pla-rail

[GrahamH]

As was asked about this I thought I might make some comments. I am sure many are already aware of Pla-rail but just in case... Pla-rail is  the Japanese version of Tomica World better known as Thomas the Tank trains running on the plastic blue track. The trains are definately toys and are battery operated. There is a huge range of Japanese trains. There are very collectable and great fun. Huge layouts with spirals etc can be made and the trains are recognisably Japanese. You tube has lots of layouts. Ok some will include Thomas, which is very popular. Information is hard to find, but I just order, mostly, from Ebay in Thailand, Japan and Hongkong. The cost of a three coach train is around 7 pounds plus 3 pounds postage (or 20 US dollars total). I have just bought  some  bullet trains. Rechargable batteries are the cheapest option. I think it helps to have children involved but it is great fun for adults aswell. It does complement Tomix n etc.

I was surprised how slow I was in getting interested.

Graham

[Bernard]

GrahamH - it is isn't too much trouble could you post a photo or a link to what the Pla-rail looks like? I thought it was the Japanese version of Brio trains.

[GrahamH]

no problem but it will mostly be tomorrow. In the meantime,look at this-http://hp.kutikomi.net/plarailclub or hobby search 1999.co.jp. has a section

 

Or on youtube search pla-rail or pla-rail spiral or I think the japanese for pla-rail is

??. sometimes it comes up as plarail.

 

or http://www.plarailnet.com/01/p01_01_01_00.html

 

Almost another paralell world, but as I said it does lead back to my smaller Japanese trains

Graham

[Guest ___]

I've seen this in my Japan RailFan Magazine. I almost bought a starter set of this while in Singapore a few years ago. They're pretty interesting.

 

Was actually interested and almsot bought one of these in Ueno recently.

[kashirigi]

I wish I had seen this stuff when I was last in Japan!

 

Our living room would have been much more entertaining.

 

I suspect the learning curve would have been gentler as well. . .

[GrahamH]

Hi

I have attached some images-I haven't worked out how to put them in the main posting yet.

Some more information re Pla-rail. Some of the trains have lights or smoke or sound. There is a small lever that turns the battery driven motor on,. When it is dis-engaged it can be freewheeled (pushed along). One of the great things about it is the cost. A whole collection of bullet trains can be bought for the price of one in n guage.

There are Japanese trains that I have missed in n but are readily available in Pla-rail. I would say that for adults a collection as a display is good or using imagination, absolutely wonderfully complex layouts can be built. Using spirals going up and up is no problem. There are reverse curves (remember no electrical problems) and auto points that change the setting for each following train. Its not serious modelling but is great fun . For the kids they are very robust-picking whole trains up like a string of suasages doesn't damage them.

Whilst I mentioned Hobby Search as a possible seller, my concern is that Pla-rail is not value for money when sent EMS as they are low value higher weight. You pay as much for postage as for the trains.

I am waiting for a single diesel coach described as a 40 series to be delivered. The total cost is 7 pounds including postage (14 USD approx.). Its not going to break the bank.

Nor will replace my n gauge. I have an oval set up on my dinning room table at present with some Kato locomotives and coaches going round. Thats another reason I like the n-it can be set up with uni-track in an evening and put away again quickly.

Cheers Graham H

[GrahamH]

Sorry I didn't include this link to the Tomy website. It shows an incredible chioce of Japanese trains to choose from. There are at least 60 different  trains plus 13 bullet trains sold individually. In addition there are sets with more than one train and others with just locomotives etc. :o The guide prices in Yen are shown.

 

http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/plarail/index.htm

 

Very impressive and very popular

cheers

Graham

[Welshbloke]

I was just wondering if anyone else had found this stuff. I've got a couple of EF66s on the way (one single, one with a couple of container wagons). Couldn't resist them as they're very neat caricatures of a rather elegant loco.

 

I quite fancy building one of those giant spirals that Youtube seems to be full of, but for now I've managed to restrict myself to a loop of track to test them.

[Tenorikuma]

These are hugely popular in Japan, they sell them everywhere. There's also a line-up of Thomas the Tank Engine trains that run (I believe) on the same track system, although I imagine the prototype-based train models would be more popular among this crowd.  :P

[Bernard]

Thomas is extremely popular in the USA. A lot of clubs when they do modular set ups for the public usually have a Thomas the Tank engine running which a big hit with the kids. Is Thomas also popular in Japan?

[CaptOblivious]

The Thomas Pla-Rail used to be available in the US, until Tomy lost the US license to Bachman. I've once seen a Tomy branded Pla-Rail set (but called something else very generic) last Chrismas at Toy-R-Us. It included a generic US-style diesel engine and freight wagons, and an E3 shinkansen, with a ton of track for about $100. If I hadn't already known about Pla-Rail, I doubt I'd've ever noticed it. Sadly, I didn't have the money to buy it at the time…

[Guest ___]

Thomas is extremely popular in the USA. A lot of clubs when they do modular set ups for the public usually have a Thomas the Tank engine running which a big hit with the kids. Is Thomas also popular in Japan?

 

we tried to get 1:1 Thomas up at Walkersville Southern till we found out we had to run it daily for a week at a cost of roughly 28k a day plus the rental.

