Suburban Tokyo Themed Layout

[serotta1972]

On 4/17/2018 at 11:22 AM, Philphil said:

Brand new Hibiya Line platform texture! 

Nice platforms.  Looks like it's just been waxed. :)

[Philphil]

On 5/2/2018 at 4:37 PM, cteno4 said:

Phil,

 

could get some like 12-20x2mm disc magnets on ebay and just epoxy them to the foam every 10-12”. Then pop a magnet on each magnet and a dab of epoxy to epoxy the plex strip to the magnets. You can probably hold it in place with screw holes in between the magnet placements and use a drywall screw (big nasty threads) to hold things in place till it sets. Easy to pop on and off. Don’t need thick plex at all, the thinnest you cannget or even just heavy acetate sheet.

 

Can also just epoxy on a fascia board onto the foam with a simple groove cut in the top to slot the plex into (may have to put a thin strip of styrene along the bottom of the plex to make it sit firmly into the slot.)

 

jeff

 

On 5/2/2018 at 5:18 PM, gavino200 said:

On a previous layout I glued plexiglass to the side of the foamboard. Liquid nails or something like that. The plexi was the height of the foam plus one inch. Giving a plexi fence of one inch. My foam was 2 inch thick but it was so secure, I'd bet it would work with one inch.

 

I painted the surface of the plexi where it was glued to the foam, leaving the fence part clear. I used masking tape to get a nice clean line. It actually looked ok, and worked great. No more crashes. No more tears.

 

I'll see if I can find a picture.

Those are both very good suggestions, though the use of magnets does sound interesting, it may be the harder of the two. Once day I hope to add an actual fascia onto the shelving and tables to make it look more like an "actual" layout. Though that's going to have to wait until the layout is more finalized, which could be awhile. Once I get to that step, I'll have to try both ways, for fun! 

(To be completely honest, I probably should do it now, and also remove the two floating curves that go off of the edge of the layout, because the only thing that'll happen is another (yes, another, haha) train will fly off of the table, and this time, it's probably going to be a bit more expensive than just a Kato E655!)

 

[Philphil]

Quick update: I've always wanted a big yard somewhere on the layout, but with the high cost of switches, I've always held off. SO, I'm slowly trying to design a plan for the Tobu Tojo Line's Shinrin-koen Depot, but shrunk down a bit and straightened out. The main lines are still Kato, while the storage tracks, switches, (and everything else besides the double crossovers, WHICH ARE LIKE $120 EACH 😯 ) will be PECO track laid down on HO Scale cork roadbed, to raise it up to about the height of the Kato Unitrack. The double crossovers used in the yard will be Kato, again, due to price. The design shown is not complete, and is still just a concept, missing all of the main yard tracks.

• Part of the reason(s) I decided to go with PECO track, rather than Unitrack for the yard was the lack of switches/other parts, and because of how large the spacing in between storage track would have to be if Kato track was used. Tracks in the actual yard are really packed in there, so my spacing should be about 1 track per inch, give or take depending on how many tracks I can get under each catenary pole.
• (Hoping to get at least 22 storage tracks within 2' 10" of space, not including the main line behind the yard, or the Chichibu main in front of it.)
• Yard catenary will be mostly made up of Tomix 3007 variable-width catenary poles.
• Also, yes, in the track plan, the straight track at the bottom of the AnyRail plan represents the Chichibu Railway main line, which will host occasional passenger traffic, along with freight traffic, and hopefully Tobu equipment moves with Chichibu electric locomotives leading.

Though the biggest challenge for this all might just be modeling the nearly full-sized maintenance building at Shinrinkoen (which can be partly seen in the top-right corner of the Google Earth image.

It has five separate tracks, each able to hold a full 10-car train, the model will (hopefully) have that same ability. This will be quite the scratchbuilding project, and I'm not quite sure where to start, so I'll get back to that later. 

If anyone has any good articles or tips for building large structures, they would be greatly appreciated!

Edited May 21, 2018 by Philphil

[kvp]

Why not go with Tomix non powered switches for the yard? Much easier than using peco.

 

Some greenmax and tomix buildings are usable next to each other, so could be combined to form large sheds.

[katoftw]

Where are you buying these gold plated crossovers from? I've never seen Kato or Tomix that high priced before.

[Philphil]

5 hours ago, katoftw said:

Where are you buying these gold plated crossovers from? I've never seen Kato or Tomix that high priced before.

I was just nosing around on eBay, and the Peco SL-E383F double crossovers range from $99 to $167, each. Those things might as well be gold-plated for that price! I'd be willing to bet I could find a cheaper price for them elsewhere, but I haven't looked yet. The Kato double crossovers are only around $35, so at the moment, they're the obvious choice, though I haven't checked on the Tomix track prices yet.

