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

[chadbag]

3 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

Nice haul chad!  Let me know if you ever feel like you have too many containers~  

 

Wait until my other set of containers comes in.  Some of the containers were only available through the Amazon market sellers so those all got shipped to my MIL, and will eventually show up here, when my SIL gets around to picking them up and sending them.  (I guess my SIL wants me to send future purchases to her house -- while my MIL says she doesn't mind, I think she is getting package fatigue).  

 

For these ones and the ones to my MIL, I basically went through the complete set of 31XX numbers on amazon.co.jp and bought every one that had a half reasonable price, and where Amazon did not say I already had bought them, except in a few cases where I wanted a few more.   Of course, some of them I probably already had anyway from pervious orders on eBay or US Amazon.com...   You can never have too many containers.

 

I wish KATO would do 1/150 international ISO containers.  They do ISO through KATO USA but they are 1/160 and don't fit the Japanese KOKI at all, having 4 solid sides and magnets to stack like is customary on US setups, I guess.   You can pop the bottom off and make some indentations for the KOKI to grab to but they are a bit small as 40 ft ones.

 

And I already have a bunch of containers from Tomix and KATO :)

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by chadbag
from, not form

[chadbag]

6 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Got the new Kato c57 from amiami today.  Runs completely quiet!

 

That is really nice.   There is something about a nice steam engine.   I don't remember the models, but I saw the Japanese wartime steam engines at the Yushukan museum in Tokyo.

 

I have avoided Steamers as it opens up another whole milieu of stuff to buy. :)   That, and I don't have any personal connection to them so while I think they are cool, and someday will get some, right now I can avoid them. I have too many others anyway :)

[NXCALE]

3 hours ago, chadbag said:

DHL stopped by today.

 

 

Luckily Amazon does that plastic wrap thing so nothing got lost with the damaged box.

that box really had a tough trip.

[Sascha]

My Tokyo Metro 6000 series from Nariichi san arrived today!!!



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[Martijn Meerts]

Got the MicroAce E10-3 and E10-5, as well as the Tomix 40th anniversary cleaning car. I had forgotten I ordered those, because the E10s were delayed for a rather long time ;)

 

[Yavianice]

18 minutes ago, Martijn Meerts said:

Got the MicroAce E10-3 and E10-5, as well as the Tomix 40th anniversary cleaning car. I had forgotten I ordered those, because the E10s were delayed for a rather long time ;)

Oof. I should really, definitely NOT purchase the E10.

 

Definitely. Really. REALLY shouldn't buy it. AAGGHHH

[westfalen]

17 hours ago, Martijn Meerts said:

Got the MicroAce E10-3 and E10-5, as well as the Tomix 40th anniversary cleaning car. I had forgotten I ordered those, because the E10s were delayed for a rather long time ;)

 

I had forgotten the E10s too, so much so that I ordered them again and was asked if I still wanted the first two.

 

I gave them a run at the club on the weekend to see how they ran before I started installing decoders. I'm sure I read somewhere when they were announced that they would have power pickup on the trailing truck but they only pick up from the driving wheels, the drivers appear to be sprung to give better contact however and they seem to run better than the old version.

[Martijn Meerts]

I haven't ran them yet, but loco's like that are notoriously bad runners. I have a similar loco from Minitrix, came with decoder factory installed, but it's never run acceptable. It's been sent back for service 3 times, but it still doesn't run well.

 

At least they look good though, that's important too :D

 

[Sascha]

My Tobu type 634 from JR 500系 came today!!! It goes into the 'my favorite Train' topic!!

[Yavianice]

By the way, @Martijn Meerts or @westfalen, is the E10 truly 1:150 or oversized like other Micro Ace steam locos?

[chadbag]

Another 2 amazon.co.jp deliveries.   One yesterday (the Series 223) and one today (The freight cars and engine).

