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Kanjiyama - An N gauge Japanese Terminus Layout


Claude_Dreyfus

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Claude_Dreyfus

Thanks.

 

It is nice to see it in print - with lots of pretty pictures that seem to look much better in the magazine than they did on my camera! That said, it is this thread which has charted the layout's progress from a pair of bare boards to what you see in the magazine. It has appeared on other forums - but in no way to the extent it has here.

 

There have been discussions over most aspects of the layout, with any number of suggestions made on here which have been taken up and appear on the model.

 

Whilst I have been to Japan, I would go as far as to say the layout would not have been possible without the knowledge, support and input from this forum. All comments have been appreciated!

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Great article Nick. Enjoyed reading it last night with a cold beer. CM this month was dominated by Bavarian layouts which was strange. 

 

Apart from Japanese dioramas, the first Japanese layout in CM was Tony McDiarmid's Seibu Shinjuku in 1991, but I may be wrong. His later layout Shin Izu appeared in 1997. 

Norman Raven has had at least three N and one Z gauge layouts in CM. 

Doug Coster's layouts have featured more recently. Buildings and townscape are superb, track plan very simple. 

 

Years ago helped to operate Shin Izu at various exhibitions with Tony's team.. 

 

It looks like Japanese HO layout next.

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Claude_Dreyfus

Thanks...

 

To add to the list of Japanese layouts featuring in CM, our club layout Yamanouchi Oshika featured back in 2011 across two issues.

 

I would be very interested to see a Japanese H0 layout in CM. I keeping thinking about embarking on an H0 project - I have track and a fair amount of H0 stock... Hmm, something to think about in the future!

 

Kanjiyama is out to play next weekend - two shows in as many days!

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There have been a few other articles featuring Japanese railways in CM over the years. I think it was Tony McDiarmid who had a multi-part article outlining the history and rolling stock of Japan back in the 90s. And there was a lovely article describing the construction of a Joe Works brass kit of a D51 in HOj, too.

 

As for seeing an HO layout in CM... If I ever complete my layout based on Yorokeikoku, I'd certainly like to have it featured there!

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

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Claude_Dreyfus

Kanjiyama went out to play today for the first of two shows this weekend... A few pictures.

 

Kanjiyama1_zps17f1174c.jpg

 

My 'Cat Girl' KiHa40 hasn't come out to play for a few years...proved popular. But not as popular as... 

 

Kanjiyama_zps277db558.jpg

 

...my Holland Village Express unit. Lots of admiring comments for a very striking train!

 

HollandVillageExpress_zpsf2fa981b.jpg

 

Approaching the fiddle yard

 

Flag_zps10561c0c.jpg

 

In a bid to reduce the 'where is this set?' question, my latest acquisition was unveiled. Rather alarmingly, this was of limited benefit...I still had a few queries! 

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In a bid to reduce the 'where is this set?' question, my latest acquisition was unveiled.

This reminds me the usual exclamation "That's Thomas!" when kids see my V43 electric locomotive during exhibitions. Despite that it looks exactly like an ED61 boxcab. But it's blue...

 

Other than that, i would like to ask you about the footbridge at the end of your station. The station is a terminus and there are buffer stops below the bridge. I understand that it acts as a scenic divider and the line could (or could have) continue(d) past the bridge, but it kind of looks funny to have a foot bridge at the end of the tracks, where people could just simply go around the stops without climbing stairs. Is there a story behind it?

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Claude_Dreyfus

This reminds me the usual exclamation "That's Thomas!" when kids see my V43 electric locomotive during exhibitions. Despite that it looks exactly like an ED61 boxcab. But it's blue...

 

Other than that, i would like to ask you about the footbridge at the end of your station. The station is a terminus and there are buffer stops below the bridge. I understand that it acts as a scenic divider and the line could (or could have) continue(d) past the bridge, but it kind of looks funny to have a foot bridge at the end of the tracks, where people could just simply go around the stops without climbing stairs. Is there a story behind it?

 

Ah yes, the bridge... The idea is that Kanjiyama used to be a through station...you can just about make out behind the bridge in the first picture the old track-bed on the backscene. The premise is that the bridge was kept after the lien was truncated - partly because the platforms are still fairly long, but mainly because it is good scenic break.

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Claude_Dreyfus

This reminds me the usual exclamation "That's Thomas!" when kids see my V43 electric locomotive during exhibitions. 

 

Sadly Thomas is unable to operate on Kanjiyama... He is out of gauge for my platforms.

 

 

If we ever get to displaying the yet non-existent T-Trak modules in the Netherlands we NEED an Oranda Mura train.

 

Every layout should have one!

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Claude_Dreyfus

No, it is a diesel...although obviously you can run it 'under the wires' so to speak...

Edited by Claude_Dreyfus
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Most of the Kiha183 have long been scrapped.  But a few from the Yufu Dx and Siebold/Holland Express were rebuild and now are Travelling the Hohi Main line as Aso Boy between Kumamoto and Aso.

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No, it is a diesel...although obviously you can run it 'under the wires' so to speak...

Right, but I was just a bit surprised to see it in a formation with a 485 series.  I've often wondered how, when MUing two different EMU types, speed is controlled accurately enough that the two sets aren't fighting each other; in this case with a DMU and EMU, I'm really surprised that it works out.

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when MUing two different EMU types, speed is controlled accurately enough that the two sets aren't fighting each other; in this case with a DMU and EMU, I'm really surprised that it works out.

The common way is to connect the brakes, put the DMU into neutral and let the electric train move both sets. On the other hand, there are multiple unit standards that use speed or traction power signalling, which allows for example locomotives from different manufacturers to be MU-d together. This also means it's possible to connect electric, diesel electric and diesel hydraulic locomotives or multiple units.

Edited by kvp
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Interesting kvp, thanks.

 

The common way is to connect the brakes, put the DMU into neutral and let the electric train move both sets.

 

I thought of this, but at least in the case of the photo, would a 5-car (I think) EMU have enough power to move another set of almost the same size and still have the same acceleration?  I think JNR built the 167s and 169s as more powerful 165s to negotiate grades.  So in that case there wouldn't be such surplus power available, but maybe it's not a representative example.

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Claude_Dreyfus

Kanjiyama went out to play again today... Not too many pictures, but I managed to get some videos; the first I have taken of Kanjiyama...

 

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Claude_Dreyfus

Time for another video. This time a Tomix KiHa40 arriving at the station.

 

 

It is a little tricky videoing as (obviously!) you need a second operator to do this right. The operator in this case was still familiarising himself with the controls...hence not the smoothest of stops!

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Claude_Dreyfus

I said Kanjiyama would be out next weekend, but it turned out that I had a very-much last-minute invite to a show last Sunday. I arrived at the show yesterday at about 08:00 to assist with a couple of layouts being provided by our club, to find one had experienced an emergency the previous evening and was unavailable. A quick discussion, and I made the 15 mile trek to home to dig Kanjiyama out to bring to the show.

 

By 09:45 the layout was set up and trains were running. This proved to be a great opportunity to test the layout for the two-day show next weekend, but also to train some of the operators - it does take a little practice. I was also able to give some of my new arrivals a run-in...including my Tohoku Emotion set. Very nice!

 

Kanjiyama_zpscde2e77a.jpg

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