Modelling end of service 0 Series Shinkansen sets

[22-141]

Hi, new here and new to Japanese railway modeling - my knowledge is in 1930's to 1990's UK rolling stock so I really am starting from scratch here.

 

I've just purchased as my first Japanese model; A Tomix 0 Series Shinkansen (cat no.98648) - It's 6 car in 'colour revival' blue, white and silver and is noted as an 0-7000 series (Is this correct?)

 

What I would like to know please is what changes would I need to make for it to resemble one of the last few sets in service? So far I have noted that I am limited to sets with the small windows and I will need to source some JR decals for the body sides. I am struggling to decide on a particular set identity as I would like to incorporate surviving lead / end cars, but all of the small window survivors seem to be the type with no pantograph, leaving me stuck for numbering the other end. 

 

My last question relating to this, is has a model been made representing the later production / end of service large window sets (such as for my namesake lead / end car)? 

 

All I can seem to find in terms of large window sets are the early production examples which do not feature deflectors for the pantograph wells / mounts - a pretty prominent feature, the parts for which are included in a separate bag on the set I have ordered 

 

Best regards, 

  22-141

Edited January 25 by 22-141

[disturbman]

Hi 22-141, welcome aboard.

 

54 minutes ago, 22-141 said:

What I would like to know please is what changes would I need to make for it to resemble one of the last few sets in service?

 

I'm slightly confused about that question, the 0-7000 were the last 0s in service. Tomix mentions that 98648 models the 0-7000 in the year of their retirement. So no changes should be needed.

You simply need to detail your set with the provided detailings parts and decal sheets.

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/98648.html

[22-141]

3 minutes ago, disturbman said:

Hi 22-141, welcome aboard.

 

 

I'm slightly confused about that question, the 0-7000 were the last 0s in service. Tomix mentions that 98648 models the 0-7000 in the year of their retirement. So no changes should be needed.

You simply need to detail your set with the provided detailings parts and decal sheets.

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/98648.html

 

Hi disturbman, thanks for the link and the welcome ^^

 

The question is mainly because I'm not familiar with many of the finer details on the 0 Series (I only learned today for example about the different window sizes and lack / inclusion of the deflectors) and because from a UK N gauge standpoint, I'm used to seeing more generic models with detail differences either omitted, done with paint or done with decals. So I was wondering what the case was with Japanese N gauge in terms of catering to smaller details and if there are any gaps in the tooling suites that may omit particular modifications of the prototype ^^

 

Best regards,

  22-141

[disturbman]

Thanks for clarifying 🙂

I'm not well verse in the 0 to tell you how accurate this model is, but with Japanese N you can usually assume that the larger "details" are properly modelled while the smaller ones might have been omitted and/or modeled in an economical fashion (moulded handrails rather than separately fitted). Usually, Japanese brand cater to a large market with models that are more aiming toward affordability than rivet-counting. Only Kato Roundhouse is known to make unprototypical trains as they reuse existing Kato moulds to offer specific liveries/formations.

Personally, I find their balance right. Even more since Japanese models are usually mechanically irreprochable.

[22-141]

Thanks, 

 That's good to know about the mechanisms. British OO and N can be a bit hit and miss and quality / compromises vary wildly between manufactures (it has got better in the last few years) 

 

With this knowledge in hand, I had wondered if there were any particular Japanese manufacturers to avoid quality wise, but if it's only a certain product line of Kato's that I need to avoid (I guess it depends on how familiar I am with the prototype and if the inaccuracies bother me), then all is good.

 

Best regards,

22-141 

[disturbman]

No. They are all good. But they all have their particularities, and some might be less for beginners as they cater for more niche interests.

