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

[Kamome]

The rest of my pre-ordered freight wagons arrived yesterday. Not had time as yet to add Kadees, details and decals. There also seems a slight shortage of JNR era containers around although some more coming out in November.  I'm not sure if it's a new thing but the Tomix Koki 50000s and Kokifu 50000 came with some extra protective pieces in key areas around bogies and between hand rails and conductor compartment. (dense, n gauge bookcase set foam).  This has certainly not been something I have seen on any of the other HO Tomix Locos, coaches or JRF Kokis I own.

 

The Wamu 90000 are a much older wagon and as they were still used until 1986, I can get away with them in a rake of mainly brown Wamu 80000s to break up the monotony a little bit. There were certainly still black Wamus mixed in to rural freight traffic but you can easily see from the model, why the shorter, single-door wagon was phased out in favour of the longer, easier to load Wamu 80000.  As with my other Wamus, I will paint the shunting steps and foot brake lever and will look at adding brake hoses to both ends, should I have enough.

 

One minor gripe with the Wamu 80000 Kato model is the lack of wagon numbers.  I think the included sheet only gives you 4 options, with the ability to make up your own with individual numbers. As this is not very easy to get perfectly straight numbers, I will probably decide to get some Wamu wagon numbers from Revolution Factory.  The Tomix rolling stock always come with about 20 different numbers so Kato, something to think about.

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Kamome

[al camino]

I expect my similar shipment soon. Got the payment request today as I had to wait for some 1/45 Aoshima DD51 metal wheels.

 

You are right. These limited numbers by KATO sucks. 10* TORA45000 with uneven numbers as well as 8*WAMU80000 will face me after lots of trials to make straight numbers. The KATO dry transfers are a bit more robust as the Tenshodo ones which rip often while rubbing the whole number on.

Wet transfer with microsol is what I prefer.

[shadowtiger25]

What I have done for that is use parts of the whole pre made numbers like 3 or 4 of the digits and change parts of the number

I have 5 sets on prefer that got delayed because one of the items got pushed back. I have gotten better at making them strait and spaced right after doing way to many

[Kiha66]

They look very nice.  Is there any good place to go to see typical JNR freight consists?  I'm considering adding some Koki 50000 to my collection, but not sure how many would be good and how they're mixed into other trains.

[shadowtiger25]

8 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

They look very nice.  Is there any good place to go to see typical JNR freight consists?  I'm considering adding some Koki 50000 to my collection, but not sure how many would be good and how they're mixed into other trains.

YouTube if you know what your looking for

I have seen plenty of examples of freight consists by looking up classes of engines that typically pull freight 

[Kamome]

From images i’ve seen of the Ou line, Nippo line there are sometimes 1-5 kokis joined to other wagons and the odd one or two on more rural lines. There was probably some point where only long haul freight was processed into containers and container only trains ran between main hubs or it was just for larger scale businesses. Trains were then broken down and reassembled for the onward journey but the kokis were rarely full. More a case of saving time not reloading onto another wagon. Most photos only show 2 or 3 containers per flat wagon.

[Kamome]

Wagons have all had details and kadees applied but will await adding white to some under frame parts. The Wamu 80000s still need numbers but i could cut up some Wamu 90000 numbers for the last 3 digits if the font size is the same. 

My local hobby shop still had some remaining HO JNR containers from the last run they did. I’d like some older green C20s for the rural freight but am toying with the possibility of getting some more Koki 50000s and making up a container train from the early 1980s.

[al camino]

On 7/31/2021 at 12:16 PM, Kamome said:

The Wamu 80000s still need numbers but i could cut up some Wamu 90000 numbers for the last 3 digits if the font size is the same.

This is a good thought. Soo easy. Why didn't I have this idea before?

I check all my TORA, YO and WAMU lettering sets to check if some number groups will match.

 

And I just found a キハ52-0 by Tenshodo. Could not resist. This DMU type was missing in my collection. Single railcar operation. Single large headlight.

 

The item had been the WITHOUT sound decoder. Great. I don't want to spend 20 Tousand YEN for somthing that I don't like. Quantum just doubles the price. For what? Annoying noise? Not for me. This may take who likes it.

I had to wait as only the sound units were available when I started to "need" the キハ52 approx. 2 years ago.

Edited August 5, 2021 by al camino
amended the キハ and the singel headlight

[Kamome]

Just got word that the Tomix HO ED76-0 has been dispatched from Yodobashi Tokyo. Hopefully will be with me tomorrow or Sunday. Now to find what to spend those extra 3000 yen of Yodobashi points on.

 

I really ummed and ahhed whether to get one or not. My decision came down to:

 

It was last released in 2006.

