My Tokuyama station layout

[cteno4]

Yeah it's a pain to try to reach in with sticks with rags attached!

 

Some planning can help with scenery bits to hide or allow a graceful joint. A road along the inside there with a small wall on the outside edge could hide the seam behind it.

 

Or think of the whole module scenery space be a lift off! Just use some thin ply or styrene to cover the flat areas and build up with foam from there over the track.

 

Polystyrene foam is actually quite easy to do this with and very robust. You can the cover with plaster cloth, spackel, or scenery goop of choice really easily. Also allows for easy surgery later if you want to change something or to plant trees and such into!

 

Jeff

Edited March 5, 2016 by cteno4

[Pauljag900]

Life will be a lot easier in the future if you can lift it off,I had to have the door on mine as it was integrated as part of the baseboard,I had no wood on mine at all,it was all polystyrene so did it that way to add strength,

Paul

[Eurostar25]

The gap between the rails and the viaduct is 35mm - achieved by lifting the viaduct up by 2mm in the middle section. Fine for those without pantographs but a gap that doesn't allow pantographs to be lifted on those cars running on the lower line. I'm ok with it otherwise I'll end up back at the drawing board to make the gap bigger.

[JR 500系]

Nice! Gotta beware of the height limit though... Have you tried running the E4, Shimakaze, Vista-EX, E231-1000/ E233-3000/ 531 and other double decker trains?

[Densha]

I recommend using the Kato clearance tool for that. That little blue thingy that comes with most Unitrack sets.

[beakaboy]

I recommend using the Kato clearance tool for that. That little blue thingy that comes with most Unitrack sets.

Ahhh!  so that's what its for. I had one with a ramp for loading wagons and locos onto rails.

[katoftw]

The ramp (rerailer) and the clearance tool (unijoiner remover) are two different things.

 

 

The blue unijoiner remover above as 2 notches 9mm apart at the bottom of it.  Those notches are placed on the track and the tool is held vertical.  Anything that contacts the tool shows it will not have enough clearance to allow a train to pass.

[Eurostar25]

Thanks all for the tips

@JR500 I probably won't have the E4 running on the lower level but the Bi-level E531 car deserves a test run through as does my NEX. I guess the E233 is a similar height to the E231? I haven't got an E233 but it's on the 'if its a good price-buy it' list.

 

@Densha thanks for the hint. I'll go online and find a template of the blue clearance tool, I haven't bought a Unitrack set so haven't come across that before. I have a feeling I know the result of the test piece!

[beakaboy]

The ramp (rerailer) and the clearance tool (unijoiner remover) are two different things.

 

 

The blue unijoiner remover above as 2 notches 9mm apart at the bottom of it.  Those notches are placed on the track and the tool is held vertical.  Anything that contacts the tool shows it will not have enough clearance to allow a train to pass.

sorry, probably didn't explain that very well. I purchased a Kato ramp or rerailer some years ago and it has a blue unijoiner remover included in the pkt.

It was definitely $2 well spent. I tend to use an NMRA metal track gauge most of the time as it has a wheel gauge, frog gauge, height gauge and other settings.

[Pauljag900]

Scott,

Hi mate ,that item is kato 24-818,£3 over here,probs less from Japan,

Paul

[JR 500系]

 

The blue unijoiner remover above as 2 notches 9mm apart at the bottom of it.  Those notches are placed on the track and the tool is held vertical.  Anything that contacts the tool shows it will not have enough clearance to allow a train to pass.

 

COOL! I didn't know about that! That's a good trick! You learn something new every day ~~

 

 

This is a rerailer, it helps places trains onto the tracks nicely...

 

 

 

And the Tomix one ~ The tomix one seems to have a tiny mini problem with long nose trains like E5 and other shinkansens....  They get stuck sometimes but nothing a little pushing wouldn't solve...

 

 

 

Thanks all for the tips

@JR500 I probably won't have the E4 running on the lower level but the Bi-level E531 car deserves a test run through as does my NEX. I guess the E233 is a similar height to the E231? I haven't got an E233 but it's on the 'if its a good price-buy it' list.

 

 

I would guess so, since it is almost the same as the E231-1000... I think the tallest train so far I come across should be the E4, so if the E4 can clear, the rest shouldn't be a big problem...

[Eurostar25]

Progress never looks particularly pretty, particularly when you're painting everything black to hide the stark white of polystyrene.

