Track system · Z scale
Märklin Z: track pieces, radii and turnouts
Märklin Z is a two-rail track system without roadbed for Z scale.
The Trackplanner catalogue lists 34 pieces: 15 straights, 8 curves, 2 flex tracks, 4 turnouts, 2 curved turnouts, 1 crossing, 1 double slip and 1 turntable. The curves come in 4 radii from 145 to 490 mm.
Key facts
| Scale | Z scale |
|---|---|
| Rail system | two-rail |
| Roadbed | no roadbed |
| Status | current — in production and in the shops |
| Turnout motor | manual and electric turnouts are separate articles |
| Pieces in the catalogue | 34 |
| Radii | 4 · 145–490 mm |
| Straight lengths | 19 · 25 · 55 · 108.6 · 110 · 112.8 · 220 mm |
| Turnout angles | 13° |
Pieces by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Straights | 15 |
| Curves | 8 |
| Flex tracks | 2 |
| Turnouts | 4 |
| Curved turnouts | 2 |
| Crossings | 1 |
| Double slips | 1 |
| Turntables | 1 |
Radii
| Radius | Angle | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| 145 mm | 45° | 8510 |
| 195 mm | 45° · 30° | 8520 · 8521 · 8529 |
| 220 mm | 45° · 30° | 8530 · 8531 · 8539 |
| 490 mm | 13° | 8591 |
Turnouts and crossings
| Article | Type | Angle |
|---|---|---|
| 8562 | Turnout left | 13° |
| 8563 | Turnout right | 13° |
| 8565 | Turnout left | 13° |
| 8566 | Turnout right | 13° |
| 8568 | Curved turnout left | — |
| 8569 | Curved turnout right | — |
| 8559 | Crossing | 13° |
| 8560 | Double slip | 13° |
All pieces
Show all 34 pieces
| Article | Type | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| 8997 | Straight | 19 mm |
| 8504 | Straight | 25 mm |
| 8503 | Straight | 55 mm |
| 8587 | Straight | 55 mm |
| 8588 | Straight | 55 mm |
| 8589 | Straight | 55 mm |
| 8506 | Straight | 108.6 mm |
| 8500 | Straight | 110 mm |
| 8590 | Straight | 110 mm |
| 8597 | Straight | 110 mm |
| 8598 | Straight | 110 mm |
| 8507 | Straight | 112.8 mm |
| 8505 | Straight | 220 mm |
| 8931 | Buffer stop (fits onto the track) | — |
| 8991 | Buffer stop (fits onto the track) | — |
| 8510 | Curve | R 145 mm · 45° |
| 8520 | Curve | R 195 mm · 45° |
| 8521 | Curve | R 195 mm · 30° |
| 8529 | Curve | R 195 mm · 30° |
| 8530 | Curve | R 220 mm · 45° |
| 8531 | Curve | R 220 mm · 30° |
| 8539 | Curve | R 220 mm · 30° |
| 8591 | Curve | R 490 mm · 13° |
| 8594 | Flex track | 600 mm |
| 8592 | Flex track | — |
| 8562 | Turnout left | 13° |
| 8563 | Turnout right | 13° |
| 8565 | Turnout left | 13° |
| 8566 | Turnout right | 13° |
| 8568 | Curved turnout left | — |
| 8569 | Curved turnout right | — |
| 8559 | Crossing | 13° |
| 8560 | Double slip | 13° |
| 8998 | Turntable | — |
Dimensions in mm, angles in degrees, from the Trackplanner catalogue. Where the data does not give a value unambiguously, the field stays empty.
Track plans with Märklin Z
The gallery has 50 public track plans built with Märklin Z. These are the ones it recommends right now:
Changes
3 November 2026
-
8560 Type corrected
The turnout has a factory-fitted twin-coil drive and always counts as motorized in the plan. The control panel and decoders count it. Source
-
8568 Type corrected
The turnout has a factory-fitted twin-coil drive and always counts as motorized in the plan. The control panel and decoders count it. Source
-
8569 Type corrected
The turnout has a factory-fitted twin-coil drive and always counts as motorized in the plan. The control panel and decoders count it. Source
12 October 2026
-
8559 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
-
8560 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
-
8562 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
-
8565 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
-
8568 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
-
8569 Appearance
Turnouts and crossings were missing sleepers, mostly near the joints. The gaps are closed, and the sleepers there are spaced like on the rest of the track.
8 October 2026
-
8500 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8503 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8504 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8505 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8506 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8507 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8510 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8520 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8521 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8529 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8530 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8531 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8539 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8559 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8560 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8562 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8563 Appearance
Rails brought in line with the prototype: placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8565 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8566 Appearance
Rails brought in line with the prototype: placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8568 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
13 more
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8569 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8587 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8588 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8589 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8590 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
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8591 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
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8592 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8594 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8597 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8598 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
-
8931 Appearance
The buffer stop struts follow the new rail position and sit exactly over the rails again. The connector is unchanged.
-
8991 Appearance
The buffer stop struts follow the new rail position and sit exactly over the rails again. The connector is unchanged.
-
8997 Appearance
Sleepers and rails brought in line with the prototype: sleepers spaced 0.60 m apart, rails placed so the gap between them is exactly the track gauge. Connectors and track dimensions are unchanged.
7 October 2026
-
8560 Shape corrected Appearance
The curves of the double slip switch had too large a radius (490 mm) and kinked at two ends. They now have 323 mm as specified by the manufacturer, with short straight sections at the ends.
5 October 2026
-
8931 Shape corrected Appearance
The buffer stop was drawn with a 2 cm piece of track behind the buffer beam that stuck out past the end of the track. It now sits on the last 16 mm of the track it is fitted to, without a length of its own; only the buffer stop itself is drawn.
-
8991 Shape corrected Appearance
The buffer stop was drawn with a 2 cm piece of track behind the buffer beam that stuck out past the end of the track. It now sits on the last 15 mm of the track it is fitted to, without a length of its own; only the buffer stop itself is drawn.
-
8563 Appearance
Sleeper layout corrected: long turnout and crossing sleepers now reach under the rails of the diverging or crossing track (a sleeper was missing there in places).
-
8566 Appearance
Sleeper layout corrected: long turnout and crossing sleepers now reach under the rails of the diverging or crossing track (a sleeper was missing there in places).
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8568 Appearance
Sleeper layout corrected: long turnout and crossing sleepers now reach under the rails of the diverging or crossing track (a sleeper was missing there in places).
-
8559 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
-
8560 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
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8562 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
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8563 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
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8565 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
-
8566 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
-
8568 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
-
8569 Appearance
Sleeper layout tidied: duplicate sleepers of overlapping routes removed, long turnout timbers, gaps closed.
-
8597 Appearance
Added rails and sleepers (previously centreline only).
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8598 Appearance
Added rails and sleepers (previously centreline only).
-
8931 Appearance
Added rails and sleepers (previously centreline only).
-
8991 Appearance
Added rails and sleepers (previously centreline only).
-
8997 Appearance
Added rails and sleepers (previously centreline only).