Bandai B-Train Shorty

[Welshbloke]

Does anyone have some of these? I realise they're not realistic but as a bit of fun I'm sorely tempted to buy some. The shorty EF65 would make a great little shunter in particular. One question though - how do I motorise them? I realise the EMUs are powered with the Kato chassis but was wondering if the locos fit the Kato four wheel chassis?

[stevenh]

I went crazy the last time I was in Takatsuki and bought nearly 4 full trains of vehicles from the Bandai range. They're great... until I realised how much extra you have to throw in for couplers and new chassis.

 

I'll get some photos tonight of the fun I had with them... the locos do indeed fit the 4-wheel chassis from Kato (which come in black or grey).

[Welshbloke]

Thanks Steven - would that be the "Pocket Line" chassis 11-103? I ask as I can get those easily enough here, if it's not that I'd have to order one with the train pack.

[stevenh]

...the "Pocket Line" chassis 11-103...

Correct, that is the model number.

You can see the standard wheelset the passenger cars come with... these are entirely useless except for dioramas.... so there are also bogies+couplers combos for the passenger cars by Kato. I tried bolting on my own bogies with washers to space them off the plastic chassis but then the entire carriage wobbles... much easier to just buy the Kato bits and pieces.

See this PDF for a good idea of what's available.

 

And here's a few others:

 

 

BTW: A big note is that the chassis weighs next to nothing... meaning that their tractive-effort is crap. You can try and get them to pull 'real' cars, but they'll struggle.

[Welshbloke]

Thanks for that Steven - is there a way of finding out part numbers for the Kato bits I'd need to get a specific Bandai set running? I think I may just put it on hold for the time being, as the only pack that grabs me at the moment would cost me a fortune in bogies!

[stevenh]

Right, the options from Kato are given to you so that you can be as prototypical as possible...

 

So, if you want grey bogies for your entire EMU/DMU consist then you get the grey dual-bogie chassis 11-106  (2100 Yen)

 

 

 

and the associated bogies for trailers (11-097) (315 Yen) (2 bogies per pack)

 

 

 

Of course, these are also available in black.... See this link.

 

Turns out Hobby Search has them in black  and in grey

 

and so does Hobby World in grey and in black

[disturbman]

Subject raising from the deads.

 

I just order one B Train (and the needed Kato accessories) for a gift to my girlfriend. So I will be soon posting videos of this stuff.

 

In any case, I did put some videos of B Trains in the Gallery. They really seem to be fun and the layout possibilities seems endless. I wish the package had allready arrived.

 

Edit: One more piece of information, I buyed this train.

[disturbman]

I put together a "B Train Shorty" Tag in the Video Gallery, for the moment there is 12 videos. I'll try to keep adding videos.

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=search;search=B+Train+Shorty;sch_kw

[disturbman]

So it seems that I'm the only one really interested in this subject.

 

Anyway I will give you a detail report on the subject of "my" first B Train Shorty Kit. But first, let's take a look at the box. She is quite small and compact. Allmost the size of my hand. Many things are writen but, hey, I can't read Japanese.

 

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Inside are rested a bunch of small parts. You have stickers and plastic pieces. Some are allready cut others not. Most of them will not be used here since they are used to formed the original bogies of the set. The ones you can't use to run the train on real N gauge tracks.

 

[smg id=529]

 

Instead I will be using Kato parts, a motor and six bogies. The motor is really small, the visible mechanism is here in plastic no metal dented wheels like we are used to see.

 

[smg id=530]

 

Then it's time to build. It's quick and don't require any skill at all. It's really easy. 10 minutes top. The only problem is katos bogies. They don't fit well on the B Train under-carriage. I wonder If I have made some kind of error when ordering the parts or not. Or maybe I should use some kind of trick to force them in place... Any idea?

 

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The set runs really well and looks amazingly good on tracks. I really think it's a good alternative to normal N gauge trains and allows you to model with let's space.

 

[smg id=535]

 

It's cheap, small and good looking. I starting to have visions for a B train shorty layout... 

[disturbman]

Then it's time to build. It's quick and don't require any skill at all. It's really easy. 10 minutes top. The only problem is katos bogies. They don't fit well on the B Train under-carriage. I wonder If I have made some kind of error when ordering the parts or not. Or maybe I should use some kind of trick to force them in place... Any idea?

 

Maybe I got it under control but I'm not sure. Anyway I did remove the couplers from the front end bogies but forget to chop of the "coupler holder". It was not quite fiting in the small front space. Now it's better.

 

And I'm trully amazed by the impression that gives this train on a small layout.  :bunny:

[CaptOblivious]

So it seems that I'm the only one really interested in this subject.

 

I'm interested, but it's more a "fascination from afar". They do look like a really good way to do a lot of modelling in a small space…anyway, I'm enjoying following your adventures with B-Train Shorty, even if I will likely never buy any myself.