[Welshbloke]

As I understand it, someone else bought the rights from Tomy to make the Thomas models. They will still run on the old blue track, but the new sets include "Trackmaster" track which is similar but has different connectors. Think Kato and Tomix, adaptors are readily available. (This is what happens when you're bored in work and have access to Wikipedia!). My interest is solely in the Japanese range, especially as there are a couple of ebay sellers who can supply the train packs for about £12 including postage.

 

Thomas is heavily restricted and licenced, unsurprisingly for such a lucrative property. A lot of railways in the UK have found that they have to pay hefty fees to the copyright holders to run a Thomas-themed event, some have responded by holding "Ivor the Engine" events based on a lesser-known TV character. Ivor was similar to Thomas, but set in North Wales and without the rabid anti-diesel bias.

 

Another strange quirk of this is that Bachmann have the licence to make Thomas in HO/OO (the models are scaled closer to OO) for the US market, but Hornby have the UK licence. For this reason Bachmann UK are not allowed to import any of their Thomas range and will not help with guarantees on Thomas items bought from the USA, they simply aren't allowed to. Some of the range has potential for kitbashing into UK models, such as the rather neat six wheeled coaches. 

[Welshbloke]

Anyone noticed this entertainingly bonkers thing?

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10064911

 

It's a giant N700 that opens up to form a station. I'm actually quite tempted to buy one when I have a bit of spare cash again, there's an ebay seller offering them for £18 with lower P&P costs than Hobbysearch.

[bikkuri bahn]

I used to play with pla-rail when I was a wee lad.  I think I was the only kid in the California neighborhood where I lived whose train set had catenary ;D

[Welshbloke]

Here's the first EF66:

 

 

I have another one on the way which includes a couple of container wagons.

[cteno4]

theres a couple of sellers on ebay in Hong Kong that sell at a decent price and ok shipping air (not ems). Dmitry has gotten a lot of models from them i think for his kids over the years.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[GrahamH]

There is also a capsul pla-rail. It is a similiar size as the small thomas the tank with a small wind up device out of its side. But others are battery driven. It runs on smaller track

It is by Tomy and is sometimes called Yujin.

See http://www.thefilter.com/WebVideo/9878948-Capsule-Plarail-sorry can't do the link

 

I did find an online shop but they wouldn't sell to the UK despite a Japanese work friend contacting them. So If anybody can help trace these in Japan I would be  friend for life.

I am more interested in the battery ones with a small black lever on top. If I can't get them I will probably buy some Bandaii.

Graham in a very wet UK

[GrahamH]

Sorry this should read capsule pla-rail. Too many people talking to me at same time

G

[Bernard]

Sorry this should read capsule pla-rail. Too many people talking to me at same time

G

 

Don't you hate it when work gets in the way. (I'm assuming) 

[cteno4]

There is also a capsul pla-rail. It is a similiar size as the small thomas the tank with a small wind up device out of its side. But others are battery driven. It runs on smaller track

It is by Tomy and is sometimes called Yujin.

See http://www.thefilter.com/WebVideo/9878948-Capsule-Plarail-sorry can't do the link

 

I did find an online shop but they wouldn't sell to the UK despite a Japanese work friend contacting them. So If anybody can help trace these in Japan I would be  friend for life.

I am more interested in the battery ones with a small black lever on top. If I can't get them I will probably buy some Bandaii.

Graham in a very wet UK

 

Graham,

 

I think i have a number of these if they are the same ones you are talking about. they have a wheel gauge of about 20mm and cars are like 6cm long. i have picked them up pretty cheaply on ebay. one seller was selling like 3-4 trains for like $25. these are battery operated with a small black slide switch on the roof. these i think are the capsule plarail. i have trace them to the brand Yujin also in the past.

 

the windup guys are the ones i have picked up in vending machines in japan (costs you a fortune to keep buying to get a set and some track!). these are like 15mm wheel gauge and like 4cm long cars.

 

i would love to find some track for the larger battery operated ones, but have had no luck myself for this! i think the regular plarail track is too wide for these, anyone know the track width specs for the regular plarail track?

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[GrahamH]

Looking at what I've seen on you tube there are bridges tunnels stations etc, which would have taken some time to build up by buying just from vending machines. But I have seen them, as said, one piece at a time being sold. The Japanese website were selling loads but I have rarely seen them on Ebay so if they are still available I would be interested.

Tks Graham

[cteno4]

yes the narrower track for the smaller vending machine windups would take a long time and great expense to collect! you usually get a few pieces of track in a capsule or a bridge, car, or scenery item.

 

i think the capsule pla-rail does have track for sale as sets like the standard pla-rail. ill check with dmitry again, but it think the standard pla-rail track is too large for these smaller versions. i only have two small straight pieces of black track that fits them that im not sure where they came from.

 

all my 20mm gauge ones are labeled as EPOCH on the bottom. i have a 700, E3, 200, and 0 series that are EPOCH and a 2 car 500 that has nothing on it (and no motor car), and slightly wider gauge.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[GrahamH]

Here is one of the cpasule (or yugin) pla-rail videos

 

Graham

[cteno4]

Graham,

 

thanks. ok looking at this one my 4 epoch trains are not quite as nice as these. track looks like it would work if the gauge is right!

 

the epoc have less detail, but the wheels are hidden more making them look a tad more train like. on the epoch all the detailing is just painted on and there are no pantographs.

 

im guessing the epoch are cheap copies of the tomica capsule trains. ill snap some pictures of mine here soon.

 

cheers

 

jeff