Container freight operations

[SantaFe1970]

I'm interested in putting together some contemporary (2010-present) JRF container freight trains.

 

What are people's experience and opinion of the various koki flat cars available from the major manufacturers? Accuracy, detail, paint, price -- what are the best options, compromises between Kato, Tomix, MicroAce? By online pictures, I'm leaning toward Kato...

 

I'm intrigued with the containers produced by Hogarakadou, also Popondetta. Thoughts regarding paint, detail? Can I assume these work well with the koki flats from different manufacturers?

 

Does anyone make Yamato Transport containers?

 

Other thoughts here?

 

[Krackel Hopper]

All the top manufacturers make really nice koki containers cars. If you want to nitpick fine details I would say MicroAce is best, followed by Kato and then Tomix.

 

However, if you do not want to run duplicate road #s or more variety in Koki classes then Tomix has the widest variety, followed by MicroAce (harder to find and more expensive) and lastly Kato.

 

Tomix has a number of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 car sets available. MicroAce has 2 and 8 car sets. Kato has 1 & 2 car sets.

 

Only Tomix makes the Koki 107 (newest class) however in a 2010 to present you have to option to run anything in the 100 series, 200 series and even 50000 series.

 

I have more or less the entire range of Koki cars available. My current collection is 56 cars in total. 32 Tomix, 18 MicroAce and 6 Kato. For me personally these numbers reflect the variety of sets available from the companies.

 

As for containers you are pretty spot on. Hogarakadou and Popondetta make some really nice containers. Tomix does too, but you have to be careful. The newer Tomix containers are nice and crisp with paint and design, but old containers lack a lot of detail and not the sharpest paint. Tomytec has nice containers too. If you're running container freight you may want to look into the Tomytec Trailer Collection. The containers on these trucks are swappable/removeable.

 

All that said, your best bet is to run a little of everything.

 

Edit:

 

Forgot to mention. So far I have not run into any compatability issues. Seems you can put any container on any Koki car. Mix & match all the brands if you want.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Krackel Hopper

[SantaFe1970]

Thanks, Krackel. Comprehensive and precise -- much appreciated. And nice to get confirmation regarding compatibility. 

[katoftw]

I have read that MicroAce containers car cars don't mix with other brand, dunno how true this is and have nil experience.

 

MicroAce do have the better looking kokis as steps and handrails are painted etc.  But if you look at photos of these, most of the paint has come off, so doing a dodgy paint of rails and steps will just make it look the same.

 

Tomix, Popondetta and Hogarakadou containers are or the same detailing wise.  The last 2 are more expensive by some margin, but they do containers that Tomix don't do.

 

I think you choice of what kokis you will use will come down to what locos you wanna use and what couplers you wanna use.  If you wanna use the basic rapido coupler, then all good.  But if you wanna use knuckle couples, then they are incompatible across the brands.

[SantaFe1970]

 

 

I think you choice of what kokis you will use will come down to what locos you wanna use and what couplers you wanna use.  If you wanna use the basic rapido coupler, then all good.  But if you wanna use knuckle couples, then they are incompatible across the brands.

 

Yes, I do want to use knuckle couplers. What are the options and compatibility issues here?

[HantuBlauLOL]

MTL could fit everything, with a little modification. However, i heard Tomix TN close couplers and MicroAce close couplers are compatible (both has a knuckle and schafenberg style). Kato is different and has a magnetic uncoupling ability.

 

Anyway Tomix's rapido also has a magnetic uncoupling ability, which is so cool for long time usage. (tiny knuckles won't lasts as long as rapidos according to my experience)

[Krackel Hopper]

I have read that MicroAce containers car cars don't mix with other brand, dunno how true this is and have nil experience.

I gave this a quick test and there seems to be no compatability issues.

 

SantaFe1970 - I was not considering coupler compatability as I just run mine with rapidos.

 

I have an idea, but I need to test. Since Tomix & MicroAce can both use Tomix TN couplers (and make up the overwhelming majority of my koki cars) the only real issue would be Kato. I wonder if I could swap the Kato trucks/couplers for matching Tomix trucks/couplers? Anyone happen to know if this is possible?

 

Of course, if you mostly have Kato koki cars then maybe try the other way around and fit Kato trucks on Tomix koki cars.

 

HantuBlauLOL is also correct that you could swap everything to MicroTrains without much modification.

[cteno4]

Same here I mix and match em all with container brands and koki brands and they work fine.

 

Jeff

Edited March 22, 2015 by cteno4

[SantaFe1970]

Thanks Krackle and cteno4 for the confirmation of containers/cars compatibility. Good to know.

 

And I may well go the MTL route in the long run, so thanks for the idea HantaBlauLOL. 

 

And what locos to get will indeed be part of the story, katoftw. I like the looks of the Kato EH500.

 

Meanwhile, are Yamato Transport containers available? If not ready to run, how about decals? (Yamato Transport is the iconic Japanese logistics company for me.)

[westfalen]

Yes, I do want to use knuckle couplers. What are the options and compatibility issues here?

