Kleinelautwen -Swiss/German Z Gauge Coffee Table Layout

[Evarg]

Hi all,

First time poster here. As the title suggests, here is my plan for a Swiss/German Z gauge coffee table layout. I've been around model railways my whole life, but this will be my first solo project. The idea came from wanting to bring a little bit of the Swiss Alps in summer into our home, as a return visit is not on the cards any time soon (my partner and I went there a few years back and absolutely loved it!)

The layout will sit where the lower glass surface currently is. I'm leaning towards making the layout itself free-floated within the table and thus completely removable, and covering the open quarters with removable Perspex or similar for protection. Normal access will be via removing the upper glass surface.

I'm aware of some of the pitfalls of 'Z', but larger scales won't work in the space (a basic N gauge circular track would just about fit, but nothing more complex than that). I intend to use German locos and rolling stock, as there seems to be a lot more stuff available on the market. I would be delighted if someone could point me towards some reasonably-priced Swiss steam era stock – I haven't managed to find such a thing so far. I've included the model numbers of some scenic items (FA=Faller, R=Rokuhan).

The main issue I can see is that the gradients leading up to the red bridge from both sides will have to be quite steep (I haven't actually planned them into Anyrail, but they are labelled). They could be eased by grading other sections of track, but I kind of like the track plan as it is. Outside loop radius is ~220mm; min. radius of the inside loop is 106mm.

Build-time is open-ended, as I'm genuinely starting from scratch and will have to accumulate materials as I go.

Any suggestions/questions/comments/would be most welcome!

Evarg

Kleinelautwen (Coffee Table).any

[David]

I like the idea a lot! One thing to consider perhaps is where to put the controls. I might be a good idea to have an external hand controller with a plug, or could you create a drawer in the table?

[Evarg]

Thank you for the reply David! My initial thought was to secure the controller to the underside of the baseboard with velcro when out of use, but I really like the idea of installing a drawer underneath for storage.

Also I must say thanks for creating such a great product - I've been a happy user for many years! Keep up the good work. 👍

[BadBanana]

My advice, depending on the locos used...  I am also working in Z gauge, but waiting to demolish a shed and build a small dedicated space for a somewhat larger layout than yours.  From the early testing that I have done, I found that Märklin Z gauge steam locos struggle with gradients while diesel and electric locos which have many more driven axles will pull longer trains up steeper gradients.  Gradients combined with curves are also harder than with straights.  As a consequence I have tried never to have grades steeper than 2% ascending and even that can be limiting. Descending is much less of a problem, of course. 

My Märklin 8854 will climb very steeply - it has six driven axles.  Rokuhan tend to put friction bands on at least one driving wheel on each side of the loco which helps a great deal. 

For double tracks going round curves, if you can, try to put the uphill track on the outside of the curve - the large radius makes it easier to climb.     

[magnus]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I also like your concept - will be a cool eye piece.

As for the track plan, I don't have experience with Z scale, but it seems like you should be able to have enough elevation by lowering the outer ring on the right and raising the inner ring. As for direction, as BadBanana said, you want to climb where the slope is the lowest, which would most likely be the outer ring.

AnyRail has very good features to calculate slope, vertical clearance, etc, so make sure to read the manual on those topics.

Another alternative would be to have a crossing where the track overlay and do a flat layout. But I think with this piece, vertical variation would be of more interest.

As for view points, you will only be able to see the layout from a narrow perspective. You can use this to your advantage by creating scenes with a forced perspective; google that term if you are unfamiliar with it. The elevation choices will be important for what perspective you want to display.

And that brings me to lighting. It will be dark in there, so I think you should plan some lighting under the upper table. With LED you can do some lighting magic pretty simple nowadays. Maybe a sunset glow? Or a crisp winter day?

[Evarg]

My advice, depending on the locos used...  I am also working in Z gauge, but waiting to demolish a shed and build a small dedicated space for a somewhat larger layout than yours.  From the early testing that I have done, I found that Märklin Z gauge steam locos struggle with gradients while diesel and electric locos which have many more driven axles will pull longer trains up steeper gradients.  Gradients combined with curves are also harder than with straights.  As a consequence I have tried never to have grades steeper than 2% ascending and even that can be limiting. Descending is much less of a problem, of course. 

My Märklin 8854 will climb very steeply - it has six driven axles.  Rokuhan tend to put friction bands on at least one driving wheel on each side of the loco which helps a great deal. 

For double tracks going round curves, if you can, try to put the uphill track on the outside of the curve - the large radius makes it easier to climb.     

Thank you for the reply BadBanana.

From what you've said and what I've read elsewhere, locos will probably struggle with the gradients as I've planned them, even with a very small trailing load. One option would be to make the gradient leading to the right side of the bridge much more shallow, leave the left side gradient as is, and run the inner loop as one-way only.

I had hoped to keep the short double-track section as it is, to create the illusion of a section of "mainline", but that may have to be sacrificed. The good thing is that in the testing phase, I can try out different variations on the gradients and see what works. Plenty of trial and error needed!

Hello and welcome to the forum. I also like your concept - will be a cool eye piece.

As for the track plan, I don't have experience with Z scale, but it seems like you should be able to have enough elevation by lowering the outer ring on the right and raising the inner ring. As for direction, as BadBanana said, you want to climb where the slope is the lowest, which would most likely be the outer ring.

AnyRail has very good features to calculate slope, vertical clearance, etc, so make sure to read the manual on those topics.

Another alternative would be to have a crossing where the track overlay and do a flat layout. But I think with this piece, vertical variation would be of more interest.

As for view points, you will only be able to see the layout from a narrow perspective. You can use this to your advantage by creating scenes with a forced perspective; google that term if you are unfamiliar with it. The elevation choices will be important for what perspective you want to display.

And that brings me to lighting. It will be dark in there, so I think you should plan some lighting under the upper table. With LED you can do some lighting magic pretty simple nowadays. Maybe a sunset glow? Or a crisp winter day?

Thank you for your input magnus, much appreciated.

I definitely want to keep the vertical variation, even if it's a challenge in such a small space. I feel like it will make the layout appear larger than it is, and help with creating those different perspectives you talk about. The bridge will be a centre-piece, and mountains as high as possible either side to help focus attention and give that German/Swiss Alp vibe.

As for lighting, yes I'm intending to use LED strips attached inside the upper metal ring which can be seen in the photo. I will see how this works in practice, but some sort of lighting will definitely be needed either way. A warm sunset glow to match the summer theme sounds ideal!