1. Pushing the Z Scale Envelope
The James River Branch
ended up as quite a different project than it was at the outset. Living in a new condo with limited space, I began work in January 2006 on a
simple little layout just to have some fun with Z Scale, which I hadn't worked in for several years. But I was also exploring macro
photography, and the first results weren't satisfying. Thus I embarked on a new, five-year mission: to see how far I could take Z Scale.
I didn't resurrect the entire website, since it comprised nearly 400 pages and over 4,000 images. Every single aspect of the layout's construction was covered in excruciating detail. Back then, I had a faithful group of "Zed Head" followers who ate it all up, some having been inspired to pursue Z Scale; today, I may have a handful of casual visitors who'd only be interested in the highlights. So here's the Cliff's Notes version of the James River Branch story.
Incidentally, the layout was destroyed in a shipping mishap in 2012 on the way back from Medford, so all that's left of it is what's on this website.