Jeffrey MacHan, Chief Imagineer of the VEC Welcome to Chief Imagineer's FAQ Files. Please note that the opinions expressed herein are those of the author and that no animals were harmed in the preparation of these entries.

	Model Railroading Tricks of the Trade
Ideas both Great and Small compiled by Jeffrey MacHan

Category	Title / Subject	Submitted by	Tip / Trick
#101	When in doubt...	MacHan, Jeffrey	When in doubt, ask the list! We're all friends here after all.	You'll end up with a better and more rewarding layout, module or project.
Animation	Use an aquarium air pump for animation / smoke effects	Dieter Nolte	A small aquarium pump produces enough air flow to move the blades of windmills,	helicopters and flags etc. It is good to force smoke up smoke stacks and many other uses.
Catenary	Blacken your Märklin metal catenary wires	Kluz, Rob	Catenary wiring, like track, is quite distracting and unrealistic left in its natural metal state.	Blacken the metal using 'Blacken-It' and enjoy a more balanced visual impression.
Catenary	Use track rails to run catenary through tunnels	Kluz, Rob	Solder a length of nickle-silver rail (any size) to the metal catenary wires.	The solder joint will ensure electrical conductivity and eliminate gaps and the need for masts.
Catenary	Use copper wire to extend catenary through tunnels	Gottschalch, Manfred	Household electical wire (12-14 gauge) stripped of insulation and straightened or curved to shape.	Solder short pieces of wire and suspend from overhead. For more details see message #4388
Catenary - Pantographs	Prototype Pantograph Usage	Freudenreich, Harald	Electric locos run w/one pantograph raised, usually the rear except: 1. if followed by car with flammable load, then front only is raised,	2. 2 locos (lead loco has front panto raised, second loco has rear panto raised), 3. older locos w/single pickup on panto would raise both pantos.
Construction	Gluing styrofoam and cork roadbed	MacHan, Jeffrey	Ordinary rubber cement is ideal for gluing styrofoam and other materials such as cork	The cement does not attack styrofoam. (do not confuse rubber cement with contact cement)
Construction - Brick	Z scale brick	Whitmire, Scott	Plastruct brick and block sheets come in 1:100(N) and 1:200(Z) scales.	Washed with a 1:32 mixture of white paint they look pretty good.
Construction - Electrical	Threading wires more easily	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use a plastic straw through scenery and baseboard to guide wiring	This makes short work of threading wires through a foam scenery base
Construction - Electrical	Keep wires under control for better performance and trouble shooting	Sutfin, Terry	Spaghetti wiring is a headache waiting to happen. Group wires together under the layout.	Run wires in parallel and keep a record of connections to help find trouble spots later.
Construction - Electrical	Threading wires more easily... Supplement to Jeffrey's tip.	miniclub_z (Hakan Carlsson)	It could be difficult to try to push a plastic straw through a foam base. Use a knitting needle of suitable size inside the straw to strenghten it during the penetration of the foam.	Try making a pilot hole with the knitting needle or a bamboo skewer to avoid breaking the foam base.
Construction - Roadbed	Cut cork roadbed from sheets	MacHan, Jeffrey	Buy cork sheet in rolls from stationary or craft stores. Cut out turnouts, curves and strips for straights.	Yards can be cut as a block. Bevel edges using hobby knife or matt cutter. Rubber cement works great with cork and foam.
Construction - Track	Laying flex track	MacHan, Jeffrey	Solder staggered rail joints before laying on curve. Hold joints in place with straight pin to assure even curve, no kinks. Bend track gently into shape, begin and end in straight line.	Hold track in place with pins placed between ties not throught them. Spread dry ballast, wet with rubbing alcohol and apply dilute white (acrylic based) glue. Remove pins when glue is dry. Wet ballast with rubbing alcohol to loosen track for removal.
Construction - Track	Putting rail joiners on flex track	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use a jewellers flat bladed screwdriver to slightly widen the joiner. Hold the joiner in the jaws	of a pair of wire cutters so that you can slip it easily onto the prepared end of the flex track.
Construction - Track	Code 40 guard rails	MacHan, Jeffrey	Microengineering nickle silver code 40 rail or Plastruc code 40 plastic lengths	make excellent guard rails over bridges, viaducts and level crossings.
Construction - Track - Electrical	Solder track and track leads to improving electrical performance	Allbritton, Robert	Track joints are sources of derailments and poor electrical connections.	Solder electrical leads to the bottom of rail every 6-8 rail joints and solder joints where feasible.
