Nozomi super express recommendations

[Kiran]

So I bought a Tomix 500 series Shinkansen 8 car set 92815 when I was over in Japan a couple of weeks ago https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10163983. But this doesn't sound like the Shinkansen I took to go from Tokyo to Kyoto though. So the wife says I can get another train for my upcoming birthday. Any recommendations on the Nozomi super express trains? I would like an 8 car but can also get a smaller one. I don't really want to go over $150-$175. Thanks in advance for any recommendations. 

 

Thanks,

Kiran

Edited May 14, 2018 by Densha
Removed unrelated image.

[chadbag]

Most of the ones that run now on that line are N700 based.  

[gavino200]

Yes, the Nozomi is a an N700. We got on one by accident. We had paid for the Hikari. A train pulled in 3 minutes before our departure time. We assumed it was our train. That assumption would have been safe, anywhere else but Japan. In fact, within those three minutes, the Nozomi would stop,  take on people (including us), leave, and then the Hikari would arrive. The ticket inspector was very nice about it and didn't even charge us for an upgrade. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by gavino200

[JR 500系]

Hi Kiran:

 

A little background, the Nozomi is actually a service, not exactly a train name... Throughout the years, there had been many models of shinkansens that were in Nozomi service, like the 300 series, 500 series, 700 series and the current N700 series. Most Nozomi trains are 16 car lengths. 

 

Regarding the Nozomi you are looking to purchase, since it is 8 car lengths, it really isn't prototypical, so you can actually play along and use any of the Tokaido/ Sanyo shinaksens you like and treat them as Nozomi trains! That is great fun! I highly recommend the 500 series. It is truly a train that screams FAST... 

 

Otherwise, more prototypical trains are the N700s. Tomix has them HERE (Basic set with motor) and HERE (add-on set without motor, with case) on pre-order, and are quite close to your budget for a 8-car set, though you might discover the train car numbers are not running and the end car is car number 16... 

 

 

[chadbag]

Well Said @JR 500系

 

Just for interest:  The Nozomi service is the fastest service (in terms of time to get to where you want to go, not top speed) on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansens (run by JR Central).   Today it is pretty much exclusively N700 models I believe (and they are NOT JR Pass eligible).  The Hikari service is the next level of service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.   Also mostly N700 series trains.   The major difference between Nozomi and Hikari is the frequency of service (Nozomi runs more times per hour usually) and the Hikari stops in a couple extra stations (say between Osaka and Tokyo). Because it stops a few extra times, the total trip is a little longer than on the Nozomi.   I believe the trains themselves (when using the same series equipment) travel at the same top speeds, etc. where possible and the major difference is the number of stops.   The Hikari IS JR Pass eligible.   

 

On the Tokaido / Sanyo Shinkansen, the slowest service is the Kodama (Also JR Pass eligible).    These (usually) stop at every station on the Shinkansen lines and so take much longer to make the trip from Osaka to Tokyo.   While the difference between the Nozomi and Hikari on the Osaka -- Tokyo run is in the 10s of minutes, the Kodama service is hours longer.   Most Kodama services are shorter routes though there are, I believe, Kodama that go on the longer routes as well.  The primary purpose of the Kodama is to service the smaller cities, and allow residents of these smaller cities to have Shinkansen service (and to transfer to the faster Hikari and Nozomi services at the bigger stations -- used as feed Shinkansen).   Today, the 500, 700, and N700 series trains are used on Kodama services.     (Originally the 500 was a Nozomi level train but was moved to Kodama when newer trainsets because available and fit in their timetables better).

 

JR West runs equivalent services (as far north as Osaka).   The Sakura is the same level as the Hikari, and the Mizuho is the same level as the Nozomi (and has the same JR Pass restrictions).

