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I think a real transport solution will be a bit hard to find since you can't put in bolts to secure the modules... I would personally go with Euro containers. It is an established system, and paired with grid foam, it should be a good system to use. You will just need to check the highest point and find a grid foam and container with the matching height. Then lay another foam piece on the track to get it to full height to keep it from bouncing. If you package all other needed things that fit into one of the 600x400mm Euro containers, you can just roll them around with the matching trolley or some other fitting equipment if you need to go off-road. Each container slides into the one below so they won't fall off that easily and if you get a lid for them as well they will be dust safe for storage.

A thought, you could always just do the back far corner as tracks on some blocks/piers if you want to save on having to make the biggest module of the whole set. Or just cut a curved piece of thin plywood for the track to rest on and prop up with some blocks. Its a cheat, but if it makes it all doable… cheers, jeff

Yes storage and transport are always an issue when doing shows. Getting containers that dont waste a lot of space can be very hard to find and the cost adds up. Transporting a few modules naked works, but a large bunch can get dangerous and tedious. Some folks have made lightweight frames that they slide a half dozen modules into. Just enough to hold them together tight packed. Doesnt stop dust or things poking in during transport but can be quite compact and lowers trips during loading and unloading. You could do a frame like this and cover with corrugated cardboard or foamcore for a bit more protection but keep cost and weight down. A lot of your modules are the same sized so maybe a stack would work. Can you talk a friend into coming with you at least for the setup and teardown? Extra pair of hands makes a big difference setting up layouts and just schlepping everything to/from the car. L is a fun presentation, but bit of custom back corner module to do. If it feels too overwhelming dont max yourself out and just do a single loop and displays trains. These shows should be enjoyable for you and you dont want to burn yourself out too much too fast. As you do more shows you get more comfortable with the process and find little tricks to help with setup/teardown. One huge one for us after like 15 years of shows was those fold up wagons! They are so wonderful to help schlep boxes to and from the car. The take a bit of space in the car, but its soooo worth it for what it does moving modules boxes around and so much softer than using hand dollys and palate carts which we have both had stacks of module boxes tumble from while schlepping. cheers, jeff

Neat idea tony. Only have to cut a few windows in the back and maybe a door for the new store. Gm sells tile roof stock material or you could just do a flat tar roof for the shops as the roof is usually very hidden with the storefronts. dullcoat is always your friend! jeff

My first building from the Green Max 2599 kit which is supposed to produce three shops with false fronts and provides painted building pieces for three buildings plus a painted false front for each one. However, the kit was not quite what I expected. The structure parts include four walls for each building though I thought the color choices were a bit off - they seemed like unusual colors and were all glossy. The false fronts were odd as well - two were painted in a splotchy pattern that I did not think looked all that good while one had an intricate green pattern on it (which I included in the picture below). It struck me that the detailed walls would be lost when placed in a row of buildings and commercial structures often have plain walls as well. So I started thinking I could building three houses then scratchbuild commercial buildings with sheet plastic and just incorporate the false fronts. In this way, the package could yield six buildings. And the kit includes six roof pieces so maybe someone at GM wanted this to be a possibility? The kit also has some unpainted accessories - AC units, vending machines and so on. So here is my first building (though not quite complete). I used Tamiya clear flat spay to tone down the glossy color and that, IMO, really improved the look. I also did the roof then gave it a wash with Tamiya Black Panel Liner and, since I wasn't completely happy with the result, then dry brushed some medium gray on the roof as well. Looking at the picture, the windows are still to be added and I need to touch up the flat coat in one or two spots as my spray technique was not all that good. Ciao, Tony

Yes, I was distracted this year. 🙂 🙂

I didn't realize his video is 4 months old. I guess no update. So, I printed out some spacers and stuck one in the cab area. When I put the cab interior on, my spacer fell out which is when I realized that the cab and the gas tank have tabs that keep the chassis halves apart, while holding them together. So really nothing much to do about spacing. I added a couple drops of 10wt nano-oil and it quieted down some. I guess that's all that I can expect for now. I did take some time to record the running of these and a few other locos that I had hanging around. These are definitely louder than all my other Katos. But, not as horrendous as my Lifelike NW2.

I am considering it honestly, @ToniBabelony suggested the different stages of rice paddies. However, I am planning that at some point, I want to convert this layout into an actual T-track module or something rather smaller. Currently I cant make much depth modules with hills or sth as it might block the view of the other seasons

I was in contact with the organisers of the September event. They gave me instead 2 tables but in an L shape. While it does fit a 2500mm length, it does leave an empty 1 metre long area. of the table. It could be a place to fix stuff, display my trains, or even sell some stuff. But I don't think I am planning to sell anything anyway. So I drew an L shaped plan such as the following. The red parts depict ones I have constructed for the layout, the light blue are ones I am planning to construct initially in the extension. There are some L modules that I would have to construct in addition. Of course with the foam I could construct it quickly, as well as just buying some extra straights. However, my primary worry comes in the form of transporting the modules. If I were to add so much itll be difficult to transport, and I fear it might be too much/too overwhelming.