Constructuon - Structures	What is the best glue / cement for styrene or plastic kits?	Lajos Thek	Use Fallers "Expert" styrene cement. Comes with thin stainless steel tube applicator.	Fast, strong, aggressive and can be sealed for long shelf life. See local hobby shop or order on-line.
Electrical	Heavy gauge bus wiring	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use heavy gauge wire as trunk bus wiring under the layout.	Run lighter gauge wires to the tracks and blocks from the bus.
Electrical	Make trouble shooting easy	MacHan, Jeffrey	Where feasible, divide your trackwork into blocks to facilitate trouble shooting.	If you use common rail return wiring or even DCC, blocks can be useful to isolate trouble spots.
Electrical - Lights	Run lights from a cheap wall transformer	MacHan, Jeffrey	It is better to run accessories such as lights and switch motors from separate sources, not the throttle.	A cheap DC wall transfo rated at 6 volts can power several 12v lamps in parallel (up to amp rating).
Electrical - Meters	Rewire cheap VU meters for greater range in Z scale	Stiska, Glenn & Sandy	15 volt Radio Shack voltmeters are not sensitive enough to give a reasonable readout range in Z.	Rewire them to read a 7-10 volt maximum and the range will be much more in keeping with Z.
Electrical - Switchmachines	Use a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU) to power switch motors	MacHan, Jeffrey	A CDU will power up to 5 switch motors simultaneously. A commercial transistorized	model will recycle quickly. CDUs will not burn out motors but give a large pulse to move balky mechanisms.
Electrical - Track	Heat sinks to the rescue	MacHan, Jeffrey	Don't risk melting plastic ties when soldering leads to track. Use heat sinks. Clip a pair of small metal	document clips (ones with the wire handles on a metal clip) on each side of the solder joint.
Electricity - Lighting of cars	Use conductive paint for track pickup	Vellore, Kim	Automotive defogger conductive paint can be painted onto wheel axle wells and clips.	It can also be used to paint connections to lights on figurines and anywhere else wires are cumbersome.
Locomotives - Detailing	Small details make a difference	MacHan, Jeffrey	US style steamers lack the detail found in the European models. Add rerailers to tenders.	A simple hand rail along the front of a loco pilot makes an uncoupling lever.
Locomotives - Details	Fibre optic headlight lens for MTL F7s	Michael Hilliard	I just took a .8mm fiber optic cable and melted the end with a cig. lighter till it formed the right size bead, some practice and trial and error needed but easy otherwise to form 2 beads the same size,	let cool for a few seconds, cut the bead off the cable with about a 1-2mm length of extra cable and simple glued the fiber optic lenses in place.
Locomotives - Details	Use Microscale Krystal Clear window film to add windows to locos and cars	MacHan, Jeffrey	Apply the liquid along the edge of the windows of locos and passenger cars	and other vehicles from the INSIDE of the shell to get an even edge around the windows.
Locomotives - Maintenance	How to tell if your loco has a 3 or 5 pole motor.	Gottschalch, Manfred	Märklin has introduced an excellent 5 pole DC motor for use in its Z locos. How does one know if there is a 3 or 5 pole motor.	Look at the motor from the end and count the number of sections of metal windings on the armature. See http://www.zscale.org/articles/fivepole.html#tell
Locomotives - Motor Performance	Lessen brush pressure to improve motor slow speed performance	Chenoweth, Michael	I have found that by reducing the motor brush pressure it is possible to improve slow speed performance	of most if not all Märklin motors. Care must be taken not to damage the brushes or to excessively reduce the tension.
Maintenance - Electrical	Power wheel cleaning brushes with a variable wall transfo	MacHan, Jeffrey	Attach a multivoltage DC wall transfo to increase or decrease the voltage needed for your Speedi-driver.	5 pole motors need less voltage, 3 pole a little more. Leads can be soldered permanently.
Maintenance - Locomotives	Clean loco drivers with MTL speedi-driver	MacHan, Jeffrey	Z loco drivers need frequent cleaning. The MTL brass brush speedi-driver does a great job.	Use the N scale version and cut down the plastic divider so that brushes engage the wheels.
Maintenance - Motors - Oiling	Less is more in Z, even when oiling	MacHan, Jeffrey	Over oiling can cans many problems...apply oil to bearings sparingly. Dip a straight pin	into the lightweight oil recommended by the manufacturer and touch the tip of the pin to the bearing to transfer a tiny drop.
