My first Z was...

In 2 months it will be 21 years since I got my first Z scale set, wow, that long ago already! It was a Santa Fe warbonnet F7 complete starter set and I got it at the Smithsonian Institution gift shop in Washington D.C. Only cost $99 and it included the track and power pack. At that time I owned a jewelry store, "Karin's Fine Jewelry", and was on a corner in the biggest mall in Anchorage. The corner display case, the one everyone walked by, really needed an eye catcher. So, since I loved trains and had them since childhood I thought this "new" Z scale just might be what I need; movement in that case. Sure enough, it caught everyone's eye! They all wanted to know where I got that "cute little train". Then Alaska Railroad folks would stop by, engineers, conductors, a few corporates. One guy ended up being the one who restored the little tank engine in front of the Anchorage Depot. Then the hobby shop in the same mall (Hobbycraft) started carrying a little Z scale when I ordered my MTL through them. They have since stopped Having a jewelry store, being a goldsmith, is a part of my past whereas Z scale has become an everyday part of my present. Being a Snyder you can't go very far in this house without seeing something Z related, or ARR for that matter! Next weekend is our local show and I still remember that first set....

You all have a "my first Z scale" story so lets hear about it. Did anyone start earlier than 21 years ago? I'll bet so! As for me I look forward to setting up my Bethlehem set up around my Bethlehem lighted Christmas Tree by Thomas Kinkade. What is the holiday without a train under the tree?

This is my 23rd year in Z scale. Incidentally, I have a Smithsonian tie in. Back in 85, I was playing around with military modeling and war gaming. I started purchasing the 1:285 miniatures. I was focussing on the European theatre of WWII. My father has a subscription to Smithsonian Magazine at the time. Marklin was running ads for Z in teh magazine. The ads showed the trains in life size. The size seamed close enough that I could use them for a war gaming table I was creating. That summer, my family went to Europe for the summer and spent a few days in Germany. Sure enough, I found a hobby shop that stocked Marklin Z with US transformers and I was off with a top of the line German DB steam starter set! I wore out the pages on the German catalog which I also purchased at that time. Strangely, I never got back to the war gaming after I returned home.

By the way, exchange rate is 1985 - 3 Marks to the Dollar. Top of the line starter set, five extra freight cars, one catalog - $145.00.

Rob

Cool topic Karin, and your first z story is great..... here's mine.

Next month will be the 28th aniversery of my introduction to Z scale. My father took me into New York prior to the holidays to visit the international toy fair being held their. In the back of the second floor displays at the Plaza, Marklin had taken the whole section, and in the corner was a Z scale layout. I loved it, and basically ignored all the other trains on display. I had a HO layout built on the ping-pong table in the basement, and this was a sore issue with my sister and i, so i offered my dad a deal... I promised to get rid of all the HO stuff i had clogging up the ping pong table, if he would buy me Z scale. There i was, a 10 year old kid, propostioning my father into buying me Marklin Z. This worked fine for a few minuets given the tenuious situation centering around the use of the ping pong table, but when my dad saw the price tags, he took me by the hand, and lead me out of the building.

On Christmas morning, much to my surprise, i recieved my first Marklin Z scale trains. Seams my dad had a change of heart, and decided to get me some of these expensive little trains anyway... He gave me, and i still have my Marklin 8222 German electric loco dubbed the "german crocidile", a power pack, track, and two cars. I still have all of it but the track.

The next part of the story finds me dis-assembling the HO trains and giveing them away to a few friends, starting (but never finishing) my first Z layout as a child, walking completly away from hobby trains to chase girls in high school and college, moving several times around the USA, starting a carrere and getting married, and then by chance Z came back to my life. My mother found all of my childhood Marklin collection meticuliously boxed and stored in the atic. She contacted my newly-wed wife and the girls conspired to re-gift my old trains back to me for Christmas. So for Christmas in 2005, after over twenty years, i unwrapped my Marklin 8222 loco, and cars, and once again remembered my love of Z trains.

The rest of the story, is how you all know it, and of course ends with me being fully engulfed in modeling again, chatting with you other Zed Headzz, and starting a module group with local friends... "Ahhhhh ain't Z Grande.."

