Coaches for C56 ??

[domino]

I got the Kato C56 1-201 steam loco (H0), but witch coaches goes with it ??

 

Brian

[Nick_Burman]

Brian,

 

Some suggestions... for the vintage look,  Tramway series 33, 35, 36 and 42 coaches, AClass 32, 35, 36, 42 and 54 series, Kato series 32, 33, 42, 43. Give preference for the brown or "grape" coloured cars although you could slip one blue car in for good measure. For the modern "tourist train" look, Kato series 12, 13, 14 and 15. Hobby Search has some of these available but otherwise you'll have to find it elsewhere in Japan. Maybe Rinkya (Yahoo Japan) or Rakuten can be of help.

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

Second the suggestions by NB.  Here's a interesting picture of a C56 hauling older clerestory roof coaches on the Ooito Line in 1959.  The steamer is fitted with a stack mounted smoke lifter/diverter.

 

http://www016.upp.so-net.ne.jp/via-lactea/gallery26.html

Edited July 20, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[miyakoji]

What is that assembly at the top of the smokestack? A type of smoke deflector? Various Japanese locomotives had some pretty large boxes attached, I've always wondered what they are.

[marknewton]

I'd call it a smoke diverter. It's designed to send the exhaust steam and smoke horizontally to the rear when the engine is running in a tunnel. The idea being that instead of the steam and smoke swirling around the confines of the tunnel asphyxiating the crew and passengers, it will be ejected fairly quickly.

 

There is a sliding hatch or door on the top of the box-shaped housing/shroud, operated by a pneumatic cylinder. When the hatch is open, the exhaust steam and smoke exit normally above the engine. When it's closed, the exhaust is diverted through a vent at the rear of the shroud. The majority of these diverters have the operating cylinder mounted on the boiler behind the smokebox, but I've seen a few C58s with the cylinder and linkages at the front of the diverter.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[domino]

Brian,

 

Some suggestions... for the vintage look,  Tramway series 33, 35, 36 and 42 coaches, AClass 32, 35, 36, 42 and 54 series, Kato series 32, 33, 42, 43. Give preference for the brown or "grape" coloured cars although you could slip one blue car in for good measure. For the modern "tourist train" look, Kato series 12, 13, 14 and 15. Hobby Search has some of these available but otherwise you'll have to find it elsewhere in Japan. Maybe Rinkya (Yahoo Japan) or Rakuten can be of help.

 

 

Cheers NB

Thanks

 

Brian

[miyakoji]

Mark, thanks I had to do some digging but I found it.  They call it a shuuen souchi, I'll translate this as smoke collector apparatus.  As always, there's a wikipedia page with a helpful illustration: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9B%86%E7%85%99%E8%A3%85%E7%BD%AE

[marknewton]

That's a good find, miyakoji, thanks for posting. I was curious as to why there were so many variations of the basic design, now I know the reasons. 

 

Interesting that the photo of C571 shows another variant I wasn't familiar with, with a vent or opening at the front, and the operating cylinder mounted as part of the unit on the side of the collector. 

 

I reckon running a loco through a tunnel with the smoke collector operating would have been an interesting experience for the engine crew. They'd have to make sure they had the firehole door shut and plenty of blower on before they entered the tunnel to avoid a blowback.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark. 

Edited July 21, 2013 by marknewton