Maintenance - Roundhouse	Use screws instead of glue for RH roof	MacHan, Jeffrey	If you have built the Märklin RH w/solenoid operated doors, don't glue the roof panels in place.	You will most likely have to have access to the mechanisms some day, use small screws painted black instead.
Maintenance - Wheels - Cleaning	Clean crud from metal wheel treads	MacHan, Jeffrey	Place a piece of paper towel over a section of track. Wet the towel with rubbing alcohol along the track.	Run your rolling stock over the wet paper towel applying pressure to the sides of the track. Move the paper as needed.
Maintenance - part numbers	Looking for part numbers	Bob Byrne	If I'm ever looking for an item to confirm its part number, I use the Walthers web site	advanced search engine to find it. Good for many Z manufacturers. www.walthers.com
Miscellaneous - Inventory Management	Use a cheap organizer to keep an inventory	MacHan, Jeffrey	Avoid duplicates when shopping. Keep your inventory on an inexpensive pocket organizer.	Consult your inventory list before making that impulse purchase.
Miscellaneous - Paint Storage	Store paint for long periods without drying	MacHan, Jeffrey	Tired of your expensive paints drying out? Clean cap and bottle well.	Screw on cap and store the bottle upside down. The paint will block air from entering and drying the paint.
Miscellaneous - Recording	Document your progress	MacHan, Jeffrey	Take pictures of your progress (digital or photo). You'll enjoy having the record.	You can share your pictures and collected wisdom with the world on the list.
Operations	Casey Jones cornering problems on tight curves	MacHan, Jeffrey	The tender is hitting the loco handrails on tight curves causing stalling.	Gently bend the handrails forward to allow tighter turning radius.
Operations	Easy tender pick-up using the old 'bent spring' method	Kronenberger, Bill	Solder a wire to the middle of an N coupler spring. Deform slightly into a V shape at rest.	Wind the spring around a metal axle and run the wire to motor. Little friction, good solution.
Operations	MTL F7 tracking problems	MacHan, Jeffrey	Some MTL F7s have a tendancy to derail through crossings and double slip switches.	Check the gauge of the wheels. They may be too wide. Remove and squeeze tightly to the centre of the axle.
Operations - Couplers	Convert Marklin couplers to MTL 902 short or 904 medium shank	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use a sharp hobby knife to 'peel up' the front plastic tab holding the metal plate. Bend open plate.	Install the coupler. Reposition the plate over the front tab. Flatten the tab and seal with ACC or heat.
Operations - Couplers	Keep your trains running reliably - check coupler pins and wheel gauge	MacHan, Jeffrey	Don't expect factory delivered Micro-Trains cars to be perfectly aligned and have coupler pins at the correct height.	Low pins can catch switch frogs and gaurd rails. Out of gauge wheels can derail on track imperfections.
Operations - Locomotives	Tungsten powder to add weight to locos	Kronenberger, Bill	Tungsten powder is heavier than lead and can be used to add weight to locos.	It is available from Golfsmith http://www.golfsmith.com/
Operations - Locomotives	Adding weight to locos for better performance	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use lead putty to add weight to Z locos. Available in hobby shops,	the putty can be pushed into nooks and crannies of loco shells.
Operations - Maintenance	Using track cleaning cars	MacHan, Jeffrey	Run a track cleaning car in your consist just behind the locos to keep	track clean and to reduce the accumulation of oil and dirt.
Operations - Maintenance	Keep Märklin wheels free rolling	MacHan, Jeffrey	Märklin wheelsets are held in place by plastic tongs in the centre of the axle. Fibres may collect on the axle.	If your cars are not free running on level track, remove the wheels and check for fibres wound around the axles.
Operations - Modules - Running	Identify cars and locos during group operating sessions	Kronenberger, Bill	Easily keep your cars and locos from being mixed with others by putting colored dots on the bolster pins.	Use paint markers (permanent) or colored sticker dots w/ initials (temporary) on bolster pins or under locos.
Operations - Rerailing	Use level crossings as rerailers	MacHan, Jeffrey	Impress your friends with how easily you rerail your Z trains. Use a bevelled piece of styrene or wood	glued permanently at each logical level crossing on your layout and make rerailing a breeze.
