Going Japanese!!!

[Pauljag900]

Thanks mate,I want to use it on the v14,282/315 double track and was nt sure if it would run on it.

[Pauljag900]

I do nt suppose you know which of the shinkansens will run in that radius do you?

[katoftw]

Kato's are minimum 315mm.  Tomix's are 280mm.  But honestly Tomix struggle at 280, 315/317 would be a better minimum.

[Pauljag900]

Thanks for the info mate,very much appreciated

[Pauljag900]

So with my glacier express layout almost finished and at last my knee surgery is done,garden re landscaped and my new home for my layouts delivered and erected,it's time to start thinking about my Japanese layout.

My baseboard is being constructed this weekend and will run full width of shed,227cm and will be 130cm deep.It will run on rails which will allow me to pull it forward to get behind it for cleaning and maintenance.

The layout will basically be two double track loops,the outer loop being Kato v13 viaduct set plus extra track with an overhead through station (v15)and will run two shinkansens.The inner loop is Kato v14 super elevated track with single viaduct curves running side by side,with a four track station area(2xv1) and I will run four trains on this loop with two running and two parked at the station.Train lengths will be limited to a max of six cars I think,due to restricted track lengths.i will add in crossovers and sidings at a later date.I spent hrs and hrs on "anyrail"trying to plan a decent layout that was 100cm deep so I could reach the back of the board,but because of the trains I want to run and the radius I need to use I just could nt do it,hence the decision to make it deeper and mount it on rails.I ve already purchased the v14 and three trains from Nariichi at modeltrainplus,with more orders planned in the near future.i also need to try and work out how to join the glacier express and new layout together as they will sit at right angles to each other,maybe extend the mountain in the corner? I Lso want to raise the glacier express layout and put an underground train in behind a piece of smoked glass.thats my immediate plans anyway,no doubt something will scupper them and I ll need to re think,but I guess that's all part of the fun!!

[cteno4]

Paul,

 

Great idea of the rails in the limited shed space to get at the back side of the layout!

 

Jeff

[Pauljag900]

Thanks Jeff,should all be done this weekend,I ll post an update oce it's all done,having laminate flooring and shelving fitted as well so should be all organised! Mmm

[cteno4]

Glad you are designing and building this to suit the needs of your legs! Much more fun much much longer that way!

 

Is there enough room to tip the whole layout up and off the rails if you ever decide to move it?

 

Sounds like you are going to have a great train shed to play in! Hope a refer for a cool beer and a water pot for tea are being built in!

 

Jeff

[Pauljag900]

All sorted mate,drinks fridge,kettle in my old shed at the moment but will go in at weekend,32inch flat screen and Sky TV already in and mounted on brackets,being connected up on Tuesday!!ha ha I ll post some pics next week just for you!

[Pauljag900]

There s enough room to tip it completely,but getting it actually out may be a bit tricky as it fits side to side so until it's in I m not sure if it can be manoeuvred successfully.It s being built in two halves which will screw together,if it does nt come out then I ll leave some of the Center track pieces loose so it can be pulled apart if need be

[cteno4]

Paul,

 

Cool,sounds great! Is there for room for a recliner in there? Ostensibly to work on wiring under the layout?

 

I was wondering if it was being built in two halves!

 

Look forward to the pictures! Sounds like such a fun train shed!

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

All sorted mate,drinks fridge,kettle in my old shed at the moment but will go in at weekend,32inch flat screen and Sky TV already in and mounted on brackets,being connected up on Tuesday!!ha ha I ll post some pics next week just for you!

Not sure if you have a similar term in the UK.  But in Australia we call them Man Sheds, or Man Caves.  They are rooms or sheds full of male only stuff.  No female stuff to be seen.  Whatever the term may be, yours sounds great.

Edited August 6, 2015 by katoftw

[Pauljag900]

That's what we call them too mate! The grandchildren call it grandads den.ha ha.

[Pauljag900]

For anyone interested here s a few pics of my almost complete glacier express layout.I know in terms of track layout it's pretty boring but I used it as a learning curve as I wanted to have a try at the scenic stuff and also it gave me something to do while I had my garden and shed sorted out.Plus it was fun to do!!

[cteno4]

Paul,

 

Nice work. Great fun and a great way to experiment and learn on a smaller layout before you jump into a large one! That a mistake many make and can get bogged down at some point or really frustrated doing things on larger sized areas and the give up. Smart man and you had a lot of fun. What will happen with this layout?