Some people find Tomix too plasticky or toy like compared to Kato or MicroAce. I personally find GreenMax slightly lower in finish/plastic quality, but their models are perfectly fine and I'm very happy with the ones I have. And no need to avoid Roundhouse by default, they still have lovely trains 🙂

[22-141]

Oh that's good then - I'll be interested to see what the Tomix Shinkansen is like when it arrives. It will be a good benchmark for future purchases. It is an affordable entry point to this genre of the hobby for me before sinking money into other sets, elevated track sections etc - but looking around, the prices for many of these sets are quite agreeable, certainly compared to the price of UK N gauge stuff. I'm very tempted by the Dr Yellow set, but want to get a 100 series and 700 series first. 

 

I'd love to get the 500 type EVA Shinkansen (huge fan of NGE) but the second hand prices are astronomical 

 

Best regards,

  22-141 

[disturbman]

27 minutes ago, 22-141 said:

I'd love to get the 500 type EVA Shinkansen (huge fan of NGE) but the second hand prices are astronomical 

You will almost never find one at a not astronomical price. Though you could hunt for one on Yahoo Japan Auctions using your favourite proxy service. Price is usually around 60K JPY. Oh, and the get the Tomix one.
 

27 minutes ago, 22-141 said:

I'm very tempted by the Dr Yellow set, but want to get a 100 series and 700 series first.

Tomix re-released the 700 Railstar last year. The 100 hasn't been made in a while (except the X1 by MicroAce) and I expect Kato or Tomix will announce a model soon. Kato just re-released the Dr Yellow, so you can probably wait a bit to get one. Otherwise, in the notable recent announcements, Tomix announced the comeback of their 400. This one hadn't been made in a while, but you seem more into the Sanyo/Tokaido shinkansens. So that's probably moot.

Edited January 25 by disturbman

[22-141]

I've found a Kato cat no. 10-354 for sale which is a 100 series, but is the Grand Hikari set with a pair of double decker cars in the centre. I'm tempted by it, but I've never been a fan of streamliners that aren't 'flat' on top. I don't like the Thalys TGV for the same reason, but this Grand Hikari set (and photos of the prototype) do look good.

 

Half the problem with the EVA set is that on top of postage from Japan, i'll get hit with VAT and customs at this end. Sadly I'm yet to see one for sale in the UK which would cut out that problem

 

Hmm, decisions, decisions. 

 

Best regards,

22-141

 

Edit: Yes sorry I forgot to answer about my favourite routes and you are bang on. It's mainly a preference of the stock that was used on those lines, but also the scenery 

Edited January 25 by 22-141

[jappomania]

there is no need to avoid Roundhouse or Tomix or something else, eventually you need to avoid a specific model, sometime the same (or similar) train has been released from 2 o 3 manifacturer or one model is built from scratch and another one is a simple upgrade based on old molds
is better to ask before if you aren't so skilled
for example, under Roundhouse, Kato released only a couple of Shinkansen, Train Tsubasa and the EVA 500, the first with wrong windows arrangement (unmodified, same as normal E3), the second use the 500W set cars and not the modified 500V cars
in this case for the Train Tsubasa there is no options, nobody produced the righ cars so a wrong model is better than nothing, in the second case you can chose the Tomix version
normally the new release (new train built from scratch) are good, without wrong particulars or so on, the risk is with the new release based on old molds, for example the last E2-200 J66 relased from Kato and Tomix, the Kato is correct because they use the same mold as his previous release (same E2-1000 subseries), instead Tomix modified his molds from E2-1000 J70/75 to the same Kato series, but the pantograph cover predisposition near the panto has been omitted (it's a small detail but in the rooftop, correct for J70/75, not for J51/69 sets)

or if you buy one Tomix 0 large windows 16 cars set is a good choice, if you buy one Tomix 0-1000 small windows 16 cars, again a good choice, instead one Tomix or Kato 0-2000 16 cars set is not so good because doesn't exist in the real life a 16 cars set with only 0-2000 subseries cars

the correct consist production is started around 2000 thanks to Microace, during the last 25 years all the other manifacturer change his policy in the same way (not just a bunch of cars but a specific train number), but not everytime, so you need a little knowlege to avoid a fake release and buy just the correct train
yes, I'm specialized in finding whats wrong, a pain in the ass 😂  (bad english included)

 

ciao!

