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

[Ultratram]

48 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

It looks cool. What exactly does it do? I mean, apart from powering the track. What's the 'smart' part? I see what looks like a sound cartridge and a 'mic imput'. Does it give a realistic loco driver experience?

Like I said sorry for not showing the packaging.

 

The smart controller is the small box on the left of the kato sound box. And yes it does provide some realism. The controls are on an app on my phone. I can operate the speed and sound from my phone. 

 

It's kinda like playing densha de go where you really need to learn the speeds and breaking. Spent a lot of time this morning stopping too late and missing my station. But I like that kind of experience with my trains

 

One thing I do with the Mic input is use another phone running a yamanote line platform simulator. When my train is stopped I like to play the different station departure tunes. It's on the Google play store for free.

 

I have the system running on a simple set of computer speakers.

[JR 500系]

12 hours ago, railsquid said:

 

What's a carpet train?

 

 

Haha I always associate these with the 485 series NoDoKa which I always call the carpet train, cause they sit on carpets in the train? 

 

12 hours ago, railsquid said:

 

Which is (was) this very same set: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/パノラマエクスプレスアルプス

 

I knew it looked familiar! The Kato set for the Fujikyu twin motor set is asking for a kidney these days... 

 

5 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

 

From what I've seen, the smart controller is the box on the left, the part on the right is the kato sound box which the smart controller lets hook up to your smartphone.

 

Yeah,  it looks like it was hooked up to the Kato controller (in the background), the Kato sound box (on the right) and the new Blue tooth transmitter (on the left) for controlling the train using Bluetooth from your mobile... 

 

It really is quite a neat idea, since it easily uses your existing controller, enhanced it with sound using the sound box (which can be easily modified through sound cards) and then add on a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver for controlling the trains through your mobile. The guy who thought of this should be given a prize or a big fat bonus!

 

Tomix on the other hand, requires you to get a full sound controller instead (which is super expensive and really big and rare). otherwise, we still don't get sound box for the Tomix yet. Or getting the infra-red controller from Tomix to control the trains remotely (which is also kinda of expensive) 

[scotspensioner]

I picked up a Kato 10-158 which is the JR version of the Alps Panorama Express recently for 70 pounds!

[railsquid]

24 minutes ago, scotspensioner said:

I picked up a Kato 10-158 which is the JR version of the Alps Panorama Express recently for 70 pounds!

 

That's the same one I have. There seem to be a few popping up at the moment for very reasonable prices, mine set me back the equivalent of GBP 38 at the current exchange rate .

 

4 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Haha I always associate these with the 485 series NoDoKa which I always call the carpet train, cause they sit on carpets in the train?  

 

 

Aha, the Panorama Express is all conventional seating.

[JR 500系]

41 minutes ago, railsquid said:

 

That's the same one I have. There seem to be a few popping up at the moment for very reasonable prices, mine set me back the equivalent of GBP 38 at the current exchange rate .

 

 

Yeah. browsing on Yahoo, one can get one set pretty close to GBP 40-60 if you're lucky.... The other one, 10-238, is a killer though, and unfortunately I would love to have that...  

 

42 minutes ago, railsquid said:

 

Aha, the Panorama Express is all conventional seating.

 

Yeah... Just that the front of that train looks mighty identical to the NoDoKa hence I would always mistake it as a carpet train... 

 

There are a few carpet train sitting around though, like the 485 series Salon trains, though I do not know if they are still in service.... 

[scotspensioner]

12 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Yeah. browsing on Yahoo, one can get one set pretty close to GBP 40-60 if you're lucky.... The other one, 10-238, is a killer though, and unfortunately I would love to have that...  

 

 

Yeah... Just that the front of that train looks mighty identical to the NoDoKa hence I would always mistake it as a carpet train... 

 

There are a few carpet train sitting around though, like the 485 series Salon trains, though I do not know if they are still in service.... 

Hattons currently have a 10-238 which has a coupling problem and they're wanting 180gbp for it.I got my 10-158 from them! 

Actually I've been surprised at what I've seen and bought in 3 cases recently. I'm now an avid eBay watcher!

[railsquid]

 

3 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Yeah... Just that the front of that train looks mighty identical to the NoDoKa hence I would always mistake it as a carpet train... 

 

 

TBH in earlier, less-informed days I always vaguely assumed JR had bought those trains from the same place Odakyu bought their similar-looking Romance Cars.

 

3 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

There are a few carpet train sitting around though, like the 485 series Salon trains, though I do not know if they are still in service.... 

 

 

And let's not forget the tatami trains like this loco-hauled "Edo" set which arrived hard on the heels of the Alps.

 

MicroAce 12 series excursion train "Edo" by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Unfortunately the model is missing the potted plant in the lounge car window so I may have to demand my money back.

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:12keiEdo.jpg#/media/File:12keiEdo.jpg

Edited May 22, 2018 by railsquid

[JR 500系]

36 minutes ago, railsquid said:

 

And let's not forget the tatami trains like this loco-hauled "Edo" set which arrived hard on the heels of the Alps.

 

 

Haha , kinda makes me wonder what other stuff will roll out of the tunnel soon! 

[Gryphr]

17 hours ago, Ultratram said:

The smart controller works fine. Like any controller it takes some dialing in and getting used to. The start up is a bit delayed so getting the "start" adjusted right is gonna take some time.

 

Stopping is tricky but I think a good method is making speed markers of what % the train is moving. With my e231 yamanote I figured if it's

 Moving at 29% and I switch to 0%, it takes 8 car lengths to stop. Little things like that help.

 

Does the delay/acceleration in this case come from the Bluetooth controller or from the Soundbox? I read that some sound cards (mostly those for EMU's) have this feature, but I didn't think that the Bluetooth controller also did this.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Gryphr

[bill937ca]

More pieces for the interurban layout.