 

[Kiran]

1 hour ago, JR 500系 said:

Hi Kiran:

 

A little background, the Nozomi is actually a service, not exactly a train name... Throughout the years, there had been many models of shinkansens that were in Nozomi service, like the 300 series, 500 series, 700 series and the current N700 series. Most Nozomi trains are 16 car lengths. 

 

Regarding the Nozomi you are looking to purchase, since it is 8 car lengths, it really isn't prototypical, so you can actually play along and use any of the Tokaido/ Sanyo shinaksens you like and treat them as Nozomi trains! That is great fun! I highly recommend the 500 series. It is truly a train that screams FAST... 

 

Otherwise, more prototypical trains are the N700s. Tomix has them HERE (Basic set with motor) and HERE (add-on set without motor, with case) on pre-order, and are quite close to your budget for a 8-car set, though you might discover the train car numbers are not running and the end car is car number 16... 

 

 

Thank you JR500 for clarifying the service pattern. I have the 500 series and I am loving it. I am going to think about the N700 series. Maybe start with a 4 car set. I just don't have the space in my apartment to have the track for a 16 car set.

 

Thanks,

Kiran

[Kiran]

36 minutes ago, chadbag said:

Well Said @JR 500系

 

Just for interest:  The Nozomi service is the fastest service (in terms of time to get to where you want to go, not top speed) on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansens (run by JR Central).   Today it is pretty much exclusively N700 models I believe (and they are NOT JR Pass eligible).

 

My friend and I were berating ourselves for not researching the JR pass properly. We didn't realize that we had to order it in advance and have it shipped to international addresses. In the end, it wasn't a big deal. The only time we used JR was when we traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. I don't know if JR pass is valid on Narita Express. I didn't think it would be. I will not make the mistake of forgetting JR pass before my next trip (if and when).

[Pauljag900]

3 hours ago, gavino200 said:

Yes, the Nozomi is a an N700. We got on one by accident. We had paid for the Hikari. A train pulled in 3 minutes before our departure time. We assumed it was our train. That assumption would have been safe, anywhere else but Japan. In fact, within those three minutes, the Nozomi would stop,  take on people (including us), leave, and then the Hikari would arrive. The ticket inspector was very nice about it and didn't even charge us for an upgrade. 

That d be me,no question😂😂

[Pauljag900]

1 hour ago, JR 500系 said:

Hi Kiran:

 

A little background, the Nozomi is actually a service, not exactly a train name... Throughout the years, there had been many models of shinkansens that were in Nozomi service, like the 300 series, 500 series, 700 series and the current N700 series. Most Nozomi trains are 16 car lengths. 

 

Regarding the Nozomi you are looking to purchase, since it is 8 car lengths, it really isn't prototypical, so you can actually play along and use any of the Tokaido/ Sanyo shinaksens you like and treat them as Nozomi trains! That is great fun! I highly recommend the 500 series. It is truly a train that screams FAST... 

 

Otherwise, more prototypical trains are the N700s. Tomix has them HERE (Basic set with motor) and HERE (add-on set without motor, with case) on pre-order, and are quite close to your budget for a 8-car set, though you might discover the train car numbers are not running and the end car is car number 16... 

 

 

The 500 is what got me in to this hobby,a Chance viewing on YouTube and that was it,hooked!

I work in the aircraft industry as an aircraft fitter and when I first saw it it reminded me of an aircraft fuselage,I ve since found out that aircraft technology was used for the aerodynamic design.

it is truly a magnificent train and an amazing piece of engineering.It s just beautifull.👍😀😀

[JR 500系]

51 minutes ago, Kiran said:

Thank you JR500 for clarifying the service pattern. I have the 500 series and I am loving it. I am going to think about the N700 series. Maybe start with a 4 car set. I just don't have the space in my apartment to have the track for a 16 car set.

 

Thanks,

Kiran

 

No worries! I don't have the luxury of space too to even run a 8-car set without it looking like it is half the length of the whole track layout.... It's ok keeping them, since we never know when we can move into a larger apartment and finally have the space to run a 16-car one!