Operations - Scale Speed	Scale Speed and Running Distances	Hamilton, Garth A.	1 foot traveled in 1sec = 150mph, 1 foot traveled in 2 sec = 75mph,	1 foot traveled in 3 sec = 50mph, 1 foot traveled in 4 sec = 37.5mph
Planning	Redimensioning drawings and plans to Z scale	Karp, David	HO to Z: 87/220 or 40% of original size on photocopier	N to Z: 160/220 or 73% of original size on photocopier
Planning - Track	Avoid some frequent errors in layout design	MacHan, Jeffrey	Leave space in foreground for detailing, keep track accessible, leave space between track and backdrop.	Test all locos and rolling stock, especially longest car, ex. passenger coach, over trackage. Correct clearance problems before gluing.
Rolling stock: Uncoupling	Uncoupling MTL rolling stock made easy	Chenier, Glen	Glue a 1" round ceramic magnet to the end of a popsicle stick. Hold 1/4" to the side of MTL coupler, slightly off centre.	Cars uncouple easily. Can also be used to aid coupling on curves.
Safety	Eye protection is a MUST	MacHan, Jeffrey	Always use safety goggles or glasses whenever using a Dremel	tool or cutting rail with nippers to protect eyes from flying particles.
Safety	Use sharp blade & cutting board or mat when cutting	MacHan, Jeffrey	Always use a sharp hobby knife blade, dull blades slip and cause accidents.	Cut away from yourself and use a cutting board on flat surface if possible to avoid injury.
Safety	Paint safety reminders	MacHan, Jeffrey	Breathing paint vapours and particles (even acrylic) is harmful, . Wear a painting mask to filter out	dust particles and ALWAYS paint or spray in a well ventilated area or outdoors.
Scenery	Removeable street lights	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use a narrow plastic tube through foam scenery to insert and hold Märklin light posts.	The tube will hold the lamp tightly and protect the fragile metal contact from breakage.
Scenery	N scale signal boxes become Z speeder sheds	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use N scale detail parts for Z structures. Signal boxes become speeder sheds.	Small N structures become Z signal boxes and various out buildings.
Scenery	Low fencing and railing suggestions	Kronenberger, Bill	Visit the N scale section of your model shop. Look for N roofwalks. Install sideways with edge buried.	Look for railings in the brass parts section of model ship shops.
Scenery	Culverts from tiny swizzle sticks (drink mixing straws)	Kronenberger, Bill	Paint concrete. Perfect for those big drainage problems in that big open field that floods next to your mainline.	Cut a slot into your cork roadbed for them to fit into.
Scenery	Tunnel portals from HO culverts	Kronenberger, Bill	HO scale drainage culverts are exactly the perfect size for Z tunnel portals.	And significantly cheaper to buy than Z portals.
Scenery	Z statues from N scale figures	Kronenberger, Bill	N people, animals, horses - put them on a small 'concrete' base and they become Z statues.	Great for a park or in front of City Hall. Paint them bronze then dry brush with 'ugly' green paint!
Scenery	Cigar tube storage and chemical silos	Kronenberger, Bill	Cut the tube to length, paint silver and install next to factory or farm as storage silo.	Add metal wires for piping and it becomes a chemical storage tank.
Scenery	Forced perspective	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use smaller scale structures in background such as 1/260 resin buildings from Microfigs	to give a sense of depth to your scenes even though the distance is shallow.
Scenery	Use natural cones as Z shrubbery	MacHan, Jeffrey	Collect small shrub cones in the Fall or early Spring. Paint them green	using a spray paint can or airbrush. While still wet you can drizzle on grass materials.
Scenery	Bull rushes from bull rushes	MacHan, Jeffrey	Collect a mature bull rush (one's enough!) and tease out some seeds and fluff.	Cut a groove in your scenery base and apply a bead of glue then force fluff into the groove with the back of a hobby knife blade.
Scenery	Z chain link fences	MacHan, Jeffrey	N scale chain link fences can be cut lengthwise to make great Z scale fences.	Attach the fences to posts made from cut off straight pins using ACC
Scenery	Vertical storage tanks	MacHan, Jeffrey	Small N scale tanks can be used vertically for Z fuel storage tanks.	Add a brass ladder along the side of the tank and use brass wire for piping.
Scenery	Reflective mylar film instead of mirrors	MacHan, Jeffrey	Silver mylar film can be used instead of mirrors as view blocks.	Mylar is easy to cut and fold as needed. A cheap source is printed calendars.
