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Layout progress is slogging along slowly but surely. In the meantime, while Hisatsu Sen-Again have helped to pass the hurdle of keeping the line safe from abandonment, our next desired challenge to undertake is what'll come after the railway is rebuilt. What is the Hisats Line without steam? A poster was made today, and they asked for my opinion - I told them to place "REVIVE" in capitals on top and the number below. Note the QR code for our website. All in all, how can I not be excited by the chance to endorse such a cause with my layout project?

Absolutely positively wonderful stuff, @ED75-775 🇳🇿😄🇯🇵 You look as though you've had as enjoyable a visit as I could have wished! You photographed my favorite engines there, too! Many thanks. I don't see why a KATO C53 45 wouldn't be a highly collectible, must-have item though, especially if it were released as a Kyoto store exclusive.

There are a number of innovative ideas in Pura-rail. Also, they get the latest trains first, 36+3, Tobu Spacia and now even E8. I even quite like the Real Class EF66 blue train, although the prices are a bit high. The 3 way autopoint (turnout) is quite a nice option, essentially it switches tracks 1,2,3 consecutively as trains pass over a switch on the incoming track. Great for multiple train management. I gave my kids a crash course (pun intended) in effective signalling and train control for a 3 platform station and a passing loop. Think we had up to 5 trains running, all of which converged onto a single track section. The groove that flicks the switch is under the motor car, on SLs this is usually under the tender so the loco goes one way and the tender another. Lots of fun-filled stress and inevitable collisions. The station we have is a city station from a few years ago with working safety gates and station announcements which was awesome. Had one shinkansen elevated platform, 2 regular platforms and room for a passing in track under the elevated section. One word of caution with using Shinkalion toys on Pura-rail, some of the earlier versions used standard sized pura-rail wheels, ideal. We also had some of the later ones (Whichever the series where when they combined with other passenger trains - something “liner”) Some of these used smaller removable bogie wheels which would not run on the track quite as well. Not sure what the newer ones are like as my kids have grown out of the series, although they won’t part with the toys. Must be the 4th generation or so by now.

Yes, they are absolutely "worth it" I've put together about 20 JR103 series cars and I really enjoy building them. They're like potato chips you can't just have one lol. On my blog there are several entries of my experience building them. One word of caution I would not overpay for them and to go to Hobby Search or RG-ROKKO and get them for retail. There is even a how-to DCC a motor unit by chadbag himself which I still have not gotten to because I'm still building JR 103 units. Below are a few GM kits that I've built.

Thanks cteno4! The last set was one of the main ones that I was looking at but those first two also seem nice. I'm not sure if I want to go all-in on Plarail as I more just wanted to be able to run the Shinkalion models I have. I don't necessarily want to collect more Plarail models outside of those but, like with n-gauge, it's such a slippery slope. Especially seeing things like those remote control options really make me want to try out more than just a small sample.

Wow...that is some haul...and all those MicroAce SLs including two E10s! I also bought quite a few second hand MicroAce SLs on yahoo.japan and found them to be really good. Although advertised as second hand, and sometimes described as "junk", many of the models showed no sign of use while some of the older ones occasionally had discolouration of the packaging material. All ran perfectly. Enjoy your latest purchases!! Graeme

For the homeless kids shelter I got these sets as it seemed like a good variety of track and each has a train. One is the remote control version. https://www.ebay.com/itm/204410135446 https://www.ebay.com/itm/235285420960 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWM2R143/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 hoping they can do 2 good sized loops if they want or a giant one or 3 smaller ones. jeff