 

1 hour ago, chadbag said:

Well Said @JR 500系

 

Just for interest:  The Nozomi service is the fastest service (in terms of time to get to where you want to go, not top speed) on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansens (run by JR Central).   Today it is pretty much exclusively N700 models I believe (and they are NOT JR Pass eligible).  The Hikari service is the next level of service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.   Also mostly N700 series trains.   The major difference between Nozomi and Hikari is the frequency of service (Nozomi runs more times per hour usually) and the Hikari stops in a couple extra stations (say between Osaka and Tokyo). Because it stops a few extra times, the total trip is a little longer than on the Nozomi.   I believe the trains themselves (when using the same series equipment) travel at the same top speeds, etc. where possible and the major difference is the number of stops.   The Hikari IS JR Pass eligible.   

 

On the Tokaido / Sanyo Shinkansen, the slowest service is the Kodama (Also JR Pass eligible).    These (usually) stop at every station on the Shinkansen lines and so take much longer to make the trip from Osaka to Tokyo.   While the difference between the Nozomi and Hikari on the Osaka -- Tokyo run is in the 10s of minutes, the Kodama service is hours longer.   Most Kodama services are shorter routes though there are, I believe, Kodama that go on the longer routes as well.  The primary purpose of the Kodama is to service the smaller cities, and allow residents of these smaller cities to have Shinkansen service (and to transfer to the faster Hikari and Nozomi services at the bigger stations -- used as feed Shinkansen).   Today, the 500, 700, and N700 series trains are used on Kodama services.     (Originally the 500 was a Nozomi level train but was moved to Kodama when newer trainsets because available and fit in their timetables better).

 

JR West runs equivalent services (as far north as Osaka).   The Sakura is the same level as the Hikari, and the Mizuho is the same level as the Nozomi (and has the same JR Pass restrictions).

 

 

Well summarised @chadbag ! 

 

A little clarification though, on the Sanyo Shinkansen which stretches from Shin-Osaka to Hakata, It is operated by JR West, not JR Central... JR Central or aka JR Tokai, operates the Tokaido line, which runs from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka... 

 

Further, the Nozomi not only is the fastest, it is also the only one that allows a stream-less transfer-free ride from Tokyo to Hakata. Hikari doesn't do from Tokyo to Hakata (most ends on either Shin-Osaka, Nagoya or even up till Hiroshima), only the Nozomi does the full run from Tokyo to Hakata, which can be convenient from those who lands in Tokyo and wishes to get to Kyushu without transferring at all (or vice versa, which happened to me once). 

 

41 minutes ago, Kiran said:

My friend and I were berating ourselves for not researching the JR pass properly. We didn't realize that we had to order it in advance and have it shipped to international addresses. In the end, it wasn't a big deal. The only time we used JR was when we traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. I don't know if JR pass is valid on Narita Express. I didn't think it would be. I will not make the mistake of forgetting JR pass before my next trip (if and when).

 

The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto would have cost about half of the price of the rail pass, so doing a round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto would justify the price of the 7-day Rail Pass based just on that travel leg journey... And yes, the JR Pass CAN be used on the Narita Express or (N'EX), which is my personal choice over the Keisei as Shinjuku, Tokyo or Ueno sounds better than Keisei-Ueno which is a long walk from JR Ueno station... Not nice to be doing that route with all your luggage along... 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by JR 500系

[serotta1972]

59 minutes ago, Kiran said:

Thank you JR500 for clarifying the service pattern. I have the 500 series and I am loving it. I am going to think about the N700 series. Maybe start with a 4 car set. I just don't have the space in my apartment to have the track for a 16 car set.

 

Thanks,

Kiran

 

I save all my trains that are 10 cars or longer for running at the club.  Those 16 car Shinkansens are a sight to see on a large layout.  

 

 

[chadbag]

6 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Well summarised @chadbag ! 

