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David Smith recently posted an article demonstrating several prototype research methods available on the Internet. Many of us know about Google Maps, and the Street View feature.  Bird's eye view of Akihabara Station I had no idea about Microsoft’s Live Maps Bird’s Eye View feature, however: Satellite imagery taken at an oblique angle (rather than straight down) that can reveal a lot of interesting architectural detail. The Prototype When Japan began electrifying railways, they opted for DC, being basically the only option at the time. But as technology advanced, more recent electrification projects used AC. So, what this means is that railroads in and around Tokyo and Kyoto, being older, are DC; newly electrified lines in northern Honshu and [...] 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 [...] Well, it’s my first bullet train, the double-decker high speed commuter E4 Multi Amenity Express. I don’t know why increasing the number of levels increases the number of amenities, but that’s how it’s marketed. So be it. I can’t tell if it looks more like an airplane or a fish. The Prototype While [...] 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 [...] 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. [...] So, I thought, just to get the ball rolling, that it might be fun to put together a handful of very small dioramas. I wanted to do something rural, and because I found the appearance of the KIHA 110 so striking, I settled on the Suigun Line. Below is discussion of the prototype; [...] Just before the winter holiday, I ordered and received a new bit of rolling stock, Kato’s キハ (KiHa—the designation for standard class diesel passenger cars) 110 diesel multiple unit (DMU—and yes, it’s hard to call a single car a multiple unit, but that’s what it is). Say hello! I need a little warm-up [...] |
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