During the wintertime Torsja and I tallke about a small Module in the ZMOD Standard that we could build together by preparing some Buildings and other stuff at home and then finish the Module during the ZMOD Show in Oslo this April. This Website was created to see the Progress of the 40cm deep and 60cm wide Module. We wanted to make a small City called Springfield :-) Rob's and Chris release of the Nails Brother Yard was the starting point. We want also to use Ben's Dorothy House, a burnt Building from Lionel Gazeau, Märklin ED's Autorepair, the MPP Rabbit Hash and maybe a Trainstation.

Torsja's first Idea:

We want to make something like this but a bit more modern:

and of course also a cool sign like that on Torsja's small Diorama:

So let's go!

Hi Jurg.
Here is what I have done to day. :-)
I have now made the base off the ZMOD module 60x40cm But I discovered that I only had one length off cork roadbed left so I have to way to lay down the track until I get some more. It is Z-Scale cork from Kibri. But at least now we are on the way with the project. :-)

Decision about the name of the City:

Jürg, we should come up with our own unique names and themes for the buildings, or what do you think?

Torsja, no Problem but we then need our own decals because of the Rabbit Hash and Nails Brothers :-) Any Idea? How we call the little City? Springfield :-)

Jürg how about, Homers D(o)ump Yard, Marges "Vafell" Diner Barts "Slingshot" Repair shop Lisas "doll" house (Dorothy)
All living on the Sims steeet in Springfield.
I can make decals on clear or white decal paper from Testor like you can se on many off my buildings.

OK Torsja, let's fix it. The City is called Springfield. On another note Torsja, I'll send you a box with some stuff so you can also begin working on the Buildings. I'll try to finish the Rabbit Hash and Dorothys and send it along with Lionels burnt Building. BTW, I've made the Issaquah Trains Station from Rob Ray last Year, maybe we could use this Station also.

In the meantime the Box arrived in Torsja's home and he get a lot of work to do :-)

Hi Jurg.
I just got you candy box to day. The kits and parts look cool.
And I hope I remember to buy some cork tomorrow for the
track bed from my LHS. :)

Jürg, take a look at the pictures. I was thinking along these lines with ED's.
The final placement will be determent when I get the base for the other buildings played out on the module.

In the meantime I've started with the Rabbit Hash and the Dorothys House.

Jürg, about the Gasstation. I wasen't gone use the ED's just like on the original picture.
I was planning on trying to make it a bit older. Stay tuned. :-)
Do you think Alvaro would make us one or two gas pumps?

(Answer from Álvaro):

Hello Jürg
Everything fine, thank you.
Lot of work, yesterday i went home only at 3 in the morning and today i am still at work since 9 am,
this was a hard week, everynight working very late and the next week too, i don't find lot of time to dedicate to the Z cars. I am almost desesperate. About the gas pump, do you have any preference of company? just tell me.

(Answer from Jürg)

Hello Álvaro

I don't have a preference of company. I think Torsja has his own Decals and need just the Gas Pumps :-)

(Answer from Torsja)

How about we use the TYDOL Flying gas company. They have some cool flyers
and so on. It's the same as I have used on my diorama. And I have made some
decals for it already. :) So I guess red and white colours would be nice.

Hi Jurg.
The track work is now as good as finished to day. :) I hope the pictures show most off what I have done.
Anything unclear just ask me about it.

Jürg, I have begun to try out some layout plans for the buildings.
Is this a step in the right direction? The grass is supposed to be a low hill which we can cover with some pine trees and so on.

Hello Jürg
Thanks for the picture, very useful. :-)
Always a pleasure if i could participate. Take a look of the 60's Flying A Gas Pumps and the Oil cans rack,
if i have a little time tonight i can paint the tow truck.
Friendly yours
Álvaro

(In the meantime I'm looking for a Tree Source :-)

Hi Loren, do you have some Trees for sale?

Juerg,
Yes, I'm cranking up my tree making production again. I just finished a machine that will help me speed up production.
What do you want? Size, numbers, fine foam or coarse ect.?

Hi Loren, I want to have a very small forest on a Module so I think I need different sizes. How about 60 goodlooking foreground-Trees? BTW also before April?

Juerg,
I need sizes.........from what to what? Give it to me in inches or mm.
Loren

Loren, on the BAZBoy Video from Kim is a small Diorama with some trees under a Acrylic Top, those looks great in size and shape.

Ok Juerg,
That is my Z Train Things display. Those are assorted sizes from about 3 1/2" down to about 1 1/2"
I'll put my best elves to work immediately. :o)

New update from Álvaro:

The Tydol Pickup is finish! The Hummer will bring it to Norway.

Update from Torsja:

Last night I painted the Gas station and started to see if I can get some
nice gas pump overhead and so on for it. I have started to play a bit more with
the layout to se if we can fit it in on the module.
And I took some pictures off possible views for you to photograph later on.

And some updates from me:

First the fantastic burned Building from Lionel Gazeau

and second the Rabbit Hash Store

In the meantime Torsja is working on the small Hill with his favorit toys (Plaster and Chisel)

The hill side is base is made off polystyrene, and the hillside is covered with a coat off plaster. Next step is chipping and sculpturing the plaster after it has dried with a chisel and knife Torsja style. :)

The next step has now been done. The hillside has been shopped and cut in to
what I hope will be some good looking rocks for the module.
I'll try to begin painting it today and then we can begin to se how it will
turn out. :)

What kind off colours do you think we should have? I was thinking something
kind off like in my latest diorama, but perhaps a little bit more yellowish.

Holy Cow Torsja! Did you don't sleep this night? :-) That looks freaking good. I've talked to Loren today and he send 60 Pine Trees direct to Norway.

