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

[JR 500系]

Hey Serotta, that Okhotsk is just great! I really have to get one of those myself at some point. Have been ogling those for a while now.

 

Ask and you will be granted! 

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10102657

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10102656

[Mauka]

Returned from three week vacation that included one week in Japan.

We used JR Rail Passes and visited Tokyo, Hakone, Kiyoto, Nagasaki, Shinjuku, and Yokohama. 

 

Lots of fun and lots of big cities!  Picked up a few hobby items along the way.

 

 

Took some 1:1 photos as well, posted here:

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/12142-japan-vacation-2016/

[beakaboy]

 

Returned from three week vacation that included one week in Japan.

We used JR Rail Passes and visited Tokyo, Hakone, Kiyoto, Nagasaki, Shinjuku, and Yokohama. 

 

Lots of fun and lots of big cities!  Picked up a few hobby items along the way.

 

 

 

I love that N700 mug. Trouble is I would have to use it and it would be coffee stained in no time.

 

[nah00]

 

And finally pulled the trigger on the Kato E6 inspired by Eurostar's photo.  I love the colors and growing to like the shape more and more.

 

 

 

I wasn't a fan of it until I saw the model in person then I ordered it that night. Also nice is that it's a complete train that isn't super long. 

[serotta1972]

I'm so glad it was re-stocked - I was yo-yoing for a while on the E6.  

 

I just got from Model Train Plus a Kato 10-016 and 10-1133 to make an 8 car set for a great price.

 

 

Now I can retire my Kato 0 Series from the early 90's and this one can run with the new Tomix and Micro-Ace 0 Series.

 

 

[Kiha66]

You really can't beat the looks of the original shinkansen!   I recommend getting the kato 11-703 tight lock couplers for it, the reduced gap between the cars really improves the look of the train.

[Sascha]

A little package from Amiami. Got me a paper police building, to see how it looks. It took a month with SAL to get here. Maybe it's just me, but since they upped the price for EMS ,SAL takes way longer than it used to. It went from 2 weeks max to 3-4 weeks.

[cteno4]

nice haul! the little police station is the first sankei kit i built as a test and glad i did as a few of the wall parts are very close in size so best to prefit and write in pencil which are which before assembling! 

 

couple of sal packages just arrived in the last week and they were right around 2 week norm. at times its moved to more like 3-4 weeks for a while -- the postal service on both sides at times gets backed up. as well as security/customs at your point of entry. but with the hike in ems you are probably right that more sal traffic will hit and it goes as there is extra space on the planes so could get backed up! I do fear the sal rates will jump at some point here as it seems that most all the major international mail services are now much more expensive and many have dropped sal type services. its saved me literally thousands of dollars over the years!

 

jeff

[nah00]

Yeah the time for SAL has definitely gone up. I'm averaging a month too when before I was getting small package in 10-12 days. 

[cteno4]

hugh, thats interesting as its been steady this year for me in DC at 2-2.5weeks. last year there was a really slow period for me here in dc at more like 3-4 weeks. At that time there was a report of US customs getting backloged in which case i would see SAL getting the slower track over express and airmail stuff.

 

I would have figured that DC and Pittsburg would get the same entry points maybe. But DC does get priority on mail as I tend to get US mail faster than other areas near by. EMS tracking use to show most coming in at Kennedy i think for DC

 

jeff

[Suica]

Now I can retire my Kato 0 Series from the early 90's

 

Have they improved that much since then?

Been looking for a 0 series for a while, and the older ones are rather cheap on Yahoo.

[serotta1972]

It's actually the same model just new. There are some minor changes such as better pantos that goes up and down and also car numbers have been already applied.

[bill937ca]

B Train Shorty Keihin Electric Express Railway 230 form ordered.

 

This is one of the trains that sparked my interest in Japanese trains, but from its final days on Kotoden and specially set 27-28 which lasted until the summer of 2007. These trains date from the 1930s and after being retired in Tokyo about 1978, a group of these cars did 30 years service on Kotoden. The train car in front of the Kato showroom is also from this series.

 

One source says this is a limited release of 6000 units.

 

You Tube opening video:

 

Edited November 5, 2016 by bill937ca

[bill937ca]

SAL now takes 4-5 weeks for me. SAL packages with tracking show it sitting in Tokyo for up to a week before departing and then it takes 3-4 weeks upon arrival in Vancouver to reach me.  Whereas EMS goes to Toronto and arrives early  the next morning after clearing Customs.

[cteno4]

Ouch sounds like Canada post customs is back Logged! That's what happened here in the states last year. Would be the usual 2-7 days to get on the plane then weeks at entry point customs...

 

Jeff

[beakaboy]

New additions to my fleet from across the mountains ( 1 and a half hours by car) Thanks Eurostar25. You can never have enough tankers and my 25 should look good in a train now.

 

 

[Densha]

And then you enter a Popondetta store for the first time and end up going home with this:

 

[tossedman]

SAL now takes 4-5 weeks for me. SAL packages with tracking show it sitting in Tokyo for up to a week before departing and then it takes 3-4 weeks upon arrival in Vancouver to reach me.  Whereas EMS goes to Toronto and arrives early  the next morning after clearing Customs.

 

 

Ouch sounds like Canada post customs is back Logged! That's what happened here in the states last year. Would be the usual 2-7 days to get on the plane then weeks at entry point customs...

 

Jeff

 

I just got a package from Japan to Canada via SAL in 13 days. Not as fast as EMS but way cheaper.

 

Cheers eh,

 

Todd

[cteno4]

Yeah I do think it's the entry point to customs to po system is where the delays usually hit. On the tracked Sals I've had they have bee out of Japan in 5-6 days max, usually 3 or so.

 

Jeff

[ToniBabelony]

Today I went out and grabbed a Tomytec power unit off the shelves to motorise one of my Sōtetsu N7000 trains. But alas, I got the wrong one. Instead of a a TM-16, I thought the TM-15 would be the one to use... Fortunately I also have a reasonable fleet of Kanto Railway trains that need motorisation, so it's no loss really. My son likes to run these odd DMU, as they remind him of the good times at the grandparents in Shimodate. I should get a pair of KiHa 300 in old and new livery as well, as well as keep hoping for the release of single-car DMU!

 

 

Anyway, now I have two modern Kantō Railway DMU with a motor unit. :)

[JR 500系]

Another nice trade went up fine and we have more JR west commuters reporting in!

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice 223-2500 series Airport express, which is perfect for my roster as I am missing this livery... and an additional Tomix 225-0 series since we can never get enough of these 223/ 225s...   :) 

[Pauljag900]

Foam boards spray paint and some laser cut bridge sides from a guy up the road via eBay,3mm mdf, cut to any size you want,really impressed with the quality of them,here s hoping I can assemble a credible bridge!!

[ToniBabelony]

The thing with my work is that next to art shops, I can also visit hobby shops for supplies... There I found a 2nd hand Tomix 91092 rail set for about 4000 yen. All included, except the dummy point motors. I needed some standard points anyway, so I got it. Now to see what to do with this lot. :)

[nah00]

Box I received from HS a while ago with Runtec containers and greenhouses, but notice the size of the box compared to the size of the items....

 

[bill937ca]

Never seen a really small box from Hobby Search.