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How did you improve your rolling stock?


Densha

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Hey guys quick question, I have been wondering, is there any way to connect a Kato train set with a Tomix/ MA/ GM one? 

 

I know about the Tomix JC25 and I use it widely, but this has only been able to allow me to couple Tomix with MA and GM, but not Kato... Is there a way to do this? Some examples which I would like to connect them are like the JR Kyushu 813 to the GM 817s, or the MA 811s to the Kato's 813s... 

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14 hours ago, katoftw said:

The 817s come with paperwork that has the description on how to connect to kato dont they? The HS product description has reference to which kato coupler to buy. So must have info somewhere about attaching it.

 

edit//

http://warinbrain.blog19.fc2.com/blog-entry-946.html

 

Oh wow this is useful! I must have been blinded not to see this... Thanks lots!  🙂

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So I took my 0-series Kato Shinkansen (10-453) and I decided to go with close tolerance couplers similar to my Kato 201 series.  The instructions call for 11-703.  I dutifully bought a set of 20 and waited for my delivery from Japan to Georgia.  I took three cars from the set - the motor, a coach and an end car.  I installed them (you remove the rapido springs and don't reuse) without much of a hitch.  I went to run the train and it kept derailing.  Turns out the hoses on the couplers were hanging on the track joints.  It was bad enough on curves, but on switches, they had about a 100% derail rate.

 

Looking at the instructions that came with the couplers, you can remove the hoses, so on my test units, I did so.  It totally fixed the problem!  Yay!  Now to switch 13 more out...  Ugh.  :D

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Interesting, I have those installed on my 16 car 0 series without issue.  Are you sure they are rotated all the way?  Sometimes they dont quite "click in" and being at an angle might make one side low enough to catch on trackwork.

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I tried this quite a while back and found the hoses themselves would "bind" on 280mm Tomix curves (large radius was OK). I promptly reused the couplings on other stock and forgot all about it, but cutting off the hoses should presumably do the trick when I get round to it again...

Edited by railsquid
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11 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

Interesting, I have those installed on my 16 car 0 series without issue.  Are you sure they are rotated all the way?  Sometimes they dont quite "click in" and being at an angle might make one side low enough to catch on trackwork.

 

Yeah - they're turned all the way in.

 

9 hours ago, railsquid said:

I tried this quite a while back and found the hoses themselves would "bind" on 280mm Tomix curves (large radius was OK). I promptly reused the couplings on other stock and forgot all about it, but cutting off the hoses should presumably do the trick when I get round to it again...

 

Most of my layout is 280mm curves.  I wonder if maybe just trimming them back a little will help, but I'm not too worried about it.  If I want to get real crazy, I could permalink tiny little flex hose pieces... 🙂  My 201 series has similar couplings with no hoses and was never a problem.  

 

But the real bind was in the switches.  I found that I actually had another package of 11-703's that I must have bought a long time ago in an unassuming drawer in my kitchen.  So at least if I trim these and later go back to the hoses, I can.  But I'm pretty happy the way they are now.  The gap is close enough, you generally can't even see the coupler, much less the hoses.

 

I'll try to take some pics and post.

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Before (right) & after (left):

IMG_20190205_175806sm.thumb.jpg.7930b629d9b6dc7ac2823954c6b95c1a.jpg

Coupled:

IMG_20190205_175941sm.thumb.jpg.08265623d3e73b27c4b06122363e6816.jpg

 

Rapido:

IMG_20190205_180333sm.thumb.jpg.0c47f2ca0093d88cc766fde08c29dfc1.jpg

 

11-703 (trimmed hoses):

IMG_20190205_180347sm.thumb.jpg.2a5a70df53032a3353f3ba7d8911250e.jpg

 

Unadulterated train porn:

IMG_20190205_182504sm.thumb.jpg.83d389b77dc588c78774177a0675d7eb.jpg

 

So it didn't look like the 11-703s really reduce the clearance much, but it looks tighter.  The hoses would be cool, but troublesome. 

Edited by VentureForth
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I added these couplers to my Kato 0系 and 200系. I sometimes reuse the springs if the couplers sag a little. Sometimes you get a coupler pocket marginally larger and need to use the spring to make the couple stand proud. I’ve not had any issue with the hoses snagging on track but certainly the clearance is pretty minimal. I’ve had more issue using Kato inclined piers where most shinkansens ground where the flat part meets the start of the incline, despite it being a shallower angle.

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Interestingly, the 201 series came with vestibule diaphragms.  The Shinkansen didn't.  Are there such a thing as flexible ones that would fit this trainset?

 

Edited by VentureForth
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Cab end "destination blinds" added:
 

33161992838_c2c6856efe.jpg

Kato 115-2000 Series (Minobu Line) by Rail Squid, on Flickr
 

(well actually denoting the train type, not the destination - investigation of the prototype shows there were destination boards/panels affixed to the car sides, and the side destination blinds were not in use at all, as in the preceding picture).

Edited by railsquid
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I can haz very close coupling?

 

40084290873_77f53bd4de_z.jpg

Tomytec Kokutetsu 62 series (Minobu Line) by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Tomytec 62 series with Tomix TN couplers (0336) and Kato corridor connectors (temporarily glued into place).

 

Works just fine around 280mm radius curves, the coupling mechanism pushes the cars far enough away from each other the corridor connectors don't come into contact with one another.

  • Like 9
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Are the 62 series designed to attach TN couplers, or do you have to glue them on?  I do like the look of the 62 series and I've been on the fence about getting a set for a while now.  The gangway hoods look awesome, really improves the feel of the model.

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2 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

Are the 62 series designed to attach TN couplers, or do you have to glue them on?  I do like the look of the 62 series and I've been on the fence about getting a set for a while now.  The gangway hoods look awesome, really improves the feel of the model.

 

They have the standard TN coupler attachments.

 

The issue I've found with some Tomytec models which come is that if they do have corridor connectors fitted (e.g. the Minobu line 40 series), the TN couplers pull the cars too tightly together, and/or it's impossible to couple them as the corridor connectors are wider than the gap between cars would be. In that case, Kato close couplers in the rapido sockets work better.

 

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Replaced the shell on the SL Yamaguchi end car.  Was a fairly straight forward process.  Took about 5 minutes.

 

Also added motors, pantographs and trailer parts to Kumaden yellow and silver ex Metro 01 trains.  These were not straight forward like most Tomytec.  First Tomytec were every bogie cover and under car parts of fallen out with the slightest little bump.  Some of my old Keihan 600s/700s TM20s need the bogie covers glued.  But these 01s need everything glued in.  Also the EFwing bogie covers are super fine on the plastic sprue.  They took some finese to cut the off without destroying the bogie covers.  End result with these trains was good though.

Edited by katoftw
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Went thru like 15 Tomytec trains in various states of assembly and waiting some parts to order up the last few bits needed to finish them all off!

 

jeff

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Attached number plates. Just the two, and that was enough for one day.

 

ETA:  can I just say how much I like the high tension details on this locomotive?

787174B7-0A98-456A-819E-ADFA452E237B.thumb.jpeg.51a1ca7a2218726111eee8cc767ad880.jpeg

Edited by Sheffie
  • Like 5
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1 hour ago, Sheffie said:

Somehow I managed four times in succession to get one of these in position.

 

If you wanna have a real fun time, I bought 46 of the things... 😁

Once they're on they do look great though!

  • Like 2
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