Keiben (HO 1/87 9mm) narrow gauge layouts

[bikkuri bahn]

IMHO, some of the best railway modelling being done in Japan is by the members of the Keiben Modelling Group, who hold an exhibition in Tokyo every year. The scale is 1/87, but the track used is n scale, to simulate the 762mm narrow gauge.

Video of the latest gathering a couple months back- I especially like the module setup from 1:49 to 4:35.

My absolute favorite from several years back, this has been posted elsewhere in this forum, but it's worth a repost. More along the lines of a "heavy" electric railway than a keiben line, if it wasn't for the 9mm track. Just stunning:

 

What makes these layouts successful (IMO)? A focus on the railway itself, the rolling stock and the infrastructure, and the immediate scenery. Weathering, but not too over the top to make it "Tooonervillesque" a la Malcolm Furlow. Focusing on the mundane and everyday, but making it realistic, rather than trying to recreate the unusual, improbable, or spectacular.

Edited December 11, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[Mudkip Orange]

I like the amount of detail they've crammed into these tiny layouts.

[enodenlover]

I love those layouts, especially the heavy electric line. Incredible detail that really gives the feel of Showa era Japan.

[kvp]

Is there more info (or more pictures) about the electric commuter line? They seem to be a club with lots of stations and modules...

[velotrain]

Thanks for posting this bikkuri - some really great modeling.  I liked the modules with the really tight turns - so different from the boringly straight modules we're used to.  I was also impressed with the high river bridge.

 

 

[Nick_Burman]

My absolute favorite from several years back, this has been posted elsewhere in this forum, but it's worth a repost.  More along the lines of a "heavy" electric railway than a keiben line, if it wasn't for the 9mm track.  Just stunning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9duKWxbyfI

 

 

Yes...the yard and the substation modules are just some of my favourite...

 

 

Cheers NB

[ToniBabelony]

Ah yes, the Keiben Matsuri. After some recent ventures into this world, I really want to visit the next time! Although the mainstay is HO, with some O gauge, N sometimes also appears, if rarely.