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Pauljag900

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Hi, my name is paul and i m from chester in england.almost finished my first project in n gauge and wanted to try something new so decided on a combined train and tram layout,if anyone can help with advice on the tomix tram system i d be very gratefull!!

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Hi jeff,thanks for the reply,yes i have, found it very usefull when doing my research,i ve settled on a plan i found on here from one of the administators, he s done 8 track plans and i ve settled for plan no 8.the main reason for this is because it is basically three seperate circuits,i m going to incorporate the tram into a train layout which will have a double oval on an 8ftx4ft board so basically there will be five trams and trains to operate, as i have four young grandchildren we ll all have something to play with!!!!

I did quite a bit of research before i decided and think the best place for me to buy it is ebay,a shop called plazajapan,no doubt you will have heard of it,i have today ordered the track for the yellow oval and a small kato tram just to get me started,i ll order the green oval next then finish with the outside track,can t wait to get started now!!

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Martijn Meerts

Plazajapan is a good shop, with very good service. It's not always the cheapest option, but on the other hand, they're real easy with returns/replacements should something go wrong during shipping.

 

I have a bunch of the Tomix Portrams, but only a few of them have the motorised chassis. The main issue with them is that the motor is very visible though the large windows, and they don't have any lights whatsoever. The Kato Portrams on the other hand have tiny 3 volt motors hidden in the bogies, so they have a full interior as well as lights. The Kato also runs better in general. Of course, the Kato ones are quite a bit more expensive.

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Lots of trams here. Both the kato and tomix portrams. As Martin squid the Katos are nice with the tiny 3v motors in the trucks (they have voltage regulator so you can run them at 12v like other trams) so full interiors. Only problem is if anything goes wrong with them they are extremely fiddly to work on. Tomytec's are inexpensive and sturdy, but you will see them motors in the windows. But this is true of about all n scale trams. There are also quite a number of modemo Japanese trams so quite a selection. I have many of these and all great except for the greenmover 5 segment tram which has a few issues.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/search_e.asp?Typ1_c=104&scope=0&scope2=0&itkey=Modemo

 

Other good shops for ordering stuff are

 

Hobbysearch http://www.1999.co.jp has a wide selection and usually. 5-15% discount and a rebate system. Their website is kind of the main online catalog for n scale Japanese

 

Loco1hobbies.net great prices and can do special orders with them and is a member of JNS

 

Modeltrainplus.net great prices, specializes in export, can do special orders with them and is a member of the JNS.also does personal shopping for a fee for harder to find stuff in hobby shops and yahoo.jp

 

Fmodels.jp a hobby shop in Japan that exports usually at about 15-20% discount. You just email them what you want and they send you a paypal invoice for what they can get for you.

 

All the above use paypal so you can use a credit card and ship ems (express, expensive) or sal (2-3 week cheaper) and all have been stellar in customer service.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

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Hi there! I'm from Sillypore and there's absolutely no chance to get anything locally, so it's all online for me. I've ordered my first few orders from Plaza Japan too as ebay is by far the easiest portal to use...

 

Hoowever as Jeff as mentioned, the above shops have been 'quality-stamped' by a number of satisfied customers, me being one of them! Price wise definitely better than PJ (Plaza Japan), but PJ sometimes have very special items that are otherwise sold out elsewhere. Do note their combined shipping services have been, well, not so economical in a scene, but nonetheless a great option for our beloved items.

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Wow!thank you all for the replies,much appreciated.I ve settled on track plan 8or6 which i got from here,not knowing anything about the geometry of the tomix track(or any other for that matter!)i ve ordered a basic oval set with some extra straights just so i ve got something to work with,i ordered them from plaza japan so i m happy to hear that they seem to be ok,and like jr500 theres not a great deal available locally and wot is available is very expensive,i ordered the kato hiroshima tram mainly because it was the cheapest and also its small so i m hoping it will go around the 103 radius curves! On the plaza japan site they have a tram stop set for about £5,theres a shop in hamburg selling it for £21! So it pays to look around i think.

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Hi guys,i ve just recieved my first order from plazzajapan and i ve started a new topic in personal projects called going japanese!! Any thoughts,comments or advice will be gratefully recieved!!

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