SWISS RAILWAYS Z SCALE LAYOUTS
Gavin Hall
ZOO OCTAN VALLEY LINES

All pictures on this page are © Gavin Hall and used with kind permission

Ae 6/6 Kanton Zurich crosses a river on the Zoo Octan Valley lines

Gavin Hall, a grand friend of mine, hails from Singapore and is the spiritus rector of the Zoo Octan Valley, a location you won't find on any map. Whilst modelling a fictional place is fairly common, Gavin's layout is more than just that - it's a bit like a journey over the rainbow to a Z scale Land of Oz.

The Zoo Octan Valley lines is a layout alive with imagination. Gavin has re-arranged it several times, and you can read all about it on his website. Swiss Z Lines Re 4/4 in Cargo livery glides along Gavin's approach is to model what is pleasing to the eye and fun to do, and his success illustrates just how much pure modelling fun Z scale - and Swiss Z scale in particular - can provide.

Marklin Re 460 leads a train over an imposing overhead girder bridge

Overview of the main station area of the layout

The layout is alive with numerous, lovingly modelled scenes, and the trains that pass through this scenery are tuned for optimal performance. Gavin was one of the first Z scalers I've known who ventured deep into DCC, even though he has now reverted back to analogue. His stock is mainly Maerklin but he also runs high-end Swiss Z Lines models.

Raising modelling fun to high standards, Gavin's layout is gradually receiving Freudenreich catenary, just as he is always on the lookout for new and innovative items and ways of adding to his layout - most recently by widening the scope of his modelling by launching his own Zoo Rail custom-branded stock. Find out more by visiting the Zoo Octan Valley Lines.

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Page created: 11/DEC/2006
Last revised: 20/DEC/2006