My latest purchases. I got 4 boxes from yahoo.jp. Unless otherwise noted in the list below, all of these were purchased on yahoo.jp. Kato 7008-7 DD51 mid-term cold-resistant model Kato 7008-A DD51 Aichi Locomotive Depot JR Freight Color Kato 7011-3 DE10 JR Freight updated color Kato 8015 Wamu (white) 16 cars Kato 8032 Seki 6000 2 car set x 11 (6 are in a kato 10-1220 case and 8 have no case) Kato 10-317 Koki 104 with JR containers - 2 car set Kato 10-501 Container Type 20B - 5 container set x 2 Kato 10-1277 Hoki 9500 Yabashi Kogyo 8 Car Set Kato 10-1723 M250 Super Rail Cargo add on set with U50A Containers - 8 car set Kato 11-107 small vehicle power unit Kato 8042 Koki 200 Ut11C Kamioka Mining with 2 Containers Kato 8042-1 Koki 200 Iso Tank with 2 Containers Micro Ace A6202 Steam Locomotive C12-199 (2-6-2) with hopper wagon Micro Ace A1257 Koki 71 + Koki 50000 (Car Rack Container) - 7 Car Set x 2 (1 set has two extra Kokis) Micro Ace A1265 Koki 71-5,6 Car Rack Container - 2 Car Set Micro Ace A2086 Woki Limestone transport freight car - 10 car set x 2 Micro Ace A3011 Sef1/Hora 1 Hopper Car - 2 car set (EBAY) Micro Ace A3021 Hora 1 Hopper Car - 2 car set (EBAY) Micro Ace A3022 Hora 1 with cover - 2 car set (EBAY) Micro Ace A3196 Taki 9900 Caltex 8 car set x 2 Micro Ace A3251 Koki 106 U47A Nippon Express Eco liner 31 - 2 Car Set Micro Ace A3262 Koki 106 U47A Nippon Express Eco liner 31 - 8 Car Set Micro Ace A6202 Steam Locomotive C12-199 with Hora hopper car (EBAY) Micro Ace A6401 D52-403/Gotenba Line (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6402 D52-204 Wartime type (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6407 D52-235/Hakodate Main Line (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6409 D52-468 Umekoji Preservation Machine (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6502 D62-3 With smoke collection device (2-8-4) Micro Ace A6801 D50-37 Iwamizawa Ward (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6802 D50-140 Nogata Ward (2-8-2) Micro Ace A6902 D60-31 Nogata Ward (2-8-4) Micro Ace A7703 E10-1 Kanazawa Engine Depot (2-10-4t) Micro Ace A7706 E10-3/Niwasaka Engine Depot (2-10-4t) Micro Ace A9504 D51-51 Slug with white line (2-8-2) Micro Ace A9509 D51-859 Star mark (2-8-2) x 2 (oops...) Micro Ace A9511 D51-882 Moon and deer mark (2-8-2) Micro Ace A9514 D51-499 Modified differential (2-8-2) Micro Ace A9521 D51-473 Long differential (2-8-2) TGW (Tsugawa) Choshi Electric Railway Deki 3 (Trolly Type) (W/Motor) (EBAY) Tomix 2710 CHI 1 (Black) Flat Wagon (with real wood log load) - 1 car Tomix 2720 CHI 1 (Black) 2 axle flat car with logs - 3 cars Tomix 2721 CHI 1 (Black) 2 axle flat car With Earthen Pipe) - 4 cars Tomix 2723 TAMU (Silver) 500 2 axle private Owner Tank Wagon - 1 car Tomix 2753 Koki 107 without containers x 2 Tomix 2775 TAKI 5450 (Yellow) Private owner 4 axle tank car - 2 cars Tomix 8721 Tank Wagon type Ya 500A Tomix 8737 Koki 104 with Yamato containers Tomix 8723 Koki 106 with Yamato containers EBAY BOX 1 BOX 2 BOX 3 BOX 4

A few more Kokis for your viewing pleasure. These are all from yahoo.jp. I missed out on a 31 container lot of Yamato containers that had some different colors in the group. Oh well... can't get them all. , Tomix 2753 Koki 107 without containers x 2 Tomix 8737 Koki 104 with Yamato containers Tomix 8723 Koki 106 with Yamato containers Kato 10-1723 M250 Super Rail Cargo add on set with U50A Containers - 8 car set Kato 10-317 Koki 104 with JR containers - 2 car set Kato 10-501 Container Type 20B - 5 container set x 2 Kato 8042 Koki 200 Ut11C Kamioka Mining with 2 Containers Kato 8042-1 Koki 200 Iso Tank with 2 Containers Micro Ace A3262 Koki 106 U47A Nippon Express Eco liner 31 - 8 Car Set Micro Ace A3251 Koki 106 U47A Nippon Express Eco liner 31 - 2 Car Set Micro Ace A1257 Koki 71 + Koki 50000 (Car Rack Container) - 7 Car Set x 2 (1 set has two extra Kokis)

