The Introduction Thread...

[Mudkip Orange]

Welcome to the forum, man!

 

Your space limitations are shared by many on this forum (myself included), as well as a decent chunk of the Japanese domestic market. Unitrack/Finetrack uber alles!

[cteno4]

The MSDS sheets are meant to be used by professionals to evaluate things for frequent, heavy, or emergency exposure and not for the general public. if you read them it sounds like everything will kill you! they are meant to be a summary of all the types of things that might be associated with a compound/mixture for reference by professionals evaluating things. Thus its hard to use them to assess your home exposure on things that we are exposed to in our hobbies/lives. the one use they can have is sometimes they give you the compounds used in a product that you cant find elsewhere (ie does a product have a particular solvent you want to avoid in a process/material application).

 

Best is to just use common sense. avoid getting stuff onto your skin, eyes, mouth, lungs when you can easily. good ventilation is good for a start with anything that is volatile. eye protection always good when things are flying (or have a high potential to fly). and not ingesting is always a good idea! again nothing that your mom probably didnt tell you!

 

a little exposure to these chemicals aint gunna kill you. yes there is a tiny tiny tiny risk that any exposure could start something, but its the relative risks you need to weigh. folks will go to extreme measures to reduce one tiny risk and keep doing huge ones all the time. statistics will tell you its the big risk ones that will most likely getcha so all that work for the tiny risks will probably not pay off at all, but doing something about a high risk one will!

 

that being said you can still do some simple things to avoid small risk w/o much hassle. a dollar store fan on your work table turned on when you are using anything with volatile organics really dilutes the problem away (you may still be able to smell it a bit in the room, but you dont have the high concentration of it going right down your lungs). getting a little glue on your fingers is not going to do much, but if you constantly have fingertips coated with styrene glue, ac glue, or paints you might want to think about nitrile gloves when being messy!

 

again a little common sense goes a long way!

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

Also--thanks for the "material safety" section on your site. It answered a lot of questions I had, and cemented (ha) my determination not to buy regular model glue.

 

Yeah, that stuff is nasty. It's surprising how toxic some things are that people (including me) use without thinking about them. I've certainly taken the warnings about "good ventilation" more seriously since reading the Material Safety Data Sheets when I was researching that page (which I started after reading how some "non-toxic" glues actually were toxic to touch during curing).

 

On the other hand, I've used styrene glue for years, with no apparent harm, usually bent over a desk in a closed room.  I think you have to take the material safety data sheets for chemicals with a grain of salt, since they seem to be written assuming occupational exposure (frequent and for long periods), rather than being aimed at hobbyists whose exposure is infrequent and of limited duration. Nonetheless, I'm much more careful now.

 

I will post larger pictures of the track plan on the project thread I started, although I'll probably wait until I finish re-drawing the track plan in RM4 with actual elevations and grades.

[NozomiFan]

Velkommen!

 

If you have a folding table, and a Hollow Core Door lying around, you can easily put a V11 oval track on top of the Door.

 

Track

 

Door

 

Table

[Fat Al]

Extra virgin here.

 

Hi, my name is Al, and I'm a complete noob. I haven't built any train sets since I was a little kid, and even then I was a rank amateur. But I've always wanted to build my own trainset, and now that I'm about to move into a new flat (I live in Hong Kong), I may have a chance to.

 

I have this idea of having a raised floor in my family room (about 15" to 18" high), and have a 6' x 4' enclosure covered by glass. I know of someone who has done it before, so it is possible. But to be honest, I'm starting from scratch, so I'm looking for any good info on my endeavour.

 

The good thing is that I travel to Japan about once every two months for vacation, so I have good access to all the Japanese kits. I don't speak Japanese, but I can read the Kanji, so it does help.

 

Anyway, any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Mudkip Orange]

I don't speak Japanese, but I can read the Kanji

I think you must be the exact inverse of a decent chunk of the people here.

[Fat Al]

It's true, I can read the Kanji because I'm Chinese. So I have no trouble getting around Japan at all. It just becomes an issue when people start talking...

[Kabutoni]

Hi Fat Al!

