All Activity

Appears to be a custom build by these guys who build layouts.

According to a recent report of Keisei Railway's mid-term business plan ("D2 Plan"), to address the surging number of foreign visitors, a new limited express service will be introduced by FY 2028, from Narita Airport to the city, utilizing the Keisei Oshiage Line, with direct access to the Toei Asakusa Line. Rolling stock image is merely conjectural: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/173de06d062ba8b837c67e803d8909ecea9f761c *run through translator for details Keisei corporate source: https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS01810/ee7af440/4014/40b9/b2dc/93cb1a4cced2/140120250520559506.pdf

Which shop did you purchase from? Where in Kyushu are you at? I hope you get a good replacement and that they have taken steps to remedy the issues. 20 point checklist? Can I see?

I have been going back and forth a little with the retailer but they have been pretty responsive. They were a bit apprehensive at first as they're a general store rather than a model or railway specific shop and it would be fair to say their returns department don't possess lots of model railway knowledge. I didn't want to put too much pressure on them as the issue is from manufacture rather than their storage or shipping etc.. but they have been pretty helpful so far. They have now heard back from Kato and have agreed to replace the item once they can get hold of stock. The subject of the detail parts added is still slightly contested but that was my error for not checking over the product fully so I will take the hit on a new parts set if absolutely necessary. Best case they will replace that too. Worst case I'll have to get another one if they can procure a replacement loco for me. Thankfully I didn't add the crew yet. Anyway you live and learn and once you get your fingers burnt, I have to now implement a new 20 point railway model quality check procedure before I continue doing anything to the model. Translated by Google We have confirmed with the manufacturer that this is a defect common in this item. Please pack the items as near as possible to its original state in their original packaging while we request the marketing department to secure a replacement.

That's because HK vendors don't stock, or only very small amounts which are quickly sold out. But you can usually find stock at Tekkon and J-scale. At least, once we will receive our allocation. We are always on a delay due to distance.

Jeff I have been studying hard and have two drawings for you to look at for me, they are the general concept of the wiring just so i know i have the wiring concept correct, then i can play with cutting the control panel into two one for either side of the layout, i was also a little confused as to how to put the terminal block between the cabs and the DPDT switches i have drawn that as well separate from the first diagram. i hope they make sense to you. Thank you again i hope i have done you proud it seems to make sense, i can obviously if this is correct move things around and divide up, im still looking at how best to divide up into Blocks. As you can see i have crossed scribbled some wires out i couldn't face drawing it all up again lol, the first diagram hasn't got the terminal block at the bottom but will have if ive wired it up correctly Cheers Jeff Tony

I think that's a one-way thing: Wafus (as far as I've gathered) didn't show up on mainline trains, but Yos definitely showed up on the Aizu Line - even a Yo 5000 painted in green for the Takara container express visited the Aizu Line sometime in the early 1970s.

Could be Microace as they are talking about them right before and then showing some of their products i believe

I heard that kato has a facebook page. has anyone provided feedback there? Seems like it is more active, actually the only direct route for interaction.

In the late 1980s BVB introduced a particularly affordable environmental tariff to encourage greater ridership. Patronage soured by over 10% in the first year and additional rolling stock was required. Instead of the then common 6-axle articulated tram, BVB chose four-axle motor trams in order to make use of the large number of existing trailers. Conventional resistance technology was chosen as the drive technology in order to be able to combine the motor vehicles with the existing rolling stock. When these vehicles were built, the control technology used was considered outdated. In retrospect, this policy has proven to be successful: thanks to the lack of technical bells and whistles, the vehicles are hardly susceptible to repairs and can be used universally. With the Be 4/4 477-502 the BVB formed three car trains for the first time. These trams either run as motor + trailer or motor + motor + trailer. There are 2 x 204HP motors in each tram for climbing the steep grades of lines 15 and 16 to Bruderholz. Unlike most trams I have ridden in Europe these trams are almost old time growlers. BVB Swiss Standard trailers have a bouncier ride than the Tram 2000 Ponys in Zurich. Like the Tram 2000s in Zurich these trams give no indication they are approaching 40 years of service. Many Swiss trams have nicknames and these trams are no different. Most common is "Gherkin" or sometimes "small cucumber." Photos: 1. Gherkin 498 at Bruderholz terminus. 2. Be 4/4 498 downtown at Bankverein. 3. Interior of a Be 4/4 4. Controls of a Be 4/4. No tap changer! 5. Bench behind the closed cab hiding control technology. 6. Swiss Standard trailer at Birsfelden Herd.

