Tokaido Shinkansen by Fulgurex?

[Minelayer]

Ran across an auction in Ebay for the above titled Shinkansen. Never heard of the company and was wondering if anyone else has.

 

Interesting that the nose cone looks intentionally removed/missing/non-existent.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-CAR-N-SCALE-TOKAIDO-SINKANSEN-FUKGUREX-ENDO-POWERED-SET-IN-BOX-/300938102487?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item46114f06d7

 

 

[bill937ca]

Manufactuer is Endo. http://www.mr-endo.com/     HS carries their stuff.  http://www.1999.co.jp/search_e.asp?Typ1_c=104&scope=1&urikire=0&andor=0&scope2=0&sortID=0&SFlt_f=1&SFilter=Manufacturer&itkey=Endo

 

Beware it might be HO scale.

Edited August 10, 2013 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

Interesting, looks to be n scale, rapido couplers. That case would be huge if it is HO.

 

Jeff

[westfalen]

The wheels and couplers are definately N scale.

 

The nose cone appears to be made of a translucent plastic, I recall many years ago (1960's) a HO model of the 0 series where the whole nose cone lit up as the headlight.

[Minelayer]

Ahh, i see the clear nose cone now.

 

Looks like Fulgurex is a Swiss based company that specializes in brass models and started getting into N-Scale in 1983. From the looks of it I would say this bullet train is one of their first forays into N-Scale.

 

Here is another auction on Ebay Germany with additional pictures.

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Fulgurex-JNR-ENDO-SKINKANSEN-Set-New-Tokaido-in-der-OVP-6-teilig-sehr-selten-/370844944118?nma=true&si=gjyzMEfF7oqSJfrJSfMVNek%252BLEo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[clem24]

It's made by Endo in the late 70s/early 80s. It's brass and the nose cone lights up. Very crude Shinkansen model (especially by today's standards).

[Ochanomizu]

Why does nose cone light up?

 

Perhaps it is more a toy than a scale model?

[clem24]

Why does nose cone light up?

 

Perhaps it is more a toy than a scale model?

 

The earliest 0 series Shinkansen (or was it the prototypes) had a nose cone that lit up. Again you have you keep in mind that these were made over 30 years ago to my knowledge. Back then, these would've been state of the art for N scale.

 

Heck the $700 Bandai 1/45 display Shnkansen has a light up nose cone:

 

http://www.japantrendshop.com/FR-otona-no-chogokin-series-shinkansen-bullet-train-model-p-1269.html

 

And I would never consider that a toy LOL.

[Martijn Meerts]

Looking at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shinkansen_Super_Express.jpg it seems some 0 series may have had translucent nose cones. Doesn't seem to me they did this only for the museum considering it doesn't really add anything. For a museum I'd think they'd either remove the nose completely or have it transparent rather than translucent ..

[200系]

About the lighted nose cone:

 

The lighted nose cone actually was actually used on the 0系 shinkansen for a short while.

 

When the two (A and B ) 1000形 test trains where delivered to J.N.R. in 1962, they where fitted with nose cones made of acrylic. This material, when backlighted, would become slightly translucent, and it was argued that this would improve visibility for the driver.

 

When the first 0系0番台 batches (batches 1 and 2) where delivered in 1964 (Shōwa 39), they where fitted with a acrylic nose cone, similar to the one fitted to the 1000形 formations. It was however soon discovered that the added visibility provided by the translucent nose cone was practically nill, so from batch 3 onward (delivered in Shōwa 40, or 1965) production switched to (glass) Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) nose cones which where painted grey. The 'older' batches (1 and 2) got replacement cones from the same material.

Grey nose cones remained the norm during the rest of the J.N.R. shinkansen era. After the absolvement of J.N.R., and the creation of JR Tōkai and JR West, the newly formed JR companies started painting their remaining 0系 white (both the nose cones and the body, which changed from ivory to white, the blue stayed though), while some JR West formations turned up with creme/yellowish nose cones.

 

0系0番台 car 21-2, in the Saitama railway museum, is a special case though, being car 1 of the very first full production formation, formation N2.

12 car formation N2, build by Nippon Sharyō and delivered to J.N.R. on the 24th of July 1964, was used to operate the very first Shinkansen service ever. She was became a 16 car formation on the 20th of December 1969 by adding 4 new build cars (two 25形 and two 26形), and she was redesignated H2 in 1972 and was destined to become a Hikari formation from then on. She was retired in 1977 as part of the first batches to be retired, with 10 of her intermediate cars falling prey to the Hamamatsu dismantling line. (see: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/6588-jnr-hamamatsu-works-death-of-the-0%E7%B3%BB0%E7%95%AA%E5%8F%B0-19761986/). 21-2, 22-2 and the four new build cars from 1969 survived. 21-2 and 22-2 where used for training J.N.R., and later JR West, Personal until 1994. In 2008 21-2 was donated to JR East (incidentally, the only 0系 car JR East ever owned) and gained a place in the newly build Railway museum in Saitama, she was restored as much as possible to her 1964 appearance, which included the nose cone (though not including the original rivited nose hatch cover), which, long story short, is the reasson she has the translucent nose cone. What happened to 22-2 is unfortunatly a bit vague, she might have been scrapped unfortunately.

 

 

1000形 test train, Formation B with it's original acryic cone:

 

 

Now, why the Endo model has this feature confuses me a bit. The Endo model, afterall is based on the 0系1000番台 introduced in 1976 (batch 22~29) recognizable by the small windows, original 6 sided windscreen, and visable emergency escape hatches on the side, which should have simply had a grey nose cone. Anyone know if the original Endo model had the same feature, or if this has been modified by the seller?

 

-Sander

Edited August 19, 2013 by 200系

[ronin]

Digging this topic up from the grave.  Have any of the Japanese companies released a set of the original 0 series with a lighted nose cone recently?

 

Thanks,

Eric

[cteno4]

Yep the tomix special edition 98929

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10262119

 

Cheers

 

Jeff