Bandai B-Train Shorty

[kami_illy]

On 2/28/2020 at 10:45 AM, roadstar_na6 said:

Another question regarding the locomotives. Are there any 4 wheel chassis for them or are they actually limited to the 2 wheeled ones?

 

I used the Bandai chassis number 5 in a ED79 and another EF510.

 

It doesn't have the clips on the side though. I cut out parts of the black structure and then glued the chassis in with some weights... see here...! 

I might be able to copy a link to a thread with better description of the conversion, have to dig a bit to find it.

Edited March 2, 2020 by kami_illy
linked to image gallery

[Welshbloke]

The DE10 and DD51 were designed for an eight wheel mechanism (not the same one as the EMUs).

 

What I can't fathom is why Bandai didn't make the more recent electric locos fit it, despite designing them to take a pair of freight trailer bogies (with a motor under one or more of the coaches behind them). Would it have been so hard to just tweak the design slightly?

 

I have a slight headache in the form of an ED79 needing a mechanism. Can't really fit a Kato one as the Hokutosei it'll run with has a motor under the KaNi, which it needs to help the 4w mech under the EF510 shift the eight coach train. Starting is a bit uneven but once rattling along at line speed it behaves well enough. Might have to try comparing it to the DD51 mechanisms and seeing whether one of those can be persuaded under the loco body, although I'd need to make some sideframes.

[Morcs]

12 hours ago, cteno4 said:

I think some of the locos can do the 4 axel mechs with some mods. I remembering looking at this with I think it was the dd51. Spotty I sort of set aside my btrains there for a while with too many little projects going on.

 

May just need to knock off the side frames and then I’m thinking a small washer over a new hole in the bottom will give the bearing disc that’s there in the old one that the top of the truck frame pivots on. Side frames probably can come off with a small razor saw or Dremel. If we can find a simple solution then doing a bunch should go quick. I’ll try to go thru my remaining unbuilt boxes tonight to look for some of the new designs.

 

jeff

The standard 4 wheel commuter chassis is too long for the dd51, however Kato 4 wheel trucks pop straight on. I currently have my dd51 loco being pushed by a motored commuter car 😐

[cteno4]

I remember on my dd51 it looked like it could fit with some internal trimming. I will need to dig it out as I put the project aside.

 

i found a couple of my unbuilt btrains that have the new chassis configuration. It’s a very easy snip or saw to remove the bogie side frames. Only issue is going to be gluing a washer onto the softer plastic. I’m afraid it’s the kind that may not like a lot of glues. I’ll see if I can dig up appropriate washers that can work and experiment with glues.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[roadstar_na6]

On 2/28/2020 at 5:56 PM, kami_illy said:

I used the Bandai chassis number 5 in a ED79 and another EF510

Which of the Kato Power Units would that be? There are 3 different ones and I can‘t really spot any visual differences between them.

 

Thanks for the link and any further advice!

[kami_illy]

On 3/1/2020 at 1:27 AM, roadstar_na6 said:

Which of the Kato Power Units would that be? There are 3 different ones and I can‘t really spot any visual differences between them.

 

Can't really tell if Kato power units would fit the same way. As far as i know their bogies are differently sized and spaced than the Bandai ones. I don't have any experience since i only used Bandai chassis (powered / unpowered, and upgraded with Kato couplers)

And i think the differences between the Kato ones are just the visual bogie designs (eg. for old or modern commuter or express trains). Might be something else though. 

[roadstar_na6]

19 minutes ago, kami_illy said:

[...]

Ahh okay. Too bad you don‘t have any Kato units as they are the only ones available atm and probably until Bandai decides to continue with the Shorties.

 

Maybe somebody else knows if there is a Kato power unit similar/identical to the Bandai type 5?

[Cat]

The Bandai units come up pretty regularly on Yahoo Auction Japan.  Pretty shortly I'll call an end to my current shopping spree through Zenmarket and have everything shipped.  I've got a couple of PU5 and a handful of PU3 in the stash waiting for shipping.

 

Whichever portal you're using for YAJ, this is the search term to use once you're in the N gauge listings:  動力ユニット

You can add a '3' or a '5' at the end to narrow it down.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Cat

[roadstar_na6]

11 minutes ago, Cat said:

[...]

ZenMarket is my go to tool, too.

 

Thanks for the search term, I‘ll look it up once I got a Shorty train in my shed 😄

 

EDIT: Just had a quick look, as expected not many of the Bandai units available and the ones I found are around 10.000¥. Hence why I‘d prefer a Kato one 😄 I guess I‘ll just have to check regulary

Edited March 2, 2020 by roadstar_na6

[Cat]

Maybe Bandai hasn't completely abandoned thoughts of Shorties?  Sometime over the past month or so, I 'liked' some of the photos on their Facebook page.  Today, I got a notice that they 'recognised me as one of their Top Fans'.  Hmm, doesn't take much to be a Top Fan, but I find it a little heartening that some admin is paying attention to the page at least.  I'll try commenting on some photos during my next coffee break and see if they might be awakened...
https://www.facebook.com/Btrainshorty

In other news, HLJ finally sent me a notification that they could not backorder any Power Unit 3.  I'm not at all surprised, but there was no risk in attempting to order since they hadn't completely ruled it out of stock before.
 

[roadstar_na6]

I thing whether or not you‘re made a "Top Fan" is entirely up to faceball‘s algorithm and the traffic you cause with the page you become "Top Fan" of.

