Tomytec Railway Collection - General Discussion

[katoftw]

Just a bit of an update on the bogie covers for the Otsu 600/700s not holding in with friction.  The bogie covers from the older Collection/Volume 17 and Keihan store only models hold in perfectly with friction comapred to the recently released ones.  I thinks these are from about 2013.  So there must be a difference between the older and newer production runs for the covers.  They visually look identical, but the must be 1/1000ths of a millimeter difference that make some hold and not hold in with friction.

[Mudkip Orange]

I'm having an issue where the Tomytec wheels are fitting the trailer bogies too tightly. This has occured on at least one axle for every one of the Keihan Otsu 600/700's I've assembled.

[Densha]

I'm having an issue where the Tomytec wheels are fitting the trailer bogies too tightly. This has occured on at least one axle for every one of the Keihan Otsu 600/700's I've assembled.

I think I got the same problem because one bogie of one my Keihan 600s wobbles like a penguin and I had to bend the plastic bogie part a bit to actually put in the wheels.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Found this on my Kumamoto 6000 box, what is this?

 

there is a code on the black box..

 

[railsquid]

Online questionnaire, fill it in and you can win (A) a family-sized lucky dip bag, or (B) a single-person-sized lucky dip bag, or if not some free PC background wallpaper.

[HantuBlauLOL]

website? that one on that paper doesn't work..

[railsquid]

Works for me: https://www.takaratomyfans.com/

[katoftw]

No good for me either.  Tried it a few months back.  Japan only IP addresses I'd presume.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Perhaps.. Do you want one, Squid? I think its only available for Japanese..

[cteno4]

Link probably needs a direct page link not just domain. Doesn't work here either.

 

Jeff

[Welshbloke]

I'm considering getting into these with a couple of 119 Series sets (the 119-100 pair of single cars in blue and the 119-0 Suruga Shuttle), as they're cheap and interesting. It'll be a while before I get the extra bits to run them but they'll be pretty static models until then.

 

Now, the 119-0 packaging states that you can use either the TT-03 or TT-05 for the trailer car. I realise that the 03 has 5.6mm wheels and the 05 has 6mm. The TM-18 motorised chassis they advise to use has 6mm wheels, so I'm just wondering why Tomytec are saying that you can use slightly smaller wheels on the trailer?

 

I'll probably fit the TT-05 pack as it covers two cars, so I'd have enough for both trailer/dummy units that way. I'll have a spare pantograph to suit the 119-0 too as it's the same type as I've ordered for my Tomix 211-0 restoration (which only needs one of the two in the pack).

 

Yes, I am about to buy another EMU to use up a spare pantograph...

[katoftw]

Do not start with Tomytec trains unless you have to.  If there is a Kato/Tomix equivalent, then get that.  By the time you put all the pantagraphs on and fit all the trailer parts, you'll get within 80-90% of a Kato/Tomix version cost wise.  And it won't have lights and they ain't great runners.

[Welshbloke]

I'm used to Bandai B Trains. They can't be that bad!

 

Prices are about the same as a B Train Shorty, at least for the sets I'm looking at. The motors are a few £s more but the trailer parts are cheaper, and the bodywork is about the same price.

[railsquid]

Perhaps.. Do you want one, Squid? I think its only available for Japanese..

 

Might be worth a try :)

 

The entire site is definitely  blocked outside Japan.

[cteno4]

welshbloke,

 

I think you will like them. not quite as detailed as the RTR kato and Tomix models, but a bit cheaper and you can do it in stages if you need to. I quite like them as many models you are not going to probably see from Kato tomix and ma. ive never had any running troubles with them. ive started to try using the kato wheel sets instead of the tomytec as they are a bit cheaper. its fun doing the little bit of detailing and such on them. not as much assembly as btrain shorties. also fun working on close coupling with them.

 

lighting can be done pretty easily on the motor units.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[HantuBlauLOL]

Afaik greenmax even had cheaper wheels.

 

I'll send it tomorrow squid.

[Welshbloke]

Plaza Japan are listing the TT-05 pack for £5 or so, which seems reasonable to me. I need to order some other bits from them in a few days so will add it to the order to save on postage.

 

I found the 119 Series 2-car sets for £12-£14 including P&P, at those prices I reckon they're worth a look.

 

After some more rummaging on HobbySearch it transpires that for some reason Tomytec are advising to fit smaller wheels to the KuHa 119-0 than the KuMoHa. No idea why! They're also listing two different pantographs.

