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

[NXCALE]

Hi. I got some Tomix switch boxes (5536, 5535 n 5533) early this week, five boxes in total and a good bunch of cables (boxes of switch boxes behind the mess of cables in picture 1).

 

 

The switches boxes and cables are part of an idea for a temporary layout that I have had in mind for some time. Hopefully I could share this idea with all of you people in three or four weeks from now. The layout and circuits need a little more of testing but these are working. Also, I need to get a couple of things more to make it more presentable (or less messy as you obviously can see in picture 2). Cheers.

 

[katoftw]

When you get to that stage.  You really need to be looking at making your own switches and wiring.  The savings would be huge for the spaghetti you already have there.

[NXCALE]

It is beautiful, isn’t it (the cable spaghetti)?

 

Thanks for the advice. I used these cables and boxes for prototyping stuff quickly. That is, these are there to be used and re-used many times in temp layouts. So, I can tell quickly if something or some idea could work; and most importantly, if I like it or not.

 

For permanent layouts, making your customised switches and cables will work well and of course, the savings. Cheers.

[Guest keio6000]

When you get to that stage.  You really need to be looking at making your own switches and wiring.  The savings would be huge for the spaghetti you already have there.

 

Sorry,  i can't imagine how "making your own switches" can be a cost saving thing.   They cost $13.  There may be other reasons to make one's own switches, but not cost savings.

 

in other news, even though i'm sure he secretly turns his nose up any time i (and others) do this, i ordered the GM 8-car Odakyu 1000 set from Nariichi-san.  Even though this runs prototypically as a 10-car set and it is possible to buy either 4-car and 6-car sets in either through or joined combinations to do so, I got the non-protoypical 8-car set because... it fits in one vertical case without having to modify anything.

 

That said, Nariichi san also told me that the GM motors on the Odakyu 1000s have been problematic.  Presumably this means the flywheel type motors that they have been touting.  Sad, but not surprising.  If it gets bad, I'll be looking for 1:1 kato replacements.  One does kind of wish GM would stop with the silliness of making their own motors and just team with Kato :) and also adopt their DCC light standard.

 

Odakyu 1000 is a neat train:

 

 

and from the photos it seems GM did a good job of it.  Unfortunately, given how expensive it is, they also make you do a lot of work, including putting the handrails on the front (notice that in the photo here they are not yet put on).  I figure there's a good chance that at some point MA might also release this, but given the way their prices are going, i''ll just stick with this.

 

Hopefully at one point we''ll see this in the red color that is used in the shorter (4-car?) units that run near Hakone Yumoto.

 

So, quite a bit of new odakyu stuff is making its way to keio6000 town these days.  1000, 3000, 4000, another 8000, and the Kato 3100 to join the other romance trains I have (and also a 5200, 2600, and 9000).  Haven't pulled the trigger yet on the inspection car though.

 

The other thing I got was the Keisei 2100. I've resisted any keisei purchases except for some GM built versions i got a long time ago, but this Kato one is too nice to pass up.  Funny to see the price of MA 2100s plummeting in the aftermarket as a result of yet another (presumably) superb kato release.  Now, what kato needs to do is to release a shorter DCC plug in chip to work with these shorter cars!

Edited January 28, 2016 by keio6000

[cteno4]

Well you can do the capacitor discharge point control for less than a dollar per switch and have indicator lights and small toggles if you want to do a layout diagram board. Small layout with a dozen points that could pay off!

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Maybe geographical location limits access to cheap electronics for some.  But I don't think nxcale is in one of those limiting locations.

[Guest keio6000]

Well you can do the capacitor discharge point control for less than a dollar per switch and have indicator lights and small toggles if you want to do a layout diagram board. Small layout with a dozen points that could pay off!

 

Jeff

 

i meant the actual track.   but likewise there are probably good reasons to make your own switch controls, even if they are not huge cost savers - the controls themselves cost what.. 400 yen (just a guess)?  I haven't looked but they are always available cheap in joblots in japan anyway.;

[railsquid]

The Tomix point control lever switches retail for about 600 yen, Kato ones about 500, if you hunt around 2nd-hand ones are available for 30~50% less. I'm sure the electrickery to make your own is not rocket surgery, but like many things it's a compromise between convenience (getting a layout running when one doesn't have oodles of free time) and Yet Another Project which needs an investment of time and energy before anything gets done.