 

Well, I'd suggest to start small, with a small layout to test and try your modelling skills, then step up to larger projects. A good method for this is modular building; making modules that connect to each other and are thus part of a larger layout in the end.

 

I hope you find the forum useful!

 

P.s. what is you favourite area of interest in regard to Japanese railway modelling?

[disturbman]

Welcome aboard Al! I'm happy to have you here, with us.

 

Toni's suggestion is quite good. You can also just start (again) by having a floor layout so you can play around and test things. See what you like and what you would want to have for a layout.

 

I find you idea to locate your layout under your feet quite nice. It can help you save space. But you might find the trains to far away and too small. I find it's allways best to have your train at eye level.

[Martijn Meerts]

Extra virgin here.

 

Hi, my name is Al, and I'm a complete noob. I haven't built any train sets since I was a little kid, and even then I was a rank amateur. But I've always wanted to build my own trainset, and now that I'm about to move into a new flat (I live in Hong Kong), I may have a chance to.

 

I have this idea of having a raised floor in my family room (about 15" to 18" high), and have a 6' x 4' enclosure covered by glass. I know of someone who has done it before, so it is possible. But to be honest, I'm starting from scratch, so I'm looking for any good info on my endeavour.

 

The good thing is that I travel to Japan about once every two months for vacation, so I have good access to all the Japanese kits. I don't speak Japanese, but I can read the Kanji, so it does help.

 

Anyway, any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

We all start as amateurs, the advantage is that starting these days, there's a lot more info easily available, and more people willing to help. When I started you didn't count as a railroad modeler unless you had Marklin H0, getting help or advice was near impossible. Luckily, there's a nice and helpful international forum for Japanese model trains =)

 

Picking a certain region to concentrate on is probably a good idea. It'll limit what you can (or, should) buy, which is a good thing because there are a LOT of interesting Japanese trains coming out all the time. Also, many trains require a ton of space if you want to be prototypical.

 

Of course, I didn't pick a region myself, so I ended up with trains from all over the country and from various time periods. I don't really mind, I don't necessarily want to be prototypical, but being prototypical can mean a really nice layout with a great atmosphere.

[cteno4]

Hi Al,

 

hey you might think about ttrak as an idea to get started. great for doing street car scenes and you can work on one small module at a time. usually they only end up costing $20-40 per module for everything so you can build as you get money and slowly increase your skills with practice. a few of us are doing ttrak street car modules then using a little auto reversing and pausing circuit to have the trams go up and down a set of modules in a row on a book shelf for when we are not running them in a larger loop or other configuration. neat way to store, display and run them. see the threads below and then ask questions and we can help you think through things! best thing is to just start playing some! welcome!

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,1022.0.html

http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,1255.0.html

[KenS]

I have this idea of having a raised floor in my family room (about 15" to 18" high), and have a 6' x 4' enclosure covered by glass. I know of someone who has done it before, so it is possible. But to be honest, I'm starting from scratch, so I'm looking for any good info on my endeavour.

 

Interesting idea.  I've seen an N-scale layout built in a large coffee table with a glass top. That was just a simple freight line loop with a siding or two, but I think the same idea could work pretty well for a tram layout or a rural DMU line.

 

It sounds like your plans are a bit more ambitious. That's not bad, but as others have said, if you're new to this it may be best to start small and work up. It's very easy to underestimate the work involved, and become discouraged (I've done it a time or two myself).

 

But whatever you do, keep us informed and ask for help when you want it.

[qwertyaardvark]

Extra virgin here.

 

Hi, my name is Al, and I'm a complete noob. I haven't built any train sets since I was a little kid, and even then I was a rank amateur. But I've always wanted to build my own trainset, and now that I'm about to move into a new flat (I live in Hong Kong), I may have a chance to.

 

Welcome to JNS! ^_^

 

For starters, I recommend starting a new thread under Personal Projects just so that you have a place to put ur ideas and our comments. As you can see from the responses, members of the forum are ready, willing, and able to help you out!