 

Some of the pictures of the Series 223, which runs Rapid and other services in the Osaka area including Kobe/Kyoto line, also show a Series 225-100, which also runs Rapid and other services in the Osaka area including the same Kobe/Kyoto line, for comparison purposes.  The Series 225-100 EMU is something we already had.  My son bought it and brought it  back with him on our last trip to Japan.   I just put it in the picture for comparison purposes since they are similar and both run Rapids services on the same lines.  When both are in the photo, the Series 225-100 is on the left or top, and the Series 223 is on the right to bottom.

 

The locomotive in some of the pictures is a Tomix EF65-1000 (Tomix 2169).   It looks like a standard PITA Tomix when it comes to DCC conversion, with split body.   We'll see how it works out.  This is my second Tomix locomotive.   Neither converted yet.  The rest that I have are KATO, which are easier to convert.

 

 

[Philphil]

The track is piling up. It's mostly curves and superelevated curves right now, so I'm waiting on more easements and a bunch of straights from Japan. The waiting game begins!

[Suica]

Customs finally released it from their fangs.

Tomix 189 Series Set N102 Asama colour

[miyakoji]

1 hour ago, Suica said:

Customs finally released it from their fangs.

Tomix 189 Series Set N102 Asama colour

 

Looks great, Suica.  I particularly like that headmark, too :)

[Martijn Meerts]

19 hours ago, Yavianice said:

By the way, @Martijn Meerts or @westfalen, is the E10 truly 1:150 or oversized like other Micro Ace steam locos?

 

MicroAce steam locos usually aren't oversized form what I can see. There's going to be some minor size differences between the manufacturers, but MicroAce doesn't look out of place when placed in between Kato or Tomix steamers.

 

[Fenway Park]

19 hours ago, Yavianice said:

By the way, @Martijn Meerts or @westfalen, is the E10 truly 1:150 or oversized like other Micro Ace steam locos?

It is 1: 150 a rarity for MA.

[Yavianice]

1 minute ago, Martijn Meerts said:

MicroAce steam locos usually aren't oversized form what I can see.

 

Then do you only own newer versions? I used to have an older steam loco from MicroAce which was ginormous compared to the same one in correct scale from KATO. There was also a website where you could compare sizes of steam locos (can't find the link real quick) where older steam locos, regardless from manufacturer, were much larger than 1:150. So I ask just to make sure.

[Martijn Meerts]

1 minute ago, Yavianice said:

 

Then do you only own newer versions? I used to have an older steam loco from MicroAce which was ginormous compared to the same one in correct scale from KATO. There was also a website where you could compare sizes of steam locos (can't find the link real quick) where older steam locos, regardless from manufacturer, were much larger than 1:150. So I ask just to make sure.

 

I think my oldest MicroAce steamer is about 15 years old.. I have some Kato steamers newer than that that are definitely out of scale though ;)

 

[chadbag]

DHL brought 2 more boxes from amazon.co.jp.   We are nearing the end.  There is 1 small one tomorrow and another small one next week.  Then just some pre-orders in April and June from Amazon JP.    There will be some Hobby Search stuff showing up eventually (shipped and also some pre-orders over the next few months).  But Christmas in February and March is coming to an end soon.

 

We have a bunch of freight cars from KATO and Tomix, a Tomix EF510, some KATO double track Catenaries, and a KATO Series 885 express.   My son and I rode a "Sonic" service 885 using "Kamome" liveried 885 equipment some 9-10 years ago IIRC, from Nagasaki back to where we could catch a Shinkansen to Hakata.  (This is before the Kyushu Shinkansen was all built out and it only went a few stations into Kyushu and did not go to Kagoshima yet).  To get to Nagasaki we rode an 883 Sonic and back was the 885.   This 885 is a later livery  ("Around the Kyushu" according to the KATO box) and is a re-issue from KATO that was just released and not the "Kamome" we rode, but close enough.  Same equipment and I believe it still runs or ran the same route.

 

DCC:  The 885 is NOT "DCC Friendly" and does not take EM13 / FL / FR series decoders.  However, the power car is very similar to the 800 Shinkansen I did a DCC conversion on, with the plastic tab holding the motor leads to the track power strips, and should be just as easy to convert.   The individual cars should be easy to put function decoders in and the driving cabs (end cars) also I think.

