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

[gavino200]

8 minutes ago, Kiran said:

Here is an EF65 pulling a Series 20 car train. Not too impressed with the rapido couplers. If the loco is coupled on the passenger end, it leaves the train behind at the curve on super elevated track. If I couple the EF65 on the auto rack end, it runs OK. I don't have enough of enough of a layout at this point to really stretch these trains. I need to create a temporary loop on the side.

 

 

 

 

 

Is that "woodland scenics" foam track underlay you're using? How do you like it? It's supposed to be quieter than cork and looks easier to lay. 

[disturbman]

It's the transition track that is creating the issue. I don't use Unitrack but I don't think it should be placed there, at the entrance/exist of the curve. It's also very un-prototypical/realistic. What's its item number?

Edit: Is it the Unitram conversion track?

Edited December 7, 2020 by disturbman

[roadstar_na6]

@Kiran, the train did run with the coaches at the end sometimes, too. So if that works better for you, it‘s still prototypical 🙂

 

Mine will receive the tail mark and rear rear light upgrade next year 😄

Edited December 7, 2020 by roadstar_na6

[Kanpai Keith]

Just picked up this for £5 delivered.  Not Japanese but I might be able to kit bash it into something usable.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Kanpai Keith

[MichiK]

Shimbashi, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagahama... there wer a lot of stations that looked totally European. The old Shimonoseki station is crying out loud "Switzwerland !" or "Baden-Württemberg !", but surely not Japan!

[nah00]

On 12/3/2020 at 11:35 AM, disturbman said:

I had very similar conversations with JR.

 

I had one this Saturday where he was reading me riot act for running in a GP9 with a JRF EF210 running with a string of KoKis on the other track...

[Kanpai Keith]

On 12/8/2020 at 10:00 AM, MichiK said:

Shimbashi, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagahama... there wer a lot of stations that looked totally European. The old Shimonoseki station is crying out loud "Switzwerland !" or "Baden-Württemberg !", but surely not Japan!

I’ll do I little Googling thanks.  I remember one municipal building in Sapporo looking very European at one end of Odori Park.  Might not finish up being a station. But it didn’t cost much so I’ve nothing to lose on redevelopment  🤣

Edited December 10, 2020 by Kanpai Keith

[Jimbo]

well now thanks to DHL an Plaza Japan I received my locomotives an misc. in a week!! they are tea brown? but what the heck!! I'm still waiting on some misc. track I ordered before I placed the order with Plaza !!!  Only 25 dollars shipping!! for the package

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jimbo
wasnt done

[JR 500系]

A few parcels came in... first up from Ami:

 

 

 

 

YES! The long awaited Densha de Go! Along with the lovely Shikoku N2000 series and a couple of items on sale

 

 

 

Man the N2000 is lovely, with 4 cab cars!!

 

Next up a parcel from HS, 

 

 

 

Urethane foams... love these guys, they help to organise the book cases nicely!

 

 

Like now my Shikoku 2000 & N2000 are all in one case, lovely!

[roadstar_na6]

Can‘t have enough urethanes to get rid of wasted storage space 😄

I‘m also in the process of putting all my two-case trains into one, it also makes putting them on the layout a lot easier since you don‘t have to juggle with tons of cases^^

[railsquid]

This.

 

TORM also do some nifty ones for the smaller Kato bookcases, which fit up to 8 cars, which is a massive spacesaver.

 

Kato compact case with TORM TU-702B insert by Rail Squid, on Flickr

(Note these are a little on the tight side and may not be suitable for certain types/combinations of 20m stock).

[railsquid]

Project "Make Sense out of a Random Purchase, Part 94": the orange unit in the background is an unmotorized Tomix KiHa 52 which arrived a while back for reasons I forget and languished forgotten for a long time, until I checked the Tomix page which indicates it may have run with a KiHa 58-400 ca. 1983 on the Koumi Line, which branches off the Chuo Line at Kobuchizawa so is fair game and (motorized) KiHa 58-400 now acquired.

 

Tomix KiHa 58-400 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Slightly older model, generally good condition, after doing the usual maintenance it ran happily around the layout until it suddenly stopped and showed no signs of wanting to move (but also no short circuit). After stripping it down again, turned out some sort of fibrous material was actually inside the motor (I've removed plenty of fibrous material from worm gears etc., but this is a new one on me), after removal it was fine.

[gavino200]

3 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice. Do you have a link for those foam inserts? 

 

[roadstar_na6]

Popondetta 1603 and Casco YP-033, they should be available at HS or anywhere else you can buy model train stuff 😄

[JR 500系]

14 hours ago, gavino200 said:

 

Very nice. Do you have a link for those foam inserts? 