Massimo

 

p.s. Kato 100 series is one to handle with care, has been released 3 time in 25 years with the same item code, the train is good, of course, but the best thing to avoid problems with color matching is to buy all the 4-3 sets from the same run (white molded 25 years ago can be different from white molded 15 or 3 years ago, so first you need to know how to recon wich run is, second, if the cars inside the booklet are the correct cars or if has been mixed with the add-on sets, this is a typical and general trouble with used trains splitted in base+add-on sets, the best is to buy the complete train from the same seller that declare the set bought new (or a good series of photos to compare)

 

[SwallowAngel]

10 hours ago, 22-141 said:

but I've never been a fan of streamliners that aren't 'flat' on top.

 

Same here, I have the 10-354 set but IMO the fantastic nose design makes up for the odd hump in the middle

 

If you really can't stand the hump though you could try to assemble a K- or P-set. These followed the removal of the 100系s from the Hikari services and their later allocation to the Kodama services. The P-Formation (4 cars) is a bit of an oddball due to it's length (in fact the shortest Shinkansen in regular service), but the K-sets (6 cars) look just fine.

 

It's gonna be a bit difficult finding an appropriate model of these though, their Tomix releases are couple of years old, so second hand is gonna be the way.

Only other option would be to "though it out", i.e. accepting the hump and loving the 100系 as they are.

 

10 hours ago, jappomania said:

white molded 25 years ago can be different from white molded 15 or 3 years ago

I would also add the possibility of yellowing due to UV-Exposure. So buying used can be a bit of a gamble this regard.

 

P.S: If you're fine with an ivory and green coloured shianksen, I would like to point you into the direction of the 200系. While slightly different, some sets were fitted with the sharknose design and without bi-level cars, so these might be worth a look if the "flat top" is something you cannot live without.

Edited January 26 by SwallowAngel

[200系]

 

1 hour ago, 22-141 said:

I've just purchased as my first Japanese model; A Tomix 0 Series Shinkansen (cat no.98648) - It's 6 car in 'colour revival' blue, white and silver and is noted as an 0-7000 series (Is this correct?)

39 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I'm slightly confused about that question, the 0-7000 were the last 0s in service.

 

Well, yes and also no. The final 0 series formations in active service were the 6-car (W)R formations operated by JR West, more specifically the (W)R61~R68 sub formations which were indeed composed of 0 series 7000 sub-type cars. Within this sub-group, 3 formations, R61, R67 and R68 would be repainted back into the original livery, or a close approximation at least, which would be dubbed as the J.N.R. revival color, in April of 2008. It would be those 3 formations which would survive until the very end, with formation R68 operating the final scheduled 0 series service as Kodama 659 on November 30, 2008, while formation R61 would operate the final sayonara 0 kei, or goodbye 0 series, service as Hikari 347 on December 14, 2008. So yes, the Tomix model you purchased is indeed a representation of the 3 aforementioned (W)R formations as they appeared during the final 7 months of their service lives.

 

The no however, is in relation to the 0-7000 designation, which is a purely model based designation and isn't used as such for the actual prototype. The 0-7000 as used by Tomix model actually refers to the 0 series 7000 sub-type cars I mentioned earlier, and though it isn't entirely incorrect as the formations in question were indeed solely composed of those sub-types, however, this wasn't the case for most 0 series formations and as such formation groups are commonly used to define specific prototype compositions instead. As such, I've never been a big fan of the way model manufacturers, both Kato and Tomix have done so in the past, refer to some of their shinkansen models as 0-2000 series, 0-7000 series 500-7000 series etc., as though it isn't entirely wrong per se it isn't entirely accurate either, especially in relation to the 0 series.

 

Now before we dive a little deeper into this subject, I think it is important to establish the way electric multiple units are organized in Japan in comparison to what you may be familiar with.