I live in Kyushu.

I have a JNR blue train consist that ran from Tokyo to Kyushu

I loved @Modellbahn JP photographs of the locomotive.

I am extremely weak

Because trains

[disturbman]

1 hour ago, Kamome said:

Now to find what to spend those extra 3000 yen of Yodobashi points on.

That shouldn't be too difficult...

[Kamome]

The Tomix ED76 arrived this afternoon. 
First impressions are very good. Nice quiet Canon motor as in most Tomix HO.

 

The roof equipment is beautifully realised and much more complicated than any of my other locomotives. There is an included steam generator roof duct option in the parts to add or a replacement part to represent the loco after these had been removed. As I chose the JNR version I will install the SG duct.

 

Strange to receive my first HO loco without a snowplough but these were really not required on Kyushu mainlines.

 

4 head marks have been included, which are mainly domed type as  found on Kyushu locos. The highlight is the triangular Fuji mark but there’s also Akatsuki, Hayabusa and Myojyo. Happy that these are removable and not the usual “use double sided tape” instructions from Tomix.

 

Loco numbers and builders plates (Toshiba and Mitsubishi) are metal etched as are the wipers and hooks. There is also a deflector for the steam generator duct which is also metal.

 

Handrails are the usual unpainted plastic as this is the standard version rather than prestige but Fuji models may do metal replacements which i’ll probably install in the future. One minor irritation is the lack of Moji shed plate but it’s not a major issue. Included are Oita and Kagoshima.

 

The are a few drilling jigs included to make holes to install the wheel speed cables and the aforementioned SG duct deflector. 

 

I think this is going to be a fun one to detail. I’m pretty impressed with the model and glad I succumbed to temptation. You can certainly see where it got it’s looks and it’s a nice addition to the fleet.

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Kamome

[Kamome]

Just had my payment request for my HO 20系 coaches from Kato. There’s a typhoon on the way so delivery may be delayed for a day or so. 

 

 

I had preordered the base 4 car set, 2 of the Narone 21 and 3 of the Nahane 20 to start me off with a 9 car consist.

I hope there’s no issue finding 4 more Nahane 20 at a later date to make up a full formation. Just a little birthday present to myself.

[Modellbahn JP]

5 hours ago, Kamome said:

Just had my payment request for my HO 20系 coaches from Kato. There’s a typhoon on the way so delivery may be delayed for a day or so. 

 

 

I had preordered the base 4 car set, 2 of the Narone 21 and 3 of the Nahane 20 to start me off with a 9 car consist.

I hope there’s no issue finding 4 more Nahane 20 at a later date to make up a full formation. Just a little birthday present to myself.

I get your feeling what you must be excited! 

I've shared this photo but might as well I'll share that again!

 

Exp. "Akebono" at Ueno station in 1976

 

 

[Kamome]

Thanks @Modellbahn JP 1976 was a fantastic year for rail fanning. However I now need to find some details like drapes, a random door, white telephone and a shadowy, suspicious figure to make the model look more accurate. 😂

[Kamome]

The train arriving in platform 2 is the sleeper service that coined the term, “blue train”

 

The Kato 20 series coaches arrived after the short delay from the manufacturer. The models are nicely produced as expected from Kato. I’m not sure how they compare to the Tramway alternatives but these certainly don’t disappoint. The details throughout look pretty good plus there are quite a few parts like diaphragms and hand rails to fit. I especially like that the fans on the Kani 21 are separately fitted pieces rather than just part of the moulded roof like the 24 series. Also the curtains in the Nashi 20 and the Narone 21 add more depth. Coaches couple together closely with the same couplers found on the 24 series and the Kiha 58 and 82. There is also the option to fit a supplied knuckle to the Nahanefu 23 should you wish to. Interiors in the Nahane 20 are well produced with some very fine detail ladders. The dark flat blue colour looks great and really adds to the feeling of these coaches as pioneering the age of sleeping services. The end cars are the obvious highlight and the dome of the Nahanefu 22 looks extremely well executed. The 3 cream stripes look sharp too. 

 

 

There are, as ever, a couple of minor gripes. This is obviously a carbon copy of its last release whenever that was. (10 or so years ago) A couple of areas could have been updated in my opinion. Firstly the instructions look like they were drawn in the 1970s. They are easy to follow but look a bit dated by today’s standards. This was the same as with the 12 series. The other issue is converting to Kadee couplers is not as simple as newer releases due to the coupler housing pin being too narrow. I’d prefer not to keep the plastic couplers but I haven’t worked out how i can retain the underside detail and use a short shank Kadee coupler.  My final area of minor disappointment, is the choice of head marks. In this case Kato have supplied some pretty well known blue trains. I have no issue with what’s here. I do wish that they’d see fit to produce an add-on detail set with alternatives for the 20 series, like they did with the Kiha 82 and the n gauge version of the 20 series. Nihonkai, Akebono, Izumo would be welcome additions.