 

However another good reason for a DIY approach would be space saving  - I've got a dozen points so far which makes for a long bank of switches. One day, maybe.

[katoftw]

Tomix switches cost 100-200 yen more than compared to others manufacturers.  So once you have 10 switches at 700-800 yen a pop + wiring costs, it all adds up.  Tomix being a less worldly brand, it is difficult to find cheaper used ones outside of Japan.

 

I also saw a 500 yen polarity reversing cable in the spaghetti works of nxcale's.  Cut the regular power cable and and flip one side end and solder.  Save 500 yen for example.

 

I'm not suggesting you go custom on everything.  Or at all for that matter.  But when things can be done 50%+ cheaper.  Once you start heading towards 10,000+ yen worth of switches and wiring.  One needs to decide on if they wish to make savings or not.  Spend 5000 yen on switches and wiring or a EF64-1000?

 

And of course not doing so is fine also.  Time and ability are also key to the decision.  So if short of these two factors, then money will replace them.

Edited January 29, 2016 by katoftw

[ToniBabelony]

Sorry,  i can't imagine how "making your own switches" can be a cost saving thing.   They cost $13.  There may be other reasons to make one's own switches, but not cost savings.

 

There goes another railway related lost-in-translation case. In UK English a switch is a point control lever/component and in US English it means a physical railway turnout. Hence the Japanese use 'point' (ポイント) for this device.

 

Even though this runs prototypically as a 10-car set and it is possible to buy either 4-car and 6-car sets in either through or joined combinations to do so, I got the non-protoypical 8-car set because... it fits in one vertical case without having to modify anything.

 

An Odakyū 1000 in 8-car formation is actually prototypical, don't worry! There is one (1081F) that is in an 8-car formation. It's a normal 1000 type with standard doors, so just apply the correct numbers and it will be fine.

 

 

The other thing I got was the Keisei 2100. I've resisted any keisei purchases except for some GM built versions i got a long time ago, but this Kato one is too nice to pass up.  

 

I presume you mean the Keikyū 2100 ;)

[katoftw]

There goes another railway related lost-in-translation case. In UK English a switch is a point control lever/component and in US English it means a physical railway turnout. Hence the Japanese use 'point' (ポイント) for this device.

Thanks for that.  I have never heard points or turnouts being referred to as switches before.

[railsquid]

Switches are what a switcher switches boxcars over ;).

 

Anyway, I made it to Akihabara yesterday for the first time in two months, and came back with some stuff (surprise).

 

 

A Tomix DD54 - smelling faintly of tatami - an older Tomix model (presumably stored in a tatami room for many years) but in excellent condition. Close-up shows a slight gap over the top of the windscreen but not really noticeable with the naked eye.

 

 

Some miscellaneous scenery bits and accessories.

 

 

Some 2nd-hand magazines, including the first two editions of the "Complete Guide to the Tomytec Diorama Collections", interesting reading

 

And a surprise bulk find in excellent condition and price :)

[katoftw]

What was the Kobaru styrene sheet you got?

[railsquid]

MB05, concrete tiles. Look like they might be useful for... something.

[NXCALE]

I agreed with railsquid that making your own switches/cables (and potentially building a control board with lights indicators and others) becomes a new project by itself.

 

Sometimes I imagine the scenario where a beginner or curious person comes to a club or exhibition to ask about controlling turnouts (to put an example). So, someone (with experience) shows a capacitor circuit that he/she needs to build for that purpose. Then, the experienced person only needs to mentally count the seconds until the newcomer just turn around and walk away from the hobby for good.  

 

Anyway, I see these switches/cables as testing tools.  These provide certain level of modularity and quite reliable for testing purposes. At the end of the day, there are several factors to consider if anyone wants to buy or make switches/cables which will depends of each one needs and circumstances.

 

p.s. the “"Complete Guide to the Tomytec Diorama Collections” #1! I was looking for that one. Do you know a website that has any stock?