 

Can someone who can read Japanese have a look at this and tell me what's going on, as it seems to be implying you need a TT-05 for a dummy KuMoHa and a TT-03 for the KuHa, but those are different sizes so the ride height will be different? I'll be fitting mine with the PS16P, if that makes any difference.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Welshbloke

[katoftw]

Got the Romancing Sage Kiha 125s today.  And yes there will be problems with regards to couplers versus skirts.  Even much so that Tomytec don't even fit the stock crappy couplers.  They just put them in a sealed bag for you separately.

[Welshbloke]

119-0 Suruga Shuttle is now on its way along with the parts to motorise. Also ordered a 105 Series in JR Blue, as it was cheap, I like the look of it and the leftover TT03 wheels will apparently fit it. Will need another TM-18 and another pack of pantographs to get it running, but those can wait for now.

 

I've seen mention of fitting TN couplers to the Tomytec range, do the body mounted ones work and if so which? Mostly out of curiosity at the moment as the couplers cost about 50% of what I'm paying for the basic train packs, but I might consider an upgrade in future if they're a plug-and-play upgrade (as they are on some of the main Tomix range).

[ToniBabelony]

I've seen mention of fitting TN couplers to the Tomytec range, do the body mounted ones work and if so which? Mostly out of curiosity at the moment as the couplers cost about 50% of what I'm paying for the basic train packs, but I might consider an upgrade in future if they're a plug-and-play upgrade (as they are on some of the main Tomix range).

All TN couplers work without problem with 20 meter length Tomytec cars. So far, I only had problems with shorter cars and the mounting of the front skirts.

[Mudkip Orange]

Do not start with Tomytec trains unless you have to.  If there is a Kato/Tomix equivalent, then get that.  By the time you put all the pantagraphs on and fit all the trailer parts, you'll get within 80-90% of a Kato/Tomix version cost wise.  And it won't have lights and they ain't great runners.

 

Kato needs to figure out how to make its little trains operate around tight corners. My Aichi Loop trainsets bind on R249, whereas everything I've ever gotten from Tomytec will sail around R183 without complaint. I don't mind an 8- or 10-car trainset that only works on long curves, because they don't look good otherwise. But I want to send my little trains up steep grades and tight corners, a la Eiden / Hakone Tozan / Shintetsu

[Welshbloke]

Admittedly I've only tried the 165 Series and Kokuden set so far, but they were both ok with 249mm radius curves.

 

Neither liked 216mm radius, annoyingly I only found this after buying a full circle of said curves! Oh well, the B Train Shorties look good on them.

 

According to the instruction PDFs the new Kato KuMoHa 12 and KuMoNi 13 can handle 150mm radius curves. I may hopefully be gaining both over the next couple of months as birthday and xmas presents, so will report back.

 

Back to the Tomytecs, there seem to be a few different varieties of body mounted TN couplers? They can't all be the same as they wouldn't have different part numbers then! I have a pack of the 0336 type on order for my 211-0 restoration, so will compare them to the Tomytec units too.

[HantuBlauLOL]

actually the dummy knuckles could work, just need to trim the outside a bit.

[ToniBabelony]

Back to the Tomytecs, there seem to be a few different varieties of body mounted TN couplers? They can't all be the same as they wouldn't have different part numbers then! I have a pack of the 0336 type on order for my 211-0 restoration, so will compare them to the Tomytec units too.

 

Yes, some have skirts attached, some have different electrical plug layouts, but in general they're all the same technically. This only really matters for the front cars (visually), hence, I personally get the 6-piece value packs (Cat. no. 0336, 0337, 0339, 0373, 0374 and 0375 (¥1,500)) only. These suffice well enough to function nicely as well for front cars without any specific underbody and/or coupler electrical plug layout. I can't tell you much about the automatic couplers (shibata) itself though, since I only run trains with claw couplers.

[katoftw]

 

Played with my Romancing Saga Kiha 125s today.  In regards to the shirt versus coupler issue.  I though I'd go the MicroAce route route and cut the shirt up so only the outer section of the skirt would be there.  Then glue it into place.  But the coupler arms from the bogies will will actually contact the bottom lower horizontal bar of the skirt.

 

So for now the Kiha 125s will have to run without the inner skirts.  The metal attachment that allows the usage of 0336/0336 Tomix couplers will be the next avenue of investigation.

Edited November 8, 2015 by katoftw