Reviving an ex-exhibition layout

[batrapyr]

For various reasons I have, for the past year or so, had an inkling to build a small Z gauge layout. I had acquired some track, controllers, switches, etc. (all from Marklin) and fondly thought that it would be a neat idea to pick up a few items of rolling stock to create a 'simple' tail-chaser. However, I realised that this would quickly become boring as it would have no operational interest. I needed some points, just to make things a little bit more interesting. One thing led to another and having got chatting to a guy who had some track for sale, I discovered that he had an old layout that had previously been on the exhibition circuit (about 15 years ago). My initial thoughts were that if I acquired it, I could delicately remove the parts that I wanted and 'bin' the rest. However, having purchased the layout from him I am now reluctant to carve up something that obviously took him many long hours to create.

 

The layout is 'end to end' coming, as it does, on 4 baseboards each of which is 1 m x 0.28 m. The track plan isn't overly complex although there are several levels and an integral fiddleyard. There is a very small control panel that appears to cover operation of 2 of the baseboards. There are multi-core cables used to transfer power (and control) between the baseboards, using plugs/sockets the like of which I have never seen before (approximately 1.25" square with about 12 flat pins). Two of the baseboards appear to have all of their wiring still intact but, sadly, the previous owner had started to remove some of the control systems for the other two baseboards. There are lots of wires still attached to the underside of the baseboards but the buttons/switches that they were connected to have been removed. Finally, on the non-viewing side of the layout there are two 5-Din sockets. I had assumed that these were used for throttles but I am assured by the previous owner that this was not the case.

 

Sadly, for me, the previous owner (who was responsible for building the layout) didn't feel the need to label any of the wires. Indeed, I am fortunate that he bothered to identify some of the switches on the very small control panel that sits above the fiddleyard. It is obvious, from looking at the layout, that its previous owner had designed and built it for his own use and for exhibition purposes - it has a number of the small plaques that are given to exhibiting layouts, at shows. From these plaques it was possible to deduce that this layout had been in storage for about 14 years and a number of tiny spiders had taken up residence in the meantime!

 

I am faced with a number of challenges if I want to get this exquisite layout running again. Firstly, I need to give it a thorough clean to remove all of the years of dust and cobwebs that have accumulated. As some of the scenic parts are very delicate this means using very soft brushes and a hand-held vacuum cleaner, inspecting the contents of the collection bin very carefully after each and every cleaning session. As this task can get incredibly frustrating and not a little tiresome, at the same time I am going to try to produce a track plan (using SCARM). This is not as easy as it sounds because the scale is so small that an error of a fraction of a millimetre could, potentially, become quite serious. I do appreciate that this is going to take many days/nights of meticulous measurement and recording but once I am happy with it, I am going to add a layer to the underside and attempt to create a wiring diagram.

 

In preparation for this herculean task I have ordered a new digital multimeter and a set of digital vernier scales (to measure each object - track, buildings, platforms, etc.). I will be using the lowest point on the layout as the datum. 

 

My first attempt at producing a track plan for baseboard #1 is underway and looks something like the image below.

[Chimer]

I can barely see Z scale models, let alone do anything with them, and don't use SCARM, so any contribution from me comes from a weak position, but surely if the track is already laid, the track plan doesn't need to be accurate, as it's just going to be a schematic to help you get the wiring right?

 

Fwiw, X-Track-CAD, which I do use, does appear to have parameter files for Marklin Z track - and it's free .....

 

Best of luck, Chris

[DCB]

I would start with the multimeter and a controller and check for dead shorts.   If the wiring is missing a couple of crocodile clips can be used clipped to track or wiring as a temporary measure. If there are no dead shorts I would source a test loco which actually works and see if  you can actually run trains.  Shift the crocodile clips around f the points don't make contact.

 

If you can run trains then that is half the task done.  if not the track may need cleaning,  After 15 years out of use some of it may well be beyond repair. especially where point blades make contact with the stock rails.   It may well be a lot of it is beyond repair, and at that point it would probably be better to recover any reusable parts and bin the rest.  Its bad enough fault finding on something you wired yourself let alone something someone else has wired up.