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My Tomix 209-0 has long been a source of consternation for me: Although it ran fine when I first acquired it, its performance deteriorated rapidly with time, like some kind of model train version of Parkinson’s. By yesterday afternoon, it would at best jerk and oscillate rapidly, leading me to fear that the transmission [...] My latest purchase is a Kato model of the 651系 “Super Hitachi”. It’s quite the handsome model, and it includes interior lighting for all the coaches, out of the box. What a nice feature, ne? A few minutes of running the train, however, and I begin to wonder. My throttle is very warm to [...] For the curious, I’ve decided that my EF66 doesn’t really fit the theme of the rest of my collection. Having a theme—nothing that doesn’t pass through Ueno or Omiya Stations, in my case—really helps limit the desire to just buy anything and everything. And, well, an EF66 in JNR Sleeper Express livery doesn’t fit [...] 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. [...] 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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