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Hey guys, So, after a few months of planning and thinking, it's finally time to start building this baby! Tomorrow I'll go buy all the material needed for the wooden base and in the weekend I'll start building it. This is the final layout: Since it will go into my living room, and it will be 2.40m long, it will be divided in two parts, almost in the middle, so it will be easier to handle. The base will be of plywood, 1.5cm thick, reinforced with 3x2cm frames. Since the forniture has a Wenge-like color, I'll paint the whole base of a dark color. From below, it should be something like this: The two 45 degrees corners in the front are due to the fact that the 70cm deep base will go against a 60cm deep cabinet, so I'll to cut it in order to avoid hitting my leg every time I walk by. It will go here, below the TV, on an IKEA Besta bench : The TV will limit the space above, I'll have around 30cm to play with, but it should be enough. I'll make videos detailing all the process, which will involve a lot of trials and errors I'm sure, as this is my first build, but that's the fun part! Here's the introduction video:

Footage from earlier this year of the testing done between Maibara and Kyoto, at speeds up to 360km/h. Note how appreciably different the passing speed is between the revenue service top speed of 285 km/h and the trial 360 km/h. The nighttime environment is also nicely atmospheric.

Hi all - New to the Japanese-outline N scale, but loving the wealth of information and enthusiasm found here! I'm detailing various Tomix Shinkansen sets, some bought second hand in Akihabara - my 700 has these large gaps where I'm guessing the destination blinds/seating signs go - what do most modelers do to apply some detail here? My Kato 500 series came with some small stickers which fit over the glazing - are there some superdetailing parts I can get which show the destination? Also, my older 100 & 300 Tomix sets have blank spaces where the destination boards should be - does anyone know where I can find decals or stickers for those? Cheers, Michael

Hello all, With the Sapporo extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, is there any viability whatsoever of a though service from the Tokaido to the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen routes?

JR Central will introduce the Shinkansen N700S series on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines in fiscal 2020, replacing the 700 series trains which will be retired at the end of 2019. The N700S will feature a a new "Dual Supreme Wing" nose, which will lessen air resistance and reduce noise upon entering tunnels. The first prototype 16-car N700S train is expected in March 2018. Source: http://trafficnews.jp/post/54020/