 

I can kinda understand where you are coming from with the noob-ness; prior to my currently-under-construction first layout, I had only been collecting J-trains for less than half a year, and prior to that had only played with a starter Lionel set when I was 9 or 10 years old, some decade-ish ago! As fellow noob, I can say there is a lot of information available here. I too would go with the general consensus of starting small just to make sure you don't bite off more than you chew. I opted for a layout kit because all the materials and instructions were included, but a module is also a good starting point too. It does feel daunting at first, but with patience and persistence, you'll achieve the layout you've been dreaming of~

 

I am *very* jealous that you get to go to Japan so often. :P

 

Much luck to your endeavors, and most importantly, have fun!

[Fat Al]

Thanks for all the responses! I must say the underfloor layout is my ultimate goal, because I'm rather space limited where I'll be living at. So I don't have an attic or otherwise to put something like this. Train modelling in HK isn't very popular because of the space constraints, that's why there isn't a lot of shops locally that sells these things. However, if I want to do this underfloor model, I must decide now to do it, as the time for renovations are coming soon. After that, I don't think I can modify my condo any further, unless if I move to another place.

 

The coffee table idea is also good, I'm wondering if that's a better alternative. The problem is I do want a somewhat decent sized layout, and I've also thought about the modular idea. It's all a bit too much to wrap my head around at this moment.

 

I've been a modeller of other items, right now I've put most of my energy into building RC models (cars and trucks). I have a Tamiya Leopard 2a6 tank sitting in my room waiting to be built. So I have some basic modelling skills, and I do have a basic idea of how to use an airbrush. But fabricating is something totally new to me, so this is a challenge which I'm looking forward to.

 

In terms of the type of trains I want, I'm not a huge Shinkansen fan, I must admit. I'm more into the local trains in Japan, with their variety of colours and special paint schemes. At the used stores in Akihabara, I've seen quite a few special edition trains for sale before, I'm sort of kicking myself now for not having bought them when I had the chance.

 

I've thought about the type of layout I want already, with an oval track running on the outside of the diorama, and a tram inside that track. At least that's as far as I want to go at this moment, but I'm sure there's room for further improvement. But I don't even know if that's feasible with the underfloor system i'm looking at. So we'll see...

[to2leo]

Hey Big Al, I am from HK too!  Though living in Toronto, Canada for over 20 years now!

 

Space is at a premium in HK, so choosing Kato or Tomix for tracks is highly recommend.  That way, you can assemble and disassemble them without worrying about rail joiners getting lose or humidity problems of other brands.

 

Also start with a starter set from Japan as it already provides you with a power source, tracks and a 4 cars trainset at an affordable price.

http://www.katomodels.com/product/nmi/best_selection.shtml

or

you can invest in n gauge model trams like those of Kato Unitram or Tomytec.  They are affordable, tiny and fun to run especially if you get the full set.  The layout also resembles how HK is like too!

http://www.katomodels.com/unitram/

[disturbman]

Thanks for all the responses! I must say the underfloor layout is my ultimate goal, because I'm rather space limited where I'll be living at. So I don't have an attic or otherwise to put something like this. Train modelling in HK isn't very popular because of the space constraints, that's why there isn't a lot of shops locally that sells these things. However, if I want to do this underfloor model, I must decide now to do it, as the time for renovations are coming soon. After that, I don't think I can modify my condo any further, unless if I move to another place.

 

You know, you should go ahead and create the space now and populate it later on. :)

[Fat Al]

Just another thought, I did run across a Tomix DD51 kit the other day. It looked quite attractive to me. I wonder if it's worth the investment at this point. If I can get my hands on a Yamanote line kit now, that would be awesome too! I think I'm just too noob to go buy individual track pieces right now.

 

Unfortunately, the selection here is a bit limited as I said, I'll have to look again when I go to Japan later on this month.

 

Again, thanks for all the responses, even if I haven't responded to each of you individually!

 

to2leo, I too am from Toronto once upon a time. I've just gone back home to the natives, that's all. 

[Martijn Meerts]

The Tomix DD51's are great runners, and they're lovely locomotives to look at as well. Not to mention that they're pretty universally useable =)

[Lawrence]

Oh good another new guy, we can bumble along in synch!