[roadstar_na6]

I've ordered a Shorty ED79 now and will later this year try to motorize it with a Kato 8-wheel Power Unit but for now I've got another question.

Which realistic looking pantographs fit without any modification into the shell? I was looking at a few but they all have different mounts and I can't find any info on how the B-Train locomotives have their pantographs installed.

 

Would this one fit? I know the ED79 has two different kinds of pantographs but for now I'd be happy with a pair of regular ones.

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited March 16, 2020 by roadstar_na6

[Cat]

We've just picked up an assortment of Tomix pantographs to match the various Shorties in our roster (no ED79 though).  The pantographs we got each have different types of mountings.  Some have four posts at the corners, others have two tabs along the centerline.  None of them match the pre-drilled holes in the rooftops for the plastic Shorty ones.  They do look superb though.

The plan here is to take a pin-vice with a tiny bit to drill out the needed holes, and an XActo knife to cut slots for the tabs (I'll start by drilling holes to mark the ends of the slot, then use the trusty #16 blade to cut the slot open).  The existing redundant holes will be filled in with a dab of putty.

[Morcs]

14 hours ago, Cat said:

We've just picked up an assortment of Tomix pantographs to match the various Shorties in our roster (no ED79 though).  The pantographs we got each have different types of mountings.  Some have four posts at the corners, others have two tabs along the centerline.  None of them match the pre-drilled holes in the rooftops for the plastic Shorty ones.  They do look superb though.

The plan here is to take a pin-vice with a tiny bit to drill out the needed holes, and an XActo knife to cut slots for the tabs (I'll start by drilling holes to mark the ends of the slot, then use the trusty #16 blade to cut the slot open).  The existing redundant holes will be filled in with a dab of putty.

I know it sounds barbaric, but can't you trim off the lugs and just glue them on? 🙂

[Cat]

On 3/17/2020 at 4:08 AM, Morcs said:

I know it sounds barbaric, but can't you trim off the lugs and just glue them on? 🙂

 

You could, but it would be a much more fragile connection. 

 

And barbaric. ~, ^

Edited March 20, 2020 by Cat

[roadstar_na6]

I just got a new and unassembled E851 Shorty box for 400 Yen and have no idea why it was so cheap 😄 I'm happy tho

[123Hapon]

Hi! I was inspired by this thread to create a mini compact b-train shorty layout. I already have this Hanasaku Iroha wrapped NT201 so I bought a bandai power unit 3 to power it.

 

The problem is, I don't know how to install it without removing this piece (skirt?)

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by 123Hapon
added pics

[Welshbloke]

You can remove the coupler mount on the bogie at that end of the car, I think there's a diagram in the motor instructions. Basically you unclip the coupler box then cut away the part it sits on. The Bandai couplers will work but just check they swing freely, I had to open the clip up slightly on my last two as it wasn't pivoting.

 

The good news is that if you just unclip the coupler box on one trailer bogie and turn it 180 degrees it'll fit without cutting anything, there's enough space for one bogie to do this. Useful if you might want to add a second motor to a power/dummy pair of single units later, as you can reuse the trailer chassis elsewhere by refitting the coupler.

[123Hapon]

2 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

You can remove the coupler mount on the bogie at that end of the car, I think there's a diagram in the motor instructions. Basically you unclip the coupler box then cut away the part it sits on. The Bandai couplers will work but just check they swing freely, I had to open the clip up slightly on my last two as it wasn't pivoting.

 

The good news is that if you just unclip the coupler box on one trailer bogie and turn it 180 degrees it'll fit without cutting anything, there's enough space for one bogie to do this. Useful if you might want to add a second motor to a power/dummy pair of single units later, as you can reuse the trailer chassis elsewhere by refitting the coupler.

 

Thanks! I tried without cutting + reversing just one bogie but the other one still touches the skirt and preventing it to swivel. So I just cut and reversed both.

And by bandai couplers, you mean the ones that came with the kit? Are there any other couplers that would work?

[Welshbloke]

You can probably fit the Kato or Tomix type which are designed to replace standard Rapidos, other than that I can't think of any. Not sure I'd bother as the Bandai Rapidos are shorter than the alternatives. My Kintetsu stock has Rapidos within the sets and the Bandai Shibatas on the cab ends, so I can run them in multiple.

 

You don't need to reverse the bogies if you've cut the coupler mounts, it's just something I did with the Kintetsu cab cars fitted with trailer chassis.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Welshbloke
coupler lengths

[123Hapon]

The bogies still touches/press against the skirt if I didn't reversed it.

 

 

Also since I've already cut the coupler mounts, Am I just stuck with the default couplers like the one in the pic? And 

[Welshbloke]

If you check the sprue there should be others, there are single part knuckles or Shibatas to fit to the outer ends of a train. They will couple together so you can use a pair of those in place of the solid bars if you want to be able to split the train.

[roadstar_na6]

Just received and assembled my first shorty kit. I‘m really happy with it and now can‘t wait for the power unit to arrive 😄

Me any my gf both assembled one and it was pretty straight forward even tho the manual was Japanese only.

[bill937ca]

A prototype B-Train Shorty. Actually Odakyu 8264 has been scrapped.  I guess its easier to transport in pieces. Video by shinkyuvideo

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

Now that’s something to model! Thanks bill.

 

jeff