Minor progress made with the making of the 2 tunnel portals to go with the 2 Greenmax ones for the viaduct track.

Also playing with the styrene to see how best to shape the mountain side. Also moving the onsen around to find he best location.

Plenty of work ahead.

[JR 500系]

It looks great!

 

I am especially looking at your tunnel project, as I will have one that is very identical to yours, left turning also... Great idea to use foam to build up the hill. Will the top of your hill be flat? I'm planning to make mine flat and have somewhat like a shrine and steps climbing up, overlooking the overhead station ~~  :)

[Eurostar25]

Thanks JR500, I'm thinking to go with a shaped top, but with the intention to make it like a lid where I can lift it out, like a panel. 

I had toyed with the idea of a highway going across the scene but I think I might be squashing too much in whilst making the hill and slope look believable. 

[JR 500系]

Interesting. A lid will be a god idea for maintenance, and also just in case trains get stuck in there...

 

I need a flyover highway definitely, since it is one of the things that define a busy city landscape, which is one I wanted to create. Also, on the flyover will be a great place to showcase Tomytec buses and trucks on them ~  :)

 

I just realised... Your avatar photo is almost the same as mine, same angle, platform, overhead poles etc... Just a different train!  :)

[Eurostar25]

I like the highway idea, I just cant quite get the angle such that it doesn't interfere with the access inside the hill. However, yes it would help break it up and make it a busy scene.

 

The one thing that struck me is the amount of polystyrene used. I'm sure there are more economical ways of doing it with styrene!

 

Haha, my photo was taken; I'm pretty sure at Shin Osaka, my friend lives in Osaka but I always have to take the Kodama to my partner's station at Tokuyama, so the Hikari Railstar is a very familiar train for me! 

[JR 500系]

Hi Eurostar25, just sharing a photo here of a highway layout, that was previously shared here (cant remember where)

 

 

Gotta love these highways!

 

 

By the way, my 500 series was also shot in Shin Osaka station... It might seem we might be standing on the same platform and shooting the train from the same angle!

[Pauljag900]

Hi gents,I saved that photo,found it on google images,was thinking of running a highway across mine,still might actually.

Looking forward to seeing this tunnel Scott

Paul

[Eurostar25]

The highway certainly adds another vertical dimension to the scene. I'll see what I can do!

[cteno4]

That's curt's layout, and it has a really nice elevated highway.

 

http://www.japanrailmodelers.org/photos/kurtslayout/pages/page_70.html

 

Really feels very prototypical. Great feature that just can go on top of a lot of other scenery! Another layer of Japanese scenery! It's great jammed with vehicles!

 

Hopefully I'll be going out to visit him soon (he moved a couple hr drive out into the country a couple of years back) to see the new layout addition of the layout and I'll try to shoot more pictures.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Eurostar25]

Here is a shot of progress, just getting a kick of paint on it so I can start playing with the scenic shell.

Still plenty to do, the main job being to continue to seal off the side of the access panel, and make the styrene lift out piece that will be in the middle of the hill.

I've ordered a tomytec temple to place in the middle of the hill, this will provide the lever to lift the access panel off. I'm thinking of making a gravel path up to the temple from the road that will run along the front. There is also another tomytec hot spring inn and accessories on the way from Japan; that will fill out the road. I'll pick up a few more details when I'm in Japan soon

[Pauljag900]

Looking good Scott,it will look spot on once you get the foliage on it mate

[Eurostar25]

Reasonable progress achieved today, a bit of ground foam applied, remaining tracks glued and ballasted, completed the last of the sculpting, painted what could be painted green and figured out how to make the lift out section work. My plan will be to attach the temple base to the styrene with a hole through which a finger can be used to lift it out, whilst the temple itself will sit on top and won't be glued down.

Next to attack it with a vacuum cleaner tomorrow and see how much of the ground foam and ballast will be left behind, then onwards to planning how the dwellings will look along the front and tidying up the fascia.

Now for some fresh air!

[JR 500系]

I should be ashamed.... Your progress is great! Looking really good now!

[Pauljag900]

Scott,

Looking good mate,I ll be well pleased if mine turns out that good!

Just one question mate,are your tunnel entrances greenmax 2115? Did you cut the track or the tunnel to get them to fit and was it ok to do? I can t find any anywhere that will span 85mm(width of the viaduct track)I d already looked at these as I like the catenary at the entrance.Let me know mate coz if they were OK to fit I m going to order a couple of sets,

Paul