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.