Tony B...
Wasatch Z ClubB)

Hanau Germany around 1984-85. Started with the little tank engine set. An Army buddy of mine had the Prussian set in HO so I got the one in Z. Yep dollar to DM was so good back then. I remember hanging around a hobby shop there (it's long gone) and flirting with a girl who worked there. I also remember they had shelves and shelves of Eggerbahn and if I only had a crystal ball I would have bought all of it.

Summer before last (2007) my then girlfriend, now wife and I took a boat trip from Bratislava to Vienna. Near the center of the city, the Stefansdom church, we found a little hobby shop and I went in to noodle around for model airplanes. When doing the same thing back in Champaign, Illinois in the 90's, I had seen a Z scale starter set. Well, this Vienna shop was a Marklin dealer, and had some starter sets that made Alinda very excited, and made me remember how much I had wanted to try those tiny trains. We took a good look at them, left, walked around Vienna some more, then came back and bought one.

Ondrej, Now this is a coincidence. I was climbing in the Alps in 1984 and it was stormy. My wife and I decided to head for Vienna. I too, purchased my first Z scale in that very same hobby shop! I must have spent $200 at least. Of course it wasn't until about 1998 that I started modeling in Z. I purchase a Mikado and all the North American rolling stock they had,(one of each) and some track. It was stored away in a trunk for 15 years. I just found it two years ago! All Marklin couplers of course. Except for the Mikado it is still in the trunk. I can't afford to change out the couplers. Funny how small the world is and the fact we both started out in the same hobby shop in Vienna, Austria. Cheers, Jim CCRR:cheer:

I'm really new to Z in comparisson to you guys, just 7 years. My wife said one day "...if I ever get into model trains I will go with Z, it's so cute..." So, I gave her (me???) a BR 89 starter set...What a great idea!

i ve been in a huge model train family all my life. my grandfather had an HO layout that attracted magazines from all over the world to cover it. 99 percent of it was automated, rare for the 60 s train lover. then my father was a bit into the Nscale trains for awhile, so i ve played with trains my whole life.have every issue model railroader, or craftsman ever put out,, but it was my 11 year old daughter that got me interested in it again by asking if i could build her one in her desk. that was 2 1/2 years ago, now i buy n sell z scale, and try to get as active as possible in this scale. in calgary, canada, it almost impossible to buy z scale, that made me mad. so now i do the shows, and try ads to get a group interested in z scale up here. selling z scale so i can try to meet new canadians and get them interested in it,, i will always be a zhead now. i just love this size, and i m now trying a fully automated layout myself!!!!canada mike

Couple of years ago, I was going to build an HO carnival diorama, as I had picked up a couple of IHC rides at a toy show and thought they would be fun to build. I wanted to have a miniature train running through the carnival, so I picked up a Marklin F7, some cars, a transformer and a track loop from a guy in Germany. I set it up the track loop on my kitchen counter and I was hooked. Now I'm building a 15' by 5' Z scale layout in the basement. Never did get around to that carnival diorama....

Must have been 1979 or 1980 when I got my starter kit. The one with the steamer, a banana car and a flat. Still have it. Until somewhere end of the 80's I was rather active with it but it never came to a permanent track. Then it was boxed but I continued to buy some engines and stock from time to time.

These days I'm more interested in larger scale trains, but I won't give up Z. So next year the building of a track is planned.

Welcome to the forum Havoc.Enjoy.
I have only been interested Z spur for a few years , slowly getting some Z together for a layout.
As far as I can remember it was this forum that first introduced me to the world of 220 scale railways. I re started my interest in model railways with looking at getting my Märklin HO up and running again. At Märklin-Users.net they have links; big mistake when I rediscovered Z spur.
I little world that amazed me; Digital , scenary that is out of this world , scratch building , hand layed railway track.... you know what I mean.
The big bonus was meeting new friends on the Z forums and getting to share there progress in Z , every one is so friendly.
So now I have two railway hobbies , HO and Z ; I like it!
( bought a Märklin BR 89 that arrived from New Jersey the other day, the bees knees folks)

I'm only new to this scale too, having only become interested about 12 months or so ago. My first purchase was a Marklin Crocodile (8856) at a Sydney dealer (it was on special).