 

DCC: The Tomix EF510 is as ugly as the other Tomix freight engines, but very similar, and once I do one, the others should not be harder.

 

 

[railsquid]

HELP I'VE BEEN BITTEN BY A JAPANESE RAT SNAKE

[Socimi]

20 minutes ago, railsquid said:

HELP I'VE BEEN BITTEN BY A JAPANESE RAT SNAKE

 

Japanese rat snakes are non-venomous, however you should go to the nearest clinic, just to be sue. 

 

Have you called 119 (fire & medical emergency number)? 

[railsquid]

2 hours ago, Socimi said:

 

Japanese rat snakes are non-venomous, however you should go to the nearest clinic, just to be sue. 

 

Have you called 119 (fire & medical emergency number)? 

 

It leapt out at me as I was wandering through TamTam in Akihabara, fortunately I was able to restrain it, sustaining mainly damage to the wallet, and I realised I could give it a loving, caring home.

 

Kato EF58 "Aodaisho" - "Hato Express" by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Socimi]

ah

[chadbag]

2 hours ago, railsquid said:

 

It leapt out at me as I was wandering through TamTam in Akihabara, fortunately I was able to restrain it, sustaining mainly damage to the wallet, and I realised I could give it a loving, caring home.

 

Kato EF58 "Aodaisho" - "Hato Express" by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Nice.  I saw those on Amazon and HobbySearch and was tempted.  But resisted :)

 

[chadbag]

DHL stopped by with a small padded envelope from amazon.co.jp (one more on Monday with a few containers and a Hankyu 6300 expansion set, not that I have the basic set yet, then they will stop for awhile until some pre-orders show up in April and June most likely).

 

A Tomix 92358 Basic Set JR 321 Series EMU Osaka (Kobe/Kyoto lines amongst others).  I already have the KATO basic set for the JR 321 (10-1121) but cannot get the expansion set (KATO 10-1122) without paying a 3rd party big bucks.  So I am waiting for it to be re-released.   Since you can't have too many EMU sets in an urban environment, I decided to buy the Tomix basic set version.  It's expansion is also "sold out" but available for less than the KATO one.   But I'll probably wait for a re-release, since I was able to buy a complete KATO 7 car JR321 set used on amazon.co.jp, of an earlier release (non DCC ready 00 current KATO 10-1121 is DCC ready) for a good price.  It is sitting at my MIL's house.  So I'll just wait for the expansion set re-releases some day/year for the KATO and Tomix basic sets I have.   Of all the trains we ride when in Japan, the 321 is the one we are on most often, as it is a local and stops at Tachibana, our normal station for accessing the JR network while staying at my MIL's place in Mukonosou (Amagasaki).

 

Overall, the KATO is more detailed, and has more prototypical couplers.  The Tomix uses truck mounted Rapido couplers, with (fake?) prototypical ones on the ends for show.   Because of this the KATO cars ride closer together.   My KATO version took a spill onto the floor and has some broken couplers so in the pictures two of the cars are only set next to each other (while the other two are coupled) and the end coupler on one end is missing.

 

DCC wise, the Tomix looks like Tomix.  I have not snapped the top off the inside piece (where the fake seats SHOULD be) but it kind of looks like the Tomix Shinkansen power car I did, and should be relatively easy to convert.  We'll see when I actually try it.

 

Tomix 321 basic set.

 

Above, the KATO is on the right, the Tomix on the left.

 

Above, the KATO is on the left, the Tomix on the right.

 

Above, the KATO is on the left, the Tomix on the right.  The KATO has a broken front coupler due to a fall onto the kitchen floor.

 

Above, the KATO is on the right, the Tomix on the left.

 

Once I snap the gray plate off, I'll get a batter idea on how easy it is to add a DCC decoder to this.

Edited March 9, 2018 by chadbag