 

A little clarification though, on the Sanyo Shinkansen which stretches from Shin-Osaka to Hakata, It is operated by JR West, not JR Central... JR Central or aka JR Tokai, operates the Tokaido line, which runs from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka... 

 

Further, the Nozomi not only is the fastest, it is also the only one that allows a stream-less transfer-free ride from Tokyo to Hakata. Hikari doesn't do from Tokyo to Hakata (most ends on either Shin-Osaka, Nagoya or even up till Hiroshima), only the Nozomi does the full run from Tokyo to Hakata, which can be convenient from those who lands in Tokyo and wishes to get to Kyushu without transferring at all (or vice versa, which happened to me once). 

 

Thanks for the clarification.   

 

The Sanyo may be JR West run line, but the Nozomi (and Hikari trainsets past Shin-Osaka) are JR Central trainsets.   I don't know if they switch crew (I doubt it but don't know) at Shin-Osaka.  The JR West trainsets are colored differently, the crew have different JR West uniforms, and the equivalent service (terminating at Shin-Osaka) are Mizuho (Nozomi) and Sakura (Hikari).  

 

The Wikipedia article implies that the Hikari runs all the way to Hakata but looking at Hyperdia. all non-Nozomi routes require a switch (which Hyperdia usually schedules for Shin-Kobe or Okayama).   I think there was a time when Hikari did run all the way to Hakata, as I recall taking some trains from Shin-Osaka all the way down that were the white/blue JR Central ones and the (nicer) Sakura trains were infrequent.  Maybe the frequency of Sakura went up and so they stopped running Hikari all the way through.  My travels would have been 2007-2011 probably.   I don't think I have been past Hiroshima, going south, since around that time.

 

I don't know how it is now, but the Sakura N700 (and the former Hikari Railstar 700 by JR West ?) were 2+2 seating in the reserved section instead of 2+3 like on the Hikari N700 and nicer overall interiors.   The first N700 I rode, when they were new and just used on Nozomi by JR Central, was a Sakura.  It was really impressive.

Edited May 14, 2018 by chadbag

[Kiran]

So my N700-1000 4 car basic set has arrived today and it is running nicely...Also doesn't derail at full throttle on my C280 curve rails unlike the 500 series. Really happy with it so far!

 

Edit: Correcting a dictation error. N700-1000 and not N701. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Kiran

[JR 500系]

30 minutes ago, Kiran said:

So my N700-1000 4 car basic set has arrived today and it is running nicely...Also doesn't derail at full throttle on my C280 curve rails unlike the 500 series. Really happy with it so far!

 

Edit: Correcting a dictation error. N700-1000 and not N701. 

 

Great! It's amazing that the N700 makes it through the R280s... The recommended curve is R317, but I haven't tried the N700 but I know that the 700 series can... Do beware of the nose though, if you are building a layout, the nose will get caught in the curves if there isn't enough clearance... 

[Kiran]

1 hour ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Great! It's amazing that the N700 makes it through the R280s... The recommended curve is R317, but I haven't tried the N700 but I know that the 700 series can... Do beware of the nose though, if you are building a layout, the nose will get caught in the curves if there isn't enough clearance... 

Thanks for pointing out the nose. I did notice that it isn't as sharp as the 500. No plans for a major layout just yet. Just the bridge set which is on its way.

[Kiran]

I see on hobby search that the N700a series has a 4 car and 8 car add-on set. If I get both of those, this will be a 16 car train. I am curious if 1 car with the motor is enough to power all of the 16 cars?

[gavino200]

6 minutes ago, Kiran said:

I see on hobby search that the N700a series has a 4 car and 8 car add-on set. If I get both of those, this will be a 16 car train. I am curious if 1 car with the motor is enough to power all of the 16 cars?

 

If you have a flat track then it will work. If you have inclines, then it will probably slow down a bit on the hill.