Okay, basic colouring time.
stage1: A wash with Yellow Ochre and some black mainly in the crevices.
Stage2: A wash with some White, Stone Gray and Raw Umber

I think I will let it be for a bit now and continue with some other ground stuff on the module first.

The tracks are now painted with Humbrol #62 on inner line and #173 on the outer line. Then weathered with other colours as you can se in the pictures.
I'm trying to get an older look on the line in the inner track. We will se if it works when I apply some ballast to the tracks later on.

The foundation for the concrete road is also laid down to day.
The walls are temporary made with styrene rods glued down with superglue.
Then I poured on a floating mix off plaster collared with little bit off black to get a gray look to it.
I'm planning on making an asphalt road over the hillside if it turns out okay after a few tests I hope.

I managed to get the foundation for the gravel roads done last night also.
It's done by applying a layer off "Ice Crust" and fixating it with white glue and soap water.

And so far to day I have more or less finished the concrete road and the asphalt paved hill road. I guess some more weathering will be applied later on in the project. I hope the picture speaks mostly for it self. It's hard
to explain it in writing how I'm doing it.
And I hope you now are beginning to some idea off my vision off the module Jürg. At least some colour scheme for the layout.

I added a layer off "ice Crust" on most off the surface to get kind off a basic ground cover on the module.

I started a bit more on the Nail building last night.
I hope you like the paint scheme, its kind off a fixer upper, with the front painted for a bit "fresher" front to the customers. And the backyard will not be finished and much more worn down. What do you think?

The Nail sign is pretty cool, should we use it or should we come up with our own sign?

PS: We have to make a new cooler sign for the ED's garage later on. We can call it "ED's Flying Service" since we will use the Flying A as a gas company?

New decals, what do you think?

Torsja, maybe Billis flying service in red and white color instead of black and white?

Something like this perhaps?

Yeah, this looks better because the gaspumps are also red. How about the Nails sign, will you change it from 2008 to a more older date or do you want to stay with this year :-)
later
Jürg

Jürg,I could change it to perhaps 1968. And I was thinking that maybe the Nail sign could be lying in the back as an old sign that was taken down.
What should we use for the Rabbit house? "Roses Diner & General Store " Do you have any other ideas for signs we need?

Torsja, Roses Diner and General Store sound good :-) About the nails, it looks like a Building from the 40th so we must make the sign something old. How about 49 or 51 instead of 1968? The Idea of the original Sign lying in the back is cool but you must make it very old and weathered.
The burnt Building allready has a Sign so there is no other Building who needs a sign :-)

Some more pictures off the J&T building.
The sign is only temporary until I print out all the signs on decal paper later on. Hope you are happy so far with the paint and weathering off it.

I would like to ad that the Nail Brothers Salvage house is very well made.
The parts fit together like a glove. Even the windows and glass fits right in their respective places. Thanks to Robert Ray and Chris Tatarian for making it so easy to build. :)

Jürg,I got your package to day and every thing seems to have survived the trip okay. :)
PS: I'm beginning to get a good feeling about this module.
Or what do you say Jürg? Perhaps you wont be able to take back home with you after all. ;) hehehehe

Mein Friend Bernd from Germany send me this cool little Diorama this week to show up his great work. We will use the US Signals and the Railroad Crossing on this Module.

Hi Jürg.
Here is the latest update from today.
The ballast is now laid down. The inner track is supposed to be an older track with warping and old dirt ballast. And the outer track is a bit newer with more unified ballast. With some more tweaking I think it is gone look god in the end. The dirt on most off the module is from my backyard. (The ones in the white boxes.) I picked it up last summer.

In the meantime Ben has released the wonderful little "Billy's house from the movie Polar Express" and I had the chance to buy a finished one because we are running out of time for the little Layout. I want to thank Ben for this great opportunity and the stunning little House. You can see all the steps to build the Kit on Ben's website: http://animekmodels.110mb.com/Tips/Edbrooke_tips.htm

Jürg, I picked up Lorens trees today. They look very good.

And now it's time for some grass planting with my old home made static grass applicator. I got some new grass color yesterday that I think will match the rest off the stuff.

Torsja, your static grass applicator looks dangerous :-)

Jürg, I actually did get a good shock from my grassinator last night. My fault, because I was stupid and hold the negative and the positive pole at the same time just for a second.

And here is my very first building made entirely by my self on the laser at work. It's Shelter & baggage storage, and I figured we could perhaps use it as a bus stop or in association with the SP station. What do you think Jürg?

Torsja, Álvaros' Cars and Gaspumps arrived at my home. I'll bring them to the show next week.

Jürg, not one but two candy boxes dropped down in the post today. :)
One with the Billys house with two extra kits from Ben. Great looking house by the way. You'll love it!!!
And one with two GP-9 and one GP-35 and three SP passengers cars, along with the SP Station kit from Joe D'Amato.
Now you for sure have allot off cool things for this module. Take a look at the pictures. BTW just 3 days until your arrival.

Torsja and me working on the small ZMOD Module during the ZMOD Show

Henrik was also a big help

And Henrik traded with me his fantastic SP Station because we diden't found the time to finish the Kit that Joe has send to Torsja. Thanks again Henrik!

Here you can see the last picture from Torsja with the Module before I boxed it up in my baggage.

Back in Switzerland I've checked the Baggage and find out that only some Trees where loose.

Here is a picture I've took outside in the sun

After having the Module on my workbench for several days, I decide to remove the burned Building because it was to close to the Station. I'm sure I'll found a better place in one of the future Modules.

Here is a picture without the burned Building in the Background. At the moment I'm not sure what I'll place on this space.

Without Torsja, the progress is really slow but I hope that I found more time soon.

.