Tomix Sales Meeting Prototypes

Photos have emerged of the prototypes of new Tomix releases planned for 2010. These are all Japanese language web pages which can be translated with a machine translator. This is the Joshinweb preview. The new Tomix tram track is being cited by dealers as being more adaptable to other track sections than Kato’s Unitrack. N-Gauge Information has a report also. A couple of other sources haven’t reported in so far.

Tomix 5538 DC Feeder

Tomix has added a new DC Feeder as part of the Wide PC Rail line. This feeder attaches to the under side of the Wide PC Rail track section and allows you have a hidden DC feed for the first time with Tomix track. The feeder clips onto four small plastic tabs on the underside of the rail.

Tomix 5538 DC Feeder.

With the feeder attached to the underside of the track.

The track lies flat with the feeder inserted.

Rare Tomytec

Not all Tomytec Railway Collection items are released for general sale by retail outlets like train stores and hobby shops. Special limited edition private issues for sale by Japanese railways at station offices, station stalls and group department stores have been made by Tomytec for Tokyu, Hankyu, Odakyu, Kintetsu, Meitetsu and Choshi Electric among others. Among Japanese model manufacturers, Bandai also produces numerous items for private sale by Japanese railways that are not found in their catalog. Generally these sets are sold under restrictions, such as limit four per person, in an attempt to prevent their flooding onto Japanese online auction sites.

Tokyu 3601/3671 set.

Recently, I managed to acquire one of the Tokyu 3600 sets from an eBay auction by a Hong Kong vendor. It is a very typical Tomytec Railway Collection item and can be motorized with TM-07 chassis and TT-03 trucks.

Lead car showing the display base.

The Tokyu 3600 release was only sold at the Tokyu Museum of Electric Trains and Buses in Tokyo. To purchase the car required paying admission to the museum and then there was a limit of four cars per person. It has been blogged in Japanese here. A translated Tokyu web page gives the production quantity of 6,000 units.

Tomix 1731 Wide PC Rail (S140-WP)

In late 2009 Tomix introduced a long awaited new line of track products. There really are two separate products here, the straight wide rail sections and the kant (or super-elevated) curves. Some product features are distinctly different than previous Tomix stock rail sections.

Two Wide PC Rail sections and a Tomix stock rail section.

On the 3ft6in gauge lines of Japanese railways you will notice a very wide track center in places. This is particularly noticeable at many JR stations outside Tokyo that feel less development pressure. You can see examples in the first picture on each of these Japanese language blog entries. Example 1. Example 2

Out of the package you get two separate 140mm track sections each 37mm wide with a shoulder painted in the three color ballast and a small plastic bag with connectors. The corner of each section has a small visible hole (which is visible in one corner of this photo).

S140-WP section showing one of the holes used by connectors.

Once put in place, the connectors give the two Wide PC Rail straight sections a seamless appearance. These connectors fit very snuggly and were hard to try to remove for a photo.

Double section of S140-WP track with connectors in place.

Tomix has introduced several notable features with Wide PC Rail:

* Wide PC Rail sections do not have the DC feeder installation mouth found on most Tomix track sections over 33mm in length. For the first time Tomix Fine Track offers under track feeders with Wide PC Rail. Wide PC Rail requires a new feeder also, the Tomix 5538.

* The ballasted shoulder on the track piece is scribed underneath on either side for easy dis-attachment. This is useful for modeling stations with wide track centers as can be seen here in a Japanese language model train blog or to match Wide PC Rail with older sections of rail as can be seen here.

* Curved sections have super-elevated curves (and this will be covered shortly).

* Balustrades, sidewalls and fences are available separately so Wide PC Rail can be adapted as elevated track or have track side fences like many Japanese interurban and tram lines have on either side of the track.

* Pier bases allow Wide PC Rail track to be set up as elevated. The sidewalks and fences will give this elevated track a different character suitable for short bridges or viaducts.

This is a very innovative piece of sectional track that allows the modeler to capture yet more details of the Japanese railway scene.

A Couple of Double Oval Track Plans

Each year there are several basic track plans in the annual Tomix catalog. Actually these are more basic track configurations than plans.

The first plan is a basic double oval suitable for running two trains. There are no sidings, switches or stations just a double oval which can become the basis for a larger layout.

The ovals use C280 and C317 curves and S280 straights for the tangent track. A 37mm track center is used throughout the layout. Space required is 1600 x 740 mm.

Double Oval Layout 1. Image created with AnyRail.

