Review: Casco YP-517 Case for KOKI

Trains on a bookshelf

Trains on a bookshelf

I love the bookshelf cases that many Japanese model trains come in. They keep your trains tidy and safe. They also, if a little indirectly, put your trains on display. But what about those models that don’t come with a bookshelf case? Many add-on sets and most freight cars and locomotives come in individual plastic cases. Kato and Tomix both sell empty cases, but the foam inserts are geared towards 20m commuter cars—not the best fit for many cars. What do you do with your collection of freight cars? Read on to find out.
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DE10

Just in, after a long wait for it to make it back into production: A Tomix DE10 (seen here pulling HOKI 800 empties down the Ikea Line). This is easily my favorite diesel locomotive, perhaps ever. Although new, this model has a reputation for being a noisy, uneven runner—and sadly mine lives up [...]

EF66

Here is the most recent addition to my freight stable: A Kato EF66 in JNR colors (seen here pulling HOKI 800 ballast cars down the Ikea Line). It cuts quite a striking silhouette, doesn’t it? I bought this one used on eBay, and it’s a good runner, although the lighting board burned out [...]

EF65-1000

I just recently purchased Kato’s EF65-1000 in JR Freight (early) colors. Isn’t it cute? It’s a great runner, and an interesting prototype. Finding information on the prototype on the Internet, especially if you can only read about a dozen kanji, is surprisingly hard, however, and I welcome suggestions for addenda in the comments.

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