures used from internet or scalescenes.com printed to scale on my inkjet printer.

The buildings are not all glued to the baseboard yet (I still need to add some small details), that's why some are still a bit out of perpendicular.

[Bernard]

Ian - Again nice work....like the detail of the rust on the roof on the shed. Good work with the angles of the buildings!

[JGSDF]

Hello Ian

You have done a very good job, unbelievable all these details in Z gauge.

I know how small Z Gauge is, because i collecting Märklin Z since 1981.

My favorite is your supermarket with the interior.

I wish you much more inspirations for your little layout and hope that you share it with us.

JGSDF ( Michael )

[KenS]

That change really improves the look of the corner.  I think it's the gap between the buildings near the track and the buildings against the backdrop, which implies a whole street there you can't really see. It gives and increased sense of space.

[cteno4]

Ian as usual great modeling! Wonderful use of layering to get a much better sense of depth! Also helps hide the fact the background buildings go into the backdrop. Alley then is a great Japanese touch.

 

Also great paper structures again. Really is killer for z scale.

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

Edited January 29, 2013 by cteno4

[ianlaw]

I built a Sankei clinic today to fill in a small gap in my street. The cars are from Dutch manufacturer A2models. They are 3D prints but unlike Shapeways they don't have the visible rough sides and they are printed in grey. This makes painting them much easier. Simply spray them in the required colour, then scratch away the paint from the windows and paint the windows with transparent gloss paint. Much easier than trying to paint the windows grey.

They supply cars in all scales. Western models from the 50 and 60-ies. But if you buy the more obscure and nondescript models they can pass off as old Japanese cars from the same period.

The buildings are fixed to the pavements, but the pavements are not yet fixed to the road to enable some more tinkering with small details when I have inspiration.

[Bernard]

Ian - I keep forgetting this is Z scale....excellent paint job on the cars, I could never do this!

[scott]

Very nice work--I just now found this thread, and the details are very impressive. Almost makes me regret starting the large N-scale layout rather than a small Z-scale layout.

[cteno4]

ian,

 

those sankei kits look even nicer in z than n! again i think z just works so well with the cardstock and chipboard models. just the right medium vs scale.

 

cars look great. most windows in real life go to that gray/black look at a 100' or more and unless your eyeball is right w/in 6" of the layout you are looking at the scene from hundreds of feet away anyway!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[ianlaw]

That's the reason I show relatively small photos here, to simulate what the eye sees. A picture with 1 euro coin for size reference shows that the pics are still larger than life.

 

It took some time to get the post box looking something like right. I started with a stick painted red... but it just looked like a red stick. So I printed a post box on a piece of photopaper and rolled it up which looks a lot better. Maybe I should edit the picture and increase the contrast before printing for the best result.

[ianlaw]

There was a golden sunrise this morning and with a new SL in town I headed out for some glint shots. I caught up with the C62 and it's rake of old coaches below the castle and again on the bridge over the river.... :)

[Mr Frosty]

Excellent updates.

[Densha]

Was this done with real sunlight?

[ianlaw]

Yes, the morning sun shines into my living room in the winter months at just the right angle to get glint on this part of the layout without having to move it.