How to Build a Coffee Table Layout in Z-Scale

One of the more persistent problems plaguing would-be model railroaders is a lack of space. Many newcomers fail to realize that by using a smaller scale railroad such as z-scale, their layout need not take up an entire room. Z-scale is only 1:220 the size of the real thing, meaning that a locomotive could be only 2 inches long. An eye-catching, nicely detailed z-scale layout can be placed inside the type of coffee table that has a removable glass panel sitting atop a built-in display compartment that is several inches deep.

Instructions

Preparation

1

Remove the glass top from the coffee table.

2

Measure the interior dimensions of the coffee table including the clearance height.

3

Decide on the best access route for electrical wires. Often coffee tables come equipped with drawers where the transformer can be hidden, thus making the area near the drawers an ideal location for an electrical wire route.

4

Choose a layout that will fit inside the coffee table. Z-scale allows for your train to pass through an urban station, a small rural town and a mountain wilderness all in the same layout. Plans can be found online as well as in model railroad books and magazines.

Installation

5

Cut a sheet of plywood slightly smaller than the interior dimensions of the coffee table, allowing enough room for your hands when positioning the cut sheet inside. Sand the edges smooth.

6

Drill holes in the plywood for electrical wires. If the transformer will be kept in a drawer, drill a hole in the drawer to accommodate the wires.

7

Build the layout on the plywood, being careful not to exceed the interior dimensions of the table, specifically the height.

8

Add small handles to opposing ends of the plywood to make it easier to carry the layout and place it in position within the coffee table. Choose a way to cover the handles when they are not in use, for example with shrubbery, so as not to disrupt the look of the imaginary world you created.

9

Test the layout, verifying that all bugs have been found and remedied.

10

Place the completed layout inside the coffee table.

11

Run wires through the holes drilled in the plywood.

12

Connect the wires to the transformer.

13

Reinstall the coffee table's glass top.