@disturbman More of an curiosity but it seems like you can only really buy the changming re-release reliably through Taobao. The other vendors listings disappear so fast (some within 24hours) for last two instock release. I am assuming supply(supply allocation) sold out that fast

Basel is a city of 173,000 people just over an hour from Zurich. Basel has two tram systems running on common infrastructure. The BLT operates five lines and is the heir to four former suburban railway and tram lines. The BVB is the local tram network with 9 routes. BLT has 100 trams and BVB has 115 trams and 22 trailers. Because of local resistance to spending Basel trams have always less elaborate than Zurich's. The designs at Basel, starting with the yellow BLT 4/6 Schindler trams of the 1970s focused on simple, flat shapes and surfaces. Zurich's Tram 2000 was too expensive and unusable in Basel without significant modifications. Basel trams required compressed air equipment for trailer operation and the Tram 2000 was all electric. Basel kept its cam control while Zurich used fully automatic chopper control. Pantographs in Basel were manual and in Zurich pantographs operate with an electric drive. This group of 66 trams is winding down its life on the BLT lines. At least one group is moving onto Lviv in the Ukraine and some have gone to Germany. Starting in the late 80s a large portion of the Schindler's had a third section designed for low floor entry added. These now run in trains of a 4/8 lead tram and an original 4/6 second tram. Photos 1. BLT 4/8 outside Basel SBB train station running with a 4/6. E11 is a rush hour only route. 2. Be 4/6 on a Fahrschule (driving school) assignment. 3. Centralbahnplatz outside SBB Basel.

The primary reason for my visit was to photograph and experience the Tram 2000 cars. The second series is to be retired by December 2025 as more Flexity trams arrive. Tram 2000 is a tram that was designed to appeal to passengers with their seats and dimensions, aisle width and easier steps into the car. From a raised tram stop there would only be one step into the tram. But all this is out line with today's world. The articulated Be 4/6 six axle motor trams are 21.4 meters long and 2200mm wide. The Pony Be 2/4 four axle motorized trailers are 15.4 meters long. These trams were designed to run either in double traction with two motors in a train almost 43 meters or as Pony trains with a motor and a motorized trailer. The Pony train is essentially what was once known in North America as a six-motor train. Two motorized units were deemed to required to maintain schedules as towing a true trailer over Zurich's hills would not work. The 36 meter articulated motor and Pony were assigned to lines with tight stops that don't allow longer trams. The Tram 2000 has been called the best classic high floor tram ever built. The ride is smooth, the interior is very quiet for a tram and these trams corner smoothly. The Pony rides very smooth for a trailer, probably because of the weight of the motors. Like the other trams I was seeking, the Tram 2000s have upholstered seating, something that is becoming very rare today. It is not noticeable that these trams are 40 years old. Photos 1. Tram 2000 with Sedan section added during the early 2000s. 2. Entry doors and fold down step. 3. Interior looking the enclosed cab. 4. Interior of a Pony without a cab. 5. Seating.

@brill27mcb, thanks mucho! I have one of those a was frustrated trying to get an old world kougi mech to fit in but not quite right sized or axle spacing. I’ll grab a tr02. What did you strip off, the side frames? jeff

I received a shipping notification from Hobby Search for my order of E style track. Yes, they are not decorated but they are like a blank canvas to create on. They can be painted, stencilled or decaled (sp?). There was a thread a while back about removing the markings, this obviates the need to remove markings. Plus they are a tad less expensive.

I'm glad I was able to get the 80M Bus Model Shop ( https://www.80mbusmodel.com/ ) 1:150 scale models of Hong Kong trams when I did: http://www.trainweb.org/n-trolleys/80m/index.htm They now seem to be no longer listed or made, and Hong Kong is a changing place. Rich K.

