Z gauge
| Z scale | |
|---|---|
| Scale | 1.385 mm to 1 ft |
| Scale ratio | 1:220 |
| Model gauge | 6.5 mm/0.256 in |
| Prototype gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Z scale (1:220) was introduced by the Märklin company in 1972, and is one of the smallest commercially available model railway scales with a track gauge of 6.5 mm/0.256 in. Z scale trains operate on 0-10 volts direct current (DC) and offer the same operating characteristics as all other two-rail, direct-current, analog model railways. Z scale locomotives can be retro-fitted with microprocessor based digital decoders for digitally controlled model railways. Model trains, track, structures, and human/animal figures are readily available in European, North American, and Japanese styles from a variety of manufacturers.
Z scale was introduced by the German model train manufacturer Märklin in 1972 at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. It was the brainchild of Helmut Killian, Märklin's head design engineer at the time. The letter Z was chosen to designate the new scale, as it was thought, at the time, that there would not be a commercial model railway scale even smaller than Z, in the future - hence, the last character of the alphabet in the German and English languages. Since 1972, there have been attempts to bring even smaller scales to the market, but they remain niche products without a wider following at this time (the largest market being T gauge at 1:450 scale, aka 3 mm gauge, designed in Japan and manufactured in China).
In 1978, a Märklin Z scale locomotive pulling six coaches made its entry into the Guinness Book of World Records by running nonstop 1,219 hours, and travelling a distance of 720 km before the train stopped due to failure of the motor.
Z scale, at its inception, was predominantly a European scale, but it has an increasing number of loyal followers in other parts of the world. There are now also manufacturers in North America and Japan/China, among others. Z scale enthusiasts throughout Europe, North America, and Japan participate regularly at most national and regional model railroad exhibitions and shows, where they have demonstrated the outstanding operation and layout design characteristics of the scale. While prices were initially higher for Z scale products (particularly locomotives) compared with those available in larger scales, as volume production, computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques, and the number of competing manufacturers increased, prices have come down to a point comparable to those of high-quality models in any scale. In Z scale, there are no cheap, low-precision models as can be available in larger scales - if they were not designed and manufactured to high standards of precision, they would not run at all.
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Wikipedia