Newsletter 18 4th. Qtr. 1998

That over and done with now the good news. I have been in contact with a manufacturer of plastic kits and he is very keen to join us and produce a range of moderately priced plastic building kits. He is also keen to produce bodies and wheels to fit the etched brass chassis. Although these will be plastic wheels on a steel needle point axle the unit cost will be a considerable saving over the all steel Marklin wheels and will be used in all future wagon/chassis kits supplied by us. The time scale for these items is yet to be defined but be assured we will let everyone know as soon as we can.

Marklin

88451 Class 460 in white ASCOM livery

82364 Kulmbacher Brewery cask wagon set

Viessmann

4810 Vorsignal Distant

4811 Blocksignal Home

4812 Eifahrsignal Home & distant

4813 Ausfahrsignal Junction

4817 Gleissperrsignal Shunting

7140 Bogenlichte Street Light

7160 Holzmastleuchte Street Light

7170 Parklaterne Park Light

7180 Strssenleuchte Modern Street Light small

7190 Peitschenleuchte Motorway Light single

7195 Peitschenleuchte doppelt Motorway Light double

NB. I have seen one of the signals and was very impressed with the quality

Z-Club(GB)

I have been asked several times in the past to pass on details of the other Z-gauge groups around the world. Here to the best of my knowledge are the main groups, membership details and contact addresses.

ZTRACK This is the American based group, membership is I believe to be over 300. They produce a nice glossy magazine/newsletter five times a year. I am in constant touch with their chairman and we have a reciprocal arrangement for articles.

Membership is $60.00 a year but Z-CLUB(GB) members get a small discount.

Contact :- Rob Kluz, 8648 Seabright Drive, Powell, Ohio, 43065 USA

E-mail :- ztrack@aol.com

Z-CLUB 92 This is the International organisation based in Germany, Italy and now America. They produce a full colour magazine/newsletter four times a year in German with an English translation. Included in the membership fee is a members only Marklin produced wagon. The group also run the Z-gauge museum at Bochum in Northern Germany and if you are able it is well worth the visit for the enthusiastic Z-gauger.

I have some membership application forms for those who are interested

Membership is 145,000 Lira

Contact :- Nicola Malavasi, Z Club 92, Via Morgagni 15/2, 41100 Modena. Italy

E-mail :- service@zclub92.com

Z-CLUB HOLLAND This is new group on the circuit and the appear to be forging ahead with the production of a very nice magazine only in Dutch.

Contact :- Z- Spoorclub Nederland, Postbus 10.000 - 1440 CA Pumerend, Holland

Having just completed the second wagon chassis and in response to a bit of arm bending from Graham herewith are a few notes on the construction which may be of help.

Because I want to use the Micro Trains magnetic couplers instead of the Kato ones supplied with the kit , some modification was necessary mainly to the buffer beams. All parts were cut from the fret taking care to cut square otherwise the small parts could twist. Before bending the basic chassis, I drilled two extra 14BA clearance holes close to each end to facilitate fixing the Micro Trains coupling box. This also meant the bending of the Kato coupling box was not required.

The chassis sides were then bent with the grove on the inside of the fold. For this I used a small wood block under the chassis and a steel rule above. The latter was lined up with the grove. I found the bending easy using only finger pressure. The brake assemblies were similarly bent. The buffer beam was then modified by removing most of the centre leaving only 2mm each end to hold the buffers. The centre would be taken up by the coupling box itself. The brake assemblies and bufferbeam ends were then soldered to the main chassis. After fitting the side frames, brake handle and axle cups using 2 part epoxy glue, I tackled the buffers. For some reason the ones supplied in the kit are over scale and do not fit the holes in the buffer beam. As an alternative I used Peco Track pins with a very small piece of sleeving pushed over the pin to about 0.5mm from the head. The pin was the shortened and glued to the buffer beam.

With the completed chassis cleaned with white spirit and sprayed matt black the wheels and couplings were added.

The wagon bodies are made from thin 1mm planked plasticard with struts and corner angles from very fine microstrip. After a coat of matt grey I added N E from 8pt Letraset (white). A coat of matt varnish and slight weathering finished the body which was then fitted to the chassis with a 12 BA screw.

I must admit I was well pleased with the result.

My comments: I thank Brian for his excellent review and point out that the buffers will be replaced as soon as I can find some small enough or someone to make me a quantity. As to the couplings these are N gauge and a little over scale but are about a fifth of the cost of Microtrains

Binden Am Rhine. My large exhibition layout is for sale, it can be seen at its last booked exhibition, the Warley National Exhibition, NEC this November. A personal viewing can be arranged at its present home, the Z-Club Workshop any evening in the week by prior arrangement. Please contact me for further information

Brian Yallop has a Double Slip and an electric left hand electric point he would like to exchange for 4 hand operated points, either hand will do.

Mr R Evans, Bellevue, Bromley Green Road, Ashford, Kent, TN26 2EG Telephone: 01233 733100 has a quantity of Z Gauge for sale.

Mr Colin Harrison, 3 Caspian Road, Askam in Furness, Cumbria LA16 7HW Telephone: 01229 466397 has a large collection of Swiss Z Gauge for sale

Mr P Abrey, 10 Oak Close, Duffield, Derby, DE56 4HF Telephone:01332 842650 has a large collection mint Z Gauge for sale plus an automatic layout.

Please contact these people direct and mention Z-Club(GB) thanks

You may have spotted my mention of a Z-Club Workshop - well, anybody is welcome to come along any Monday 8:00 pm onwards, or you can ring me at home and ask if I will be going to the workshop on a particular evening. The address of the workshop is The Rear of England of Northampton Model Shop, 22 Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton. If you want directions please ring and I will oblige. With respect to the taking of Binden to the Warley model railway show I will be having running sessions on the layout Monday to Wednesday, 2nd-4th November. Anybody is welcome to come along to run my trains or their own from 8:00 pm onwards.

November 7th/8th Warley National Exhibition, NEC, Birmingham.

November 21st Mind Charity Exhibition, Rugby.