A Brief History of Z Scale
 Z scale got its start before anyone knew it—quite literally—by Märklin of
Germany, a very old toy manufacturer (founded 1859). After the introduction of the first mainstream
commercial version of N scale
in 1960 by Arnold Rapido, Märklin elected not to enter that market, and so in 1968 Märklin's Helmut
Killian began work on something completely different, something they could claim as their own,
and in 1972 they finally unveiled their "Mini Club" line, which has since come to be
known as Z scale (the thinking was it would be the smallest possible commercial scale,
and so they picked the last letter in the alphabet; of course, since then we've seen the
introduction of T Scale, but that's another story).
At 1:220, Z is about three-fourths the size of N, 1:160.
Inspired to enter this new market, which at the time was populated exclusively by
European products, Nelson Gray of upstate New York began tooling up some American-based Z scale
models in his garage. Around 1982 he sold all of his tooling to Kadee of Oregon, who added it to
their N scale Micro-Trains Line and introduced it in 1984. The big difference for Micro-Trains
was that their Z scale models featured magnetic coupling—Kadee's specialty, if you will—which
made operation much more viable. The downside was that they split the market into Märklin versus
Kadee couplers, but with such a small market, this didn't have a big negative impact.
Not to be out-done in its own scale, Märklin quickly began producing American-based
models as well, although to be honest they are poorly-proportioned, mostly due to the fact
that the locomotives were originally based on existing mechanisms for European models, and their
horrendous couplers forced them to move their oversized freight car trucks too far inboard
(their more recent American passenger cars are, by contrast, quite nice—assuming you can
both find and afford them).
By 1988 the scale was at last starting to be taken seriously; the release of
Greenberg’s Guide to Märklin Z more or less marked its "official arrival" in
the world of accepted scales, alongside O, S, HO, TT and N. Still, Z scale was considerably slower
on the uptake than its next-smallest rival; this was due to a number of factors, principally
the technical limitations imposed by the small size—already high manufacturing costs were
driven higher by a market that was as diminutive as the scale. Thus Z scale started out as
something of a "rich man's hobby" (consciously reflected in some of Märklin's
early marketing materials).
State of Z Scale Today
As of this writing, Märklin still solidly dominates the market (not surprisingly) with
many hundreds of products, nearly all of which are European, supported by droves of collectors who
regard Mini-Club in much the same way as N-scale collectors do Micro-Trains. Many of the other big-name
German model manufacturers—Vollmer, Kibri, Faller, to name a few—have already jumped in with loads
of structures and accessories... all European, of course.
Micro-Trains (who split off from Kadee in 1990) remains the prime mover of Z scale in
America, with a good range of predictably fine products. The intervening 23 years since their debut
have seen a very slow, gradual build-up of entrepreneurs trying their hands at Z scale manufacturing.
Many of the newest products have only been made possible by advances in technology (particularly
motors), plus the spread of simple and inexpensive manufacturing techniques such as resin casting.
The bigger hurdle facing new companies, now, is marketing. How do you get the word out? How do
you get the customers in? That costs money, and every cent you have is usually tied up in
manufacturing—margins are razor-thin for a tiny business in a tiny market making tiny things.
Well, along came the internet, and the problem was (forgive the pun) virtually solved.
Between eBay and cheap (or even free) canned storefront software, nearly anyone can launch their own
business to make and sell Z scale goodies. Which is where we are at the present: dozens of cottage
industries scattered all over the globe, making all manner of things from outhouses to cab-forwards.
As long as they make a presence of some sort on the internet, we have access to their products.
But now the effort has shifted to the modeler, in a way, because what we see on hobby shop
shelves (if we see any Z at all) is a tiny fraction of what's available, and sifting through the internet
in search of Z merchandise is not as easy as you might think. Fact is, the product market is still small,
but not disappointingly so. Thankfully, a few plucky modelers have begun to take the scale seriously,
building realistic layouts and doing craftsman-level work. This has helped improve the face of Z and advance
it as a viable scale. And now some of us are making websites to help modelers get into it more easily.
American Z, in a Nutshell
Starting with track, the choices are Märklin and Micro-Trains. The latter used to simply
resell Märklin sectional track; recently they've introduced their own line of roadbed-based sectional
track, now finally including turnouts, that have proper tie spacing, which Märklin track lacks.
Micro-Trains also offers flex. A couple of European manufacturers make some excellent track using finer
rail, but it's really for more advanced modelers with bigger budgets.
Thankfully there are just enough locomotives to cover a fair range of interests. Micro-Trains
has three diesels—the venerable old F7, a newer GP35 and the recently-introduced GP9. Lately, American Z
Lines has come onto the scene with over a half-dozen modern diesels, including a wonderful
GP7; unfortunately, you'll need really deep
pockets to own these beauties. They also make an enormous AC-12 cab-forward—for layouts with very broad
curves and owners with lots of disposable income. Märklin has an F7 and a few typical steamers, but their
appearance is compromised by gross inaccuracies. There are no small diesels yet, save for the Zthek SW-1 kit,
which requires a Märklin chassis and a good deal of skill. (An outstanding—and expensive—small early diesel
was available from FR-Model, but it's currently out of production.)
The freight car market is quite well stocked. Micro-Trains provides the bulk; they've been
joined by Penzee, Full Throttle and FR-Model, as well as kitmakers Robert Ray, TNT'z and others, for a
well-rounded range of products. Passenger cars used to be the exclusive domain of Märklin,
now they're being produced by Micro-Trains, Marsilius Line and AZL.
The structure situation is improving quickly, assuming you are willing to try your
hand at kits. For a long time about the only source was Miller Engineering's
Micro Structures, which are all etched brass kits. Lately a number of laser-kit companies,
such as BAZ, RSlaserKits, GCLaser Innovations, Paw of Bear and several others have begun creating
a range of interesting structures, but they all require assembly. Randy Brown offers some
southwestern cast resin kits. Paper Creek Model Works has a line of simple yet impressive-looking
paper kits. Micron Art also has a line of etched brass kits and scratchbuilding supplies. You
could check out eBay for some pre-made items, but you'll be paying a premium.
Vehicles pose a slight problem: they are either period (20s-40s) or present-day.
If you're modeling a layout set in the 60s, for instance, you're out of luck. Vehicles are available
from many sources in a wide range of quality, from solid metal castings to high-tech
laser-fused acrylic (RP). Märklin, Kibri, Noch and other familiar European manufacturers have
dozens of ready-to-run injected-plastic vehicles. MZZ has an incredible line of detailed
cast-metal vehicles, some of which are quite useful. Of greater interest to American
modelers would be MakeMyModel, who offers a growing range of great-looking
laser-fused acrylic trucks and construction vehicles, although they require careful cleaning
and painting. For
skilled modelers, Micron Art makes some fantastic early period vehicles (such as Model Ts)
in etched brass kits. Break out the magnifiers...
We're in excellent shape for people, as it happens. Preiser alone has enough figures
for everybody, but they are also joined by Faller, Noch and Merten. Miscellaneous detail items,
like outhouses and relay sheds, are available from BLMA, Shire Scenes and Micron Art,
as well as several European manufacturers like 1zu220-Modelle and Rolf's Brass.
Bookmark American Z Scale to watch how Z Scale grows in the years to come! |