 

When it comes to electric multiple units, the common practice in Britain, and continental Europe for that matter, has been to organize their EMU cars in (semi)fixed trainsets. As such, though there are exceptions to this rule, while EMU cars do have their own numbering system, the set they are part of, and as such the unit number, will usually remain the same for the entire duration of their service lives, though sets being shortened/lengthened and or cars being exchanged because of accidents did of course prove to be exceptions to this rule. As such when referring to BR or continental European EMUs it isn't entirely inaccurate to refer to them as sets, as that is, and has historically been, generally the case for those EMUs.

When it comes to Japanese electric multiple units however, this isn't generally the case and as such the frame of reference you have available to you, i.e. British Rail, isn't really applicable to the way it works in Japan.

 

In Japan electric multiple units are generally organized on a per car basis. This means orders are generally placed for a specific number of cars, subdivided between specific cars, with those cars than being used to form a formation. Cars are generally ordered in production batches, with those batches often, but not always, corresponding either to a fiscal year or specification changes made to the cars in question, i.e. a change in the type/sub-type of equipment being used, construction changes etc. From an organizational point of view, the individual cars themselves also play an extremely important role, as (A) the cars themselves are officially registered as railway vehicles, not the formation in its entirety. While the classification system is of course railways specific, the number itself functions as the official, legal, registration of the car in question, and though the number can be changed over the lifecycle of the vehicle, as soon as the car is scrapped by the railway, i.e. the car registration is cancelled (which doesn't necessarily means the cars has to be dismantled afterwards) the car in question would stop being a railway vehicle according to the regulations stipulated by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and would be legally barred from running on the mainline, unless pulled by another train. The same isn't true for the formation number, which can be freely changed or even dissolved with there being no effect on the official registration. (B) As such, maintenance and inspection limits are also performed on a per car basis, with for example inspection limits being specified on a per car basis as well. Formations meanwhile, which is the actual composition of train in question, are a much more loosely defined concept, and have been historically.

 

For old fashioned electric multiple unit cars, i.e. those introduced during the pre-war, wartime and early post-war periods (there are a number of technical characteristic which classify those cars as such, but for the sake of keeping this at least somewhat simple, I'll prevent myself from expanding on this subject), formations were extremely fluid, with cars being used to form formations based on the operational needs of that moment, and as a number of classes, especially on the National Railways, could operate in tandem with one another which meant that mixed formations were extremely common, with the composition of said formation oftentimes changing on an almost daily basis. As such, formation numbers were non-existent at this point in time, with only the cars themselves being assigned to specific operating wards. This would somewhat change with the introduction of the first high/new-performance cars in the early/mid 1950's (late 1950's for the National Railways) as the operating performance of said cars and the fact that most of them would now be made up of married pairs, i.e. the electrical and mechanical equipment needed to operate would be split between two adjacent cars, meant these cars would perform best in unified formations consisting of similar cars. That being said, even though this meant these cars would be operating in more unified formations, this didn't mean those formations would have to remain fixed in terms of the actual cars themselves, and as such formations would be formed based on the specific operational requirements of certain lines, or specific operating wards, with the cars making up said formations being freely exchanged, replaced or transferred to another ward as needed, with the compositions of said formations sometimes changing almost every inspection cycle.

 

Now why do I mention all this in relation to your question? Well, it's simple really, as the classification system used for the shinkansen is based on a modified version of the 1959 National Railways classification system and as such functions in a similar way.

 

This is especially true for the 0 series shinkansen, as there are a number of unique factors in the overall lifecycle of this series, which aren't present in most of the more modern design.

 

The 0 series, like a number of J.N.R. new-performance designs of that same era, was built over an exceptionally long period of time, with the first production cars being delivered in March of 1964, while the final cars wouldn't be delivered until April of 1986. A total of 3216 cars would be built during this period, with production being spread over a total of 38 production batches. Though the reasons behind the 0 series remaining in production for such a long time are varied, complex and well beyond the scope of this topic, it is important to note that this would have a significant impact in the way the 0 series formations would be formed, especially after 1976.