Well, the "E" series Unitram pieces are now released. I wonder if the "E" comes from the word "Economy." I always thought the Unitram track pieces actually had textured paving blocks, but a closer examination showed me that it's really only thick paint. The "E" pieces are just the same castings unpainted and not a different, untextured design. They can be made just by omitting the painting production step, so it makes sense that they appeared ahead of the scheduled production run of regular (painted) Unitram pieces announced at the same time. They could have called them "U" for "Undecorated" instead. 😄 If you want your street trackage to look like it is embedded in regular street paving instead of in a reserved right-of-way, then the "E" track pieces are the way to go, especially for modeling trolleys or trams running in narrow streets without additional traffic lanes. But if you want added lanes without the "left side traffic" road markings on your accompanying street pieces, the "E" street pieces also leave you without lane striping and color-differentiated curbs, sidewalks and parking areas, making everything look rather bland. 🙁 The overall effect of the "E" series, to my thinking at least, is that is takes away much of the appeal of Kato's Unitram line (the ability to create an instant decorated city block) compared with Tomix Wide Tram. It also further highlights that Unitram is less flexible in terms of layout design than Wide Tram. It adds so many separate product items for Kato to keep track of that I wonder if it is worth the effort for them, just to have a less expensive product on offer to compete with Tomix Wide Tram. 🤔 Rich K.

For sure. I ordered an extra 14 for the other tgv

Admin note: Yes please remember to only post your own images. If you have a contact with a manufacturer who is willing to allow use of their images here please contact forum admins about it before posting. Otherwise it’s just your own photos to be posted on the fourms. We have reached out to the main Japanese manufactures and suppliers in the past about posting their images here and they either didn't respond or didn't want their pictures posted here. Disturbman has gotten permission from some of the Chinese manufacturers to use their photos here on the forum so its our current exception to the forum rules. We just need to draw a hard line on this as exceptions and if its tuesday rules get so messy so fast to try to enforce. We just keep it simple to if its not your photo use a link instead. Embedding is allowed for the places that have auto embedding and right control of embedding like youtube, flickr, social medias, etc. thanks jeff

Yep if you are using the lighted platforms yes. From what i remember it should not be too hard to fuse your cut off platform to a full one and just add some little jumpers. You might even be able to wedge in the wire ends somewhere on the power rails if you dont want to solder them. you can cut with a hack saw to cut the plastic then metal. Just go flow and careful and cut a tad big. You can then sand it down clean. Easy way to get that flat and clean is to take a 10”piece of like 1x6 wood and put a small strip of wood across the piece of wood almost across the center and the end flush with one side of the larger piece of wood.. Put the platform on the wood against the strip of wood with just the bit of the bad end hanging out over the edge. You can then take a block of wood [like a small hunk of 2x4] with a piece of sandpaper over it and use the wood base to sand along its edge to squarely sand the platform edge. If you have access to a disc sander then it’s very easy to just ease the end of the platform onto the disc using the miter side to keep it perpendicular to the disc. Just go very slow. Only issue will be the pole spacing. If you could you squeeze in another 45mm piece into your platform length you could chop the platform into 2/3 and pole spacing remains the same then all the way down. Otherwise you will need to chop about 10-15mm off one end then cut it the same length longer in the middle to get that center pole out at the end of the platform as it resided dead center in the 248. jeff

@Lessigen Makes the CR200J Changing even more better though i ordered the other livery. Changming is more addictive than Tomix/Kato at some level. I got to say no to the upcoming train.

I’ve got a decent mix of Yos and Wafus in my fleet now, and I’m trying to determine when to pick which one when assembling freight trains. I’m guessing Wafus for local/branch lines, and full Yos for mainline freights?

From what the subtitles say starting at around 0:25, this was a static model that was converted into one with a motor using Kunter accessories. So very likely one made by a hobbyist.

Ok thanks. I guess if I wanted platform lighting I’d need to solder the rails together with short wires or similar- although I’m not decided on whether to do any lighting yet.

Amazing what a couple of little capacitors can do for an LED in a car! jeff