 

8 hours ago, kvp said:

Why not go with Tomix non powered switches for the yard? Much easier than using peco.

 

Some greenmax and tomix buildings are usable next to each other, so could be combined to form large sheds.

Huh, that's a very good point... I didn't realize that Tomix had non-powered switches, but that might be the economical solution if the Peco track turns out to be more expensive. 

I'll have to do some investigations into this!

[ianlaw]

UK based Hatton's has the SL-E383F for GBP63,- This is usually the lowest price you can find. Of course you need to add postage.

[railsquid]

28 minutes ago, ianlaw said:

UK based Hatton's has the SL-E383F for GBP63,- This is usually the lowest price you can find. Of course you need to add postage.

 

But knock off VAT for orders outside of the EU.

[Philphil]

Alrighty guys, as summer is winding down and school fast approaching, I decided to once again shelve my HO-scale projects and continue work on the N-scale layout! 

At the moment, I have a roughly 4' x 4' area selected to become part of an airport, specifically modeled after Narita for multiple reasons. 

I also have three new aircraft in:

(Sorry, no painted trains this time, just painted planes!)

1: An All Nippon Airways Star Wars-painted Boeing 777-300.

2: Another All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300, but this time painted as one of their former Pokemon-themed jets.

3: A Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) Boeing 747-800F.

I might make a post on the 'what did you order or the post deliver' thread later about these, and some new rolling stock which are actually N-Scale (the planes are 1:200 scale, which isn't too obvious given how BIG some of them are.)

 

As for the airport area, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to scenic it, but what I do know is that since those planes are solid metal, they're pretty darn heavy! The 747 alone is approaching 6lbs!

The airport will be on a raised section of the layout, which is partly for reinforcment, partly so I can shove a train station underneath it, if desired, and partly for looks, as a decent portion of Narita (specifically by the cargo terminals) is raised up above the rest of the land, probably for security reasons, among others.

So tonight, work on my layout continues once again! 

Be sure to follow this thread so you can get the latest updates, especially since scenery will be started soon as well!

Thanks for viewing!

~Phillip

[Bubule]

Nice aircrafts ! Very beautifull paint scheme !

Edited August 11, 2018 by Bubule

[Pauljag900]

On 8/8/2018 at 11:07 PM, Philphil said:

Alrighty guys, as summer is winding down and school fast approaching, I decided to once again shelve my HO-scale projects and continue work on the N-scale layout! 

At the moment, I have a roughly 4' x 4' area selected to become part of an airport, specifically modeled after Narita for multiple reasons. 

I also have three new aircraft in:

(Sorry, no painted trains this time, just painted planes!)

1: An All Nippon Airways Star Wars-painted Boeing 777-300.

2: Another All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300, but this time painted as one of their former Pokemon-themed jets.

3: A Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) Boeing 747-800F.

I might make a post on the 'what did you order or the post deliver' thread later about these, and some new rolling stock which are actually N-Scale (the planes are 1:200 scale, which isn't too obvious given how BIG some of them are.)

 

As for the airport area, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to scenic it, but what I do know is that since those planes are solid metal, they're pretty darn heavy! The 747 alone is approaching 6lbs!

The airport will be on a raised section of the layout, which is partly for reinforcment, partly so I can shove a train station underneath it, if desired, and partly for looks, as a decent portion of Narita (specifically by the cargo terminals) is raised up above the rest of the land, probably for security reasons, among others.

So tonight, work on my layout continues once again! 

Be sure to follow this thread so you can get the latest updates, especially since scenery will be started soon as well!

Thanks for viewing!

~Phillip

Bit disappointed there s no Airbus planes there buddy😂😂😂👍👍

[Philphil]

2 hours ago, Pauljag900 said:

Bit disappointed there s no Airbus planes there buddy😂😂😂👍👍

Haha, well hey, I am too!

I'm working to rectify that right now, but it would be helpful for eBay to drop another 15% off coupon first!

[Philphil]

Sorry Paul (actually, I hope that's your name, but right now I'm just guessing, so correct me if I'm wrong!) Still no Airbus' to round out the fleet of Boeings at the moment. 😯 

I'm still on the hunt for one, just for you! 

I guess Asian airlines don't have tons of airbus planes in their fleets, just a few scattered around from carrier to carrier, which is a bit odd... BUT STILL, THE HUNT CONTINUES!

 

Anyways, tiny amount of layout progress:

Did a bit more work to smooth out the 4' x 4' area of airport tarmac. It's not perfect, but it's certainly better than it was when I first put it down! Just a few cracks in it, only one is fairly major, but I should be able to cover it up.

Next step is painting, I suppose?

At least if the joint compound holds the weight of the planes, that is...

