Greenmax 46-1 Tram Motorized!!
Thanks again to the efforts of former You Tube video blogger 177140103 we are aware that the Tomytec TM-TR01 tram drive is sufficiently narrow that the Greenmax 46-1 tram can be motorized.
I’ve painted my tram in the solid red paint scheme of Meitetsu’s former Gifu tram system. At this point the car is not completed. It still needs glazing and a bit of paint touch up. Pantographs have been ordered from Japan.
Still uncompleted Greenmax tram on my large tram layout.
It looks great on the TM-TR01 drive!
Adding A Safety Zone to Tomix Wide Tram Track
Unfortunately when Japanese video blogger 177140103 deleted his You Tube account we lost his video showing the simple procedure for creating a tram loading island. While there are Japanese language instructions included in the packages, 177140103′s videos showed clearly what could be done.
The tram stop is included as an accessory with Tomix 3076 and Tomix 3079 and in the Tomix 90999 Fine Track Wide Tram Track Special Set. It is not sold separately.
Here’s how to step up the tram stop centered on a section of S140 Tomix Wide Tram track.
The accessory sprue included with the Tomix Tram Accessories.
From the underside of Tomix #1791 Wide Tram S140 straight count three holes from each end. With a pin vise, punch a hole through to the other side. Be careful not to prick any fingers!!
Underside of a platform and a S140 track piece with the third hole circled.
Once the whole is punched through, the notch on the underside of the platform will fit into the hole on the top side of the section of track and hold the platform in place. On the underside of the platform are holes which can punched through with a pin vise if you wish to add a tram stop back wall and roof. The completed platform would look something like below.
Completed Tomix tram platform.
There are pieces in the accessory sprue that will create a safety zone barrier to ward off stray motor traffic, or you can creat an European style safety zone with little more than a sign covered in reflective material between the waiting tram passengers and motor traffic.
Tomytec Tram Preview
A series of photos of the unpainted prototype of the new Tomytec tram bodies due out this fall have emerged from JAM 2011 in Tokyo this past weekend. The photos can be found here.
Tomytec TM-TR01 Tram Drive
After a long delay I’ve been trying out my new Tomytec TM-TR01 tram drive.
It has good weight to it (much more than a Kato 11-105), gracefully negotiates the C103 S-curve on my tram layout which my four wheel Bandai 1 and Kato 11-103 drives with their 28mm wheel centers have been unable to handle. Without a body on it cruises along a relatively quick pace.
Wheels are 9.2mm apart which is why at slower speeds it may have issues with crossovers or switches. At slow speed it did stall on the 9mm N gauge 90 degree crossovers with wheels spinning and the motor humming madly, although this was an old Tomix 3076 track cover crossover which means there is a chance of raised track covers interfering with the wheels.
Tomix TM TR-01 tram truck
This drive is just barely wider than N gauge track which makes it much narrower than the Kato Pocket line drives at 15.3mm for the 11-105, 11-106 and 11-107 or the 11-103 and 11-104 drives at 18mm.
End view of the TM-TR01 power chassis.
The TM-TR01 is just barely wider than the 9mm N gauge track.
There are already two Tomytec tram bodies for this drive and 3 more Tomytec tram bodies have recently been announced.
The good news is that the long seemingly unusable Greenmax tram bodies from Economy Assortment 802 and Greenmax kit 46-1 now have a power drive that fits inside their bodies. (More on this in a later post).
The TM-TR01 drive comes with KL11, FS78 side frames and a third side frame which I can’t identify. The drive is adjustable to truck centers of 36mm, 38.6mm and 41.2mm. I haven’t experimented with this feature yet.
A note to railroaders looking for locomotive drives. As a tram drive there are no couplers or coupler pockets on the TM-TR01 drive.
Running the TM-TR01 on the layout for the first time has been a real pleasure. The TM-TR01 is very much the superior N gauge tram drive. A second release is set for September 2011. I hope to add more of these drives soon.
JAM 2011
JAM 2011 was held over the weekend in Tokyo. JAM is the Japan Association of Model Railroaders and there show is held every August in the Tokyo Big Site.
At this point I haven’t seen any reports of new models announced, although those may yet appear. For now here is a view of exhibits at the show for you to enjoy.
The Kato Unitram exhibit layout.
Tomytec Trams and Buses Integrated
Looking for ideas for integrating Wide Tram Rail and the Tomytec Moving Bus System? Well here’s a Tomix/Tomytec display layout that was at the Shizuoka Hobby Show last May. Most of these Tomytec items either have been or will be available during 2011. The layout has up to four tram tracks and two separate moving bus loops.
By the way the layout size is 900mm x 900mm. (Don’t ask how I know!!)
Tomix Sources Updated
Tomix track and trains are available through a very limited number of sources outside Japan and from various English language sources in Japan. Since my original list in August 2008 and the update in May 2010 much has changed.
There are two shipping options with most dealers, either EMS or SAL.
