SWISS Z SCALE MODEL RAILWAY LAYOUTS

Re460 ChemOil bursts out of a tunnel and onto a bridge spanning the gorge on Pieter Willems's module

Pieter Willems lives in the flemish part of Belgium and, after deciding to sell his H0 trains (which he had had since he was six) started out in Z scale instead (mostly for reasons of space). Visiting Switzerland frequently and several times a year, Pieter decided to limit his Z scale collection to Swiss models after a couple of years and follow his fascination for the railway system he'd seen on his many visits.

Designing a Swiss layout, Pieter decided upon a few requirements this would have to meet. First, it had to be modular, allowing him to work on a relatively small layout at a time - especially as the past had taught him that working on a big layout never ends and eventually became demotivating. Secondly, Pieter would design and set up his own specifications for the modular joins. The images presented here are from his first module, which measures 150 x 50 cm overall.

upper level trackplan (above) with lower level approach (below) and added turnaround (inset)

As can be see from the trackplan, trains enter the module to the left, the lowest level of the layout. After climbing 12 cm they enter the station before heading back down the grade and off the layout again - a classic "in and out" track configuration, which is well camouflaged through the use of scenic items such as a mountain side with a castle. Scenery is not yet complete, a village is planned near to the station to further hide the nature of the track configuration.

A lot of the scenic structures, such as houses, the castle, and bridges, was built from scratch by Pieter himself.

The entire upper level trackplan is visible in this overall shot (left), showing the nicely spread-out layout with characteristic Swiss terrain. The castle towering above the tracks (right) is a feature which adds a unique scenic touch to the layout.

Pieter doesn't model a specific time era, so all types of Swiss models are run on his layout, ranging from Re460s to Ae 6/6s, Ae 3/6 IIs amd Ce 6/8 IIIs. For the time being, all locomotives are operated in analogue mode, including operational block system, slow down and acceleration sections. Maybe in the future, if and when more drop-in decoders become available, Pieter will look into digital operation possibilities.

A classic Swiss scene on Pieter's layout as a freight pulled by a crocodile passes above on the curved arched viaduct whilst a passenger train glides along below.

It is intended to display this layout at public shows, which will no doubt provide a shot in the arm of Swiss Z scale modelling in Belgium. Pieter Willems' layout is an excellent example to illustrate just how well classic Alpine scenery can be made to work on a Z scale layout, even to the point of using a trackplan which is different from the traditional runaround oval.