James River Branch: News Archive

Website News Archive: January 2007

30 January 2007

Lots of new visitors inspired me to accelerate some of the web page publishing. Even though the golden spike has yet to be driven, Tracklaying is now online, awaiting only one last sentence and one or two last images. Enough has been completed that there will be no new useful information to add—merely the fact that it's done.

Also, I thought I'd mention that I've just completed a successful transaction with Z und Meer. The MZZ models they sell are incredible—the asphalt machine and related equipment will make a great detailed action scene. Z und Meer also carry Limited models, which are just like MZZs except that they are fully painted, right down to door handles, turn signals and license plates. Costly but worth it. You'll find enough MZZ and Limited products suitable for American layouts that your credit card will start hurting...

29 January 2007

Lots of changes... reorganization... new stuff! It's funny how some things come about. Recently I placed an order for some hard-to-find lighted signs directly from Miller Engineering. With the order came a nice big full-color catalog (what a rarity these days!). On page 17 was a photo of a structure I had not seen in Z scale—#202ex, Logan Savings & Loan—but the description indicated it was available in Z. When I queried Miller Engineering, I was informed that it was discontinued due to poor sales. That was odd, I thought, because in my eye it was a better-looking building (with more options for customization) than the Mid State Bank, with which it can be merged to make a six-story structure.

Certain that there ought to be at least one kit left sitting around on a dusty shelf somewhere in this big world, I began an online quest to find one. Not only did I find three, but I also unearthed a great many web resources in the process. This inspired me to expand the links section of this site to serve the interests of other Z-scalers. As a consequence, links have been split out onto seven pages, grouped in categories, as there were way too many for just one page. Have a look—there's a lot going on in Z scale that even some dealers didn't know about.

By the way, tracklaying should have been completed by now except that my last order for flex track was held up, and when it finally did arrive, it was the wrong item. As a consequence, the golden spike won't be driven probably for another week or two.

19 January 2007

The blog has been launched with commentary on the state of Z scale and the World Wide Web: "The Good, the Bad, and the Internet." Meanwhile, tracklaying is nearly done and so Part 5 will be coming online shortly, and some structure projects are under way as well.

11 January 2007

The first major milestone after the website launch has been completed: the deck bridge. The construction photos also allowed me to start a gallery. Enjoy!

4 January 2007

Welcome to my new website, which launched today! It got off to a good start since its launch lagged behind layout construction by several weeks, and so there was a worthwhile amount of material to post. Now the website will keep pace with the JRB's progress in real time.

As with anything new, there is a lot of room for expansion. It's my intention to make the James River Branch website a significant resource for modeling in Z scale. With over 40 years of modeling experience (plus over a decade in web development), I have the ability to do this—it will just take time.

I hope you'll stop back often. Thanks for visiting!