Scenery	Toothpick Tree stumps in woodlots	MacHan, Jeffrey	After coloring a pointed round toothpick using a brown felt pen, cut off the end using a rolling motion under a hobby knife.	The stump can be "planted" into foam scenery leaving a short stump.
Scenery - Signs	Make your own signs with your computer printer	MacHan, Jeffrey	Modern ink jet printers offer high enough resolution for good signage in Z scale.	Use a basic font (Arial) and print in various sizes for station signs, billboards etc.
Scenery - Ballast - Landscaping	Rubbing alcohol to the rescue for easy gluing	MacHan, Jeffrey	Rubbing alcohol applied in small drops from a needle point container makes quick work of gluing ballast	and landscape materials. Wet ballast or landscape materials with alcohol then apply dilute white glue.
Scenery - Bridges	Scrap flat car = backroad bridge	MacHan, Jeffrey	Need a bridge for that gravel road over a ditch or creek? Many RRs used derelict	flat cars. You can too! Just remove the trucks and place into your scenery.
Scenery - Bridges	Use N scale flat cars for Z bridges	Kronenberger, Bill	Short wood deck flats, take off the trucks, paint rust color to make Z steel truss bridges.	Add N etched metal roof walks as safety rails on the sides w/rails stuck in stake brackets.
Scenery - Bridges	HO bridges make double track bridges in Z	Lattermann, Anders	HO bridges can be modified for Z as double track structures. Replace handrails if needed.	Also can be used as railroad and vehicle bridge for single track.
Scenery - Details	Seriously frivolous	MacHan, Jeffrey	It's your layout and you can be as serious or frivolous as you want. Adding whimsy to a	layout can add many hours of enjoyment. Try reproducing personal 'misadventures'.
Scenery - Details	Blacken metal wheels	MacHan, Jeffrey	Paint or use Blacken-it on shiny metal wheelsets to eliminate the toy look of loco	and rolling stock wheels. A dark rust color would be appropriate on rolling stock.
Scenery - Details	Hide copper contacts on steamers	MacHan, Jeffrey	Paint visible wheel contacts black on locos to hide the obvious copper wipers	Be careful not to get paint onto the tread of the drivers.
Scenery - Details	Add window blinds to passenger cars	MacHan, Jeffrey	It's easy to add blinds to passenger car windows using white cassette	repair tape. Place some blinds closed, some wide open and some half way down.
Scenery - Details	N scale billboards in Z	MacHan, Jeffrey	Life-Like N scale billboards can be cut down to Z scale with a razor saw.	Narrow the base then add your favorite billboard for the era you are modeling.
Scenery - Details	Add life to your locos	MacHan, Jeffrey	Place an engineer in your steamer windows. With a little cutting on an angle, glue the	engineer figurine in the right hand window (US steamers) leaning towards the front. Looks great!
Scenery - Details	Rubbish, rubbish everywhere!	MacHan, Jeffrey	Have you noticed how clean our layouts tend to be? Start piling rubbish and trash along buildings etc.	Make piles with scraps (wheels, bits and pieces, gears, etc.) drizzle on dilute white glue. When dry, apply rust washes.
Scenery - Details	Make drill holes in cut styrofoam faces	MacHan, Jeffrey	Drilling and blasting rock faces leaves verticle drill traces. Do the same on your foam cliff faces.	When cutting along right of way, use back of knife blade to indent foam in parallel lines to leave drill traces.
Scenery - Details - Watercraft	Ertl cabin cruiser is just the ticket for a Z marina	MacHan, Jeffrey	Next time you stop by ToysRus, pick up a 'Carla' cabin cruiser in the Thomas the Tank Engine section.	Carla is a metal miniature cabin cruiser that will feel right at home in a Z marina or water scene.
Scenery - Loads	Small soda straws become iron pipe loads	Kronenberger, Bill	Cut to length, paint rust color and stack in gondolas or on flatcars.	Attach with sewing thread of appropriate color and texture as a steel band or chain.
Scenery - Loads	N scale sugar beet loads become Z scrap metal	Kronenberger, Bill	Paint N scale 'sugar beet loads' rust color. Cut to fit gondola.	Instant ground scrap metal loads on their way to distant steel mills.
Scenery - Planning - Design	Finding ideas for finishing touches	MacHan, Jeffrey	Go to train shows, take pictures of scenes you like. Ask yourself why you like a scene, take notes.	Look closely at real railways and trackage. Note the colors and textures. Soon you'll be seeing with RR eyes.