 

though most production batches introduced numerous, small, changes to the overall design of the 0 series, I would personally categorize the evolution of the 0 series, at least in manufacturing terms, along the following lines:

 

-> Batch 1 and 2 cars

 

The original cars ordered prior to the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen on the 1st of October, 1964. Within the cars ordered as part of the batch 1 order were originally intended to form 30, 6-car formations to be used after the official opening. The use of 6 car formations was initially considered to provide enough capacity taking into account expected ridership numbers, with coupled formations being proposed for busier periods. This however would be revised after the first cars had been delivered, with the usage of unified 12-car formations being decided on sometime in March of 1964. As such a second order was being placed as batch 2, which would contain a similar number of intermediate motor cars (15 type, 25 type, 26 type, 26 type 200 sub-type and 35 type cars), allowing the formation of 30, 12-car formations by September of 1964.

 

-> Batch 3~13 cars

 

Delivered between April 1965 and November 1972, the cars manufactured as part of these batches are sometimes regarded as the early type 0 series 0 sub-type cars. Though there were numerous changes between batches, there are still a number of unifying characteristics shared between those cars. The batch 1/2 cars would be modified in accordance to some of the more major changes introduced since the introduction of the batch 3 cars as they were introduced.

 

-> Batch 14 and 15

 

built between February and June of 1973, the cars built as part of batch 14 and 15 are sometimes considered as intermediate type cars, as they contained a number of notable changes when compared to the earlier cars, like the introduction of a continuous ventilation system (the batch 1/2 cars would be retrofitted with the same system) and the introduction of a destination and reserved/unreserved seat display on the car sides.

 

-> Batch 16~21

 

Built between September 1973 and July 1976, the cars ordered as part of Batch 16 through 21 are sometimes referred to as the late-type 0 series 0 sub-type cars, with these cars featuring unitized emergency exit hatches, revised destination and seat displays etc.

 

-> Batch 22~29

 

Built between September 1976 and September 1980, the batch 22 through 29 cars would be the first, somewhat, major change to the 0 series design, and as such would be designated as the 0 series 1000 sub-type cars). These cars would be the first to feature small windows, with the design being based on the windows used on the 961 type test trains introduced in 1973. though there seems to be a misconception among the English speaking enthusiast community that the change in windows was related to the metal fatigue issues which had manifested themselves during the 5th general inspection of the batch 1/2 cars back in 1974, and which would ultimately lead to the mandated service life of the 0 series cars being reduced from 20 down to 13 years afterwards, this isn't really the case as fatigue cracks would present themselves along the load bearing structure of the cars, particularly along the rafters and the joint between the side structure and the roof, with the windows, and the area around the windows being unaffected. Instead the switch to small windows was an economical decision as the large windows proved to be rather expensive to replace in comparison to the smaller windows. the batch 22 cars would also be the first cars ordered specifically to replace the older, life expired, cars with the batch 22 to 29 cars being used to replace the batch 1 through 5 cars (though 48 cars ordered as part of batch 22 would be used to form 3 additional Hikari formations, forming formations N97~N99).

 

-> Batch 30~38

 

Built between November 1981 and April 1986, the batch 30 through 38 cars would represent be the second major change of the 0 series design, and as such would be classified as the 0 series 2000 sub-type cars. These cars would also feature small windows, though as the seat pitch was increased in comparison to the 0 and 1000 sub-type cars the passenger windows would actually be enlarged in comparison to the preceding 1000 sub-type cars. In addition, the emergency exit hatches would be eliminated as part of this revision, while the cab side windows would be changed, with a sliding side window based on the design used on the 200 series being introduced. the batch 30~38 cars were ordered as replacement for the batch 6~12 cars.