Edited June 10, 2018 by gavino200

[Gryphr]

4 hours ago, Kiran said:

I see on hobby search that the N700a series has a 4 car and 8 car add-on set. If I get both of those, this will be a 16 car train. I am curious if 1 car with the motor is enough to power all of the 16 cars?

I'm not sure if you have the Tomix or the Kato version - if you have the Tomix one, the 8 car extension contains a second motor car to help out. If you have the Kato model you can purchase an additional Power unit and bogies to swap into one of the other cars to get a second motor car.

[Kiran]

18 hours ago, Gryphr said:

I'm not sure if you have the Tomix or the Kato version - if you have the Tomix one, the 8 car extension contains a second motor car to help out. If you have the Kato model you can purchase an additional Power unit and bogies to swap into one of the other cars to get a second motor car.

Thank you. I have the Tomix version.

[katoftw]

Do you really want 2.5 meters of train?  Just throwing out the random question before you go adding the last 8 cars to the consist. My apologies if you have already asked yourself the question.

Edited June 11, 2018 by katoftw

[sandiway]

How many meters of straight track would one really need to have a 16 car Shinkansen get up to max speed, hold it for a few glorious seconds and then decelerate to a stop. Thinking about a temporary out and back layout running my (unused after I upgrade to TNOS) Tomix TCS 5563 in mode 1 with the 4 sensors. Would 10 meters of track be enough? 

[katoftw]

More. A 16 car train is 2.5 meters long.

[sandiway]

On 7/26/2018 at 5:06 PM, katoftw said:

More. A 16 car train is 2.5 meters long.

Maximum length of the main room in my house is approximately 15 meters. That's around 2.5 km scaled up. According to Wikipedia, a real N700A takes about 3 mins to get up to max cruising speed. At max acceleration of 2.6 km/h/s, thats 11.7 km needed to speed up. Therefore I guess nobody has a house with a long enough room... :(

[chadbag]

38 minutes ago, sandiway said:

Maximum length of the main room in my house is approximately 15 meters. That's around 2.5 km scaled up. According to Wikipedia, a real N700A takes about 3 mins to get up to max cruising speed. At max acceleration of 2.6 km/h/s, thats 11.7 km needed to speed up. Therefore I guess nobody has a house with a long enough room... 😞

 

That is doing it scale.  

 

If you don't care about doing it in a scale fashion, and have a straight section before the 90 degree curve into your long section (ie, the return curves 90 deg into a straight section of a meter or two and then curves in to your 10 meter long section)  you could probably have a good speed going already when you start the long section, ie, not start from a stop.   I don't know if 10m is enough but  starting the section at a good clip already lessens the length you need.

 

[Socimi]

1 hour ago, sandiway said:

Maximum length of the main room in my house is approximately 15 meters. That's around 2.5 km scaled up. According to Wikipedia, a real N700A takes about 3 mins to get up to max cruising speed. At max acceleration of 2.6 km/h/s, thats 11.7 km needed to speed up. Therefore I guess nobody has a house with a long enough room... :(

 

You don't need such a long stretch of track to have a shinkansen accellerate realistically.

My suggestion is to have an oval-shaped layout with standard shinkansen 4 track station. 

The train departs the station, then it enters a tunnel (wich hides the unrealistic short curves), runs on an open mainline stretch then enters the other tunnel and then it can run in a loop and pass thru the station at a realistic scale speed of 300 Km/h for as many times as you want. Then it can, again realistically decellerate and stop at the station.

 

 

Whereas a variant that i suggest is the one with a long continuous tunnel that not only hides the unrealistic curves, but also the "secret" storage tracks, so that you can change the sequence of trains passing thru the station (and having more than just two on the layuout).

 

 

This kind of layout is extremely compact, as it can be just more than half a metre wide, and simple as it requires 4 to 8 switches and it has no complex circuit interlockings.

 

With a 16-car train such a layout would need a space atleast 3.25/3.5m per 0.75/1 meters.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Socimi