 

Welcome aboard Al, as a fellow novice in this field I can assure you that the guys on here have a fantastic knowledge base and, it would appear, limitless patience (and I'm sure I have tried it!) 

[DJdeTrainman]

Hi all! My name is DJ, and I'm relatively new to Japanese model railroading. I'm a teenager here in the U.S., and I've found these very interesting. Expecially the shinkansens!!! I'm really looking into the B-Train Shorties, and the Tomytec looks cool too. Still waiting to get a Tomix/Kato set, still deciding which I'll eventually go for. Thanks ahead of time for the warm welcome!

[CaptOblivious]

Hi all! My name is DJ, and I'm relatively new to Japanese model railroading. I'm a teenager here in the U.S., and I've found these very interesting. Expecially the shinkansens!!! I'm really looking into the B-Train Shorties, and the Tomytec looks cool too. Still waiting to get a Tomix/Kato set, still deciding which I'll eventually go for. Thanks ahead of time for the warm welcome!

 

Welcome DJ! As someone else on a tight budget (I read your other post), I understand what it's like. Take your time, and expect ahead of time that you're going to miss out on releases that you otherwise want. But it really is amazing what you can accomplish with very little money. I look forward to seeing progress on your B-train layout!

[Martijn Meerts]

Wow, a teenage model railroader, that's a rare breed =)

 

At least, outside of Japan it is...

[Mudkip Orange]

Still waiting to get a Tomix/Kato set, still deciding which I'll eventually go for.

 

To give you some perspective, in 2004 I decided it would be awesome to own a Kato Yamanote Train, but I didn't have the money. They release it, it sold out, I missed it.

 

Then they released it again, and it sold out.

 

Then they released it again, and it sold out.

 

They released it again, it sold out again.

 

And then they released it YET AGAIN last year. Guess what? It's in stock at Hobby Search.

 

Point is, with most Kato/Tomix stuff you'll have multiple chances. And if you really really miss out on a train (say it was a special paint scheme or something), there's always eBay. Every few months someone somewhere rejoices because they scored a Nankai Rapi:t, a crazy Jules Verne-looking train that hasn't been produced in years.

 

Otherwise welcome to the forum, and if you have cats make sure to keep them AWAY from your trains!

[disturbman]

And don't overlook Microace products, they really are good too.

 

B Trains or Tomytec Railway collection are a good starting point if you really are on a tight budget but they can become pricy if you start adding things like motors, trucks, tighter coupler systems, pantograph or want to run 6 or 8 cars trains.

[keiman]

Newbie here, not to model railways but to Japanese trains.

Years ago used to model 009 narrow gauge (Welsh quarry trains)

Moved on to Z gauge in a big way still have all the rolling stock- Swiss and US(BNSF and its fore-runners) also Zm ( Swiss Narrow gauge)

 

We then moved to a smaller house and I got back into trains, having diversified into Japanese Cars. (Own 2 now and both are Kei vehicles)

Started getting involved in T gauge but have been hampered by the lack of points etc.  Have 6 trains so hope to get back to that when the products I want are available, but then decided to go N gauge and now have a reasonable collection of Kato and Tomix track.

Kato for the trains and Tomix for the Trams.

[cteno4]

We then moved to a smaller house and I got back into trains, having diversified into Japanese Cars. (Own 2 now and both are Kei vehicles)

Started getting involved in T gauge but have been hampered by the lack of points etc.  Have 6 trains so hope to get back to that when the products I want are available, but then decided to go N gauge and now have a reasonable collection of Kato and Tomix track.

Kato for the trains and Tomix for the Trams.

 

Kelman,

 

welcome! glad you are into t gauge. more is coming with tgauge. Mr. Hirotsugu Hirai (president of Eishindo Company) gave a talk here to some of the jrm members a couple of weeks ago. they are refining the motor and drive trains more and are actively working on the turnouts. ill see if i can publish the full report we got from the member that was present. looks like he will be in the dc area again on march 5 so contact me if you are in the area and are interesting in seeing the latest and greatest with tgauge!

 

cheers

 

jeff