I came across this, very interesting, video in my youtube recommended list. Cab ride from Ueno to Sendai on the Tōhoku Shinkansen: The landscape around the Tōhoku shinkansen has off course changed considerably over the last 30 years, both in terms of the railway(s) themselves as the surrounding architecture, having been caught up in the unstoppable march of progress. Yet it still remains highly recognizable, especially around the stations. Interesting things, imho, to notice: - Keihin-Tōhoku line 103 series. At this point in time JR East was already working on the design of the 901 series prototype, which would become the 209 series. They would replace the ageing 103 series fleet between 1993 and 1996. - Saikyō line 103 series. An interesting mix of ex-Yamanote line high cab 103 series formations, all kinds of mixes between fully air conditioned formations and everything inbetween. Would be replaced by new built 205 series in 1990. - Construction work at Fukushima station, the Yamagata shinkansen was under construction (conversion would be the better word though) at that point in time, and would open in 1992. - While the 400 series shinkansen was being designed at that moment, at that point the only series used on the eastern shinkansen was still the 200 series. - While the majority of the formations met along the way were al F formations (Either F1~F3/F4~F21 sub group (New built) or F41~F41, F51~F59 (converted former E formations) sub groups) I noticed at least one G formation (Though whether this was a G20~28 or G40~G48 sub-formation was impossible to discern) and one of the few remaining E formations. It also gives a valuable insight, to me at least, into the operation of the Tōhoku Shinkansen in the period after the split of the old national railways (J.N.R.), only 2 years and a few months after it occurred. In June 1989, when this was filmed, the Tōhoku Shinkansen had been in operation for close to 7 years. Originally opened on the 23rd of June 1982, the Tōhoku shinkansen was the 3rd shinkansen to open during the national railways era. It was part of the 1971 Shinkansen construction plan, which also included the Jōetsu Shinkansen (opened on the 15th of November 1982) as well as the cancelled Narita Shinkansen (cancelled in 1983). Though designed around a maximum operational speed of 260km/h, the maximum speed at the time of the opening of the line was set to 210km/h, the same as on the Tōkaidō/Sanyō Shinkansen pre 1986. The full route of the Tōhoku shinkansen was always planned to run between Tōkyō station and Morioka, however due to the 1970's oil crisis as well as the deteriorating financial situation of the national railways, it was decided to open the route in stages. During the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen, only the section between Ōmiya and Morioka had been finished, while work was still continuing on the section between Ueno and Ōmiya, while work had yet to commence on the section between Tōkyō station and Ueno. The section between Ueno and Ōmiya was opened on the 14th of March 1985. At the same time the maximum operational speed, on both the Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen, was increased from 210km/h to 240km/h, which made it the fastest Shinkansen at that point in time. While the 200 series was originally designed around a maximum operational speed of 250km/h, the first 5 batches (the E formations, E1~E36 delivered between late 1980 and 1982) were limited to a maximum speed of 210km/h. This was because of the MM+MM' (1 pantograph per 2 cars, i.e. 6 pantographs per 12 car formation) layout they shared with the 0 series Shinkansen. With contact noise being a large part of the noise footprint generated by the shinkansen (in 1974, residents along the Tōkaidō Shinkansen had filed a lawsuit against J.N.R. because of the noise pollution generated by the 0 series (the only series operating at the Tōkaidō shinkansen at that point in time) formations running at speed. As a result, new standards for noise pollution were passed in 1975 limiting the maximum sound level permitted to 75db in build-up areas. Though it would still take almost a decade before actual action were taken to reduce the noise on the existing lines), as well as the overhead line swaying caused by the passing of a pantograph resulting in loss of contact for the upcoming pantograph at high speed. In order to allow a future increase in speed, the 200 series cars built from batch 6 onward (1983) would be fitted with a high voltage through cable near the roof of the car. This allowed the number of active pantographs to be reduced to 3 (from ~1993 onward only 2 would be in use, with the two forward pantographs used as reserve, while the redundant middle ones (cars 6 and 8 on the F formations, 6 on the post 1997 K formations and cars 6 and 12 on the 16 car H formations) were removed) and therefore, with changes to the ATC, they were capable of running at a maximum operational speed of 240km/h. While the first 3 new formations were originally numbered consecutively to the existing E formations (E1~E36) as E37~E39, because of their different operational capabilities they were quickly renumbered into a new sub group of formations, the F formations (F1~F3) while their cars would be numbered into the 1000 sub-type range of the 200 series. For the production batches 7 onward, another small change was made to the design of the series. For the scheduled opening of the section between Ueno and Ōmiya, it was projected that the ridership on the line would increase. As a result, the interior of the type 221 and 222 end cars were slightly redesigned to allow the addition of an extra row of standard type seats in both of them (adding 5 seats per end car). As a result of this, the end cars were numbered into the 1500 sub-type range of the 200 series, the middle cars remained in the 1000 range. All remaining batches, 7~9 would be delivered with 221/222-1500 sub-type cars between 1984 and 1985, they would be part of the F4~F21 sub-group of formations, the last 200 series formations to be built. Which brings us to the formation this video was shot in. According to the description, this was filmed in the cab of 222-1512 which, if the information correct (footage at the end of the video reveals part of the formation number (4) from the observer side of the cab, which could only be formation F4 (or, translated from geek speak, the number 4 seems too close to the second wiper on the right to be F14), which would make it 222-1501 as opposed to 1512... It is off course possible that they filmed this part of the material separately at a different time and they are unrelated) means this was filmed in 200 series formation F15. Formation F15 was completed by Nipon Sharyō on the 20th of November 1984 as part of production batch 8, the second to last production batch for this series. In June of 1991, as with all remaining F formations, her green car changed position within the formation, changing from position 7 to position 11. In March of 1997, as part of the increase in K formations formed needed for the opening of the Akita Shinkansen in the same year, she would be reformed into formation K48. This group within the K formations, K41~K51, were the first to contain 10 cars as opposed to the 8 cars of the original K formations (K1~K11). The remaining 2 surplus cars were then used to extend the 8 car K1~K11 sub group into the 10 car K21~K31 sub-group of formations. The remaining cars of F15 (225-1030 and 226-1074) would be added to formation K6, which would continue as K26. In December 1999, K48 was the 4th K formation to undergo life extension and renewal work, K26 would follow a year later in December of 2000. While this renewal was meant to extend their life for another 10 years, most would actually serve beyond this 10 year benchmark. When the 200 series retired from the Tōhoku shinkansen in November 2011, K48 was the first of the renewed formations (with exception of formation K25 which was severely damaged after a derailment during the Niigata-Chūetsu earthquake in 2004) to be retired and scrapped, exactly 27 years after she was built. K26 would soldier on for a little while longer, being transferred as one of 8 K formations designated for the Jōetsu shinkansen, she was finally retired in January 2013, 2 months before the scheduled retirement of the last 200 series shinkansen. 225-1030 and 226-1074, the last remaining cars from formation F15, would serve for slightly more than 28 years. Please enjoy!