SL Yamaguchi Trip Report 7 Tsuwano While cycling from the feudal town of Hagi to Muikaichi Onsen on our way to Hiroshima, we cycle through the town of Tsuwano. So I took a quick detour to its JR station, the turnaround point for the SL Yamaguchi. In front of the station is the D51 194, a most impressive locomotive to witness in person. But sadly static. How awesome it must have been when it was alive. Looking forward to this Saturday when I’ll be back here to ride the SL Yamaguchi, live!

So i got my mouth so watered up so for some Tonkatsu i thought I would try some from a local restaurant tonight that I had not tried for Tonkatsu. Sadly not very good… oh well. jeff

Was waiting for a new camera car so this is nice.

Bill must have been recovering from his Swiss tram trip, usually he is the first here with the Shizuoka Hobby Show videos! 😜 jeff

Just took the body off one. It's not as easy as the video states, they just don't fall out of the shell. The cab interior wants to come with it, so be careful. So, it does become quiet without the shell. The two halves just want to fall apart since there are no screws. The brass strip wipers fall out and are a bit difficult to get back in. I put the shell back on and it did quiet down a little bit, but not as good as without the shell. Maybe a little wedge between the halves might work. I'll wait a bit and see what Steve comes up with.

I bought two of these things and both are very noisy runners. I thought since both do the same thing, that it was how they were made and were POJ. Anyway, I just found out that I was wrong. Steve's Trains just put out this video and he shows a good one and a bad one. Take the shell off and the noise goes away. I will try that on mine and hope it works. Then I will wait impatiently for Steve to put out an update. I read on other threads that people put grease, but I don't want to have this thing leaving oil spots in my driveway.

Well, you may use my case as ammo if you need it. 🙂

The Forchbahn runs from near downtown Zurich to Esslingen 16 km from the city. Inside the city the Forchbahn runs like a tramway on street track, then past the end of trams at Rehab the FB operates on side-of-the-road track, a short subway with two stations, some single track line and much double track line out through the Swiss countryside. Currently, many construction projects are under way to upgrade the FB. included amongst that will be 10 new 75 meter rail cars that will replace the Tram 2000 style interurbans. FB interurbans are 2400mm wide versus 2200mm wide for the Zurich trams. And like the Zurich trams they have upholstered seats. The ticket agency at Forch even has flower pots outside its little shop. Photos: 1. Tram 2000 style stock at Stadelhofen. 2. Old school interurban interior with upholstered seats. 3. Train arriving at Forch Station. 4. Flower pots at Forch travel agency.

Tomix

I wish there was English subtitles. 😞

A number of Japanese Youtubers seem to have product that they’re quite happy with. The fact that multiple issues have occurred for us customers on a relatively small forum group (by comparison to Kato’s market) would suggest that problems are with a significant number of the production. How a company deals with its challenges is a fair better gauge of its competency than how it deals with its successes. I’m certainly not going to fade in to the background quietly and I will give those contacted some grace to decide what they’re going to do. Perhaps the number of affected models outnumbers the available parts to repair. For a large company with a good reputation, I’d be taking steps to identify what went wrong, how many models are a problem and factoring in either a recall or looking at where you could fit in production of parts and/or repair. If it’s a smallish number of models, even easier. The fact Kato made this models release so well publicised in Japan has done them no favours in this regard so better to take the bullet on this one and restore their customers faith. That was a lot of fanfare, D51 returning after 20 years, newly tooled etc.. We’ll see what they say. I sort of expect a generic response in the first instance. I have had this when dealing with Tomix on 2 separate occasions and on both times they came through like a great company shoild. The issues were far easier to resolve in this cases. (cosmetic parts)

Not bad for my first rodeo lol. I wasn't going to post the second pic but someone pushed my buttons and changed my mind lol.

Added wooden planks on top of the bridges, glued the structures in placed and touched up the edges of the structure foundation. I've been stockpiling figures and parts for two years and now I can finally take them out and utilize them. Which means many little small parts to prime and paint!

Lots of neat items, including a camera car, American B-Shorties and 3D printed figures..

Yes i think you got it most pork cutlets like that in the us are very lean and konkatsu needs that bit of fat on the outside there to keep it nice and juicy. Ive also noticed that the tempura and other frying at many us japanese restaurants is declining. Getting just the right delicate crust and keeping the inside nice and juicy is a very delicate balance of the batter and oil temp. Timing is so crucial as too long and the crust gets hard and oil ladened. Delicate crust lets the oil drain well also. I grew up watching our Nextdoor neighbor making tempura at his restaurant, he was a high end japanese chef and ran a fancy restaurant. His tempura was a work of art! Jeff