 

Jeff

[Pauljag900]

In the short term it will sit on a worktop that will run at right angles to the main layout,I m going to see if there s some way I can join the two,by that I mean they ll be seperate layouts but I m thinking I may be able to extend the mountain in the left hand corner of the glacier express layout to run over the new layout as well,so basically where the two join at right angles they will both be covered by a mountain in the corner,does that make any sense Jeff?ha ha ,once I get the new board in at the weekend I ll post some pics and maybe it ll help to make sense,the other option is to just leave it as a seperate layout,I ve even thought about running the viaduct track right across the glacier express layout.! I ve a few ideas but need to wait till weekend and see how it all fits in and what space is left.

[Pauljag900]

Does anyone know where I can get a Japanese backscene poster from?

[Pauljag900]

At last I can make a start on my Japanese layout.floor laid,shelving assembled and boards built.Sky TV installed today as was the beer fridge!

The board sits full width and can be pulled forward by moving the glacier express layout down then pulling the main board forward on the rails allowing space at the back for cleaning etc.Once pulled forward it can then be tipped up for wiring etc,there's not enough clearence to tip it all the way but enough to hold it in place with a pole or I may look to fit a car bonnet gas strut on either side.I am considering working out roughly how many led lights I will need and pre wire with push connectors and leave hanging under the board so when needed it will be a simple case of fitting the light in the building,drill a hole in baseboard and connect to wiring already there,not sure if it will work but it's an idea.

As for the glacier express layout, I may move it down slightly and keep it seperate or I may see if I can build a mountain in the corner of the new layout with a profile that matches the glacier layout so when pushed together it will look like one "L" shaped layout.The other option is to dismantle it and re build it on a longer but narrower board but for now I m leaving it as it is.all the controllers will sit on the top shelves of units and I just need to get one Kato controller for points etc.

I ve got the v14 track set as a start and 3 of the six trains I want with two more on their way,just one more to choose then it's the v13 set which means I can use 4 trains while I get the rest of the track together.

[cteno4]

Paul, looks great it's coming together!

 

Jeff

[toc36]

Paul,

 

Check out this link:

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/1183-scenery-reference-photos/

 

cteno4 has links for Japanese back scenes.

[Pauljag900]

Cheers mate I ll take a look,I ve found a company online called backdrop junction who custom make any size you want.They do nt actually have any Japanese back scenes but they do have a few city landscapes with lots of high rise buildings in so may get away with one of those,I ll keep looking as I m in no imediate Rush coz I ve only just started the layout.

[Pauljag900]

Hi,I now how the v14 and v13 track sets by Kato and have set them up as they are while I get the rest of the track pieces and bits together,at least I can now have four of the six trains running,I have three with two more due to arrive today and one more to order.

Also there s a short video of first track test of the three trains I have on YouTube.https://youtu.be/rvYGs_00CHo

I am now considering selling the glacier express to concentrate on the Japanese layout as I m struggling to try and work it in to the new layout.My other option is to dismantle it and rebuild it with the left hand side lower so I can adjoin it to the new layout but I ll probably wait till the track is down before I make any decisions.

[Pauljag900]

Hi everyone,I was wondering if anyone can help me before I make a massive mistake! my proposed track plan is a mix of a basic double viaduct loop on the outside using 381/414 radius track.

The inner loop is a mix of double ground level and viaduct track.The radius of these needs to be 282/315.obviously Kato do nt do double viaduct in these sizes so I m going to use single viaducts side by side,282mm(20-510) and 315(20-520).but last night I had an awful thought,are the trains going to catch on the walls of the viaduct with them being single track? All the trains I m going to use on these radius have a min radius of 249mm so are well within the tolerance,and because of the size of my layout and lengths of station areas the trains will be kept to 6-8 cars in length.

Can anyone tell me if it's going to work please? My other option is to buy a half circle of both radius and connect them to ground level track I already have and just test it.The final option is to cut away the two Center walls and find a way of glueing them together then cover with ballast.are any of these ideas possibilities or do I need to get back on anyrail?

Any advice will be gratefully recieved,many thanks,Paul

[kvp]

If the single track viaducts can fit together next to each other, the trains should be ok, since each individual single track viaduct should be usable without the trains hitting the walls, regardless of what is next to them. The only question is if you can put them next to each other at regular Kato track distances. (so unless you plan to do multi track drifting, the walls should not bother the trains)

 

Btw: I chekced and the RhB runs right hand both on the Arosa and Bernina lines and follows this practice on most of the double tracked parts of the Albula line. The only exception seems to be the double tracked section after Reichenau, because it's actually two single tracked lines running next to each other before separating. The historical reason for this might be the street running sections of both the Arosa and Bernina lines.

[Pauljag900]

Thanks for that kvp