JNS world tour train?

[cteno4]

Was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing a JNS world tour train? one that would run for a bit on a layout, have some photos of it posted then mail it along to the next person around the world. 

 

could be a rail car like a powered Kiha or maybe just a rake of containers on a koki and the first container has the world tour graphics on it and the others are blank for folks to write or make a decal of the city/country/date on them. sort of pick up graffiti along the way sort of like an old trunk would do traveling. probably be $5-15 to ship each leg depending on the postage and if its international or local. that each person would need to pay to move onto the next. 

 

anyone interested? i would donate the car, kick it off, and manage the routing if others wanted to pass it around. could just keep on moving on and on and on! if it petered out it could live back here on the jrm layout where it would be a great conversation piece and intro to jns for the public and then go back out on tour again (we could just keep adding containers if needed).

 

could add in a bunch of little pieces of printable waterslide decals in with it. you can glue them onto a piece of carrier paper and usually it will print fine in most inkjet printers like this. then just hit it with a little clear coat, cut out an apply. folks could have fun making little local stickers to put on or just doodle a tiny bit with a fine point felt pen.

 

Anyone interested?

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Yes, I would be interested. Have done this a couple of times in the past. My recommendation would be a wagon or carriage, specially liveried up.

[ToniBabelony]

Very cool idea! Of course, Japan being an E/DMU country, this would be better suited than a container car IMO. However, containers might be more realistic and fun to do (can even have it go through multiple times and add containers by the same members every time).

 

Personally, I don't have a layout yet, but I'd be more than happy to tag it along to the Shin Yokohama Kikanku bar and a friends' layout.

[TheNicofabi]

Hm... i already had an idea to waste (once i have the amount) one of the 72/73 i wanna get on it... thou for me sending it arround the world is probably more of a hassle than anyone from everywhere else...

[cteno4]

Yeah I figured the koki might work well as we can always add more containers with time if needed (i.e. Just keep one car circulating and siphon off extra containers if needed.). Also relatively inexpensive for the containers and easy for folks to add their stamp to it.

 

I really enjoy the idea that the containers keep gaining interesting country labels/tags/stamps/graffiti to them. While not as classy as a just nicely wrapped train, it ads some very interesting personality as it travels. Also I'd something were to go horridly wrong with one of the applications I would not affect the whole thing, just that container. Also a d/emu would have a lot less space for the country tags to be added.

 

But let's see what folks suggest and are most interested in (especially those wanting to participate).

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Edited March 6, 2016 by cteno4

[railsquid]

Containers sound good.

 

There's tour from another British forum which is applying graffiti to some US-style wagons, though it currently seems stalled. I've also heard of one in one of those ridiculously large scales where people are filling a wagon with interesting stuff.

[tossedman]

Sounds like fun. Count me in.

[ToniBabelony]

Come to think of it... M250 Series world tour perhaps? The whole base unit can be coloured in a special livery. The best of both container trains and MU operations (heck, it can even be rebuilt into a DMU).

[the_weird_one]

I'd be up for it though at present no layout to put it on, I think it's a great idea.

 

I also prefer the containers over the d/emu as there'd be more space for location graffiti

[IST]

Great idea, I'm in! :)

 

I would prefer a DMU instead of a container.

[Sascha]

Great idea,but I don't have a area on my layout that is finished, but if that doesn't matter, than count me in.

[HantuBlauLOL]

the tax would be more expensive than the train itself, i'm out :(

[Claude_Dreyfus]

the tax would be more expensive than the train itself...

 

Good point. Any item would need to be below the threshold for import duty - for the UK that is £15.00 - so a wagon (or two) would be the obvious choice. I like the idea of a container wagon with containers created/customised by each visitor.

[Krackel Hopper]

Sounds like a great idea.

 

Somewhere I have some unpainted Hogarakadou containers I'd be willing to donate for the cause.  I believe they're 12ft (19D type) containers.

 

I have no preference.  EMU/DMU would be cool, but so would adding a new container for each stop along this trains trip.

