Hungarian Japanese Model Train Club

[kvp]

Shinkansens and trams in the club:

(we are making progress, but very slowly...)

 

[katoftw]

difficult to see 2 tracks with the raised shinkansen lines.

[IST]

difficult to see 2 tracks with the raised shinkansen lines.

 

It is the back of the modul, so there will be no problem.

 

Another small event: track painting is in progress:

[JR 500系]

Very nice! Wished I could join you guys...

[IST]

Another small step, ballast making between the tracks. I almost used one pack of Kato ballast for only this 1 meter long modul:

 

 

Halfway:

 

Before gluing:

 

Before gluing, but after using some water (mixture with little soft soap):

 

After 1 day and it seems it dried:

[Densha]

Something I thought of a while back is putting some cardboard/wood strips or something between the tracks so that you only need a thin layer of ballast thus can save money on that. I haven't tested it yet though...

[IST]

Yes, we learned this on a hard (and costly) way.  :)

After glued down the whole we were thinking in the club that maybe the ballast is to thin to became solid, so thought the next time we should use some kind of corkwood below it. We will try it on the 2nd modul.

[Densha]

I now have to ballast on the diorama I'm working on, but I keep delaying it because it's such a pain in the ass...

[cteno4]

Great work ist, looks nice.

 

Jeff

[brill27mcb]

I can't wait to see all of those tracks full of traffic!

 

Rich K.

[kvp]

If we can get the two modules working, then we might try to set up a temporary layout with the rest of the track on tables to see them running. (with buildings added of course) On the other hand, first i have to paint the tracks with rust on the tram module, clean them up, add cork filling, ballast everything, add roads (they have to be ordered first) and tram track, then add the viaducts on both modules with the shops, add the walkway above them (have to get some styrene for that) and then we are somewhere. (oh... and the modules are still missing their legs)

 

More pictures:

(the ballast this evening, fully dried)

(the backside of a diy module for my home layout)

(applied japanese technology: the locomotive is a Kato made Hungarian National Railways M61 diesel in heritage paint, the cars are MiniTrix)

[katoftw]

Did you ever sort out the caternary spacing issue?

Edited July 26, 2014 by katoftw

[kvp]

 

Did you ever sort out the caternary spacing issue?

Yes, i just forgot to take a picture. The catenary masts are already in the ballast. We ended up using the old type of narrow masts, because they can be placed between tracks. There are only single and double poles, so we use 4 double poles next to each other. A little bit of sanding was required on the bases because they are in the way of each other. If the track spacing was 37 mm instead of the normal 33 mm of Kato, then they would have fit without tricks. Next time i'll make a picture with all masts in place. (they were removed before ballasting) Luckily only the bases had to be glued in, the masts are replacable in case they get damaged. (or rather when, because i'm 100% sure they will get damaged)

[IST]

There was an open meeting on Saturady for Hungarian N gaugers in our club. Basically we tried to know those peoples more whom are active on the topics about railway modelling, but unfamiliar in the real life. There were conversations about layout building (especially about the club's Fremo modules), scenery detailing, Hungarian model train making or renumbering wagons. A few days ago we also built a small 8 shaped loop from Unitrack just to run trains if somebody would like, therefore kvp run some of his Japanese models and I run 2 of my Shinkansens.

 

 

 

Beside of this now I can show you how the dried ballast looks like on the Japanese modul. Catenary poles are not in their final shape, we have to modify these a little bit and I would like gently weather them.

 

 

 

[IST]

I uploaed a short video about the E4 Max Shinkansen.

 

 

(Do you have any idea why the frame rate was dropped on YouTube? When I watch the video on my computer it runs smoothly, but when I upload it looks weird. Is there any option which I forgot to use?)

[katoftw]

All good watching it for me. No rate issues even on 360p.

[Densha]

How many people are actually in the club now?

 

Modules look pretty nice now, but where do you put the scenery now that it's all tracks?

[kvp]

The HJMTC is actually sharing the basement with an european prototype club. (we are in one of the corners) There are some double members (IST). On the other hand the meeting was open, so most people are not members in either of them, just fellow modellers.

 

The modules are 50% tracks only, streets go in front and behind the viaduct with really tall buildings at the back.

[IST]

How many people are actually in the club now?

 

Modules look pretty nice now, but where do you put the scenery now that it's all tracks?

At this moment our club (not the Japanese, but N-gaugers) has 8 basic members plus few more who are coming quite rarely.

 

Maybe the following picture shows more where will be a street (left side) and some office blocks (right side):

 

[kvp]

We are aiming for this look, with a scenery cut right in front of the tracks and only modelling the first row of skyscrapers:

[Densha]

What are you intending to do with any other modules? With these 8 tracks the only option is to keep this scenery going but don't you want something else at some point?

[kvp]

The idea is to have an oval modular layout with one side on a viaduct, the other on level ground. We are now building the two viaduct modules as a test, then we have to make two 180 degrees modules that transition between viaduct and ground level (by raising the ground, so the rails could stay level), then on the other two straight modules the tracks will be on the ground. Personally i would like to expand this layout with the actual Shimbashi station (no turnouts, just some track distance widening), that will need another two modules in the middle. This will leave us with space for another two on the other side, where we could build a yard. The nearest yard is Shinagawa. The only trick is that we are not lowering the tracks, but raising the ground to transition into that scenery. (background: even more skyscrapers) All this requires 8 straight modules and 2 180 degrees modules and at least 3 to 5 years at our current speed. The result will be a runner layout, where up to 16 trains could be in motion on 8 loops with a total of 24 trains with a maximal train length of about 1.8 meters or 12 cars.

[Densha]

So only urban high rise buildings? Would bore the hell out of me... :P

[JR 500系]

I uploaed a short video about the E4 Max Shinkansen.

 

 

(Do you have any idea why the frame rate was dropped on YouTube? When I watch the video on my computer it runs smoothly, but when I upload it looks weird. Is there any option which I forgot to use?)

 

No problems with me either on the video.

 

Nice looking E4 Max! Smoothing running! Wonder where you got it from?  :laughing3:

 

It's so nice to have a club to run and talk trains together ~~

[kvp]

Lately not much was happening with the club modules, but we are very slowly making progress. First there is a test picture about the placement of the viaduct arches on my module. (as usual i was using the back of the module, not the front where they will be placed)

 

 

Based on this, i designed a layout for the shops:

 

 

The bar marked scratch built is a split one, which i found yesterday and it's a bit south of Shinbashi station.

 

 

And i also realized, that IST will need an arch piece more (11 vs 15 arches), because there are no underpasses on his module. I'll bring that next time with the matching accessories.