I have put Kato knuckle couplers on a few of my Micro Ace and Tomix kokis so I can run them with my knuckle coupler equipped locos but I plan on eventually fitting them all with MTL couplers to make switching easier when I get my container terminal modules built.  I am thinking of body mounting 1015's.

[SantaFe1970]

Thanks again for the advice.

 

Anyone have any luck sourcing/modeling Yamato Transport containers?

[cteno4]

Santafe,

 

I don't think I've seen a Yamato transport black cat in n scale as a container, truck or van! I have this vague memory of seeing a smaller van done, but I think that may have been a custom redo. It is funny some are not done as they are out and about on the streets a fair amount! May be a licensing thing, but there are dicast toys and HO vehicles done up as black cats. Someone in Japan probably sells some decals as a garage shop, but that's the kind of stuff that rarely ever gets imported (in this case w.o licensing they would keep a low profile!) or sold widely w.i japan. Luckily the logo and graphics are pretty straightforward to print some inkjet decals if you want to do up some tomytec vans and or trucks.

 

Don't know if in real they use their own containers a lot, I just don't remember seeing them much at all on protypical train containers. I suspect they use jrf or other freight operators to do the container hops in their transport.

 

Jeff

[Nick_Burman]

I have put Kato knuckle couplers on a few of my Micro Ace and Tomix kokis so I can run them with my knuckle coupler equipped locos but I plan on eventually fitting them all with MTL couplers to make switching easier when I get my container terminal modules built.  I am thinking of body mounting 1015's.

 

I've been installing Micro-Trains 903 Z scale couplers in my equipment with success. I haven't done yet on my (2) container wagons.

 

 

Cheers NB

[SantaFe1970]

I've been installing Micro-Trains 903 Z scale couplers in my equipment with success. I haven't done yet on my (2) container wagons.

 

 

Cheers NB

 

I like this possibility -- will check it out once I have trains-in-hand.

[SantaFe1970]

Santafe,

 

Don't know if in real they use their own containers a lot, I just don't remember seeing them much at all on protypical train containers. I suspect they use jrf or other freight operators to do the container hops in their transport.

 

Jeff

 

I'm pretty sure I saw Yamato Transport containers in YouTube videos the other day, which got me thinking about the modeling equivalent.

 

One attraction here, for me, is the distinctive turquoise color, and also the black cat with kitten logo.

[SantaFe1970]

Following up on my own post, a Google image search yielded what was labeled a "Yamato UV51A-31-foot cross ventilated container"

 

 

Edited March 26, 2015 by SantaFe1970

[katoftw]

You see them everywhere in Japan.  Along the Sanyo and Tokaido freight lines there is at least one or two every train.

 

They also come in the small sizes also.

 

I have seen come custom ones on yahoo that poeple have made up themselves.

[SantaFe1970]

You see them everywhere in Japan.  Along the Sanyo and Tokaido freight lines there is at least one or two every train.

 

They also come in the small sizes also.

 

I have seen come custom ones on yahoo that poeple have made up themselves.

 

Interesting that there doesn't seem to be commercially available ones (especially since there are other, apparently licensed Yamato Transport models/toys). 

[Nick_Burman]

I like this possibility -- will check it out once I have trains-in-hand.

 

I'm doing this more for the cosmetic aspect. Mechanically it's a more difficult fit because the couplers need to be very well levelled and centred to work properly. But the cosmetic result is worth the effort. The two tank cars in the picture also received FVM 36" wheelsets, which help a lot improve looks.

 

Cheers NB

 

[cteno4]

Easy one to roll your own as it's pretty simple and no white needed! The inkjet decals work very nicely for containers like this.

 

Blank containers are made by a few sources (pro hobby, aoshima, kobarashi, and hogarakadou) although not as cheap as they should be! Tomix use to mark the for very cheap.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10139332

 

Can also just strip the cheap kato containers!

 

Jeff

[SantaFe1970]

I'm doing this more for the cosmetic aspect. Mechanically it's a more difficult fit because the couplers need to be very well levelled and centred to work properly. But the cosmetic result is worth the effort. The two tank cars in the picture also received FVM 36" wheelsets, which help a lot improve looks.

 

Cheers NB

 

 

These look very nice indeed. 

[SantaFe1970]

Easy one to roll your own as it's pretty simple.

 

Very tempting. I might try to combine generic data and similar from an appropriate commercial decal sheet with a custom inkjet black-cat-with-kitten logo.

 

But I am trying to resist the temptation to model too much, too soon with this project. Would like to put together ready-to-run stuff first.

[westfalen]

You see them everywhere in Japan.  Along the Sanyo and Tokaido freight lines there is at least one or two every train.

 

They also come in the small sizes also.

 

I have seen come custom ones on yahoo that poeple have made up themselves.

When my friends and I are in Japan we call it the door to door cat delivery service, "Look, there goes another container load of cats".

[SantaFe1970]

When my friends and I are in Japan we call it the door to door cat delivery service, "Look, there goes another container load of cats".

 

Ha!

[katoftw]

Meow!