Britain's Biggest Model Railway - Includes Japanese

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Here in the UK, a new permanent model railway has been completed. It features a number of layouts, but most interesting is the 260 sq foot of N Gauge Japanese layout!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2598219/Train-lover-builds-Britains-largest-indoor-model-railway-3-000ft-long-28-trains-features-scenes-world.html

 

It is great to see such a large Japanese layout, but I am afraid to say I am just a little bit disappointed. Whilst the UK layout looks quite attractive, both the German and Japanese layouts look rather hackneyed...just a collection of available ready-to-plonk structures and track laid out on a board. It has a wow-factor in terms of size (and anything to attract new blood to Japanese modelling is a good thing), but does the quality match-up?

 

[kvp]

The problem might be that it's easier to model something that the modeller knows personally. This might be the biggest challange for any modeller choosing a japanse theme without seeing it first. In my case, i feel lucky since IST has been to Japan, so at least he not only knows a lot, but seen it personally. This might help us to avoid making a so barren layout, even though we do plan to run 8 tracks side by side, so it will be even more massive than the one in the link above. On a second tought, this layout might not be finished in it's current state, since it almost completly lacks people and has large clear spaces that looks like are meant for something, while the japanese river scene is perfect.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

You are right, of course. Being in a location does help give a different insight, but to me that is only half of it. I have seen plenty of models of subjects that the builder has no hope of visiting - for example layouts set in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These can only be built using research; books, internet etc. Japanese modellers, whilst at a disadvantage living thousands of miles from their subject, have the advantage of a vast amount of information available over the internet.

 

I believe the model is complete, but is rather spartan; low number of people for an urban environment etc.

[cteno4]

Wow at least something. But it does seem to have an uninspired track plan for its size. Emphasis on sheer number of tracks over something that has some surprises and not just a straight or 90 curve.

 

Also missing is much change of scene at all. Japan is so cool as there are trains going thru so many different scenes so quickly. Seems they just tried to model a city with just a back drop of wilderness. Not what you see, it's all about all the rapid transitions and successions of scenes in Japan. Background scenery feels more like the Rockies than Japan a bit too.

 

But again its some Japanese!

 

I don't think visiting Japan is a must as YouTube and google images and street view can really do a great job of showing Japan virtually. Cab rides on YouTube really are wonderful to get great ideas of what to model within the usual modeling distances from the track and further!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Davo Dentetsu]

Hopefully some benefit of the doubt could be applied, maybe it's a WIP?  Let's hope so at least, it carries promise!

[Densha]

Agreed Jeff. The layouts aren't that interesting but at least it's something. Personally I find the Dutch largest model railway much more interesting to be honest: http://www.miniworldrotterdam.com/NL_miniatuurwereld_foto.htm

[Martijn Meerts]

Background scenery feels more like the Rockies than Japan a bit too.

 

 

First thing I thought was that it looked like a fairly standard US layout with Japanese rolling stock ;)

[E6系]

Yes, I agree with much of the comment here.  Firstly, it is BIG.  Japan is small.  A small layout would have been much wiser.  It reminded me of Nevada, Texas, when really, I should have found Ochanomizu, or Fujisawa.

[dottney]

Gee I think it looks pretty good. 

Dave

[Martijn Meerts]

Dave, it's not that it looks bad, for from it.. It's just, I don't get the feeling it's a Japanese layout apart from the fact that the rolling stock is Japanese..

[IST]

Honestly I do not know what should I think about this Japanese layout.

In one point of view - as others are mentioned - at least it is Japanese. It helps to show some different trains, vehicles than usual in GB or in Europe. I'm sure it can be more interesting track laying for us, but to watch full size Shinkansen trains it is OK.

In another point of view: I would be happy if our club layout would look like similarly. OK, nothing special, just the basic Kato and Tomytec buildings, cars, tracks that we have seen sooooo many times on lots of Japanese layout and maybe this is why it is not interesting for us. We are IN the Japanese modelling, including the collectors, layout builders, armchair modellers and real modellers, we always share pictures about different layouts, new releases, we are well informed. But for a European or British modeller, this layout can be fun and interesting, because they are facing with this them very rarely. For example I saw Japanese theme in British model magazines once or twice a year.

[kvp]

 

I would be happy if our club layout would look like similarly.

I'm sure it will look much nicer. For example, afaik we won't leave a wasteland around the tracks. Also, there should be lots of people.

[Vato]

nice layout

[Bernard]

As most people have mentions...hey there is a Japanese Layout at the show! I have to believe that one of the main functions that the modeler had in mind when they designed the layout was to have lots of trains running at one time....which it does provide for. When I go to train show most of the audience wants to see trains moving. Hey I'm also glad they included a Japanese layout.

[Mudkip Orange]

derp

Edited April 28, 2014 by Mudkip Orange

[lurkingknight]

I  think it looks rather plain... looks like it's just a couple of stacked loops.. a viaduct double and a 4 line loop on the bottom with an in street tram... not that there's anything wrong with it.. .but it just looks like they got 2 of everything from the diotown catalog and just put it down.

[dabsan]

Good to see that they appreciate the quality of Japanese trains to included a layout there. But sadly the buildings are spaced too far apart, the roads are too organized and the layout totally lacks the crazy busy feeling and chaos of a Japanese city. The mountains behind look nothing like the beautiful green scenery of Japan and the track layout has no shape or interest to it!!

Edited April 8, 2014 by dabsan

[ToniBabelony]

The size is indeed impressive, but as other members already stated, the layout itself is very unimpressive. I think if the manager had outsourced the planning to a person with more in-depth knowledge of Japanese railways, the layout would have been the main focus of the whole exhibition xD

[Mr Frosty]

Never been a fan of big loops surrounding an island of scenery.. Looks too much like an overgrown train set.

[The Next Station Is...]

Having been to the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park in Nagoya, I think someone needs to take a leaf out their book and make a layout that is as awesome as the one at Nagoya. That layout makes this UK one seem like a kid's toy in comparison.

 

Kudos though to the UK guys for helping raise the profile of Japanese model railways; there's no such thing as bad publicity!

[Kamome]

Hopefully this exposure will help establish more Japanese N Gauge stockists in the UK and hopefully bring the cost down for us long suffering Brits.

 

It does look like he has used the Kato catalogue as inspiration with a few Tomix buildings thrown in for good measure. Watching trains run pretty much in a straight line is not that inspiring for me and doesn't really evoke a feeling of a modern Japanese city with its multi-layered roads and railway lines, winding through the over-crowded urban sprawl.

 

It just goes to show that you can spend a huge amount of money on something, but it doesn't guarantee it to be great.

[katoftw]

I dont mind it.  Sure the rectangle track layout is a little boring.  But it does allow for alot of action to happen.  I think a still picture doesn't do the layout justice.  A video of the 8 train lines running and 2 tram lines running all at once at difference speeds would be awesome.

 

Do agree though, the use of Western style scenery doesn't suit the Eastern style layout.  But thats nothing dark green flock used instead of yellow and some Western trees replaced with Eastern trees. 

Edited April 29, 2014 by katoftw