@babidi you are most welcome. We really enjoyed Spain. We spent 2.5 weeks there and one week of it was an architecture tour of southern Spain with an academic which was very fun. Rest we did on our own using trains. You can’t go wrong with food in Spain, we never had a bad or mediocre food experience. Little cafes usually had interesting and tasty stuff and lots of light tapas fare everywhere to snack on while out and about and feeling peckish. Even little grocery stores had a little deli counter and would whip up small sandwiches on the fly for you. Tons of great reds from Spain and Portugal that were dirt cheap and fresh and tasty. Find a few place to have a long, late dinner with multiple courses, it’s a real experience. Many places have them at not exorbitant prices (well hopefully they still do!) As tony notes, like any places with tons of tourism watch your wallet and possessions. Las Rambles is notorious for pick pockets as it’s just a huge meandering stream of people. I tend to look around at people around me in public, make eye contact and smile. Makes folks around you aware you are not out to lunch and observing what is going on around you and folks with bad intentions tend to not target you then, they want the spaced out tourist oblivious to all around them. It’s served me well traveling to very dicy places for decades, never had any incidents. Plus acknowledging others around you with some eye contact and smiles gets you nice smiles in return (and sometimes in very touristy areas looks of bemusement) and sometimes folks will actually strike up conversations when you don’t look like the oblivious tourist. I’ve found folks very appreciative of such a simple, human act. I also just enjoy watching people in different places, fun to see the similarities and differences and big point to travel to me. It has made travel more safe and enjoyable for me over the decades. jeff

Hopefully the overhaul is doing good.

If they make something you want (train / livery wise) that others don't make then they are "worth" it. That's the biggest question is are there multiple versions of it from multiple makers or does Greenmax sell an assembled and a kit version of the same or is this the only one of whatever it is that exists? Besides the most popular trains, a lot are one vendor only so you take what you can get.

What do you mean by "worth it"? The pre-painted one are relatively easy to do and wouldn't take long if you don't go building your own lights or paint the interiors. The non-painted ones obviously require a bit more time and efforts. Susukuma made a couple of videos of him making these kits. You can also get upgrade parts for them if you want to invest more time. Greenmax still make those and you can also buy them at your usual online dealers. If you go the buyee route, you might one with one of the old motor units. It might be worth buying one of the newer ones to replace these as they were relatively noisy.

Thank y’all so much! I’ll keep searching but this narrows a lot more. 😁

Hey all! I was recently scrolling through Buyee.jp, and came across some Greenmax kits that come with motors. They do seem to look cool to build and some are pre painted. I know they 100% do not come with head/taillights. But before I purchase, those who have built these kits, are they worth it? I’m still pretty new to the hobby and it just seems like some nice projects to do when I’m not busy. thanks!

Today’s trip was back on track - literally - at the Kyoto Railway Museum. The weather had started off poorly but by the time I reached the museum just after 10:15, it had fined up considerably. And with a gentle cooling breeze to start off with, the heat wasn’t too bad either. Weekdays don’t seem to be any less busy than weekends as there’s still plenty of kamikaze toddlers around with their parents, though there were also a number of school groups on site too. Steam on site that day was provided by my old friend 8630, while in the workshops was the tender of C62 2, and the boiler and chassis of C57 1 which is being overhauled to rejoin D51 200 in SL Yamaguchi service - the latter engine, it seems, is hunkered down at Shin-Yamaguchi during its month-plus-long break. I couldn’t get any photos of the C57 for @Dillon though, thanks to some awkward angles and the bird proof netting on the doors. There was a little work going on in the roundhouse with both C62 2’s engine unit and C56 160 being worked on. When I first arrived, one of the staff was also cleaning down C59 164 too. As an added bonus, I also got to see the museum’s maintenance shifter briefly at work too - it was being put back in the working side of the roundhouse when I showed up. Weird little creature… Having provoked some discussion about an N-scale C53, here’s the sole survivor which hasn’t run under its own power since 1960. Although semi-successful, the type lost favour with JGR management due to their complexity and the fact they were the only three-cylinder engines on the network. By the end of the Second World War, the C53’s were pretty well worn out but were kept running until 1948, allowing enough C59’s to be built as replacements and enable mass withdrawals to take place, with the last of the C53’s retired just two years later in 1950. And for my friend @SL58654号, one of the three surviving 7100-class ‘Moguls’, and the only one capable of running no less! I’ve never seen it out of the roundhouse though so clearly only a special-event engine. Having wrapped up at the museum by mid-afternoon I shambled back to the hotel, then headed out after a rest looking for a 7-Eleven that might have my favourite kiwifruit soda. Finally found one (goodbye, lousy one-yen coins!), then walked back to Aeon Mall to sample the kakigori festival food trucks nearby. Dinner, not so long after, was at Spicy Marsara once again, this time a chicken cutlet curry. Tomorrow, I tackle my first Japanese theme park, and hopefully get some parcels on their way. Alastair

