What did you order or the post deliver? (Japanese N Gauge)

[John k]

Some coworkers delivered some packages that came to me at work (been on medical leave for the last few weeks thus unable to get them before)

 

The ASAHIYAMA Zoo Train from BT Trains  (thanks!)

 

and both 2012 and 2013 Snow Miku train kits...(wont do anything with them until i can get the power chassis for them both....).

[lurkingknight]

2013 snow miku model kit and tomix powered chassis arrived... the shell is just a touch longer than the longest configuration of the chassis, so it needs to be shimmed.

[Keikyu]

If you don't mind me quickly asking, what chassis are you using for the Snow Miku kit? I've got one ordered as well and would love to power it.

[lurkingknight]

it's the tomytec tr-01 you can extend the wheelbase a little but it's still a tiny bit short, but otherwise the shell just slips right over it. You need to shim either end of the chassis to fit the shell better and find a way to secure it to the chassis.. i haven't finished putting it together yet but I did run it on the track... runs nicely :D

Edited June 13, 2013 by lurkingknight

[John k]

I plan on using a pair of Tomytec Sanyo Railway 800 Tram/TM-TR01 as my powerplants

[John k]

Some of the piccys i promised you guys a while back......this is the KATO special Suica Penguin E-2.  Kids at N-scale Weekend thought it was cool for the brief time it ran...more to come

 

 

[JR 500系]

Nice John! Beautiful Suica E2 train set you have there! Sweet! It costs a bomb now to purchase that set...

[John k]

Thanks JR500, it IS a gorgeous set in person too!  if i ever put it up on the 'Bay, i wonder how much action there would be on it (and no, dont get your hopes up, guys....THIS one is a keeper!)  And it runs smooth, as any KATO would.

 

Only drawback is that since it is a special run, it doesnt have a KATO catalog number......(big deal, right?  )

[Guest keio6000]

Ordered the Kato 181 Azusa/Toki set, thus completing my collection of all trains that have run on the Azusa service (albeit with Kato's 189 Grade Up Asama playing the role of the 189 in similarly liveried Azusa service and not to be confused with the 183 'Grade up Azusa' set).  I did a few winter climbs in the Kamikochi / Azusa River / Japan alps region this spring, so this was a fitting capstone for this.  Also, at the risk of imprisonment, I also took a rock from the Azusa river as a memento (there are billions there).

 

 

 

For a long time, I was not a fan of 'Bonnet type' trains, but now my tastes have changed with a bit of a vengeance.  A few weeks ago I got the KiHa81 10-325 set.  I'm also on the lookout for a reasonably priced Kato 485 raicho perhaps.   That also said, those who travel to Japan should remeber that bonnet type trains are often available relatively cheap, especially if you are willing to go diving in the 'junk' bins at Pochi, so I wouldn't for example jump on the quite overpriced 485 raicho that's been on ebay in the UK forever.

 

(and in case you were wondering - yes, I do have a Kato prefernce for most trains when possible, a few exceptions notwithstanding such as anything Tomix brands as 'HG' and a few shinkansen).
 

[miyakoji]

Sounds like a nice collection, but we've got to do something about that avatar.  The poor thing is on a truck.

[cteno4]

There is something with the bonnet design that has the feel of some of the classic space age car designs of the 50s to early 60s. Its something in the volume that is pleasing to the eye while still being streamlined without being cartoonie.

 

Jeff

Edited June 15, 2013 by cteno4

[John k]

More piccys of my recent deliveries.....

 

[cteno4]

wow john, thats a pile of eye poppers!

 

jeff

[marknewton]

EMS is really bad over here - years ago, I always have stuff sent to me via EMS. But for the past decade, EMS here became a haven for nightmares, so I stop using those and just elect the regular airmail.

 

That's a shame, and in complete contrast to my experience with EMS here in Australia. The longest it's ever taken for me is five days, and on average the parcels arrive in three days.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

There is something with the bonnet design that has the feel of some of the classic space age car designs of the 50s to early 60s. Its something in the volume that is pleasing to the eye while still being streamlined without being cartoonie.

 

You're not wrong Jeff, I think the "bonnets" are beautiful. When I took my seven-car Tomix consist down to the club, even the diehard NSWGR fans were impressed.  :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[JR 500系]

Wonderful purchases John! Can i also safely say you're a painted trains person too? From the recent Suica E2, to the Ashimaya Zoo Train, to the 'I Love Shimanto'.. A great boost in painted train models, and all quite rare to be exact! I like the penguin train of the Zoo train... I remembered pre-ordering the I Love Shimanto set, but ended up cancelling the order as i felt it out of place... The front 2 cars with the otter looks great, but cant say much for the second 2 cars... 

[John k]

Thanks, guys.....i like painted trains....they are real eye-grabbers at train shows when sometimes most of what is being run is freight trains....a painted train is a nice way to break up the monotony and give the kids something cool to look at...

 

My last batch of painted trains...aside from the Snow Miku trains (ordered the last 2 TM-01 power chassis from plazajapan....)..

[cteno4]

Man after my own heart. I got a couple of painted trains years ago and it's become a huge part of my collection!

 

They are great at shows, real eye catchers and great talking points about Japanese rail in addition to just being fun to look at!

