Akihabara Station » projects

Kato 0系 Bullet Train Pt 1: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:51:56 +0000

Ah, the classic lines of the original Bullet Train.

The DCC installs are back. I’ve got a ton of photos, and I doubt I’ll post all of the work I’ve done in the past several months, but with Kato’s recent re-release of this model, it seemed appropriate for the latest update.

Kato’s [...]

Kato 651系 DCC Pt 2: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:08:15 +0000

651系 cab car.

Finally, a return to my long neglected 651系! In the first and and first-and-a-half parts, I upgraded the factory-fitted interior lights from bulbs to warm LEDs. Now the time has come to deal with the headlights. Thankfully, this conversion proved quite easy using a TCS FL4 function decoder, which is [...]

Akihabara Platform 1/2N: Brass!?

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:19:28 +0000

Not many updates to share; October has been a surprisingly busy month. Should I have been surprised? No, of course not. I knew it was coming.

To the point: I had originally planned to construct the platform shelter out of styrene, but quickly discovered that such a structure would be at best very flimsy, [...]

Akihabara Platform 1/2N: Texturized

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:17:35 +0000

I’ve decided to focus on a tiny sub-diorama of Akihabara Station. The platform section that I’m working on represents the very northern end of platform 1/2. This section of the platform has a relatively simple roof and support, and so should be a nice, easy introduction to scratchbuilding.

The bit I'm working [...]

Tomix “Yumekukan” Dining Car DCC Install

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:21:25 +0000

The Tomix “Yumekukan” is a fun model. The highlight is the three unique coaches at the end: One very first class sleeper, one lounge car, and one dining car at the very end. Last year I installed a decoder into the baggage car; today the dining car (OSHI25-901; オシ25-901) is the focus. The [...]

Baby Steps

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:39:28 +0000

I’ve been overwhelmed, lately. Or, at least, I haven’t had much spare time. Hence, I’ve gotten almost nothing accomplished. Inspired by one of KenS’s posts on JNSForum.com, I have decided that I need to start with something small to get the ball rolling—very small.

I begin with only this:

What is (or [...]

Micro Ace AE100形 “Skyliner” DCC Install Pt 2: Motor Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:45:48 +0000

The completed install.

This must be a new record for me: Two successful decoder installs in four weeks, nothing dead or fried. The Skyliner motor car is, thankfully, a straightforward install with only minor gotchas. Now, to find the funds for another Z2 to complete the second cab car!

This is part [...]

Designing a Throttle: Some Desiderata

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:29:06 +0000

Tomix N-DU-202-CL Throttle: Nice!

My layout is an oval of track that I occasionally set up on my desk. Sometimes I add turnouts to this oval. Some of my trains have been converted to DCC; many have not. When I want to run a DCC train, I pull out my Digitrax Zephyr; when [...]

Micro Ace AE100形 “Skyliner” DCC Pt 1: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:04:31 +0000

A Keisei AE100形, headlights blazing.

Ok, yeah. I said my next DCC conquest would be my Kato 651系 “Super Hitachi”. I lied. Besides, I said that, what, six months ago? I don’t have the necessary decoders on hand to continue work on it, but I did have the necessary decoder for this model, [...]

Lemke/Hobbytrain Plasser & Theurer Duomatic DCC Pt. 2: Decoder Installation and Tuning

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:50:58 +0000

Update: After consulting with TCS, I no longer recommend the TCS Z2 decoder for this installation. Sadly, the TCS M1 is too large for this installation, and so I have selected a Lenz Silver Mini to replace the Z2.

Previously, I showed how to disassemble the tamper down to the point where we can [...]