Time for more updates because I’m still a bit behind. Thursday’s adventure turned out to be a trip to Saga-Arashiyama to visit the SL Hall, the Randen terminus, and the Togetsu-kyo bridge. This meant braving one of the most heavily touristed parts of Kyoto… even though it was a weekday, perhaps there might be less people? Short answer: no, not really. Having stopped at the SL Hall on the way out, I snagged a fresh crème brûlée donut from a shop at Randen Arashiyama and headed south to the bridge. A few minutes walking beyond that brought me to the Hankyu Arashiyama station, from where I shambled back to Togetsu-kyo on my way back to the Randen station. One of my reasons for going back to the Randen station was to try another kakigori dessert, from the same shop I’d visited last time. They’ve changed slightly and are now takeout only, but the kakigori is still just as delicious as ever! For those looking for other food options there are plenty of cafes and restaurants nearby, not more than a few pickle sellers, and, for the adults, a couple of sake shops with tasting options. I’m sure @Grant_T would enjoy that if he hasn’t already been to this area. Having had my fill, I headed back to the JR station, and returned ‘home’ to Kyoto for the next round of entertainment: a running session at the now more compact Popondetta Kyoto store. Last year they’d been spread across two shop spaces diagonally across from each other; this year they’re in just one shop space, the former restaurant one, with the Kyoto layout turned through 180 degrees, the ‘main’ rental layout on the other side of the shop, and the former back room now holds most of the second-hand stock and track. I had track 14 on the Kyoto layout - where I’d previously run trains in 2023 - with once again my EF65 doing the honours with the full container train this time. Much fun! Once I finished up, it was off to Gourmet Curry Spicy Marsara at Kyoto Station for dinner. They’re a nice little spot, and their curry’s tasty too. Alastair

Watch your wallet! Especially in places like Las Ramblas. There are a number of nearby places for a day trip by train. We went to Montserrat and enjoyed that. Got to see both passenger and freight trains on the ride so bonus for me. If you do a search on the Rick Steves' Travel Forum you can find a list of potential options. Tony

I was reading an article about a restaurant beside the railway station near Barcelona. I can't really remember the name, I guess La Mundana or something. I might visit there as well. I did check them out on Quora, looks like they are still in use

Wow jeff, thanks for such elaborated reply. Appreciate it. And sure, I will have a lot of hams.

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Thanks, I’d forgotten the Hokuhoku line. The day I saw it at Echigo-yuzawa it was a single car, unfortunately I didn’t have time to travel on it that day as I was going to GALA Yuzawa.

Futurama Buildings On Thingiverse by b.nice.. aka... Andy G Scale.. somewhere near 1:150 ish, maybe ! AnonyCo https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668562 Applied Cryogenics https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668578 Eye of New New York https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668587 Horseshoe Tower https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668603 New New York Plaza https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668623 #42 Parking Station https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668639 Satellite Tower https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6668637 4 more to add soon

I got a few of the new Shinkalion: Change the World toys recently and now I really want to get some Plarail tracks and trains since they are compatible. Does anyone have any particular recommendations for getting started? It looks like they have decently priced starter sets for tracks and then I'm looking at getting some of the motorized shinkansen (E5, E6, and E7) that I'm hoping will be able to attach to the Shinkalion stuff. But it seems like there's endless variations of the starter sets and the actual Plarail trains so it's hard to decide what to get.

Here is a short clip of the signals working automatically.