 

As such, in combination with a number of revisions to the overall composition of numerous formations, formation types etc. during the period between 1964 and 1976 the 0 series formations were constantly changing, even if the formation numbers itself remained the same. This was especially compounded by the replacement of life expired early production cars being scrapped starting in 1976, with newer 1000 and 2000 sub-type cars replacing the life expired cars. However, due to the aforementioned reorganization of formations, the extension of existing formations from 12 to 16 cars and the eventual cascading of slightly older cars towards formations which still contained even older production cars in order to replace them, post 1976 most 0 series formations would slowly become so called mixed formations, with formations consisting of 1000 sub-type and 0 sub-type (late), 2000 sub-type and 0 sub-type or even 2000, 1000 and 0 sub-type cars all mixed in the same formation becoming increasingly more common. As the distribution of cars wasn't even among formations either, this sometimes would include formations consisting mostly of late production 0 sub-type cars with only two 2000 sub-type cars mixed in, as was the case for the higher numbered Hikari formations, as we'll see later.

 

The introduction of a life extension program for the 0 series shinkansen in 1985, which would cover cars built from batch 9 and up, in response to the formation of the original mini-shinkansen, which would be the formation of the first 6-car R formations starting with formation R0 (later to become R21) in the autumn of 1985, would see another shift with a limited number of life expired cars going through this program initially. With the introduction of the 100 series X formations, starting in 1985, and later the 100 series G formations between 1988 and 1992, after JR Tōkai was established, newer 0 series cars being displaced by the introduction of the new 100 series formations would start to be used to replace slightly older cars, which in turn would be used to replace older 0 sub-type cars. As a result, in the period after the dissolution of the National Railways, the remaining 0 series formations would be changing almost constantly, with several formations seeing their cars being transferred or replaced during each general inspection cycle (every 900,000 kilometres or 3 years depending on which would come first, though this was generally the 900,000 kilometres, with the average interval between inspection being about 2 years and 2 months for the 0 series during the 16-car era). As both JR Tōkai and JR West would develop their own life extension programs based on the experience gained during the National Railway era, this would be added to the already eclectic mix. 

 

For example, let us use the aforementioned 22-141 as an example.

 

22-141 Was built by Hitachi Zōsen as part of the batch 21 order cars, which were the final 0 series 0 sub-type cars to be ordered prior to the introduction of the first 0 series 1000 sub-type cars during the autumn of that same year. As the batch 21 cars were ordered in order to expand the number of available Hikari formations, she would be used to form 16-car formation H94, which would be the second to last H formation to be formed, with 22-141, being a 22 type car of course, becoming car no. 16 of said formation (i.e. on the Tōkyō side of the formation). Though 14 out of the 16 cars used to form this formation were also built by Hitachi Zōsen as part of the same production batch, cars number 9 and 10, 35-129 and and 26-330 respectively, had been originally built by Hitachi Zōsen as part of the batch 8 cars, on the 29th of July, 1968. This was down due to the 1974 revision of the Hikari formations, prior to the opening of the final section of the Sanyō Shinkansen which would be completed on the 11th of March, 1975, with the revision freeing up a number of 35 type (buffet cars) and 26 type 200 sub-type cars which were than used in combination with new built cars in order to expand the number of Hikari formations.

 

The formation would see numerous changes, even during the J.N.R. era, with 35-129 and 26-330 being scrapped on the 9th of September, 1983, with these cars being replaced by 37-2526 and 26-2228, which were 2000 sub-type cars built by Kinki Sharyō as part of production batch 33.

 

After the dissolution of J.N.R. on the 1st of April, 1987, formation H94, and as such 22-141, would be transferred to JR West though the formation would continue to be utilized for combined Tōkaidō-Sanyō Shinkansen services, mostly for Hikari services though occasional Kodama services would also be performed. With the introduction of the 100 series V formations by JR West, and later the 300 series F formations would see a number of changes being made with regards to the JR West series cars, with older cars being scrapped, while the formation of specialized formations like the (W)S/Sk formations (West Hikari formations) and the expansion of the 6-car R formations would see surplus, newer cars, being used to displace older, life expired cars, with those cars filling in for other cars which were then transferred to the next formation, with those cars being freed up to replace the life-expired cars, almost like a game of railway musical chairs. As such, the composition of formation H94 changed no less than 3 times between 1991 and 1995, and by 1995, of the 14 cars which entered service back in 1976 only 21-141 and 22-141 remained as part of the same formation.