Materials (all quantities are individual pieces):

Tomix 1121 C280 x 8
Tomix 1122 C317 x 8
Tomix 1022 S280 x 12

Note: The S280 straights are also available in a box of 10 pieces, Tomix item number 1092.

The second layout is also a double oval, but with the track center increased to 55.5mm at the bottom of the layout by using a Tomix 1026 S158.5 alongside a Tomix 1021 S140 straight piece. This allows space for island platforms between the tracks to create a station. Again, there are no sidings or switches. Space required is 1930 x 930 mm.

Double oval with station spacing at the bottom. Image created with AnyRail.

Materials (all quantities are individual pieces):

Tomix 1121 C280 x 8
Tomix 1122 C317 x 8
Tomix 1022 S280 x 16
Tomix 1021 S140 x 2
Tomix 1026 S158.5 x 2

Note: The S280 straights are also available in a box of 10 pieces, Tomix item number 1092.

So there you have a couple of most basic Tomix track configurations which can be the starting point for a larger layout.

A Japanese Rental Layout

This is a rental layout, apparently in a cafe in Japan. With small homes, large layouts can be found in cafes and hobby shops.

Japanese rental layout in a cafe. Image source Wikipedia.

What is interesting is the signs of Tomix products, the Tomix 5512 power controllers, the numerous Tomix 4018 large office buildings which have often been combined into larger structures and the subdivision of Tomix 4013 suburban houses.

On this type of layout you would normally take your trains with you and perhaps pay an hourly fee depending on the arrangement.

Tomix Cant Track Sets Available

The long awaited Tomix cant track sets are now available through Japanese dealers. Two versions are available, the Tomix 91013 Canted Bridge Approach track set and the Tomix 91011 Canted Track Basic set. Both sets feature curves with a 4 degree super elevation.

Tomix 3079 and other new products

Tomix is apparently planning a second “kit for the road” which will imitate asphalt pavement. The expected sale date is March 2010. The Japanese price will be 1575 Yen (1500 Yen without VAT). Detailed product specification has not yet been released.

Apparently Tomix is also planning a wide rail tram product to complement its new PC Wide Rail line recently released. Its labeled “Tomikkusuwaidotoramure-ru”, but on this item a sale date and price has not been decided and specifications have not been released.

I’m expecting both of these products will have the wide track centers characteristic of 3ft6in gauge tram and train lines in Japan, that were found in the Tomix 3076 tram rail pavement double track configuration.

Information on new products planned by Tomix can be found on this Japanese language web page.

Modemo Tosa Electric Railway 600 series

Modemo has just released its model of the Tosa Electric Railway 600 series streetcar. These cars were built between 1957 and 1962 in the company shops and during 1963 and 1964 by Naniwa Koki. Air-conditioning was added during the 1980s bringing these cars up to current Japanese streetcar standards.

By my calculations, this is the largest single class of streetcars currently on a Japanese streetcar system with 31 cars originally built and 30 cars currently active. This is almost half of the 63 car Tosa regular fleet. Another 9 heritage (most of foreign origin) and special service cars complete the 72 car fleet. The 600 series are the work horses of the Tosaden lines.

These cars (and the Modemo models) are equipped with couplers. Multiple unit operation was confined to three morning services to Ino until withdrawn in 1987. Later the schedules were revised and five morning and one afternoon to Ino were worked by two car trains. (Source: Electric Railways of Japan, Volume 3, 1997).

The Modemo Tosaden 600 is available in two versions. NT101 is the powered car. NT102 is the trailer version. Plaza Japan has the NT101 motor car available and Hobby Search has both the NT101 and NT102

Although there are optional detail parts to be added like rear view mirrors, the Tosaden 600 is essentially a complete car out of the box. There are no external fleet markings on these cars other than fleet numbers on the red bumpers.

This is an affordable model of a key current day Japanese streetcar.

Tomix Fine Track Features

I recently translated a new Tomix web page which gives a summary of the Fine Track features.

Joiner and Guide

The joiner improves energizing performance and the guide (the plastic piece under the joiner) makes the connection of the rail more secure.

Three color ballast

The roadbed ballast is made up of three colors (a bright gray, a gray and thick gray).

Low, thin track bed

Track bed height is low.

DC feeder installation mouth

There is high degree of freedom with Fine Track in selecting where the feeder can be placed.

Tomix also cites its abundant product lineups.

-Wide PC Rail
-Stock rail
-Rail with elevated bridge (single track)
-Double track line rail
-Slab rail
-N points
-Super Mini Rail
-Turntable
-Rail sets