I recently received the Kato N700A 4-car set and installed the DCC decoders in the cab cars and the power car. I was considering adding a DCC sound decoder into the non-powered car. I believe there should be enough room under the floor plastic if I removed the metal weight. I'm curious if anyone knows of or has created any sound projects for any of the Shinkansens yet.

Lima was a well-known Italian model train manufacurer, it's now part of the Hornby group. During it's "golden age" (the '70s) Lima produced H0 scale models of many countries, including USA, Australia, South Africa... and Japan. Here are some pics (all taken from the internet) The worldwide famous 0 seres "Kodama" shinkansen, in italy it was called "The Tokaido". The 103 series, also known as "The Legendary Kokuden", is one of the rarest Lima models. It was produced in Yellow, Lime Green, Orange and Sky Blue. Yamanote Green: Chuo-Sobu Yellow: Chuo-Rapid Orange

From the The Mainichi: NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- In a move to better compete with a rival train operator's famous "seven-minute miracle" for cleaning a bullet train between its arrival and departure, Central Japan Railway Co. will shave off two minutes from its own shinkansen cleaning work, beginning next spring. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190605/p2g/00m/0bu/060000c?fbclid=IwAR0eP7xFRwO0WbrFoMIn3n3C0d8KoNGuZgb7TnsaXZLVgjFKEjGf1dih_wg

The weekend of March 9-10th saw the annual Keighley Model Railway exhibition in West Yorkshire in England. Now it is rare for there to be two Z gauge layouts at a show but Chris Wright was there with his 'Bullet Trains' layout and I was there with 'Republic Steel'. The show runs concurrent with the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Spring Steam gala and I called in on the way down on Friday before setting up the show. I spotted some lads from the other layouts on the trains who had had the same idea! Chris's layout is 8ft 6" long and features sporadic lightning and thunder to liven things up. Obviously the Shinkansens are Rokuhan He has modelled it in Cherry Blossom time He also had one of the Rokuhan mini layouts on display at one end (See video) My Republic Steel layout can be run either as British Rail 'Railblue era' 1950's USA or Showa era Japanese steam due to the fact that Blast furnaces are generic and look pretty much the same the world over. For the Keighley show it was running BR to highlight the wide variety of British rolling stock that can be modelled using kit-bashing and 3D printing techniques Just 4 ft 8" long it is an easy layout to transport and display The 3D printed Class 37 has been very popular with the public. Seen here with the recently completed Cardiff Rod mill wire coil train

After a prolonged absence the webcam (with sound) or the Tokaido line and Yurikamome tracks near Shiodome is working again

Hey, can anyone here share some photos of their Tenshodo HO 1:87 JR500 shinkansen that'd be great! I don't own one my self and I can't find a whole lot on it. I would like to know if its possible to insert a DCC decoder or at least wire one in. Please post a photo of the motor compartment if their is one and I would like to see some more pictures of it in general, or just take a video of it running.