 

Formation H94 would be among the final JR West 0 series Hikari formations to remain in service, and would be the last 16-car formation to still feature 0 series 0 sub-type end cars. She would be retired on the 2nd of June, 1997 as JR Tōkai ended scheduled 0 series Hikari services on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, with the 0 series being subsequently barred from these services from that point onward. Though irregular Hikari services, like for example as additional Hikari services during busy period like golden week etc. would still be allowed, this would require a much smaller number of formations to be retained by JR West. Formation H94 would not be one of those being retained, with most of the cars being scrapped in June and July of that year. 21-141 And 22-141 would be among those that survived however, with both cars being used to form 4-car formation R52 in September 1997, which would be reclassified as formation Q2 in March of 1998. As the Q formations were, once again, composite formations, containing surplus cars which were being cascaded from either retired JR West Nh/H formations or existing R formations, formation Q2 would be a mixed formation with 21-141 and 22-141 being joined by 0 series 1000 sub-type cars 26-1028 and 25-1042 (though initially 37-1023 would be used when the formation was still classified as formation R52). Formation Q2 would be retired in the autumn of 2000 as the first 4-car 100 series P formations entered service, with the formation being retired in October 2000.  All cars with the exception of 22-141 would be scrapped on the 27th of November 27th, 2000, while 22-141 Herself would be scrapped on the 9th of March, 2001 as the final 0 series 0 sub-type car to be scrapped [note1]. Of course the rest of the story should be familiar to you, with 22-141 ending up at the NRM after being scrapped, while the forward section of 21-141 was preserved at the Shikoku Railway Culture Museum.

 

With regards to the 0 series 7000 sub-type cars, these were created as part of a wide ranging (passenger) accommodation improvement program performed by JR West starting around 1990, which saw a number of improvements being made to the interiors of a part of the JR West 0 series fleet, which included, among others thing like new, 2+2 rotating, reclining seats for reserved seating on standard cars etc. In order to differentiate them from non modified cars, they would be renumbered into separate number ranges, with former 0 sub-type cars being renumbered as 3000 sub-type cars, 1000 sub-type cars as 5000 sub-type cars and finally 2000 sub-type cars would be reclassified as 7000 sub-type cars. Most of these cars would initially be modified for use on the newly formed (W)S/Sk formations, though a number of cars used on the remaining JR West Nh/H formations would also be upgraded as part of the same program. The R61~R68 sub-group of the (W)R formations, i.e. the final group of 0 series formations in service would be composed of cars transferred from the former (W)Sk formations.

 

 

Anyway, that should hopefully answer at least part of your question. I hope my wall of text didn't complicate things even further for you, though this would be difficult to evade as the 0 series is by far the most complex shinkansen series when it comes to operational history and the overall organization in general.

[chadbag]

I was waiting for @200系 to join this discussion

 

[disturbman]

@200系 Thanks for the lengthy explanation. It was a pleasure to read, as always. It explains why I always found reading articles on the various 0 versions so confusing as they often mix up sub-series number with batch/formation types. Your purely batch approach is much clearer and logical.

Do you know if any manufacturer ever released one of these later mixed-consists? These seem much more interesting to me than a pure "small window/large window" consist.

@22-141 As Massimo recommended, I would be careful buying the Kato 10-354. I do think we are bound for a new 100 announcement soon, and if I were you I would wait to buy a 100. Or I would look at hunting the MicroAce X1 formation release.

[22-141]

Thankyou for the mass of information everyone, both on the models and from @200系 on the prototype information. I never realised that the 0 Series was this complex when it came to sub types - It has at minimum made me realise that the set I've bought is not 'wrong' for what I originally intended to have, which was a formation including both 22-141 and 21-141, as there is not a singular set / pack that is or has been available to cater for those end cars in the last decade of their service lives. 

