Books.

[Sascha]

Are there any books I NEED to get about N Gauge and Japanese Trains? 

[railsquid]

I find the Kato and Tomix catalogues enormously helpful for getting an overview of what's available (having only started this hobby around a month ago myself).

[Sascha]

I find the Kato and Tomix catalogues enormously helpful for getting an overview of what's available (having only started this hobby around a month ago myself).

Thanks.Great tip. Ordered the Kato from Amazon for $14 and free shipping. I have to find the Tomix cheaper. Its $35 ($20 shipping). A bit too much for shipping.

[JR 500系]

Hi the catalogues that railsquid san mentioned are good sources for model supplies. Knowing them is good so that you can pre-plan your layout. However, generally there is more than enough information on the internet that books are often not required. But they are nice to browse through though to get an idea of the dioramas they presented and beautiful colours to view. Here's a book on Tomix tracks: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10245543 that might be helpful.

 

Point to note though, these books are often only in Japanese, so understanding them fully might not be easy if you do not know the language. Another point is these catalogues and books are also often heavy, and shipping them takes quite an amount to ship to your location as compared to other items.

 

Hoped that helps! Have fun!

[Sascha]

I don't speak or read any Japanese. My though was that (as you mentioned) they would give me ideas, so I'm fine with that part.Thanks for the link.

[railsquid]

The Tomix catalogue does have the contents page translated into English, and most of the indivudual products also have the name in English as well.

 

Sure, the information is out there on the internet somewhere, but it's sometimes nice to have something old-fashioned on paper to browse through.

[HantuBlauLOL]

got a 2005 tomix catalogue.. Still reads it like a weekly magazine :D