Eduardo,

Here is a link to Japanese Modeltrain manufactures

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ra...model/manufacturers.html

John

Eduard

Something you'll possibly like

http://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/menu/tomix_3_2.htm

The series 500 Shinkansen set was produced by Bachmann for Tenshodo ten or so years ago and sold under the Tenshodo name. Only a single batch of five car sets was produced without any extension sets. The prototype is a sixteen car set. Nine sets were built in 1995-7 and are due for scrapping. The Japanese tend to scrap and replace rather than refurbish. The late Peter Semmens' book "High Speed In Japan", published by Platform 5 is a useful English Language source for information.
With the growth of Chinese high speed lines, I would think it very likely that Bachmann will produce similar sets for that market in the future. They have already done the Chinese clone of the German ICE train.
It should perhaps be noted that Japanese HO is normally 1/80th scale to match the Japanese three foot, six inch track gauge The shinkansen sets are 1/87.
In Japan of course, HO is a minority scale, N gauge predominating. A reflection of the small size of Japanese houses.

Bob M.

Japanese trains are definitely worth modelling. When I lived there in the mid-Eighties, most noticeable was their use of multiple rail units, with each individual coach powered by a separate diesel engine below deck level. Diesel was generally the exception though; the JNR runs electric whenever it can. Locomotives as a separate vehicle were generally on point of only freight trains.

I did ride the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) twice from Nagoya to Hiroshima, and then Nagoya to Tokyo and back. No question it is efficient: the wheels themselves are individual motors--no extra commutator required. But for a train buff, it was disappointing. Nothing really distinguishes it from riding within the fuselage of an aircraft: very smooth, very fast, very dull. The Japanese are nothing if not a very practical people.

Nice price

In Japan, because of the small size of the normal Japanese house, the normal scale of choice is N. As a result of this any HO production is probably be from one of the speciality or artisan producers. though Kato does produce a small amount. As a result of this, production is liable to be limited and expensive.

Bob M

I could imagine that one reason for H0 not being so common in Japan is the fact that you can find model trains and houses in 1:80 scale.

I don't know why this scale has made it in Japan. It could perhaps have something to do with the fact that only new Shinkansen lines are standard gauge. Older lines are narrow gauge 1,067 mm (aka Cape gauge) and even if that would mean a 13.3 mm gauge for the track, it could be that using ordinary H0 track at 16.5 mm makes it look like a narrow gauge line, since the H0 track is only 2.2 mm too wide.

In 2011 my daughter visited Japan in December and as a late Christmas present I got a model kit of a Japanese Restaurant (or a Ryokan - a Japanese traditional inn) in 1:80 scale that I plan on using on my future H0 layout.
Somebody may argue that it is not prototypical to have a Japanese style building on an otherwise mainly European looking layout, but I will disagree with that.

• First because I have seen a Japanese restaurant built as a one-storey wooden building surrounded by a Japanese style garden in the outskirts of the German city of Düsseldorf. (In the 1990-ies I travelled relatively often to what was first known as Mannesmann Mobilfunk, later Vodafone Germany, and its head quarters in Düsseldorf. Often though last plane out of Stockholm, a hotel night and then an all day meeting with the customer and the last plane back to Stockholm, which meant that I never had the opportunity to go to that restaurant).

• Second on my layout I decide what looks good and since there will be DB-trains side by side with FS (Italy), SJ (Sweden) and so on as well as Western Pacific, Union Pacific and Amtrak, why not having a Japanese building as well.

The model was bought from Tenshodo in the well know shopping district Ginza in Tokyo. ( http://www.tenshodo.co.jp/ ). Do I need to point out that I had been to the Tenshodo train store in Ginza many years before when I was in Tokyo on a business trip and I had dropped a hint about the store to my daughter?

Hi Yaasan,

Kramm are listing it as a forthcoming model at a price of 249.90 Euros for the basic four car set. Eurolokshop in the USA are also listing it.

It will be interesting to see how they do the bogies as these trains have skirting down to nearly rail level. Possibly they will be able to provide sufficient swing by not fitting outside frames as the bogies are completely covered anyway.

Bob M.

Hi Eduardo, this is a topic close to my heart. I have lived in Asia for almost 25 years and have travelled on Japanese trains for both business and pleasure many many times. There is a sub-culture there of people who are infatuated by all things relating to trains, generally referred to as "Otaku", which are typically a bit more obsessive than the average train spotter in the UK for example. What is interesting is that despite the average Japanese house being small, and the most popular scale being "N", there is still significant interest in HO scale, and in the Tokyo area alone there are quite a number of shops that sell Marklin HO. On my recent visit I even stumbled across a small Marklin outlet in one of the major department stores, not listed in the official trailer list (there is a minimum purchase volume required by Marklin, and some shops I've encountered opt to buy from other dealers in US or Europe as opposed to direct from the manufacturer). On the specific subject of Japanese models, I often browse the Marklin catalogs and wonder why they don't invest in some Shinkansen (bullet train) models; not only are they impressive trains but if Marklin are keen to expand their global footprint, then they could do considerably worse than Japanese models. Many of us agree that Marklin manufacture some of the best quality model trains available, and subsequently I could tell you that they would sell a huge volume of any Japanese model in Japan including to many collectors there whether they have AC systems or not. I sincerely hope that someone from Marklin marketing reads your topic Eduardo, and that they at least give it some air time at a future development meeting. Many thanks.