Scenery - Roads	Turn sandpaper into asphalt roads	MacHan, Jeffrey	400 or finer grit light grey sandpaper makes good ashpalt roads.	Cut to shape and glue to base with rubber cement. Add streaks with weathering chalks and stiff brush.
Scenery - Roads	Adding stripes to roads	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use a white or yellow gel pen to add divider lines to roadways.	The pens are easy to use w/ruler and provide a narrow scale line.
Scenery - Structures	Corrugated aluminum for roofing material	MacHan, Jeffrey	N scale corrugated aluminum makes great siding and roof material in Z. Cut and glue with rubber cement	to styrene model kits. Finish with favorite paints and apply rust coloring.
Scenery - Structures - Details	Add roof details to structures	MacHan, Jeffrey	Add interest to roofs of your industrial buildings by adding simple styrene details.	Small blocks of styrene become airconditioners, add tubing and piping then rust and grime.
Scenery - Structures - Details	Simulate peeling tar paper	MacHan, Jeffrey	Peeling tarpaper can be modeled easily. Paint the plastic surface with the base color, coat it with rubber cement.	Let the cement dry completely. Apply the tar paper color (black or grimy black), let dry. Peel up the paint and rubber cement to create patches.
Scenery - Structures - Details	Z scale shingles from photocopies	MacHan, Jeffrey	Scale shingle sheets are available commercially and on the web.	Use a photocopier to reduce the original to Z scale and go into the roofing business!
Scenery - Structures - Kitbashing	Save bits and pieces of kits for junk and other projects	MacHan, Jeffrey	Don't throw away those leftover N and Z kit parts. Windows, doors, odds and ends are always useful.	Use for structural details on scratch built or super detailing projects or piles of junk.
Scenery - Structures - Kitbashing	Stretch your kit investment and enjoyment with kitbashing	MacHan, Jeffrey	Z scale encourages modifying plastic kits. Many kits can be rearranged, reduced, added on to,	doubled or tripled up etc. Some N scale kits can be reduced to Z proportions. Industrial kits are good candidates. Keep on the lookout for possibilities.
Scenery - Track	Permanent Ink Felt Pen to Paint Rails	Kronenberger, Bill	Use a DecoColor marker from Michael's Craft store to paint up to 400' of rail.	Cut tip to screwdriver shape to avoid a mess. Clean up ink before it dries!
Scenery - Track	Don't forget to add 'life' to your track	MacHan, Jeffrey	Track should also show spills, discarded junk and weed growth along the right of way.	Brush on some dilute india ink down the middle of the track to show oil spills, add weeds and grain spills too.
Scenery - Trees	Trees using the wire method	Gottschalch, Manfred	I remember hearing about the use of multi-strand electrical wire. Leave the insulation on the trunk below where the branches start, and strip from there up. Then bend out and twist together several strands, depending on the branch size.	As you go out the branch stop twisting and bend smaller pieces out to make sub branches. Continue in the same method all the way up the tree. Paint the trunk and branches to hide the twisting wires and then add the clump foliage to the little wires as necessary.
Scenery - Trees	Wire trees	Rosted, Ole	Loop several turns of thin wire over 2 fingers. Twist the loop so "stem" is formed between the ends, cut the ends and bend the strands to form tree-crown and roots respectively.	Soak the tree in white glue, set in upright position on piece of paper, sprinkle foliage material over the top.
Scenery - Vehicles	Micro-Machine construction equipment in Z	MacHan, Jeffrey	Micro-Machine excavators are very close to Z scale although they would be big machines.	I have 2, one which I narrowed and converted to a log loader, the other is a Caterpillar.
Scenery - Vehicles	Z vehicles found in doll house miniatures	MacHan, Jeffrey	White metal vehicles can be found in some doll house miniature stores.	Some I have collected are: speed boat, farm tractor, caterpillar tractor (2 types), firetrucks.
Scenery - Weathering	India Ink and rubbing alcohol weathering wash	MacHan, Jeffrey	A few drops of india ink in a vial of rubbing alcohol makes a quick drying sooty weathering wash.	Use on rooftops, buildings, chimneys, roadways - anything and anywhere grime will collect.
Scenery - Weathering	Use metal colored antiquing waxes to age plastic	MacHan, Jeffrey	Craft stores offer antiquing waxes in tubes and small containers. The copper (green) and	brass wax colors are especially useful to simulate copper sheathing on roofs. Rub on with finger or stiff brush.
