Akihabara Station » Tomix

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 [...]

Installing Truck-Mount TN Couplers

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:00:58 +0000

オロネ25-901 (with body-mount TN coupler) and オハネ25-100 (with truck-mount TN coupler)

Not every Tomix or Micro Ace train accepts the fancy-pants body-mount TN couplers. Sometimes you have to make do with compromises. Which is what Tomix’s truck-mount TN couplers are: A compromise. They work, but they’re not nearly as cool, and don’t look [...]

Tomix EF81 DCC Pt 2: Small Victories

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:21:55 +0000

It lives! Tomix EF81 with working DCC provided by a TCS CN-GP.

[Update 7 July 2010: The decoder failed by February. TCS advised that the CN-GP is a very delicate decoder; consequently, I cannot recommend this installation method. Currently looking for a new method of installation. Watch for future posts.]

Read Part 1.

[...]

Installing Body-Mount TN Couplers

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:31:48 +0000

Rapido couplers couple loosely; the gap between carraiges is about 6mm.

Most of your trains look like this: Big, bulky Rapido couplers and nearly a scale meter of space between the cars. Your passengers have to get a running start to leap to the next carriage! What to do? The obvious answer is [...]

Tomix TN Couplers

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:53:31 +0000

Rapido coupler. Looks awful, but it is one of the most reliable couplers ever designed.

The Rapido coupler is the standard for N-scale trains, and has been for some 30 years. Rapidos are easy to couple together (even if they take some fiddling to uncouple), and they hold together reliably over a wide [...]

Better Days for my Tomix 209-0

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:48:43 +0000

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 [...]

A Bad Week

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:08:07 +0000

This has been an awful week, for reasons I won’t dwell on. But as is often the case, I attempted to wrest control over my life by relaxing with my trains this weekend. And, as is increasingly the case, this attempt led me only to frustration.

Before me are four models that have issues. [...]

Another One Bites the Dust

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:25:11 +0000

I’ve lost track of how many decoders have been fried in the name of getting my Tomix EF81 converted to DCC. I’m not at all sure what happened this time; I was very thorough in checking for shorts before I put it on the tracks. And, sure enough, when I power it up, it [...]