My wife is in Japan right now traveling with and translating for her sister and brother-in-law. She's on the lookout for RR things that might be of interest to me. The first take on that is this pic of part of a rental layout. I think it's N gauge.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Yup! N gauge it is! N scale has a market share in Japan similar to HO scale in the US. No wonder, when space is literally not existent.
There are hotels you can rent a small layout for those lonely evenings in your hotel room:
At the Washington Hotel in Tokyo's geek district of Akihabara, room 1304 is quite different from the rest. It's outfitted with a diorama that has Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, and thirty meters of model train track!
Yes,N Scale is big in Japan and the idea of renting traffic rights is a good idea since a lot of Japanese doesn't have a home layout. A carrying case with two engines and several cars is all one would need.
When I was station in Germany back in 75/76 I took a train ride and at the station where I got off there was a very nice automated layout that you could watch IIRC 2 or 3 trains run after dropping a German mark into a slot. I really hated leaving but,they announced my train back to Schweinfurt.
As a side note. A normal tour of duty in Germany is/was two years..The Army in all of it glorious wisdom sent me there with 9 months before my ETS date..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Larry - many a station had one of these layouts. They started in the late 1950´s with this, but about 10 years ago, Deutsche Bahn decided it would not fit their modern image, so the layouts had to go.
Sir Madog Larry - many a station had one of these layouts. They started in the late 1950´s with this, but about 10 years ago, Deutsche Bahn decided it would not fit their modern image, so the layouts had to go.
I hate to hear that..Those was nicely done layouts. I use to railfan at the Schweinfurt station and became quite fond of those 0-6-0 diesel switchers with side rods.
Talk about marketing genius! I'm not sure it would work in this country but for Japan, it's brilliant.
BRAKIEI use to railfan at the Schweinfurt station and became quite fond of those 0-6-0 diesel switchers with side rods.
That would have been the omnipresent V 60 0-6-0 Diesel switcher - they are gone, too!
Larry - we are getting old! All those locos which were brand new in my childhood days are long out of service by now.
They still had V-60s when I was there, apparently just before Larry's service. Cool locos.
OK, live from the Shinkansen enroute from Tokyo to Kyoto as I write...
Out the window, only some things are blurry, not the whole world (at 180 mph).
Interior of economy class, 6 roomy seats across and a nice aisle -- try finding that on an aircraft these days.
Looks like a starship inside. I think my wife is using her wifi, cell-based internet hotspot to send these from the train. My guess is that internet is available onboard by other means, too.
Somewhere outside Tokyo, warehouses...
Tidal flats. She said there were lots of tunnels, too.
Of course, you know what the picture of the inside of a tunnel looks like (although I'd bet they leave the interior lights on...
The Shinkansen tunnels are, for the most part, precisely circular in cross section. That's what you get when you bore them with a TBM.
The portals are interesting. They owe their design to modern artillery - silencer *** muzzle brake. Without the fancy airflow control a train would exit each tunnel with a report like a 155mm howitzer - rather annoying to the neighbors.
The rent-a-layout phenomenon developed after I left Japan for the last time many years ago. Oh, well...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
EDIT - I see that the nasty language checker doesn't understand Latin. English synonym? And also is close enough.
Chuck,
Are you talking about the digital news scroll in the coach?
EDIT: Nevermind, figured it out, but yeah probably cut by the spellchecker...
And this was the train my wife took to Kyoto.
Wow Mike, I believe that is just like train my daugher rode when she was in Japan! We both work for the same company and I also was lucky enough to make a trip there. I did not get to ride a bullet train but I did ride a lot of the commuter and regular passenger trains which was still a great experience. I also purchased my very first Kato n scale locomotive while there, an ED75. Thanks for sharing!
Ralph
Ralph,
Happy to share. My wife spent a lot of time in Japan when she was younger, then has visited regularly as an adult. I'm looking forward to my first trip -- well, except for that plane ride. But once you're there, it's train heaven.
I'm trying to get the video she sent up. I'm not on FB, but if you are, try this to see if it works for you: https://www.facebook.com/akibare.nanashi/videos/1130255287046341/
A couple of more pics this morning...
Interior view of Kyoto station.
A typical railroad crossing.
Don't know if the facebook link worked for anyone or not. I now have a Youtube link that should work. A 6 Minute Shinkansen ride, looking out the window.
Thanks to my wife, who enjoys such train videos herself.
Another short video of a Shinkansen train arriving in the station. Sorry it's sideways, but it's only 53 seconds
The platform without the train arriving.
View outside the station.
Fascinating,Mike. That movie from on board is almost surreal...like something out of a video game.
Mike
Mike,
Thanks, yeah the motion and the weird clipping effect seem to interact in the frames per second. It's an iPhone she's taking this all with, if that provides any insight.
It should be noted that at 3:55 in the 6 minutes video you're talking about, you see the Takata factory, where all those flaky airbags were sourced from. The parking lot looked full, although that may not last. And good jobs are hard to come by if you need one in Japan like in the US. They do seem to invest in the basic architecture and infrastructure of modern civilization, something to consider consdering how much we see crumbling around us.
One thing I do remember being told by a supervisor before going, was that in Japan you really can not use the excuse that you were late to work because your train didn't arrive on time. If it was by any chance late for any reason the conductor would write you an excuse! The video of the country side sure brought back some good memories, thanks again. Also, yeah, the flight was a looooong one, but flying over the Alaskan coast and seeing the mountain range was unforgettable as well as the friendliness of the people of Japan, it's a wonderful country.
You're correct, as my wife advises the same. It's a very embarassing thing if the schedule is not adhered to.
I think this is HO scale, based on the materials on the shelves in the background.
She was headed to a bookstore that has train items and books to find a book on signals for a colleague who helps teach the signals course in railroad engineering at the big U here. This may be at that location or simply another place she noticed. Will update if I find out more.
Another view of this small display layout. Very impressive whatever scale it is.
A friend of mine has said, "thećRent-a-Layout is there in the Asakusa station of Tobu Railway."
Popondetta with Tobu Railway Gallary, Asakusa
Excellent, thanks for the link!
It's easy to see that interest in books and trains remains strong in Japan. The entire 6th floor of this bookstore is dedicated to train books.
Here's a pic of the outside of the bookstore with the 6th floor devoted to RR books.
The name suggests that the owner maybe, just might be a Rio Grande fan?
So my wife is safely in Tokyo -- or at least as safe as any place can be with volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and reactor meltdowns on tap, even if Godzilla and Mothra are out for the week -- and decides to go for a train ride to scenic Okutama station.
First thing she sees is this notice:
It's a notice warning of bears!
Haven't heard from her since...I'll let you know how this comes out.
OK, wife reports no bear sightings so far. She's using her transit card still, getting on a bus that takes her further into the (bear-infested) mountains near Tokyo...
And they think Zika will be bad in Brasil during the Olympics, wait until they hear about the bears in the hills of Tokyo for 2020! I am making a bit light of a serious subject, every once in awhile you get a rogue bear, mostly they behave and do bear stuff.
At least it's not Godzilla!