What did you order or the post deliver? (HO and other scales)

[railsquid]

Northern Japan / Hokkaido, where it's cold and snows a lot so the locomotive will be equipped for that, e.g. with a special windscreen (I forget the technical term) "clear view screen" (which I thought were called "Kent screens" but that term has evidently dropped out of use).

Edited October 8, 2014 by railsquid

[ozman2009]

Thanks. Here was me imagining that it was something to do with the engine. When I looked closely at the cab windows I spotted little round blobs which I assume are meant to represent the clear view screens.

Edited October 8, 2014 by ozman2009

[ozman2009]

Here are a few photos of my new DE10. On a 2% grade the maximum it could pull was three tank wagons. As a friend commented, that's the perfect excuse to buy another one (lol).

 

 

 

 

They're hard to spot, but there are traction tyres on the top left and bottom right wheels.

 

[marknewton]

They're really quite well detailed models for their size. And I agree with your friend, 2 DE10s are better than 1...

 

My Kiha40 kits arrived the other day, and I've assembled one already. They go together beautifully. When I get home tonight I'll post a photo showing my progress so far.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[bikkuri bahn]

Mentioned elsewhere, MicroAce is planning a run of ED60 locomotives. Here is a reproduction of the flyer often found stuck to the walls of hobby shops here:

http://www.microace-arii.co.jp/poster/img/14_10w.jpg

 

A good choice for a new model- "pike sized",  looks good heading a short mixed freight and a prototype from an era most HO modelers have a primary interest in.

Edited October 17, 2014 by bikkuri bahn

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Ooh, I am very fond of the ED62. I will certainly have to find some budget for one of these!

[marknewton]

You're not the only one. I've already put some cash aside for a pair of these jazzy little locos!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited October 17, 2014 by marknewton

[Nick_Burman]

Mentioned elsewhere, MicroAce is planning a run of ED60 locomotives. Here is a reproduction of the flyer often found stuck to the walls of hobby shops here:

http://www.microace-arii.co.jp/poster/img/14_10w.jpg

 

A good choice for a new model- "pike sized",  looks good heading a short mixed freight and a prototype from an era most HO modelers have a primary interest in.

 

A model Chubu-Tenryu station and yard anyone? :-) Jokes apart, this is a seriously good idea from Micro-Ace. I have decided to stick to N scale for my JP modelling though...

 

 

Cheers NB

[marknewton]

The Tenshodo C55 arived yesterday from JAUCE. I gave it a quick run up and down the straight track on the tramway layout, it seems to run nicely. But I'll wait until I can take her down to the club for a proper test before I apply the detail parts. In the meantime, here's what she looks like. Crap photo of a beautiful model!  :)

 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark. 

Edited October 22, 2014 by marknewton

[ozman2009]

Wow! It looks like a real beast. Is it a 4-6-2? It's a bit hard to tell from the photo.

Edited October 22, 2014 by ozman2009

[marknewton]

Yes, it's a 4-6-2. Sorry about the poor quality photo!

 

With the arrival of this model I now have four Pacifics - a brass Tenshodo C51, this die cast and plastic C55 and a C57 from the same production run, and a rather ancient brass C57 made by Miyazawa. The C51 runs very well, but the brass C57 needs a new motor and drive. It's waiting it's turn on the workbench to be fitted with a big Mashima can motor and a NWSL gearbox and flywheel.

 

I'm also preparing the artwork for some new etched number plates for all four engines.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

I had a rush of blood to the head and bought another Kato D51. Now I have four of the things, which is probably enough.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Martijn Meerts]

Enough? Impossible ;)

[ozman2009]

I had a rush of blood to the head and bought another Kato D51. Now I have four of the things, which is probably enough.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

As a well known football commentator here used to say "Too much football is never enough" (lol)

[marknewton]

My excuse is that I found a lovely photo of a train hauled by double-headed D51s crossing another train hauled by another D51 double-header at Nunohara on the Hakubi line, so I had to have one more to replicate that scene...  :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

My latest (last?) D51 arrived yesterday. As I expected, it's in immaculate condition. I don't think it's ever been out of it's box. I'll be taking it and the Tenshodo C55 down to the club tomorrow night for a run. I'll post some video when I get back.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Nick_Burman]

As a well known football commentator here used to say "Too much football is never enough" (lol)

I beg to disagree, living in Brazil...can't stand the sport.

 

But model trains are another story...t'more t'better... :-)

 

 

Cheers NB

[marknewton]

Nick, I'm with you on that one, I couldn't give a toss about football of any variety. But to be honest, sport on the whole is something I have no interest in.

