When Rental layouts aint the best place to run your trains...

[JR 500系]

 

 

Don't know where to place this, but I find it pretty amusing... I mean, I can understand kids and love them, but when you are trying to run your beautiful limited edition trains and trying to film them as professionally as possible and there are some other kids there who are running super prototypically wrong trains at super Shinkansen speeds ~~  😛

 

Don't get me wrong, they are, in my opinion, very well behaved kids, cause I have seen much worse...   🙂

 

Check out the strange 2-car Tokaido line train running on the shinkansen viaduct at shinkansen speeds ~~ 

[chadbag]

I liked the really long Shinkansen and the really long station.   Not often you get to see that.

[katoftw]

Don't go filming your trains on Saturday or Sunday.

 

Looks like it would be a store In Kansai or more west of that.  Other than the few 4 car JR East trains, everything else was western Japan trains.  Pretty sure it is a Popendetta store though judging by the shelves and signage.

Edited June 20, 2018 by katoftw

[railsquid]

It's Popondetta: http://www.popondetta.com/hashimoto/ in a mall called "Ario Hashimoto" to the west of Tokyo.

[JR 500系]

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 6:59 AM, railsquid said:

It's Popondetta: http://www.popondetta.com/hashimoto/ in a mall called "Ario Hashimoto" to the west of Tokyo.

 

Oh wow I was almost gonna guess the Popondetta at Keio Shinjuku... 

 

The video made the Arigato 300 series really attractive... except for the fact that it was sharing the same viaduct with e a E233-6000 Yokohama line and a strange 2-car Tokaido line...  

 

I have so much questions about this... I know basically one pays for a rental track by either 15, 30, 45 or 60 mins block, and perhaps choose a track to run on? That means we cannot dictate only shinkansens allowed on viaducts or only local trains allowed on ground tracks etc? Are all the tracks made compatible to run all types of trains (i.e. R317min) ? Will there a chance that there would be a turnout somewhere (or is one even allowed to switch a turnout?) that crosses over to another track which is not the one you rented and therefore a chance to bang into another's train? 

 

Now I see why so many Japanese would still like to have their own layouts.... 

[railsquid]

47 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

I have so much questions about this...

I can give you some answers based on my extensive usage of such layouts (one 15 minute session with the Squidlet, much to the distress of the sole proper user), though I do usually have a look at the layouts when I see one for ideas etc.

Note these answers are general ones based on my observations from various Popondettas etc. but may not necessarily be the case everywhere, YMMV etc.

 

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I know basically one pays for a rental track by either 15, 30, 45 or 60 mins block, and perhaps choose a track to run on? That means we cannot dictate only shinkansens allowed on viaducts or only local trains allowed on ground tracks etc?

 

 

Nope, unless you e.g. rent all the Shinkansen tracks.

 

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Are all the tracks made compatible to run all types of trains (i.e. R317min) ?

 

I assume that would be the case, as these layouts are by necessity reasonably generously proportioned. Otherwise shops would have the hassle of writing up rules what trains can run where, and dealing with problems caused by the wrong train on the wrong tracks.

 

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Will there a chance that there would be a turnout somewhere (or is one even allowed to switch a turnout?) that crosses over to another track which is not the one you rented and therefore a chance to bang into another's train? 

 

I get the impression that some tracks, e.g. Shinkansen ones, have passing loops at stations, so you can switch between two trains on the main loop, but never between loops. The only exception I know of is the one in the Kato Hobbycentre, which has some kind of yard one one side and stern warnings not to change any points.

 

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Now I see why so many Japanese would still like to have their own layouts.... 

 

I think everyone would like their own layout 😉 But I have come to realise rental layouts play a role in the Japanese N gauge eco system by providing accessible locations where people can take their (potentially quite long rakes) out for a spin.

[JR 500系]

Professional answer and exactly what I was looking for, thanks Squid for taking the time! 

 

Yeah Rental layouts are great, which I wish I have one near my house right now to ensure my long shinkansens are still all in running order.... 

 

It could also be used as a quick fix to run some trains without the hassle of fitting it all up if one doesn't have a permanent layout ~~