So what is the story with these Maruchu trains?

[David]

HobbySearch started taking some pre-orders for what looks like HO track from "Maruchu", and then the first trains from them - they seem to be some sort of HO scale Shorty trains. They are powered by batteries and controlled by IR controller.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10132523

[to2leo]

I really like the Remote control part and wish this technology will replace DCC in N scale.

[clem24]

I really like the Remote control part and wish this technology will replace DCC in N scale.

 

Yes this is true. Manufacturers have evolved the detailing and absolutely everything else associated with trains, and N scale detail in Japanese trains has exploded in the last few years. But the control system is exactly the same as what was introduced what, 100 years ago?!? Even Tomix's new wireless controllers are still the same as before. I'd really like to see an easy to use system for controlling trains.

 

I'd love to see this idea or something similar: the track is electrified just like DCC. Trains are controlled wirelessly. Say, put 4 dip switches on the bottom to allow for 16 total frequencies plus a master frequency of say 4 different coding schemes so that people in a room won't interfere with others in the immediate vicinity (say at train shows). And to top it off, all trains use conducting couplers a la Tomix. Ok that last piece not entirely necessary. But maybe put in a small rechargeable battery inside the train just in case it stalls. Battery recharges anytime the train is placed on electrified track. Piece of cake right? Oh oh oh, and then, make a USB controller with input slots for a bunch of track sensors so that everything can be controlled by a computer.

 

The technology is there... Why won't someone just do it?!?!?!? It's so frustrating. I'd love to go DCC but even for a techie like me, everything just seems so overly complicated, not to mention expensive and the likelihood of frying something seems so high.

 

Ahhhh yeah I am dreaming.

[Martijn Meerts]

"Small rechargeable battery" already exists from various manufacturers in a way. It's a small circuit which connects to a decoder and is really just a capacitor. Depending on power consumption of the motor, it allows trains to run for several seconds without getting track power. My 0 scale stuff from Lenz has the circuitry built in, and they can quite easily run for some 4-5 seconds without track power. (of course, it only works on a digital system, for now ..)

 

The current RC systems also don't work for everyone. I have 50+ trains, I'd either need as many frequencies, or be forced to swap frequencies constantly. Add to that the fact that a LOT of people already run digital, who're unlikely to switch to a new system, and an RC system will likely end up being more expensive than the current digital systems.

 

I'd love to see something easier to set up than the current digital systems, the amount of wiring gets scary, and installing decoders in trains isn't always easy (of course, installing RC systems in trains would be even worse if trains aren't "RC-Friendly"), but at this point I do believe from a price/performance point of view, digital systems aren't that bad.

[David]

RC wouldn't be the way to go - you'd just be using a slightly different 30 year old technology and you'd hit it's limitations fast.

 

The way to go is proper a wireless network - a packet based communication system operating over wireless frequency, giving you an unlimited number of addresses, and the ability to add additional functions without breaking compatibility with existing units. It also allows for some forward thinking in terms of security from both intentional and unintentional interference (imagine trying to run a show layout while everyone else in the building is also using direct drive RC).

 

While more consumer aware standards like Bluetooth and Wifi are not ideal for this task (Bluetooth has a number of latency and range issues not well suited to trains, and Wifi is neither the best for managing that type of headless infrastructure nor is the large size of its software stack suited to cheap low power chips), there are plenty of others that have an existing and growing hardware base. Zigbee is the most well known to hobbyists, but there are others that are even smaller and cheaper, mostly developed by the home automation industry.

[jrcrunch]

are these HO 1/80 or 1/87? how do they compare to tomix and kato trains?

[katoftw]

Looks more like Tomy/Trackmaster style of modelling to me.  More or kids?

 

edit// lol just looked at the thread start date.

Edited December 22, 2013 by katoftw

[jrcrunch]

sorry for bumping this. trying hard to get more info about 1/80 scale trains. 

[KenS]

Bumping an old thread for a question like that is fine, but you might be better off asking on the Other Gauges and Scales section.  We have a number of people who collect or run 1/80 trains (I don't), but they're more likely to notice a question posted as a new topic there than a bump of an old one here. Of course it may be that nobody ever bought one of these to know for sure.

 

The Kato Remotrain page says "HO scale", but doesn't give the actual scale in the title (current HO pages on HS say "1/80 scale"). That could simply be because these are older trains that are 1/80 and HS wasn't as precise back then. Some Japanese sites, probably those focused on the domestic market, don't bother to mention when HO is 1/80 vs 1/87.

 

The cars themselves look like Bandai's "Shorty" cars, so they're not really to-scale anyway, so it would probably be most accurate to say that they're "HO gauge" (meaning they use standard HO track) but not to mention any scale (which normally refers to the proportions of the train body rather than the wheel spacing).