 

The commentator Gary refers to was a comedian who made a career out of parodying Australian sports broadcasters. But for me the joke soon wore thin.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Martijn Meerts]

My World Kougei H0j Hokutan railway Unit 2 steamer kit is one the way over, going to be fun... Just need to go buy some 12mm track at some point ;)

[marknewton]

Well that was a non-starter. My son Harry and I went down to the club last night to run some trains. The running part went well enough, he ran his Flying Scotsman, and I ran my new JNR locos. All our locos ran flawlessly, so that was good. But I couldn't get the video camera on my iPad to work, so all I managed to get were some still photos of Harry peering over the back scene...

 

Needles to say it wasn't until we got home that I discovered what I was doing wrong with the camera. :(

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Nick_Burman]

Nick, I'm with you on that one, I couldn't give a toss about football of any variety. But to be honest, sport on the whole is something I have no interest in.

 

The commentator Gary refers to was a comedian who made a career out of parodying Australian sports broadcasters. But for me the joke soon wore thin.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

 

In my case, I do like sports but they tend to be of the less obvious kind...so far I've dabbled in air rifle shooting, archery and fencing. I also like riding (nothing fancy, just a horse, a good saddle and a nice trail) and sailing (ditto, I wouldn't mind a nice dinghy...if I could swim, that is...). However in a country where football dominates the scene to the exclusion of everything else it means that I'm very much on the fringes, with dire results. Some people claim that my sports choices are of the toff kind, but in all the years in these sports I have yet to meet anyone who was plain opulent - most of my mates were "normal" folk with day jobs.

 

End of rant, back to trains.

 

 

Cheers NB

[cteno4]

Nick,

 

Big difference here is the football fans just sit in front of their tv screens and watch someone else do something and you actually go outside and do something! Add up what they pay for their big screen tv, tv beer and snacks (and later health issues due to excess chicken wings), pay for view and going to actual matches (if like big sports here is now becoming a toff event) and they will probably be spending more than you do on your activities! You are meeting interesting people and doing fun things with them not just chanting in unison or damning the other side! Always feel that sports fandom feels very polarizing -- first that you are odd if not a fan and second that you are not a fan of their team...

 

Go ahead and get a little sailing dingy! All you need is a nice little co2 inflation collar/vest. They work swimmingly and are very comfortable to wear on little boats (unlike a regular may west jacket!)

 

Jeff

Edited November 15, 2014 by cteno4

[Nick_Burman]

Nick,

 

Big difference here is the football fans just sit in front of their tv screens and watch someone else do something and you actually go outside and do something! Add up what they pay for their big screen tv, tv beer and snacks (and later health issues due to excess chicken wings), pay for view and going to actual matches (if like big sports here is now becoming a toff event) and they will probably be spending more than you do on your activities! You are meeting interesting people and doing fun things with them not just chanting in unison or damning the other side! Always feel that sports fandom feels very polarizing -- first that you are odd if not a fan and second that you are not a fan of their team...

 

Go ahead and get a little sailing dingy! All you need is a nice little co2 inflation collar/vest. They work swimmingly and are very comfortable to wear on little boats (unlike a regular may west jacket!)

 

Jeff

 

Jeff,

 

Thanks for the encouragement, but at the present moment the sporting mood is swinging towards archery (field style, not olympic) and HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts, which doesn't exist here...). However I'll not be doing anything in the foreseeable future, as I'm out of a job, reality is fast catching up with the Brazilian economy (read recession) and the general mood at home is towards a Plan B of a rather radical kind.

 

 

Cheers NB

[cteno4]

Nick,

 

Big bummer, sorry to hear that. But at least that something nice about hobbies, if you get cleaver you can do some or all of it on the cheap when money is low and out of work. Helps keep you focused doing something as well. Best of luck with work or plan B (always good to have tucked away).

 

Jeff

[marknewton]

Nick, reading your post made me realise that I don't really think of activities like archery or sailing as sports, but I suppose that's what they are. I've never tried archery, but I've spent a fair bit of time on the water, though more in kayaks than sailing. Also had a few trips firing on steamboats, too! And I've done a bit of horse riding in my younger days. My whole family do a lot of bike riding. We're surrounded by national park here in Waterfall, and there's some great places to ride, as well as the daily trip to and from school with Harry.

 

I should have been more specific - from the sounds of it football in Brazil is as hard to avoid as it is here. But now it's summer, football is replaced by cricket, which I find just as mind-numbingly pointless. The same goes for rugby and netball.

 

I'm sorry to hear you're out of work, I hope that's only a short-term situation. One other thing, what's HEMA?

 

Jeff, you make a couple of very good points, too. The sorts of activities that Nick and I enjoy are a world away from sitting in front of the TV, half-pissed and screaming like an idiot. Sports fandom is very polarising, I think it's one of the main reasons I have no interest in being a follower. When Sydney hosted the Olympics back in 2000 my wife and I were living in Homebush, about a 10 minute walk from the main venue. I found the whole nationalistic "Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" so much of a turnoff I ignored the whole thing. Also there's a big part of me that just couldn't give a monkey's how fast someone can run or how high they can jump.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.