 

Despite a few areas where Kato could have updated the model, the coaches look great and testimony to Kato for such a great model representation when these were first released. Next thing is to add a lot of detail parts and transfers. 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Kamome

[Need for High Speed]

On 2/7/2021 at 6:36 PM, GDorsett said:

Little late posting this, but here's my full length E5 in my hands almost a full year after I purchased it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, I must ask for help:

Is there a coupler that is compatible with the one on this model that I can mount on a regular locomotive or will I need to order an extra coupler module and hack it apart?

Sadly I can not find any couplers that match the E5 Coupler How ever my SinoModel/MoonRail CR400AF train sets to have the same coupler. so maybe you can use one from the sets which come with two compatible couplers each and you can just glue a shank to one and put it on a locomotive. But I can't seem to find any spare E5 coupler systems to put in the rear cab.

[GDorsett]

Since I appear to have forgotten to share it, here's one of those Lima 103 units that I picked up at a show. Darn thing has a DCC decoder in it for some reason. I spent too much on it, but had to have it.

 

 

 

 

 

So I guess first thing, how do I take it apart? JMRI can't see what decoder it is and I kind of want to start there if I can so I can figure out what it's settings are and program it.

[Socimi]

5 hours ago, GDorsett said:

So I guess first thing, how do I take it apart? JMRI can't see what decoder it is and I kind of want to start there if I can so I can figure out what it's settings are and program it.

 

The "colored" part of a Lima Kokuden (sides and floor) is molded as one piece. To open it you'll need to remove the roof.

 

This website gives more or less a hint on how the model looks when taken apart.

http://fairyexp.fc2web.com/r_model/page/lima.htm

[GDorsett]

That's what I figured, but I'm just not sure how. It is clipped in? Are there screw posts that I'm missing?

[Socimi]

It's almost surely clipped in. Lima had a tendency to use as less screws as possible.

[Welshbloke]

If it uses their standard "pancake" motor then there are kits to replace it with a modern motor as used in CD players and other things. Reviews I've seen are mostly positive. You could also stick a Tenshodo SPUD under there which would enable a full interior, but you'd need to plate over the original mounting hole and might not be able to swap the sideframes over.

 

You may also be able to replace the wheels with finer ones, check the diameter and have a look at Peter's Spares in the UK. They sell replacement wheelsets for Lima OO which may well fit this too, which would also get rid of the traction tyres.

[GDorsett]

On 11/6/2021 at 3:01 AM, Socimi said:

It's almost surely clipped in. Lima had a tendency to use as less screws as possible.

 

Just gotta find said clips.

 

On 11/8/2021 at 2:54 PM, Welshbloke said:

If it uses their standard "pancake" motor then there are kits to replace it with a modern motor as used in CD players and other things. Reviews I've seen are mostly positive. You could also stick a Tenshodo SPUD under there which would enable a full interior, but you'd need to plate over the original mounting hole and might not be able to swap the sideframes over.

 

You may also be able to replace the wheels with finer ones, check the diameter and have a look at Peter's Spares in the UK. They sell replacement wheelsets for Lima OO which may well fit this too, which would also get rid of the traction tyres.

 

Don't think I'll want to put too much work into this. Right now it's just a novelty item. Is the motor swap hard to do or not really?

[Welshbloke]

It looks fairly simple, I haven't tried one though. I think you essentially gut the motor bogie keeping the wheels and intermediate gearing, then fix an adapter ring which holds the new motor centrally where the armature used to be. I think some electronics are needed as the motors aren't designed for the full 12v DC.

 

I find myself hoping that Tenshodo may be tempted to either do more single units (the rest of the 143/5/7 family would be able to reuse some of their existing components, and seem to be reliable sellers in any scale) or go for a 101/103 Series if they expand the T-Evolution range again.

[Kamome]

Today my preordered EF58 arrived from Kato (1-301) Tested and parts plus driver added.  I was slightly worried about the wheels being shiny from the published photos but this release is using blackened wheels. I particularly like the turned metal for the front handrails and the large metal PS14 pantographs. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by Kamome

[al camino]

On 12/6/2021 at 3:32 PM, Kamome said:

Today my preordered EF58 arrived from Kato (1-301) ..

 

 

 

Mine entered customs on Friday. My brown KATO EF58 will get a familiar sister.

I once got her as an used item around 1990. She was my first Japanese locomotive.

The running quality of this EF58 is unbeaten by my experience compared to Tramway.