[Kiha66]

31 minutes ago, Philphil said:

Sorry Paul (actually, I hope that's your name, but right now I'm just guessing, so correct me if I'm wrong!) Still no Airbus' to round out the fleet of Boeings at the moment. 😯 

I'm still on the hunt for one, just for you! 

I guess Asian airlines don't have tons of airbus planes in their fleets, just a few scattered around from carrier to carrier, which is a bit odd... BUT STILL, THE HUNT CONTINUES!

 

Well, there is the upcoming (three) A380s ANA announced, in some interesting paint schemes to boot.

https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/pr/201804/20180425-2.html

[Philphil]

16 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

 

Well, there is the upcoming (three) A380s ANA announced, in some interesting paint schemes to boot.

https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/pr/201804/20180425-2.html

You're completely right about that, those are interesting!

I've actually been on the fence about getting one of those three for awhile, but I'm just not sure how much I like the turtle scheme, or which color to get... Isn't choosing hard some days?

Which one do you like the best, Kiha?

 

[Pauljag900]

It’s available here,at a price and only in 1/200 scales or 1/400 scale at the moment

https://www.airspotters.com/jc-wings-ana-airbus-flying-honu-lani-livery-a380-ja381a-scale-1-200-jcew2388001/

[TimWay4]

@Pauljag900 thanks for the link, have been considering getting a Japanese plane for my layout and that site looks perfect ^_^ 

[Pauljag900]

44 minutes ago, TimWay4 said:

@Pauljag900 thanks for the link, have been considering getting a Japanese plane for my layout and that site looks perfect ^_^ 

Hi mate,

i work for Airbus and fully intend to collect as many of these as I can eventually and hang them above the layout.

[Philphil]

51 minutes ago, Pauljag900 said:

Hi mate,

i work for Airbus and fully intend to collect as many of these as I can eventually and hang them above the layout.

Woah, do you really work for Airbus? What do you do for the company?

Go for it Paul, buy ALL the Airbus planes!

[Kiha66]

On 8/16/2018 at 9:29 AM, Philphil said:

You're completely right about that, those are interesting!

I've actually been on the fence about getting one of those three for awhile, but I'm just not sure how much I like the turtle scheme, or which color to get... Isn't choosing hard some days?

Which one do you like the best, Kiha?

 

I'm on the fence about them myself, not the biggest fan of the paint scheme as it is but in the context of the three being dedicated Hawaiian vacation aircraft its not too bad.  The interior looks really nice, I like the idea of the couch seat.  I like the green turtle plane the best, the face is pretty cute. 

[serotta1972]

On 8/15/2018 at 4:35 PM, Philphil said:

Sorry Paul (actually, I hope that's your name, but right now I'm just guessing, so correct me if I'm wrong!) Still no Airbus' to round out the fleet of Boeings at the moment. 😯 

I'm still on the hunt for one, just for you! 

I guess Asian airlines don't have tons of airbus planes in their fleets, just a few scattered around from carrier to carrier, which is a bit odd... BUT STILL, THE HUNT CONTINUES!

 

 

Here's an Asian Airline with an Airbus - https://www.airspotters.com/gemini-200-philippines-a330-300-rp-c8783-scale-1-200-g2pal598/

 

And they actually have a partnership with ANA.

 

Man, now I might have to get me some airplanes.

[Philphil]

Unfortunately, the airport tarmac has quickly developed these large cracks, the photo shows the worse of crack of them all. Even worse, it's not just one, but 10 or 15 of varying degrees.

Now I'll need to either find a different material to lay down on top of the hardened joint compound, or I'll have to scrape it all off and try again. 

(Feels like the Japanese airline administration wouldn't approve this tarmac for regular use, or at all!)

[Pauljag900]

47 minutes ago, Philphil said:

Unfortunately, the airport tarmac has quickly developed these large cracks, the photo shows the worse of crack of them all. Even worse, it's not just one, but 10 or 15 of varying degrees.

Now I'll need to either find a different material to lay down on top of the hardened joint compound, or I'll have to scrape it all off and try again. 

(Feels like the Japanese airline administration wouldn't approve this tarmac for regular use, or at all!)

 Best hurry before the CAA see it and shut the airport down !! 😂😂😂

Edited August 30, 2018 by Pauljag900

[Philphil]

2 hours ago, Pauljag900 said:

 Best hurry before the CAA see it and shut the airport down !! 😂😂😂

Oh no! And to think I have two new aircraft which just landed, and three more on the way! 😂

[Philphil]

Just got two more aircraft in, an ANA Cargo 767, and a Scoot 787-9!

(Sorry Paul, no Airbus aircraft have landed yet, but I do have one coming in from Hong Kong!)