Tomix 313 - Close coupling issue

[disturbman]

Not broken per say.

I bought two Tomix 313 sets to make a 4-car consist. The sets came with factory installed TN couplers on the cab sides but the coupling is too tight . It's possible to couple the trains together but there is a perceptible tension in the couplers and the gangway connections forcefully rub against each others.

I don't know if it is a design issue or if I perhaps didn't put the shells back correctly after installing the gangways. The shells were not that easy to remove and to put back in place due to how the lights fit into them. I tried to couple one of the sets to another, non-problematic, 115 set but the tension is still there.

I have been thinking about filing the gangways 😳or switching the couplers to another type... Did anyone of you encountered this issue or have an idea on how to resolve it?

Link to a HS  image for those that want to have a view of the coupler: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10461137/20/7

[katoftw]

Just use one gangway.

[disturbman]

Sure, I could, but it looks a bit funny and it leaves a noticeable gap. I am also pretty sure that the sets are supposed to have all gangways installed.

 

Would love to hear if others had similar issues with their 313s.

[katoftw]

28 minutes ago, disturbman said:

 I am also pretty sure that the sets are supposed to have all gangways installed.

Are you sure?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/313_series#/media/File:JR_Central_313-1300.jpg

[JR 500系]

1 hour ago, disturbman said:

Sure, I could, but it looks a bit funny and it leaves a noticeable gap. I am also pretty sure that the sets are supposed to have all gangways installed.

 

Would love to hear if others had similar issues with their 313s.

 

Hi disturbman I just received my new 2-car non powered 313-300 set, thinking to couple it with my 313 3-car basic set for a nice 5-car long 313. (besides, the 313-300 was going for quite a deal so..)

 

Nevertheless, now that you mention it, I did release it had some issues with the coupler and the close 'knocking' of the gangways too! Did yours occur on the front end cab cars? Mine is in-between the cars, where 2 gangways (factory installed) are rubbing each other and sometimes they even cause derailments due to the tightness of the coupler... I took a closer look at the coupler but they seem fine, body and everything was correctly attached... I too am wondering why a factory fitted coupler could cause such an issue, though one solution might be to remove on of the factory installed coupler on one car... 

[disturbman]

7 hours ago, katoftw said:

Are you sure?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/313_series#/media/File:JR_Central_313-1300.jpg

 
I meant, on the side where the cabs are coupled together, on the model. i never saw a model where only one gangway was required.

 

6 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

Nevertheless, now that you mention it, I did release it had some issues with the coupler and the close 'knocking' of the gangways too! Did yours occur on the front end cab cars? Mine is in-between the cars, where 2 gangways (factory installed) are rubbing each other and sometimes they even cause derailments due to the tightness of the coupler... I took a closer look at the coupler but they seem fine, body and everything was correctly attached... I too am wondering why a factory fitted coupler could cause such an issue, though one solution might be to remove on of the factory installed coupler on one car... 

Yes, the issue occurs at the cab ends. My models do not have close coupling between cars, just at the cab ends.

Do both of your couplers move freely in their housings? I had once a KiHa 66 that had a stiff TN coupler which lead to running problem and a few derailments.

[Sheffie]

I think it’s high time someone formulated a material for gangways that’s elastic enough to make contact without a gap on straights and yet squish together when needed in corners. Perhaps alternate layers of foam and rigid material, or just foam with a striped bellows pattern on the outside  

Edited March 23, 2019 by Sheffie

[cteno4]

There were some a garage company in japan was doing from folded paper just like the real ones. 

 

Small neodymium magnets could hold them together when coupled but also need to hold them back when uncoupled, another magnet inside may do that trick at a bit of a distance so as to clamp when pushed back closed but have a stronger attachment directly to the coupled magnet (and when coupled the coupling magnets would be even further from the hold back magnets in the car doorway).

 

you can do something simpler by just folding some thin paper in an accordion fashion the width of the diaphragm. Then trim to height and shave the corners off a tad. Not perfect but from 6” or more away I doubt you could tell the accordion went all the way across even on a curve. I played with this and it works but to make nice you need to find very thin but tough paper that can take hard folds well. I just used a small bit of brass strip stock I had about the width of a diaphragm to use as a folding edge and measuring tool to keep each leaf the same width and parallel. Then put in the vise for a bit to try and crimp the folds tight. Probably could do 2 or 3 diaphragms worth tall and cut them down, but may be simpler to just do them individually with a strip the height of the diaphragm. It’s been on my to do list for the art store or try to track down a paper store. Very thin high quality origami paper may be it. Also needs to be totally pigmented black.

 

Magnets are a bit harder to figure in to these full accordion paper idea to do mating diaphragms, so my thought was to do the diaphragm as one piece between cars. Then cut styrene doors that fit into the doorways. Drill a 2mm hole in the center and mount a 2mmx1mm disc neodymium magnet in it. Then inside the car mount a chunk of styrene across the doorway (painted appropriately) and a magnet mounted in it in the center of the doorway to match up with the door magnet. Then just pop these between trains. Should simplify things and since many of these consists don’t get pulled apart for operations usually no need to have mating diaphragms on each car. Most of the car doorways are pretty similar in size as well.

 

Anyhow on the list of projects to work on here!

 

Cheers,

 

jeff

[katoftw]

Just saw on another thread that the hoods have two different depths. Might be worth investigating.

[katoftw]

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/98228.html

 

One cab with and one cab without. As per prototypical running.

[disturbman]

6 hours ago, katoftw said:

Just saw on another thread that the hoods have two different depths. Might be worth investigating.

 

Do you have a link? I can't find this.

 

4 hours ago, katoftw said:

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/98228.html

 

One cab with and one cab without. As per prototypical running.

Hum. I guess I will give it a try but I am not convinced. Prototypically, there is always only one gangway between cars but models usually have two, one on each car.

 

I believe Tomix pictures are only there to show how the model looks with and without the gangway installed.

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/92839.html

[katoftw]

I dont have much experience with Tomix MU sets. But all my MicroAce Kiha sets have come with only one hood per direction on cab cars.

 

This is the thread. The vid showed the hoods.

 

 

[disturbman]

Well, my apologies, you were right. I just tried and the fit is perfect. I never had a set that only required a single gangway before.

Thank you.

[Gryphr]

I had a similar situation on an old Micro Ace 115 series a while ago, came with gangways on all cab cars, even though it is physically impossible to use close-couplers with 2 gangways equipped. Interestingly all prototype pictures I've found show these specific trainsets without any gangways equipped (unless two are coupled), but I suppose it's always good to have spares.