YouTube member kona1317 posted an interesting video from an observation deck at the Yunosato Signal Station just north of the entrance to Yunosato Tunnel Number 1 (e.g., the north entrance to the Seikan Tunnel on the Hokkaido side). Note how train 3059 pulled by a JR Freight EH800 locomotive set stops on the northbound siding, lets the JR Hokkaido H5 train set pass by, then starts up again. The sound the freight train stopping and starting sounds almost exactly like an American freight train stopping and starting. At the end of the video, note train 3059 is now being pulled by a DF200 diesel-electric locomotive on the Hakodate Main Line.

I'm new to the group and just rode the Shinkansen the "Nozomi" last month (June 2018). It was my first bullet train and rode similar trains in Europe but think the Japanese trains are the best - smoothest and fastest. Very impressed and a huge fan and hope to go back to Japan next year to explore more. I also went to the Shinkansen museum in Nagoya and highly recommend for everyone here. Even if you are not a train fan you will become one as you see and learn about the wonderful trains and get to board and explore most. I took a lot of pictures and even made some videos that I'll work to post to share. Look forward to learning and interacting here and glad to find this great group. In the United States we don't have many impressive trains so it's always exciting to leave the country to see incredible trains. Thank you for this forum and to everyone for sharing! I attached a YouTube link of my first ride from Nagoya to Osaka with a brief stop in Kyoto.

I just saw this excellent music video done to the scenes of Shinkansen operations in winter, particularly in the Tōhoku region: You can see more music videos of this type from the uploader's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXyybaLruRSsJJSOuyjAmuA

hey all. I'm not so familiar with this site as I am not on here so often, but I have been working on something for the past 6 months I would like to share. I got lucky one day in fall of 2016, and found the original 12 car 0 Series Shinkansen set on eBay. I bought it, and immediately found that the original motors drew too much amperage. 6 cars out of the 12 were powered. after brainstorming for a couple weeks, instead of solving this with a different power pack/transformer, I wanted to go the hard route and came up with the idea of traction motors - if it works on the real thing, why not in HO scale? There are phone vibrator motors that I could use that would fit between the axles perfectly the result of my endeavors is shown in this youtube video: (test car in vid is type 21, I don't have the other cars ready yet) I have a long way to go to get the full train running, but longer I wait to see it on the rails, the more focused I am to get it done. the train set, when finished, will have working head/tail lights, bluetooth control, and various other devices built in to keep the train running. This is all powered with an Arduino Micro.

Really loving the Tomix EVA 500 Shinkansen. I had some issues with my layout that I had to address to get it to run properly - track and station items, but I dialed them in and...SO COOL! hehehehe Anyone else have the Tomix AND KATO versions? I was just curious about which looked and ran better.

I have a question regarding the light functionality for these trains, I have read from 1 source (and I could only find 1 source) that the light functionality on car 11 is not correct (that both red and white light regardless of driving direction). Can someone (preferably someone that actually owns these trains) shed some light on this issue? Thanks!

Hello all, I have purchased the KATO E6 and I currently have the KATO H5 on order. I have already received the KATO E6 a while ago, and I have the issue that it keeps derailing (sometimes, pretty badly) at switches. -None- of my other KATO trains have this issue anywhere, even at top speed. Switching to a different E6 train just gives the same issue. I have all KATO rails and switches, very new. Some amazon.co.jp reviews say that both the H5/E5 and E6 are prone to derailment. Is there any way to stop it from derailing? Maybe weighing it down? Suggestions or personal stories/fixes are highly appreciated. I would order the TOMIX versions to see if these have the same problems, except that the TOMIX versions are much harder to acquire and very expensive. Does anyone know if the TOMIX versions also derail so often? Thanks!

Some updates to JRC's Hamamatsu Shinkansen shop have been featured on Shizuoka Broadcasting's YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEXXi8XQ2sI

For those interested, this could be something very very cool! http://trafficnews.jp/post/41809/ 40 Years Sanyō Shinkansen, combined with the 20th anniversary of the immensely popular animation series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" broadcasted on TV. This makes for one incredibly sexy 500 Series. This is pretty wild and I like it.

