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@ED75-775 - please don't keep us in suspense! What is your itinerary? Cheers, Tony

Shiraoka, Saitama https://maps.app.goo.gl/VDK6TGsNs7mQgqSZ7

Today run a short train with my new JRF containers. Temporary layout 120x60cm.

Hmm, you could kitbash that building rom Outland Model kits!

Went to surugaya yesterday and I got lucky enough to find the Kato Ouigo for 20 500 yen. Jumped on it really fast. Also got some omikoshi decorations (since I participated in one I figured why not have it there). Also bought some freight cars and thanks to this forum discovered Tokyo diorama factory. I ordered some trash, vending machines and Amazon locker which arrived today.

What is the Hogarakadou item?

Looking good!. Any update?

Its been a while since ive posted anything but im back. I also took a trip to Japan where i had the opportunity to pick up some preorders from RG-ROKKO. I got to meet Masaharu and some of his staff who were very accommodating for me. Anyway the items are below and a picture of the building.

Wait, how heavy is the Every!?

Shinkansen spotting at Nishi-Akashi Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r0rFOG1j88

Yeah, they must have 6-10 gears or something. 440kg, less than half of mine. 84 BHP, about 20 more than mine. Low to the ground, uh ah no. I get great visibility though 🙂 Oh yeah, I rotate mine every oil change too. 77mph! The noise must've required hearing protection haha. I put a 231 V6 Buick engine in a 87 Toyota P/U a long time ago. Didn't change the rear end so she was spinning pretty high, even in 5th. I drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles and I had a massive headache and I couldn't hear anything for a few hours afterwards. But, some carpet pad and carpet on the rear wall brought it down significantly.

Ah ok yes i had a feeling we were on different tracks, that's OK i'm glad you reached out and it was nice to meet you. It does sound as if a light touch with a fine file or fine sandpaper might be what is needed for your issue though. Good luck Tony

Ah I see. Yeah we do not have the same issue. Sometimes the lvl of tracks isn't exactly the same and when I run my finger I can feel sharp edges which sometimes cause my Hayabusa shinkansen to derail

Hi Little-Kinder I'm not sure what you are referring to, i had a problem with my lift out track bridge section, i should have beveled the ends of the bridge and base board so the bridge would have slide in easily. As i didn't do this the bridge section was not sliding in smoothly, so i sanded all the sharp edges of the timber and waxed all the faces that ran against each other, it worked for me. I did end up with a nasty looking gap but i fixed this by gluing a strip of vinyl to one side of the lift out so it overhang onto the main baseboard covering the gap, again this seems to work for me. I think you may be referring to the track itself which i as yet haven't done anything with. If i cant help im sure someone here will have an answer for you, everyone here has been very helpful and eager to share there knowledge. Tony

I forgot to try with the kanji. I will search this way. I will ask François, but I'm in doubt. As far as I know, 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge is pretty rare in Japan... I think this locomotive is more or less unique, and he prepares an article on this railway ? He didn't said a lot 😄

Is it a bad time to mention I've had it up to 77mph? 😄 Not on purpose mind, I was sat behind a BMW and my brain just went into autopilot matching speed for 20 seconds before I realised and slowed back down. Most of the time I sit at 60mph. The British Kei Cars can do 105mph with the R06A Turbo, so I'm not really worried I'm hurting the engine: https://caterhamcars.com/en/models/the-range/seven-170 Oil changes and tyre rotations every 5000km! So that's one change since I bought it in December, well on my way to the second!