 

Building Collection 020-2  Platform Extension

Overhead Catenary Masts 020-2 and 037-2

Greenmax 2124 Roof Japanese Tile (for scratch building premises buildings)

Tomix Fine Track 1099 S18.5 & S33 pieces

Tomix Fine Track 1112 C140-30 & C140-60

[Kiha66]

8 hours ago, railsquid said:

Unfortunately the model is missing the potted plant in the lounge car window so I may have to demand my money back.

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:12keiEdo.jpg#/media/File:12keiEdo.jpg

 

Please install one!  Maybe next year we can do an n scale potted plant world tour if this year's is a success.  😁

[railsquid]

22 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Haha , kinda makes me wonder what other stuff will roll out of the tunnel soon! 

 

It's amazing what's all backed up in there... this time something much more mundane, a Kato 103 series, I've been steering clear of these because the window frames on the doors are a bit on the clunky side, but this one popped up in beautiful brand-new condition for an average of about 500 yen per car and it would have been rude to say no.

 

Kato 103 Series (Chuo Line) by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Pauljag900]

Any excuse👍😂😂😂

[Welshbloke]

I have a lone KuMoRo from a Panorama Express Alps set. It turned up on ebay for a few £s and a lucky bid secured it. Doubt I'll find the rest of the set, at the moment it gets towed around by a KuMoYa with a similarly lonely MoHa 164 and KuHa 165.

[bill937ca]

First, a Modemo NT27 issued in 2003 and picked up in an auction on Buyee.  It is a motorized 520 series car which were only issued a motorized units early in Modemo's model line. Lots of 520 trailer cars but not many 520 motors. 

 

This was my first Buyee item from Y! Auction. You need to know your item values. There is a separate category for Model Trains and sub categories for  different gauges.  With a search it was easy to isolate Modemo items. There are lots of what I suspect are used items priced as if they were new. It came in a cardboard box with the jewel box wrapped in bubble wrap and a air bubble sheet as padding.  If you choose a cheaper shipping method they recommend a protective packing  package to protect against damage in prolonged shipping for 1500 Yen. Boxes Buyee ships in are usually the boxes the item arrived in at Buyee from the seller.  Lots of fees but that is no so unusual with anything involving a middleman in Japan. Great for finding out of production items.

 

Shipped on Monday--two days from Tokyo to my hands today.

 

The other item is Tomix 4242 Small Office Building in gray. This is a reissue of a building that formerly was yellow.  This building probably could be set up as a small apartment building.

Edited May 23, 2018 by bill937ca

[Kiha66]

Well I was weak, and amiami had a sudden sale of kato's 485 200 trains for 30% off (which are sold out/or at msrp everywhere else), so I preordered both sets.  Guess all the money from decoder installs is going straight back into more trains.

[JR 500系]

34 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Well I was weak, and amiami had a sudden sale of kato's 485 200 trains for 30% off (which are sold out/or at msrp everywhere else), so I preordered both sets.  Guess all the money from decoder installs is going straight back into more trains.

 

 

That's the beauty of Ami eh? they always seems to have sales all year round... though it's probably bad news for the wallet... 

[Pauljag900]

41 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Well I was weak, and amiami had a sudden sale of kato's 485 200 trains for 30% off (which are sold out/or at msrp everywhere else), so I preordered both sets.  Guess all the money from decoder installs is going straight back into more trains.

There s worse things to spend it on buddy👍😀

[nah00]

On 5/22/2018 at 6:55 AM, Ultratram said:

Got my smart controller today. Running yamanote e231 and e235. Sorry no unboxing pictures. Things don't stay in boxes long when they come in The mail😁 The e231 yamanote also came today.

 

The smart controller works fine. Like any controller it takes some dialing in and getting used to. The start up is a bit delayed so getting the "start" adjusted right is gonna take some time.

 

Stopping is tricky but I think a good method is making speed markers of what % the train is moving. With my e231 yamanote I figured if it's

 Moving at 29% and I switch to 0%, it takes 8 car lengths to stop. Little things like that help. 

 

So far I like it. Maybe I will give a full review later.

 

 

Bare with me because this sounds like an incredibly stupid question: do you still need to use the blue power pack when you use the smart controller?

[JR 500系]

2 hours ago, nah00 said:

 

Bare with me because this sounds like an incredibly stupid question: do you still need to use the blue power pack when you use the smart controller?

 

My guess is no .... Cause we can't see it in the video, and it seems to write: 'replace the original power pack'  (if my limited Japanese serves me well)

 

 

 

[railsquid]

Kato EF64 from the Hobbyland Pochi "junk" pile.

 

Kato EF64 1010 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Kato EF64 1010 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Kamome]

I didn’t know Kato did this JR freight experimental livery. I know there was a Tomix version. Nice find, Squid

[katoftw]

12 minutes ago, railsquid said:

Kato EF64 from the Hobbyland Pochi "junk" pile.

 

Kato EF64 1010 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Kato EF64 1010 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

I like it. Seen online retail photos before. But colours look better in your photos.

[railsquid]

32 minutes ago, katoftw said:

I like it. Seen online retail photos before. But colours look better in your photos.

 

The Tomix version, which goes for silly prices, seems to have a paler yellow. I'll see if I can fit proper grab handles to this one, which is the main deficit which stands out, and maybe weather the roof.

 

I should of course mention this fits into my Chuo line layout narrative, e.g. seen here on the limestone from Okutama in 1997:

 

[JR 500系]

2 hours ago, railsquid said:

Kato EF64 from the Hobbyland Pochi "junk" pile.

 

 

First glance I thought you hit Jackpot on this, didn't know Kato did one too! Great find!