Today, 20 December, it was officially announced that the Hokuriku Shinkansen will be extended from Tsuruga via Obama to Kyoto. This route was one of the final two options left, the other one being the line being extended from Tsuruga to Maibara, which would have meant that passengers for Kyoto and Osaka would have had to change at Maibara. That would have led to a longer travel time, inconvenient transfers, and even more crowded Tokaido Shinkansen trains than they are already now. The Obama - Kyoto route is however the most expensive option. During the next 5-6 years, the impact on the environment and the exact locations of the stations will be decided. The Kanazawa - Tsuruga section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen will be opened in 2022, and the aim is to have completed the whole line to Kyoto in ultimately 2046. However, there have been calls to bring this date forward, which could lead to the total costs exceeding 2 trillion yen. Sources: http://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2016122000735&g=eco http://mainichi.jp/articles/20161221/k00/00m/020/117000c http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye2942316.htm

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003344992 Scenes at Kawasaki Heavy's plant in Kobe:

The origin of a standard gauge, long distance train concept was discussed in Japan during the early 1930s, when Japan expanded its empire on mainland Asia. The necessity to move troops, materiel, cargo and people over the expansive land area of Northeaster China, more precisely Manchuria (Manchukuo in Japanese), became an important topic. Research begin at the Japanese National Railway's Kunitachi Test Laboratory in the Western suburbs of Tokyo. The work was stopped in 1943, when Japan's war fortunes declined and the research budget had to be cancelled. After Japan's defeat, during the Allied occupation, emphasis was on the restoration of rail services and it was not until the latter part of the 1950s that the expansion of the railroad system and the idea of a high speed intercity passenger line resurfaced. Helped by the fact that Japan was awarded the staging of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Transportation Ministry bureaucrats managed to convince politicians and the general public to build a "new, high speed, bullet train, trunk line." Thus the idea of the Shinkansen was resurrected and building completed in the summer of 1964. Service opened in the fall, October 1st to be exact, just in time to impress the visiting Olympians and tourists with the fastest passenger train service in the world. The original line extended from Tokyo to Osaka, the second largest city and metropolitan area in the country. Travel time initially was four hours, however, by the spring of 1965, the schedule was revised and 40 minutes were cut from the schedule. I married my sweetheart on January 9th, 1965, and after our wedding ceremony at her church near Tokyo University, we were driven by a friend to Tokyo Station. Another close friend of ours gave us a great wedding present: Two very expensive round-trip tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto. We were off on our honeymoon. I recall the day clearly as it was an overcast and cold winter afternoon when we boarded the train. The seats still had that "new smell" and even the standard class had plush seats, plenty of hip and leg room. Soon after departure, I visited the buffet car and was impressed by the large speed dial on the wall. We were aware when in the trip we would reach speeds in excess of 200 km/hour and a lot of passengers congregated there to watch the dial pass that mark. The ride was smooth and we found the total quiet impressive, almost eerie. To be frank, we were expecting the usual chatter and noise as the wheels passed over the rail joints. There was none. As expected, our train arrived in Kyoto right on time. We spent four nights in Kyoto and three nights in Nara, taking the train between the two cities. We managed to get on the wrong train while visiting Nara and surprisingly ended up in Osaka. Well, it was an auspicious omen as unexpectedly we enjoyed a great Kobe steak dinner. Since that first ride in January, 1965, we have rode the Tokaido Shinkansen probably 7 or 8 times; the last time in June, 2014 while celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with a return trip. The elapsed time to Kyoto is now 2 hours and 20 minutes, and while everything about our cars have been upgraded, it still brings back wonderful memories and provides great travelling convenience and comfort. We are convinced that passenger trains are the most civilized way to travel! One incident just occurred to me: Some time in the 1970s, way before we ever even imagined cell phones, there was telephone service on the Shinkansen! We visited my brother-in-law, living in Osaka at the time, and 20 minutes before our arrival we called him to come by and pick us up at Shin-Osaka Station. We considered the convenience a miracle of futuristic communication at the time. We came a long way since. More later.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/racing-to-beat-china-japans-pm-shinzo-abe-sweetens-bid-for-indonesia-rail-project/articleshow/48697227.cms