[Bernard]

Vincent - I too am also interested, they're very cute but I have a lot of trains now in all different scales I've decided to concentrate on Shinkansens

[disturbman]

Thanks guys. Like allways I shot, a very crude, video.

 

[Concept Model Trains]

I've got to admit that I have the B-Train Shorty bug too!  Ever since I came across them on YouTube I've been fascinated.  This thread has been a great help.  The B Train Shorty trains are ideal for small layouts.  I have three suburban/commuter trains and each one is fitted with a Kato motorized chassis:

 

Sagami Railway 10000 Series

Tokyo Metro Series 05 Touzai line

Toyo Rapid Railway Series 2000

 

I also couldn't resist the Shinkansen N700 Starter Set which has a wireless remote.  It runs really well on my Tomix Super-mini track. The plastic track that comes with the starter set is just a novelty.  I'll take some pictures of my Bandai B Train Shorty collection and post them on them weekend.

[Concept Model Trains]

Here's a pic of my B Shorty collection.  I'll take few more this week.

[disturbman]

This is someone who really have the B-Train Shorty bug.  I'm guessing he has every released train!

 

A, small, part of his collection you can see more by clicking the give link. Press "次のページへ" to see other pages.

 

Image linked from his blog.

[Mudkip Orange]

what

[Concept Model Trains]

What a fantatic fleet! I wonder if they are all powered?  It would be easy to swap the powered chasis between trains. It would save a lot of money.

[disturbman]

If I can judge by the picture I've seen I would say none is powered. But seeing that collection I also thought about chasis swapping, it could be indeed a very cheap solution to have some running trains.

[Kongo]

Howdy guys,

 

I'm a pretty big fan of the Shortys and it's safe to say that these little guys are what got me into N-scale operations.  I have sunk a decent amount of money into them-- buying couplers, motors, and pantographs.  While the bogeys really dress them up (and make them run nicer), it's the Tomix articulated metal pantographs that reeeeeaaallly make them look good instead of the big chunky plastic pieces that come stock.  I have a 113 (2 bodies), 205 (2 bodies), 1000 Sotetsu (4 bodies), 3000 Romance (old type) (5 bodies), 169 (4 bodies), 165 (4 bodies), and a 58 set (7 bodies).  Looking at the amount of bodies, you can see how it becomes a big investment just in the bogies! 

 

I still don't have all of the "support equipment" to get all of these little guys running (need four more motors), but I'm getting there.  I've also been branching away from my usual Kato Unitrack to buy Tomix's really tight radius stuff.

 

I'll try to get some photos up in a few days, but until then, I'm so happy/ astonished to find other people in the English speaking language interested in Shortys (I registered on this forum specifically because of this).  :hello:

[disturbman]

Welcome aboard Kongo!

 

I really didn't know that you could swap pantographs for more accurate ones. I would be very interested to see your pictures. I'm also wondering if you could provide some link on these pantographs. I've myself three Shorties on order right now, all from the JR West. I didn't buy any motors or boggies for the moment but it will come since I'm planing a Shorty Layout.

 

Do you mind me asking, how did you come to collect them (maybe this is a question for the "Introduction Thread") ?

[Bernard]

Kongo - Welcome to the forum. To be honest I never knew about the shorties until this forum. Now I'm curious to see photos of what you mentioned about the pantographs. Nice explanation of why you like them.

[bill937ca]

B-Train modelers are just as serious as the rest of us!    

 

Some Japanese language B-Train pages.  First a super collector's page with a small detailed layout.  The appeal of B-trains are that you can create a layout in a very small space.

 

http://yasutetu-world.hp.infoseek.co.jp/yasubtorein.html

 

B-Train Shorty at various train shows.

 

http://www.kokensha.co.jp/tokkou_b-team/report.html

 

The Official Bandai B-Train web site.

 

http://bandai-hobby.net/train.html

 

The following links are more about the trains than layouts.

 

http://www.morimori-rr.com/mori-main-3.html

 

http://homepage1.nifty.com/natrium/rail/index.html

 

[bill937ca]

Hobby Search has published an illustrated instruction sheet/review.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/blog/img/bt_e231s_e.html

[CaptOblivious]

Welcome aboard Kongo!

 

I really didn't know that you could swap pantographs for more accurate ones. I would be very interested to see your pictures. I'm also wondering if you could provide some link on these pantographs. I've myself three Shorties on order right now, all from the JR West. I didn't buy any motors or boggies for the moment but it will come since I'm planing a Shorty Layout.

 

Do you mind me asking, how did you come to collect them (maybe this is a question for the "Introduction Thread") ?

 

Apparently you can just buy Tomix pantographs—replacement parts for their "nonsuperdeformed" line of trains ;)—and stick them right on the B-Trains in place of the stock ugly pantographs.