 

 

Sure!

Casco YP-033

 

Popondetta 1603

 

Though i could prefer the Casco YP-041 over the YP-033 as it seems to be able to take longer type of train cars, like most limited express.  I couldnt fit the N2000 in the YP-033 but was able to do so in the YP-041.... 

 

The popondetta was a trial, it seems to only fit in Popondetta book cases, i tried the Kato ones and they were not possible to fit in, being too large in size... Maybe the MA ones will fit since generally the MA book cases are larger than the Kato/ Tomix/ GM ones.... 

 

14 hours ago, roadstar_na6 said:

Popondetta 1603 and Casco YP-033, they should be available at HS or anywhere else you can buy model train stuff 😄

 

Bingo! That is correct! I love sorting out the train cars neatly into single book cases, saves TONS of space... 

 

16 hours ago, railsquid said:

TORM also do some nifty ones for the smaller Kato bookcases, which fit up to 8 cars, which is a massive spacesaver.

 

I really like this! Didnt know there were also urethane ones for those smaller 4-car sets! Looks like it couldnt fit most limited express trains though due to their lengths.... 

[roadstar_na6]

34 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

The popondetta was a trial, it seems to only fit in Popondetta book cases, i tried the Kato ones and they were not possible to fit in, being too large in size...

There is a stripe on the side which you can rip off, then it fits.

[Yavianice]

TORM also has rip-off stripes to make it fit in different cases. I quite like them, I have several for the smaller KATO cases and some larger ones for the larger cases. And they come in pairs. I probably stick with CASCO however since it's a bit easier to get from my favorite retailer since he does not sell TORM.

[railsquid]

1 hour ago, JR 500系 said:

 

17 hours ago, railsquid said:

This.

 

TORM also do some nifty ones for the smaller Kato bookcases, which fit up to 8 cars, which is a massive spacesaver.

 

Kato compact case with TORM TU-702B insert by Rail Squid, on Flickr

(Note these are a little on the tight side and may not be suitable for certain types/combinations of 20m stock).

 

I really like this! Didnt know there were also urethane ones for those smaller 4-car sets! Looks like it couldnt fit most limited express trains though due to their lengths.... 

 

Well obviously you'll only get a maximum of 8 cars in there... Better for commuter stock and coaches, they are a litte on the tight side and bulkier limited express style stuff (or anything with a lot of roof/underframe detail) will probably be not be a happy fit.

[railsquid]

On 12/14/2020 at 12:31 AM, railsquid said:

Project "Make Sense out of a Random Purchase, Part 94": the orange unit in the background is an unmotorized Tomix KiHa 52 which arrived a while back for reasons I forget and languished forgotten for a long time, until I checked the Tomix page which indicates it may have run with a KiHa 58-400 ca. 1983 on the Koumi Line, which branches off the Chuo Line at Kobuchizawa so is fair game and (motorized) KiHa 58-400 now acquired.

 

Tomix KiHa 58-400 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

 

I managed to snap the KiHa 52 as the unit went by on the return trip:

 

Tomix-KiHa 52-100 series by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[lighthouse]

My first D51 has arrived! Kato No. 2016-4 😍

 

I´m glad this is the last loco this year 🤣🤣🤣

Edited December 16, 2020 by lighthouse

[marknewton]

Nice - one of the Giesl ejector conversions. Bet it isn't your last D51, either! 😊

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

Edited December 16, 2020 by marknewton

[Kamome]

Thanks to the new video from Shigemon, I have now pre-ordered the Saphir Odoriko 8 car set with Ami.

 

 The Tobu 8000 and another C62 also look tempting.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Kamome

[Pauljag900]

Any excuse,why do we always blame someone else for our weaknesses!😂😂😂😂👍

good choice tho buddy👍👍

[JR 500系]

Yeah the Sapphir Odoriko is a true beauty! And i am just glad i gave up on Tobu   🙂 Otherwise i will need to get that Tobu and the previous Tobu 50070 and the upcoming Tomix Tobu Revalty...  

 

 

[disturbman]

It's a very nice train. I still don't know how to take how Alien-like/skull-like the front design is. I find it both interesting and slightly off-putting.

I also have issues with how elitist this train is. 164 passengers for a eight-car train is really low. It was already an issue for me with the Shikishima. As much as I appreciate their designs, I feel that trains should be more equalitarian. Seems like a waste of resources in a world that needs to rethink its environmental impact. I wish we could see more daring designs on commuter and limited expresses.

Edited December 17, 2020 by disturbman