 

Unfortunately, just about the most expensive Japanese trains to collect!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Edited June 17, 2013 by cteno4

[JR 500系]

I have never been to nor participated in a train show, as in my silly country railway modelling is almost zero...But i'm sure the painted trains will definately draw some attention!

 

Didn't know the Aso Boy looked so good! I like the dog! Kuro chan!

 

Here's a video about the Aso Boy train:

 

 

Definately a hit with children! There's even a playroom and study room!

 

Gonna be hard to find for the model now though...

Edited June 17, 2013 by JR500 のぞみ

[Martijn Meerts]

Painted trains are a curse.. Every time you figure you don't want to spend more on rolling stock, but concentrate on material to build a layout, new painted trains come out, and you just HAVE to have them ;)

 

 

Got my Kato lighting kit and some more Lokpilot decodes in recently, so I've been busy converting my Kato 500 series to DCC. Did the motor car and 1 of the cab cars, and made a ton of pictures while installing. I'll write up a detailed article about it at some point. It should be a fairly generic one considering Kato still uses pretty much the same general mechanism on modern shinkansen (and other EMU/DMU actually), the only difference is that I have the old 500 series (the 7 car base set + 5 car add-on + 2x2 car add-on), so it doesn't have a flywheel :)

[Nick_Burman]

Received:

 

- 5 packages of MT 1028s;

- 2 packages of Fox Valley wheelsets, each package a different size.

- 1 MTH Rail King O scale 34' boxcar - no, I'm not going into O scale (not yet :-) ) however I wanted a SG car to put next to my NG equipment.

 

Waiting for a pair of Bachmann On30 18' boxcars and a SPROG interface. The first has been "in transit" for 60 days and counting now, the second is still more or less on schedule. A Tetsudo Collection set has already disappeared, and a Kato tank car took 5 months to arrive. I fear that I'm having goods stolen in transit, this is happening on the domestic leg. Some spiv is taking my stuff home to give to his kids... No use complaining to the post office either ("sorry, we can't do anything without a tracing number..."). Such has become the nature of public services down here...then the authorities become puzzled why people take to the streets and start breaking things left right and center...

 

Cheers NB

[Guest keio6000]

Just won MicroAce A7057 - Keio 6000 New Color 8 car set on Yahoo jp.   Despite the Keio 6000 being my favourite train, I ;passed on getting the MA models for a long time as i have a number of well built GM equivalents.  Finally I broke down and got this.  Now I just need to find the old red-stripe version, and I have the entire Keio MA collection (I have pre-ordered the 8000 and 9000 due out this summer).

 

Incidentally, as far as I can tell the Keio 6000 old and new schemes are basically a case of the same mould with two slightly different liveries (I havent looked in detail, but this is likely true).  With the 7000, it's slightly more interesting in that the old-stripe sets (except for the add-on) use the older corrugated siding

 

 

while the new stripe use the 'bead pressed' siding

 

 

a little hard to see, but trust me it's there :).  Exciting stuff, I know, but stil a nice attention to detail by MA and almost makes you seem that you're getting your money's worth given how much MicroAce charges for basically square trains while Kato/Tomix charge less for trains with complex shapes.

[Densha]

but stil a nice attention to detail by MA and almost makes you seem that you're getting your money's worth given how much MicroAce charges for basically square trains while Kato/Tomix charge less for trains with complex shapes.

MicroAce models are made in a lower quantiy as far as I know, so automatically relatively more expensive. Their quality is sometimes better than Kato/Tomix too but that mainly depends on every single model. And of course you're getting a model that you wouldn't have been able to get otherwise; I have two MA trains because they are the only manafacturer that made them.

[Guest keio6000]

MicroAce models are made in a lower quantiy as far as I know, so automatically relatively more expensive. Their quality is sometimes better than Kato/Tomix too but that mainly depends on every single model. And of course you're getting a model that you wouldn't have been able to get otherwise; I have two MA trains because they are the only manafacturer that made them.

 

yes, of course.. but i really do challenge you to find something where the MA equivalent is truly 'higher quality' other than something like the OER 7000 where a new MA mould is competing against an ancient Tomix or Kato mould.

 

Same for shinkansen. Look, don't get me wrong - i have about 45 microace trains, but their quality is basically always not up to the kato or tomix standard.

[Nick_Burman]

Received:

 

- 5 packages of MT 1028s;

- 2 packages of Fox Valley wheelsets, each package a different size.

- 1 MTH Rail King O scale 34' boxcar - no, I'm not going into O scale (not yet :-) ) however I wanted a SG car to put next to my NG equipment.

 

Waiting for a pair of Bachmann On30 18' boxcars and a SPROG interface. The first has been "in transit" for 60 days and counting now, the second is still more or less on schedule. A Tetsudo Collection set has already disappeared, and a Kato tank car took 5 months to arrive. I fear that I'm having goods stolen in transit, this is happening on the domestic leg. Some spiv is taking my stuff home to give to his kids... No use complaining to the post office either ("sorry, we can't do anything without a tracing number..."). Such has become the nature of public services down here...then the authorities become puzzled why people take to the streets and start breaking things left right and center...

 

Cheers NB

 

Further to the message above, the disappeared parcel turned up...in Japan! It was returned to HS. They are going to credit the value of the purchase into HS points, which I'm going to use later.

 

Cheers NB