EMS (Express Mail Service) is more expensive, fast, insured up to 20,000 Yen automatically, and trackable.
SAL is small packet is cheap, uninsured, takes 7 to 14 days minimum, and has a 2,000 gram limit (except for printed matter). As SAL only gets available air cargo space, delivery times vary considerably.
The new year starts in Japan in April and dealer stock is often the lowest at this time. Previews of new items appear at shows starting in May and continue through JAM (Japan Association of Modelrailroaders) in August. Dealers start replenishing stock levels in the late spring. Dealer stock levels are good through the fall until New Years, most new releases appear and restocking activity gradually slows down as the March 31 year end approaches.
There are also several extended Japanese holiday periods like New Years (which can last as long as 7 days in some cases) in early January, Golden Week in late April and Obon in August which totally shutdown processing of orders and email reply.
Japanese Internet Dealers
Since the May 2010 update, Ace of Bicycle has disappeared from eBay and Hobby World Japan closed their English language online shop after loosing their fluent English manager.
Hobby Search has been my primary source since day one. Hobby Search has a very large catalog of items listed by manufacturer and category. Items from smaller manufacturers can be found in a separate Other Makers directory. With such a large selection of items the Manufacturer List is handy. There is also a Release List and a Series List. Prices on stock and reservations are generally 10% off regular price for most items plus 3% points.
There is a points program that earns you 3% of most items. This can be redeemed on future purchases and used to reduce shopping and shipping costs. Points are good for one year. If you have more points than the total cost of your order, the points are only applied to the merchandise purchased. You will still have to pay shipping.
Shipping is now either SAL (up to SAL limits) or EMS. HS takes reservations on upcoming items and now allows you to choose SAL or EMS shipping during the pre-order process. You can pay with credit cards (via Alert Pay) or PayPal.
Hobby Search also carries Japanese railway and model train magazines in a separate “store”.
A long time eBay store with a good selection of Tomix items and other Japanese model railroad manufacturers. On screen stock count helps when placing track orders as stock-outs are a real inconvenience. Items are priced in US dollars, so when the US dollar is high prices may seem high. Most items are marked “No Returns Allowed”. EMS and SAL shipping is available. As an eBay dealer PayPal is the primary means of payment. Plaza Japan is a very reliable source.
Rainbow Ten is a bricks and mortar hobby shop in Shizuoka-City and an internet source. Rainbow Ten uses a stock list updated each business day.
Rainbow Ten now has a shopping cart system as well as the old stationary shipping list system. Discounts run 5% to 20% depending on the item.
The shopping cart is a big improvement over the old the somewhat complicated manual ordering process where you needed to be sure of your product numbers as there were no pictures to guide you.
Rainbow Ten favors shipping model railroad items EMS.
A small independent Japanese dealer selling on the internet. Prices are usually MSRP or higher reflecting the limited production runs of many Japanese model railway models. On orders less than 5000 Yen, there is a 500 Yen low order fee. Ships EMS or SAL plus a couple of other options. Prices are quoted in Japanese Yen, US Dollar, Euro or Pound. Payment is PayPal or credit card.
Dealers Outside Japan
Model Train Stuff
The internet arm of M. B. Klein carries Japanese model train items by Kato and Tomix. The Tomix stock is mainly vehicles and structures.
Japan Model Railways
Located in Kamen Germany, Japan Model Railways is one of the few Tomix dealers outside Japan. Japan Model Railways carries a very full line of trains, track, structures and vehicles. Items are priced in Euros. For many people in Europe this dealer is a great alternative to shipping bulky items like track all the way from Japan. The same people also run a train store 10 minutes away from Kamen’s train station.
Hankyu Model Train Festival 2011
Obon is a good time for a train show. Children are out of school and adults are off work. So what’s it like to go to a train show in Japan? This is the Hankyu Department Store at Umeda “Model Train Festival 2011″. Hankyu is one of Japan’s major private railways and has a chain of department stores including a branch its Osaka terminal at Umeda.
What’s that at 0:30? A Tomix E5 Shinkansen!
Kiha 183 Painted Train
Its summer break in Japan and painted trains appear here and there on sponsored promos. This is the Asahiyama Zoo Express.
But in this case the Asahiyama Zoo Express was running during Hokkaido’s long winter.
Tomytec Announces 3 MoreTram Bodies
Tomytec will issue three more tram bodies for November 2011 release suitable for the TM-TR01 tram drive. The trams include:
Hiroshima Electric Railway Type 350,
Sanyo Electric Tram Series 800
Tosa Electric Railway Series 800
The Sanyo Electric Tram Series 800 were built in 1959 by Naniwa Koki and with the closing of the Shimonoseki system became the Tosa Electric Railway Series 800 in 1971 and continue to run in Kochi today.
The Hiroshima 350 series were built in 1958 by and Naniwa Koki and continue to operate on a daily basis in Hiroshima.
For more information on Hiroshima trams click here.
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