 

People talking about taxes, would those really apply?  I thought that only applied to purchased goods.  Since nobody is "buying" this train, it is really being gifted across the world.  Would that not make it exempt?  If not, and it becomes a "painted" EMU/DMU could you not list the price below the £15.00 limit?  At the point it ships to the UK it would have been altered and used and not really have a solid value to claim.. but as someone in the US I am not totally familiar with the issues of import taxes.

[MechaDen]

This sounds like fun, I just recently purchased a new loco to add to my layout (still want more), but will be moving soon so I'll setup again later this year. Depending on the timing I may or may not be able to participate.

Edited March 6, 2016 by MechaDen

[cteno4]

the tax would be more expensive than the train itself, i'm out :(

Would they tax it if marked a gift?

 

Jeff

[Densha]

At least in the European Union they will. The value of the goods need to be written by the sender on the exporting label and the tax will be charged based on that value. This does not only apply to commercial shipments, as import duty will be charged regardless of the sender, including shipments from private persons to other private persons. It doesn't matter whether it is marked as a gift or whatever, it doesn't do anything. Also, they know that many people use the gift marking as a way to evade tax so they will charge it anyway.

 

Then there's the threshold for import duty Claude Dreyfus already mentioned. So in the UK it is £15.00, in the Netherlands it is €21.00 if I remember correctly. The import duty will be charged if the value of the item if higher than this amount of money. The import duty will then be charged on both the item and the shipping costs. Then there's also the customs clearance fees that most postal services charge, quite a large sum of money they charge because of the apparently extraordinary costs that come with the postal service bringing the shipment into the customs office. This all means that a package with a value of €21.00 and €4.00 shipping costs (€25.00 in total) can be charged with a total of €18.00 of combined import duty and clearance fees.

 

All written above is according to Dutch law, which is largely the same as general European law, but this shows how troubling international shipping can be. If we're going to make our own JNS world tour train, deciding a value for it could be difficult, but if we're going with, say, two KOKIs, then you could just put a value of €/£/$10 on it and it will probably be safe to ship it to the EU without any trouble. I don't know how countries outside of the EU handle import duties though... Maybe other members can shed some light on their experiences with the customs of their own countries?

[katoftw]

It sounds like it should go through europe first as one single koki to keep value down.  Then add kokis as required after that in countries that bypass import laws.

 

I guess if someone really wanted to paint a vehicle or EMU/DMU or similar.  They could add a kokifu when required and paint it up?

Edited March 7, 2016 by katoftw

[cteno4]

I guess it makes sense with this to keep it to a koki (and expand as needed) then to keep the cost down. also pretty light weight.

 

The 12' containers should work well. we could give a half to full side to each location. One container could be the title container with JNS world tour.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[ToniBabelony]

It sounds like it should go through europe first as one single koki to keep value down.  Then add kokis as required after that in countries that bypass import laws.

 

Good idea! Have a world tour, but keep it to a single continent/zone at a time to avoid imposed taxes and save traveling time.

[railsquid]

Japan is pretty relaxed about private packages provided the declared value is less than about 10,000 yen.

 

I've also send something to New Zealand which I believe arrived with no issues.

 

If we're working with containers, it might be an idea just to send individual containers to countries where the recipient has less confidence in the customs/postage system, to avoid unnecessary delays/risk of loss...

[cteno4]

also if folks do decals we could also have the files as a backup to recreate things if there was a loss. or later if folks wanted a copy of the containers they could print their own up and apply to some blank containers.

 

jeff

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Okay, well I'll throw my hat into the ring. Kanjiyama has it's next show on 22 May at Didcot (near Oxford). Might be nice to have it displayed at an exhibition.

[the_weird_one]

Okay, well I'll throw my hat into the ring. Kanjiyama has it's next show on 22 May at Didcot (near Oxford). Might be nice to have it displayed at an exhibition.

 

Oh thats fairly local - may see if I can make it down to this show

[HantuBlauLOL]

Would they tax it if marked a gift?

 

Jeff

 

you'll never know when they will apply tax or not.