Rental Layouts?

[JR 500系]

Don't know where to post this so just dropping this here...

 

I know in Japan there are quite a number of rental layouts, usually in various shops like IMON, Popondetta, TAMTAM etc. whereby one can 'rent' the layout by the hour to run your trains and take photos/ videos.

 

 This youtube uploader does wonderful videos of rental layouts:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KxqMfYmxa8

 

The layouts at the stores are amazingly beautiful! I think the video featured the layout at TAMTAM Saitama, that's multiple layers of tracks to run on! It's fun to rent the layout and run your trains and take beautiful videos like the one above, and also stretch your full length shinkansens as I know many of us don't have the luxury of space to run full 16-car consists...  

 

Another question pops up, I saw in videos before there were something like a number of 10 controllers to run on the rental layout. Do the person who rent; i.e. the customer, gets to control the turnouts? Because if they do, what happens if two or three customers switch turnouts and get into a collision?  :)

 

 

[railsquid]

 

Another question pops up, I saw in videos before there were something like a number of 10 controllers to run on the rental layout. Do the person who rent; i.e. the customer, gets to control the turnouts? Because if they do, what happens if two or three customers switch turnouts and get into a collision?  :)

 

Good question, I've only ever looked at these in passing, mainly to get an idea how track elements are used, but come to think of it I don't recall seeing any facilities for point switching, and the trains I've seen all seem to go round on their own loops. If there are any switchable points they'd be passing tracks on individual loops.

[kvp]

I've seen pictures of storage yards on a few rental ones. These are the (relatively unsceniced) places where you can put together your trains, then select one and move it to your very own loop. These layouts are runner layouts, that are optimised for running trains without too many chances for derailments and other accidents. This means a minimal amout of turnouts, so the customer could not derail their own train (and foul other lines) by accidentally throwing a switch under it. When the layout has more impressive yards somewhere, many times they are not connected to the main running tracks. Fishing a derailed train off the layout is not something the operators want to do often, so these limitations are acceptable.

 

ps: I would really like to see a rental layout that is run much like the operations based club layouts you can see at some shows. My favourite is the club that always builds and runs a different line for each JAM.

[bill937ca]

Here is a Japanese list of rental layouts.  It has been updated for several years. Some are part of train shops, but some have been operated as independent businesses.  Fine Craft is an example.  Layouts are also common in restaurants. 

 

Edited October 22, 2014 by bill937ca