 

 

Some 2nd-hand magazines, including the first two editions of the "Complete Guide to the Tomytec Diorama Collections", interesting reading

 

Edited January 29, 2016 by nxcale

[railsquid]

I agreed with railsquid that making your own switches/cables (and potentially building a control board with lights indicators and others) becomes a new project by itself.

 

Ironically my plan is to build a control panel for DC cab control. This is about how far I've got:

 

Just the section wires "temporarily" attached to a convenient wiring "bus" ;). Given my current time constraints, the Tomix point switch boxes are a cost-effective way of maximising utility (=fun) from the layout. Though I did draw the line at the Tomix splitter cables at over 1000 yen each.

 

 

p.s. the “"Complete Guide to the Tomytec Diorama Collections” #1! I was looking for that one. Do you know a website that has any stock?

 

 

No idea, it was just a random purchase I happened upon in a shop.

[Guest keio6000]

 

I presume you mean the Keikyū 2100 ;)

 

indeed oops :)  sorry to activate your keisei-homing radar..

 

by the way, anybody have any idea when the last time the Kato Keikyu 800 was released?  It seems to be fetching pretty high sums in the aftermarket.  Would be nice to see that re-run with a modern motor unit at minimum.  I checked my Kato back catalogues and it seems to be out of print for quite some time.

 

also, still looking for a source for those 'jr freight' storage boxes if anybody has one.. thanks!

[Pauljag900]

Keio6000,

try messaging The Nicofabi,he got some last week but not sure where from.

Alternatively he s nearly always in the chatroom.

Paul

Edited January 29, 2016 by Pauljag900

[beakaboy]

Railsquid. what are the Thomas items? (He says-jumping up and down in an excited fashion)looks like Henry coaches in some.

[railsquid]

A fair swathe of the rolling stock range, and a James freight set. Just need to work out what to do with them...

[JR 500系]

 

 

Odakyu 1000 is a neat train:

 

 

and from the photos it seems GM did a good job of it.  Unfortunately, given how expensive it is, they also make you do a lot of work, including putting the handrails on the front (notice that in the photo here they are not yet put on).  I figure there's a good chance that at some point MA might also release this, but given the way their prices are going, i''ll just stick with this.

 

Hopefully at one point we''ll see this in the red color that is used in the shorter (4-car?) units that run near Hakone Yumoto.

 

 

 

I totally agree! I find it a very neat train too! I have the 4-car 1051 formation just for the Techno-inspector...

 

I'm waiting for the Red one too:

 

 

It has a nice distinct red look to it that I like...

 

 

 

 

 

Some 2nd-hand magazines, including the first two editions of the "Complete Guide to the Tomytec Diorama Collections", interesting reading

 

 

That's a nice read... Perks of living in Japan... Even if there was an online store it will still be expensive to ship them over...

[railsquid]

Yeah, they do get quite heavy.

 

The "N gauge magazine" at the bottom is from 1987, interesting for the historical perspective.

[Das Steinkopf]

More containers for the Koki collection, UM8A, 20B and 20' Tank Containers.

[serotta1972]

I finally got my Kato Urbanliner after 20 years - a train I've been wanting since I got my hands on a Kato Catalog back in the mid 90's.  Now I have twins - the other is a Tomix that was purchased in 1998.  They are very similar with minimal differences.  The Kato has knuckle couplers compared to the rapidos on the Tomix and the Kato comes with interior lighting pre-installed.  Awesome detailing for models from the mid 90's and both run smoothly.  The Kato is on the right.  

 

 

 

[JR 500系]

I finally got my Kato Urbanliner after 20 years - a train I've been wanting since I got my hands on a Kato Catalog back in the mid 90's.  Now I have twins - the other is a Tomix that was purchased in 1998.  They are very similar with minimal differences.  The Kato has knuckle couplers compared to the rapidos on the Tomix and the Kato comes with interior lighting pre-installed.  Awesome detailing for models from the mid 90's and both run smoothly.  The Kato is on the right.  

 

IMG_5646.jpgIMG_5637.JPGIMG_5648.jpg

 

Great find! I TOTALLY forgotten about this one! Now you made me want to find it....   :(

 

It will run perfectly fine with the Kintetsu collection like Shimakaze, Iseshima Liner and Urban Liner Next...