Hungarian Japanese Model Train Club

[kvp]

After the latest meeting of the club, we have a draft module head standard. It's called HJMTC 8-TRACK. Track height above ground is still being decided, but currently it's around 67 mm, consisting of the height of 1 tram/bus/street plate+ kato viaduct base + kato elevated station plate or bridge.

[IST]

Yes, it was time to make some experiment with tracks and modules. We temporary fixed 8 tracks to 2 modules and tried how can we attach to each other or detach. It worked well.

 

 

Regarding to kvp's post, here is one picture:

 

[ToniBabelony]

So it's becoming eight tracks then? That's a pretty radical module standard! I hope it all works out well, as it will be very interesting to see at least eight trains running at the same time.

[Densha]

Do you have any space for scenery left?

[kvp]

Yes, 8 cm in front of the tracks and 15 cm behind the tracks. It should be enough for a row of houses or some tram/bus tracks and a row of narrower houses. And then we have the two corner modules, with lot's of space around the curves. The skyboard will be mounted to the back edge of the straight module with a height of around 50 cm, so the tallest building should be less than that.

[kvp]

After thinking about practicality, i think we should not add the height of the pawed track to the total height, since it's easier to lower the tracks than to lift everything else up. That would give us roughly 6 cm of height for the elevated tracks. (should be measuerd correctly) The faller arcades are only 4.7 cm high (kato columns are 4.8), so another 1.3 cm must be added to reach the trackbed base. This could be done with a strip of styrene or something. I'm also thinking about using wood decking at 2 levels: ground and elevated, so no foam cutting would be required and we could screw the rails not glue them which is more removable if repairs are needed. It would also allow buildings to be screwed down for transport and easier wire routing.

Edited January 14, 2014 by kvp

[IST]

I'm also thinking about using wood decking at 2 levels: ground and elevated, so no foam cutting would be required and we could screw the rails not glue them which is more removable if repairs are needed. It would also allow buildings to be screwed down for transport and easier wire routing.

 

If I know well the foam is used to decrease the loudness of a train moving on the track.

[kvp]

But you can't screw track through foam. So we should find a good way to fix the tracks in a solid way (because 8 tracks have to be connected at the same time), while having as much sound insulation as possible. A good way would be to lower the top deck below the module end surface and glue 1 layer (1 cm) of foam on top and only screw the ends of the tracks to the module ends. Or anything else with good results. For the street surface, i don't think we need sound insulation for the houses and any tram track would be sunk into the surface with foam blocks glued under the tracks.

[kvp]

I've found a good street view position, where the old, unrestored arcades can be seen. The prototype also has a concrete slab on top of the old elevated railway bridge, probably added sometime after ww2.

 

The second picture shows from right to left is the bridge beyond the end of the original 1909 brick arch elevated railway, the 1914 extension of the tokaido line on iron girders and the 1959 shinkansen line.

Edited January 14, 2014 by kvp

[kvp]

New module drawings. Essentially modified n scale fremo ends with 500 mm width and the elevated structure added.

 

[IST]

We had today the next meeting of HJMTC. We agreed with the final version of the modules, we checked what tracks do we have to order. Small steps, but it seems we are going to one direction. :)

[cteno4]

Very cool to see this getting off the ground! best wishes and luck with the venture!

 

keep snapping some picts of your progress and write something up then later when you get a chance for the jrm site. we are trying to get something up there on each of the japanese rail clubs that have formed around the world.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[kvp]

Small standards update and hopefully the first two modules are on their way.

[IST]

3 packages arrived today from Keitaro including a lots of traks:

 

[kvp]

Testing... (yes, we have to build something nicer and more permanent)

Work in progress: (IST's British modules and his beautiful Japanese micro layout)

 

[kvp]

Still testing... (yes, we have lumber supply problems, so still no modules)

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2014 by kvp

[kvp]

The first modules are finally ready, however there is a small manufacturing error. The sides under the elevated should have been left open, so it would be possible to add bridges and underpasses. Not to mention the lack of legs, which somehow got forgotten. :icon_scratch:

 

 

Anyway back to the tracks: We might have a slight problem with the catenary masts. The new wide masts are so far out from the tracks that they can not be used in a multitrack configuration, because they would be right in the middle of the adjacent tracks. I could only identify two types of classical narrow catenary masts, one for the shinkansen and one for commuter lines, both are only 2 tracks wide. Are there other types that we could use? I'm especially looking for 4 track masts with narrow (or right between two tracks) pole placement. (this is the same size as the inside the viaduct version for shinkansen tracks) Are there any alternatives to the two kato mast types that we could use here?

 

Also, could someone tell me why did kato switch to the wide masts and what are the benefits of using them?

[IST]

Yesterday's clubday ended at the ambulance at midnight. Railway modelling is dangerous... :-(

I cut deep my thumb with a slippery knife and the bleeding did not want to stop. The doc was professional and funny as he said good-bye with the following sentence: You should just watch your model trains in the next few days, it won't be such dangerous.

So take care guys!

[cteno4]

ouch! you will be remembered well for a while with the club! well you will have a nice model train war scar to show the girls! i should be dripping in women if that were true though!

 

get better and no blood on the trains! no joke i cut myself at a show and did not notice it was bleeding and left some light bloody fingerprints mainly on some train windows! luckily it washed off with some mother solvent (spit) and a tee shirt polish.

 

jeff

[Bernard]

IST - Hope for a speedy recovery.....that's smarts!

[IST]

Hey Jeff, my wife was not exactly proud of my model train injury. :-)

(We will go for a few days vacation tomorrow to a wellness hotel. And it is not allowed for me now to go into a swimming pool, so again: bad luck...)

[cteno4]

Sorry to hear that, mine does not like them either! i just hide them when i can!

 

well get some rest at least and you can probably put a bag over it and at least sit in the spa/hot tub!

 

again very sorry to hear of the slice, those are never nice to have. best wishes.

 

jeff

Edited April 26, 2014 by cteno4

[kvp]

Testing of the tram tracks and the catenary layout for our modules:

   

 

also, somewhere else in Japan:

[kvp]

Preliminary trackplan idea for Shimbashi station using kato unitrack and standard platform widths:

-station size: 2 modules (8 x 248 mm)

-platform lengths: up to 14 20 meter cars

 

[kvp]

Since we had nice summer weather here in Hungary, what else could a modeller do than go inside and try to work on the layout(s)? There is some progress on the club layout, the 2nd module has most of the rails on the viaduct in place (the surface level tram tracks are still missing) and the first module for my home layout starts to take shape (see: the piles of wood and the raw frame on the 3rd picture). The clearances on the viaduct are very tight but it looks like, it might work. Next time, we have to try connecting/disconnecting the two modules and we'll see what happens.