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Overseas visitors to Kansai and Japan-based forum members may want to check out the model railway show now being held at the Hankyu Umeda Department Store (9F), through August 5. This year's theme is "stations" so there are a few quite interesting prototype based layouts/dioramas depicting stations in the Kansai area. *I am especially taken by the representation of the short (2.2km length) Hankyu Kouyou Line ( starting at 1:16, in HO scale, modular). official site: https://website.hankyu-dept.co.jp/honten/h/train_mokei/index.html#guide

Media report on the approx. 80% complete Umekita station complex on the former JR Freight terminal adjacent to JR Osaka Station. Two island platforms/four through tracks layout with full length platform screen doors that will accommodate different rolling stock types. Projected opening spring 2023.

cteno4 was asking me on chat last night if I'd seen any new front-view videos, so I did some searching rather than just trawling my YT subscriptions and came up with this contributor, bxi06030 . I know we've discussed this line before, I think this is the best video of it I've seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h5X5owRiEs This is a direct express service from Hanshin Umeda to Sanyo Himeji on Sanyo rolling stock. I don't know if it will be of any interest to modellers, but there are some dense suburban areas through the southeastern Hyogo area (Amagasaki, Ashiya, Kobe). I really like the ground-level track, although it looks like there's a lot of construction in progress to elevate the line. Too bad, it snakes through the neighborhoods and there's a bit of a Showa vibe to some of it.