Scenery - Weathering - Details	Weather & detail telegraph poles	MacHan, Jeffrey	Cut off arms of telegraph poles for single or double arm style. Apply gimey black	or grey paint to weather the pole. Use black for new creosote poles and crossarms.
Scenery: Water effects	Water	Allbritton, Rob	Paint the colors that look like a lake bottom or river bottom using acrylic paints, then cover with acrylic gloss medium.	You can "whip up" the Gloss Medium to form ripples, bubbles, and small waves. Unsuitable for large smooth areas.
Structures - Painting	Painting epoxy & resin kits	MacHan, Jeffrey	Wash with soapy water, dry completely. Polyscale (water base) and Floquil (solvent base) adhere well.	Remove flash, fill holes with putty. Apply primer. Brush paint in hard to reach areas. Finish with air brush for uniform coat.
Track	MTL retaining springs to improve turnout contacts	MacHan, Jeffrey
Track	Removing ballasted track with rubbing alcohol	MacHan, Jeffrey	Need to reposition or remove ballasted track? Wet the ballast with rubbing alcohol.	After a minute or so the ballast glue will soften enough to move the track.
Track	Improve curved turnout operation	MacHan, Jeffrey	The converging end of Märklin curved switched is often too narrow.	Widen the gauge of the outside curved rail using careful pressure with pliers.
Track - Cleaning	Clean hard to reach track with chamois, rubbing alcohol and ruler	MacHan, Jeffrey	Need to clean track in a short tunnel or in a hard to reach spot. Wrap a chamois over the end of a wooden ruler.	Hold it in place with a rubber band. Wet the chamois lightly with rubbing alcohol and run the cleaner over both rails. See the dirt disappear!
Track - Cleaning	Use finger in old sock and 91% rubbing alcohol to clean rails	Chenier, Glen	Easy method to clean rails: use finger in old sock and 91% rubbing alcohol
Track - Cleaning	Cleaning switch flange contact strips on Märklin switches	MacHan, Jeffrey	A narrow wood coffee stir stick is just the right width to glide along the spring	metal flange contact next to the frogs of M switches. The wood picks up oil and grime.
Track - Cleaning	Toothpicks keep Crossings and Slip Switches clean	MacHan, Jeffrey	Use the point of a round toothpick to clean crud buildup out of flangeways	of Märklin crossings and double slip switches. The wood will not damage the metal flangeways.
Track - Maintenance	Vacuum up your troubles	MacHan, Jeffrey	A small battery powered computer or travel vacuum does a good job keeping	ballast and loose particles from fouling locomotive mechanisms. Use before running trains.
Track - Maintenance	Relco HF units	MacHan, Jeffrey	A Relco HF unit will prolong periods between track cleaning and	help rigid frame locos over poor track. Combine with track cleaning cars for clean track.
Track - Maintenance	Removing solder from rails	Byrne, Bob	Strip some spare electrical wire of its' insulation and dip it in flux. Heat the solder with an iron.	Touch it with the wire. The solder will jump to the fluxed wire. Cut off that used piece and repeat.
Track - Maintenance - Cleaning	A drop of Wahl Oil goeZ a long way!	Jeffrey MacHan	A drop of Wahl Oil (scissors and clipper cleaner, lubricant) placed on a fingertip then transfered to each rail	will provide excellent loco operation by removing oxidation and breaking up collected grime.
Weathering	Use chalks for temporary or light weathering	MacHan, Jeffrey	Weathering chalks, available from hobby shops, allow light weather effects on rolling stock and locos.	White for caustic spills and mineral deposits, rust for everything and gray to produce highlights.
Weathering - Dullcoat	Use Testors Dullcoat to protect your weathered structures, rolling stock	Ted Lamar	Seal the finished surface of your weathered masterpieces. A fine coat of Dullcoat will not destroy chalk or painted weathering.	The surface can be handled when dry and the weathering will stay on. If the chalk effect is diminished, reapply the chalks and cover again with a light spray of Dullcoat.
Weathering - Cars	Weather side trucks and coupler knuckles for a more realistic look	MacHan, Jeffrey	OK, you've blackened the wheels now its time to weather the shiny black plastic side trucks and coupler knuckles..	A mix of grimy black and a dash of brown paint will take away the shine and give realistic weathering.