My Japanese style layout

[VJM]

Sorry for the late reply.... been very busy.  It's difficult to get the whole mountain spur line in one shot.  I take full responsibility for the design decision; it was originally meant to be a static, scenic line piece running across the top of the mountain without a grade through the onsen resort.  However, I wanted the ability to run something up to the resort connected to the real lines, and this resulted in both lowering the spur line to reduce the grade somewhat (you can see the station is at a lower level than the rest of the resort), but still with an extremely steep grade.

 

It's done using Peco flex track, not with Kato Unitrack, like the rest of the layout. It was always going to be a bit of a goat-track, and not a serious bit of modelling.

Edited April 24, 2021 by VJM

[kvp]

Thanks! I think this solution with the deep cut and the lowered station is very japanese. You managed to get the line where nobody else would think is possible.

[HantuBlauLOL]

You should consider adding some EF63s to your layout

 

Or rack railway perhaps?

[VJM]

Definitely some EF63s.

[VJM]

See if you can figure out what I am trying to show here

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by VJM

[katoftw]

A canted R414 curve into a opposing R481 curve?

[Pauljag900]

Looks fantastic mate! Hope mine looks half that good when it's done!

[railsquid]

See if you can figure out what I am trying to show here

 

 

The lighted vending machine?

[VJM]

Railsquid has it!

[katoftw]

The drink machine gets more love than the Kobaru Lantern Tori?

[VJM]

A canted R414 curve into a opposing R481 curve?

 

The outer curve pair is the 447/480 radius, so hopefully there won't be anything that doesn't like it too much.

 

The expansion joint you see is to facilitate track removal, since the entire layout splits in half.  With luck I should never need to do so, but I do have the ability to split the layout in half, remove the legs and put it up against a wall or something.

[VJM]

The drink machine gets more love than the Kobaru Lantern Tori?

 

Well, that too.  I bought the wrong colour.... I was wanting to buy the white coloured lanterns.

 

The drink machines on the layout are photos of the real thing.  My friend stands an exact distance from the machines, takes a photo on his camera and prints it out to go into these models.

[VJM]

Edited April 24, 2021 by VJM

[kvp]

They look fantastic! Can you share the pictures with us that you printed? (i would like to try to build them myself)

[HantuBlauLOL]

How to make the lights not passing the whole vending machine frame?

[katoftw]

How to make the lights not passing the whole vending machine frame?

answer:- http://www.kobaru.com/support/ma-04.html

[ToniBabelony]

answer:- http://www.kobaru.com/support/ma-04.html

"笑タイプの自動販売機" (Laugh-type Vending Machine) hold on... Is that what I think it is? XD

[katoftw]

Yeah google translate does some funny stuff.  I got medium correct.

[kvp]

Yes, generally painting them black everywhere except the glass is a good idea. What i like on the machines of VJM is that the contents are set back from the glass, creating a depth inside. The leds seem to be on the bottom and the contents that are placed back from the glass are almost '3D' this way. I really love them. If the pictures were public, then i could try to replicate this.

Edited April 14, 2015 by kvp

[katoftw]

It wouldn't be hard to go the set back.  Clear platic sheet like what kobaru or greenmax supply for windows, then stick the window contents behind that.  Offsets the window the widths of the outer plastic case then.

 

I've used the clear plastic from the window fronts of 3 and 4 car train sets from kato and tomix.

Edited April 14, 2015 by katoftw

[VJM]

Sorry kvp, I don't have the pictures with me.  There are plenty of appropriate images on google image search though.

 

My machines are again hand made and not Kobaru, but the method of construction is quite similar.  Clear epoxy is the secret ingredient.

[katoftw]

That is pretty good for scratch made.

[kvp]

Sorry kvp, I don't have the pictures with me. There are plenty of appropriate images on google image search though. My machines are again hand made and not Kobaru, but the method of construction is quite similar. Clear epoxy is the secret ingredient.

You mentioned they were photographed for you by your friend. I assumed he sent you the pictures to be printed and assembled. Or you meant that he assembled them for you? (as with the torii, the street lamps and the cars which are imho off the shelf products) If this is the case, can you tell us his contact address? (it might be easier to buy from him than build it by hand)

 

For home assembly, i tought of using clear plastic packing film to make boxes, gluing the cut out images on the outside (with the contents under the glass cut out), painting the inside first black to block light, then white to reflect it, making a smaller plate for the contents, gluing the contents on top of the plate, then gluing the plate inside, set back from the front. Then putting a led under the machine pointing up. This would result in a wrapped machine with a clear window and the contents set back from the front. The light would come directly around the frame and diffused/dimmed from behind the contents.

[ToniBabelony]

Yeah google translate does some funny stuff.  I got medium correct.

 

'Condom vending machine' is the correct translation here. xD

 

If people have wishes for Japanese street detail pictures, we can open up a topic for this. As I, or others, walk around, we can post handy dandy pictures as reference material. Model train layout specific stuff that is. No atmospheric hipster hoo-haa. ;)

 

Anyway, I'm loving the detail on this layout! For me, it's a bit unusual to see this level of detailing on layouts of this size, which is awesome!

[SantaFe1970]

Yes, generally painting them black everywhere except the glass is a good idea. What i like on the machines of VJM is that the contents are set back from the glass, creating a depth inside. The leds seem to be on the bottom and the contents that are placed back from the glass are almost '3D' this way. I really love them.

 

I'm thinking of how this technique could be used to make lighted destination and similar station signboards...

 

Has anyone experimented in this direction?