We now arrive at Nagoya Station, our destination for the next few days. In 2019 I was happy to have one full day here; in 2023 I'd boost that to three days before cutting back to just two in 2024. On that first trip I stayed at the Sancoinn Nagoya Shinkansenguchi hotel opposite the Bic Camera Nagoya West Station store; while that was perfectly serviceable for my needs, I did feel it was getting a little tired and dated, so decided to try something different in 2023 and stayed at the APA Hotel Nagoya Ekimae which is now my preferred hotel in Nagoya. Much like Tokyo Station, Nagoya Station has the shinkansen tracks on the eastern side of the classic lines - this seems to be a theme on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen with the same layout prevailing in Kyoto as well but not in Shin-Osaka where they're at angles to each other. Unlike Tokyo however, Nagoya Station's main concourse is located at ground level with the tracks raised above. For whatever reason or another, I have never taken a photo of the main entrances, so instead have these random shots from 2019 and 2023 to show some of the shinkansen side of things. And done it is! I finished the accommodation bookings last night - accidentally paid for one beforehand, went 'meh, whatever' and paid for another, and put the last three on 'pay when you stay'. Plus I topped up my Travelex card too, thanks Easter specials! And for bonus I brought my travel insurance today too, also on Easter special. So that just leaves the JR Pass, pocket wi-fi, and then it's spending money all the way (but don't break the bank!). Though I must admit to having only a lowly debit card so I don't need to worry about credit card bills... though worrying about my bank balance is another story. I'm not sure, sorry. I'm familiar enough with roof-mounted positioning markers and signals, but not sure if they have them on the gates too. I'd have to do some more research and real-world observation to make a call on that. Alastair

I have issues with slopes with my kato unitrack. i feel like i should sand the edges, could you show me and explain what you did please? Thank you

How's this for non-prototypical? C57 pulling Central Pacific RR old time cars. I run an unorthodox heritage railway haha

Not my area unfortunately. Do you know if it's anywhere else around tokyo? in some parcs they have old model exposed (usually Steam engines) For instance they have this near my place https://maps.app.goo.gl/sEqgHNEN4hDFhC1x6

Jeff I was worried about the track ends being loose and flopping about, cutting a section of road bed away and soldering the track ends securely onto screws or pcb copper board seemed to be the best and safest option, and then cutting to release both sides of the bridge. Tony

Jeff I will have a play and practice and show you what im looking at doing with some photo's, yes it looks like i will chop some roadbed away and fix solder both sides of the bridge and then cut with my disc, good idea with the block to hold the track. No i haven't tried the PWM units i must wire them up and give them a run. I will have a trial run on some spare track Cheers Tony

Tony. good progress! Yes sawing track with a hand saw is a bit rough. Are you doing the cut out a chunk of roadbed in the center and join the two end and chop off the extra rail? If so then chopping off the rail is not hard with a dremel and a cutoff disc. Best to first just whack off most of the extra rail then you can easily square the disc up and chop off the last little bit. Even then use just a tad fat and then use the face of the cutoff wheel to grind the rail end flat. When you cut with the cutoff wheel it’s hard to make a perfectly clean cut so best to then carefully lean the end. You can make a rail holder to file ends flat by cutting two slots in a small block of wood with a razor saw 9mm apart and you can put it over the rails to hold them well while you run a flat file over the track ends and not rip the track out of the roadbed. have you tried the pwm units yet? Cheers jeff

Hi guys Ive been playing around a little making shore everything is going to plan and thinking about my lift out bridge section, and how im going to secure the ends of the track securely, so i ordered some bits and peaces which have now arrived, i also splashed out and got myself a Dremel and flexi shaft, i did try cutting the track with a saw but its not for me i loosened the track terribly, i will practice with the Dremel. i purchased some copper PCB board and some brass screws so i have two options for fixing the track ends on the bridge. I also purchased 4 PWM controllers and some boxes to fit them in, something to look at later for walk around controllers.The track isolates arrived within the week from Japan and i also got myself a stand for my soldering iron much needed. Well that's my progress thus far i will have to put some thought into my Block sections soon i think. Cheers guys Tony

Look I understand DCC is not a priority with Kato but the do offer it. I love their products but get a little frustrated when it's a bit hit and miss with Their decoders Maybe it's me but I've got a few when their powered down the ditch lights goes off and only goes on if you F0 My tracks and wheels are spotless Anyone have a view on this?