 

If I was to pick up an early 'large window' Tomix 0 Series Shinkansen to add to what I have bought to make this mixed formation, would I be able to buy the deflectors for the roof separately as set 98731 does not appear to come with them in the parts bag?

 

Best regards and thankyou so much for the help, 

22-141 

[22-141]

@jappomania @disturbman Is it possible to tell from the box and paperwork inside how recent an issue of the Kato 10-354 that I'm looking at is? 

 

The seller has put up quite a few photos of the set and the box including paperwork, so hopefully there will be an identifier? 

 

Best regards,

 22-141

[jappomania]

31 minutes ago, 22-141 said:

...what I originally intended to have, which was a formation including both 22-141 and 21-141 ..

 

where's the trouble?

all the Shinkansen train formation till service start, you can find this info also on some books,but this is free

http://kodama473.g2.xrea.com/siryou/tokai-sanyo/ts-first.html

obviously not all the trains formation can be modelled so simply because not all the cars (original 0-1000-2000 or upgraded 5000-7000 subseries) has been released, so maybe you need to mix cars from different sets (or scratchbuild/kitbash if necessary)

 

about 100key, of couse! you can identify the batch from the character on the green cover and from the pamphlet inside the booklet

the first batch you can see on cover pamphlet only the item code 10-354 base set or 10-355 add-on set

one the second run you find both code in the pamphlet, in the last relese you find all the 3 codes 10-354/10-355/10-1213

for the 10-356 (2 cars add-on) change the character on the cardboard (also the production date printed, but is too small, you need a lens)

give me a couple of hours and I find the photo if you want...(just the time to find it in my storage)

 

ciao!

Massimo

 

 

[jappomania]

10 hours ago, SwallowAngel said:

...

I would also add the possibility of yellowing due to UV-Exposure. So buying used can be a bit of a gamble this regard.

 

sure! but Kato is less sensible to UV compared with Tomix, and there is an "alarm sign" you can't ignore the Kato nose (zero and 200 series) become dark yellow or marron (much more than Tomix cone nose and mobile frames) so you can evaluate the sun exposure, the bad thing is that the cone nose is available like spare parts so... anyway, the risk of buying used items can't be erased 😌

 

ciao!

Massimo

[22-141]

@jappomania

 

Thankyou - sorry yes I meant I'll need to mix and match sets and try and track down some extra roof deflectors ^^ 

 

Am I ok to share screenshots from eBay listings in here? 

 

Best regards,

  22-141

[disturbman]

Just post the listing's link.

Edited January 26 by disturbman

[22-141]

11 minutes ago, disturbman said:

Just post the listing's link.

 

I was a bit hesitant as some forums I go on don't like eBay links, but sure ^^ 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276281997621?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OdsNc0ZfRWa&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ikUzdqRaQ6S&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Best regards,

  22-141

[Kamome]

This looks like a pretty early release of 10-354.

One giveaway is the card corner insert. This was used a lot in sets released about 20 years ago but is not something Kato do these days. The other is the font used on both the book case cover and the included document. This has been changed by Kato at least in the last 15 years.  The document will have the printed date either on the inside page or on the back. This cannot be seen in the eBay posting.

 

My set is 10 years old and you can see a few of the differences.

  



The date is printed on the rear of the paperwork in this case. 

 

Despite it looking like it’s been well looked after, this is quite a lot to pay for a set of this age. They go for between ¥5000-¥11,000 on sites in Japan like Mercari.

Edited January 26 by disturbman
formatting issues with pictures. Added line jumps

[22-141]

@Kamome Thankyou - the set looks good for it's age, but if I can get it that cheap on Mercari then i'll probably leave it. I'm happier to pay a bit more when there's good photos & description, but in this case it's too much I guess. The same seller has a 700 series for sale, but the box is similar so I guess it's old too? 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276289892736?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OdsNc0ZfRWa&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ikUzdqRaQ6S&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Best regards,

 22-141

[Kamome]

10-397 is a also pretty old model number, probably around 1999-2000. 

[22-141]

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for newer sets then ^^ 

 

Best regards,

  22-141