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It was a brainchild of Helmut Killian, Märklin's head design engineer at the time. Letter Z was chosen to designate the new scale as it was thought at the time that there would not be a commercial model railway scale even smaller than Z, in future. Hence the last character of the alphabet in German and English languages. Z scale trains operate on 8-10 volt DC and offer the same operating characteristics as all other two-track, direct-current, analog model railways. In 1978 a Märklin Z scale locomotive pulling six coaches made its entry to Guinness Book of Records by running nonstop 1219 hours and travelling a distance of 720 km before the train stopped. The extremely diminutive size of Z scale makes it possible to build very compact train layouts that can easily fit a normal size briefcase. Z scale can also be beneficial when there is a need to fit more scale space into the same physical layout that would be used by a larger-scale model. Several transportation museums, for instance, have used Z scale to present some real world railway sceneries in smaller scale. Theoretically Z scale allows longer trains and smoother curves, and more realistic operation than is possible in larger scales. However, due to the extreme size of Z scale, and the reduced weight of the locomotives (a small Z scale engine can weigh as little as 20 grams, well under one ounce), it can be challenging to assure reliable operation of a layout. In particular, the track must be kept clean - spots of dirt or oxidized track can stop the locomotive instantly. Poorly installed trackwork can be a source of constant derailings of rolling stock. The low weight of Z scale locomotives contributes also to their difficulty to pull trains uphill and in practice the grade should be kept rather moderate. For trains of reasonable length (six four-axle cars) 2% grade is about the maximum for reliable operation. For shorter trains it is possible to go up to 4%. Pulling power of locomotives can be increased by adding weight inside, but due to the limited space available, it is vital that the substance chosen has a relatively high density. Tungsten powder and lead are popular choices among Z scale enthusiasts for this purpose. Some recent Z scale locomotives are also built in a somewhat heavier style, which shows as an improved pulling capacity. While Märklin remains still the most important Z scale rolling stock manufacturer, there are smaller manufacturers of Z scale rolling stock both in Europe and in North America targeting some niche areas of Z scale demand. For instance, the German company Freudenreich, has introduced a complete narrow-gauge z-scale system with only 4.5mm gauge track which corresponds to metric gauge in prototype and is designated as Zm scale following the NEM standard scale naming system.
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