Karakura, N scale.

[Huib]

Dear all,

Last week I got started on my new project in N scale. The 180 x 75 cm layout features a small station on an imaginary branch line, more or less inspired by Hotaka. After the station, the journey continues over a small bridge and a line branches off. The layout will get overhead wires, except for the line that branches off. So the station will see a mix of electric and diesel rolling stock.

 

The woodwork is done. The next step will be laying the tracks. I will be using Peco code 55 finescale for this project. Operation will be DCC. I will be making vlogs of the entire project (at prutsvlog.nl), but the videos will be in Dutch.

 

Take care!

 

Huib

Edited October 7, 2023 by Huib

[Grant_T]

Very nice. I love the curves on the track and the frame.

[MeTheSwede]

I wasn't expecting both professional level modeling and professional level video productions!

 

I will very much look forward to following your Karakura build as well as going through all your old videos. 👍

 

I can get the gist of your clearly spoken Dutch (being fluent in English and Swedish and having decent German) but can't help but thinking you could potentially reach a much larger audience with some subtitles. These days if you have completed an srt-file in clearly stated Dutch, just putting it through machine translation will produce say good English and German versions, which could be quckly checked manually for any major AI screw ups.

 

 

By the way, the fact that 1000 study hours of Japanese still hasn't taken my comprehension further than 0 study hours of Dutch is a bit disappointing. 😅

 

[Martijn Meerts]

That was a lot of progress in a single video 😄

 

I really like your method for designing and drawing the track plan. While I do also like making a rough version using software, like you said, you do end up with a lot of straight sections and no real fluidity in the whole layout.

 

Also, if you need any Japanese buildings, let me know, I have quite a lot of the TomyTec buildings (pre-painted, pre-weathered, some are real nice, some can be incredible warped..) which I'm not planning on using. I also have a variety of cars/buses/trucks/people you may be able to use.

[Huib]

Hi all,

Last weekend I got around to laying the track. The first trains are moving now. Here is a short video on YT to watch...

 

Up next: turnout motors, decoders and wiring.

 

Grtz! Huib

[Huib]

All the trackwork is done now. And I converted my Tomix models to DCC with Lenz and ESU decoders. It was quite a job to convert these 'anti-digital' models, but they run pretty well now.

 

 

[Huib]

Hi All,

As the layout construction is underway, I am looking for working Japanese signals. Apparently, there are none. However Japanese signals seem to look a lot like French signals. Like this one from Mafen (see image attached). It shouldn't be too hard to make them look more like the Japanese signals (i.e. paint over the white outline). Has anyone looked into this option?

Grtz, Huib

 

 

[Madsing]

Hi Huib,

Correct, there are no straightforward solution when using DCC.

Greenmax signals look nice (https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10839763), but you'll have to add your own LEDs.

Kato and Tomix have their own working signals but they are not compatible with DCC. On my layout, I use Tomix TCS signals (such as https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10160430), I remove (unplug) the mast from the base and use a DIY Arduino-based controller to interface them with my Z21.

Marc

 

[Huib]

I have got the wiring for the points and track done.

 

Up next: exploring different options for the signals and the railway crossing. I might also start with the basic landscape over the next few weeks. We'll see..

 

 

[Huib]

I have made a start with the scenery and designed the platform. Here is the 2nd prototype in place. Just a few small tweaks and I can make the final version. 

 

The platform is made from 2 mm + 10 mm Styrodur (black XPS foam). I traced the tracks to create a template, scanned the template and drew the platform in Adobe Illustrator. The parts were cut with a laser cutter. The Styrodur will be painted in different shades of grey to mimic the concrete.

 

Grtz! Huib

[Huib]

I also made a start with the buildings. Most buildings will be based on kits (there is so much...). Some will be repainted and all will be weathered. The next big project is ballasting the tracks.

 

Grtz! Huib

[Huib]

The platform looks a lot better with some paint 😉

 

I also made a small railway bridge from a left-over piece of Styrodur and styrene strips.

 

This is going to be a fun build 😉

 

Grtz! Huib

Edited January 13 by Huib

[Huib]

I couldn't find any convincing Japanese tunnel entrances, so I designed them myself. There are two versions: one for diesel trains and a slightly taller one for electric trains. Both will be used on my layout. The entrances are made from 1 and 5 mm Styrodur, with a (cheap Chinese) laser cutter. The designs are based on real-world examples I found on the internet. Of course, they still need to be painted.

 

How do you like them?

 

Grtz, Huib

[cteno4]

Very nice! I didn’t realize expanded polystyrene could hold up so well on laser cutting like that. Is the surface texture on the blocks also from lasercutter or from paint?

 

jeff

[Huib]

Hoi Jeff,

 

The blocks are engraved into the Styrodur (polystyrene). I still need to paint them. Drybrushing this stuff produces a remarkably convincing stone look.

 

Grtz! Huib

[Huib]

I started experimenting with laser cutting Styrodur a few weeks ago. And I must say, I am pretty impressed by how well it goes. It is also an interesting way to save a lot of cash on walls and other stone structures from the familiar brands. 😉

 

Grtz! Huib

[cteno4]

Did you dry brush stippling the end of the brush flat onto the surface? It’s a nice speckled, stippled pattern.

 

did you cut the portal and wall all out of one piece of xps? Goin 3d past just etch lines is almost like turning the lasercutter into a reverse 3d printer.

 

lasercutter is on the list as next big tool for me! Need the time to play, interesting to see another material to use with it! Really need to vent those fumes well.

 

jeff

[Huib]

Hi Jeff,

I haven't touched these prototypes with paint yet, so this is the natural XPS colour. I have stacked layers of thin XPS to get the 3D effect.

 

Grtz! Huib

[Huib]

Here is a little poll for all of you. I did a test with exact-to-scale-ballast from Koemo (website at: koemo.de).

 

Which colour combination works best for a Japanese branchline with limited traffic, do you think?

 

Grtz! Huib

[Yavaris Forge]

Referring to this picture of the JR East Senzan line (Okushinkawa Station):
 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/奥新川駅構内踏切.jpg

 

The DD+R15 combination looks best to me, ballast tends to get a brownish colour bc of rust and general dirt. Close second would be DN+R15.

Is the DD+R15 mixed 1:1? Imo it could look better with more R15, maybe 1:2 or even 1:3 depending on how rural it should look. Or try mixing some R20 in there as well.

I need to make the same decision for my in-progress layout, too, but first I need to lay and wire the tracks. But I'll make sure to follow where this is going!

[Huib]

I tend to agree with you. The DD+R15 looks more homogeneous; the DN+R15 appears a bit too speckled. I plan to vary the mix a little along the track.
 

Grtz! Huib

[Martijn Meerts]

I also experimented a little bit with the Koemo ballast, both for N and H0. I don't think there was really a single colour I preferred, and it was different depending on the scale as well.

 

What I did find though, is that the prototypical N-scale ballast looked a bit too fine. From a bit of a distance it started to look more like sand rather than ballast (might also just be my eyes 🙂 ) I was thinking about trying the coarser N-scale variant they have, but haven't gotten around to that yet.

 

[MeTheSwede]

From the photo it seems like outside of the stations, green ballast might be most prototypical.  😉

[Grant_T]

On 1/16/2024 at 4:50 AM, Yavaris Forge said:

JR East Senzan line

 

I rode this line twice last week. 🙂

[Huib]

@Martijn MeertsGood point about the ballast being too fine. I will do a re-check and have a look at the coarser Koemo ballast. After all, J-scale is slightly larger than  European N-scale. I have narrowed the colours down to DD, DN and R15.

 

Grtz! Huib