Takadanobaba Station in Alameda

Tokyo. That's the scenic subject of my T-trak module supplied by https://www.precisionmodelrailroad.com/ . It will be a representation, not a prototypical recreation. The scene needs to cover a 12-inch by 12-inch space. Actually, the street scene needs to fit into a smaller space. The tracks consume a three-inches by 12-inches. That leaves 108 square inches. Is this enough space for a plausible street scene? Of course. People are doing far more in less space.  My idea wa s to build a city street and buildings parallel the tracks. A cross street would dead end into the main road. At the intersection, we’d see an entrance to the Tokyo Metro. The intersection would have a traffic light. Initially I thought the cross street could meet at a 90-degree angle to the main street. The concern is giving the viewer a straight view to the backdrop. That could decrease the scene's plausibility. An alternative is that the cross street connects at a diagonal. Another possibility, the cross str...

 Just a few days before we leave for Japan. The travel plans are mostly set. We fly into Osaka. We will be met by a guide who will help us convert currency and buy train tickets. First stop is Kyoto.  The next day will be a light day to allow us to get our bearings in Japan and see a little of Kyoto. I discovered that there's a Kato store in the Kyoto train station. I'm hoping to go there. If I don't make it, I'll hit hobby stores in Tokyo. Then we go to Hiroshima. To see the site of the dropping of the first atomic bomb and Peace Garden. Then back to Kyoto. All transport will be on the Shinkansen. That's the bullet train. The next day to Nara on a Kyoto to Nara direct train. Nara is the location of lots of tame deer. I'm looking forward to seeing them. At the end of the week we will again take the bullet train -- this time to Yamagata (via Tokyo) to visit a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn). We will also go to the hot baths (onsen) and experience a Japanese T...

The flights have been booked. My wife and I are are still working on the hotel and in-country itinerary. We're headed on a two-week lifetime bucket-list trip to Japan. My interest in Japan goes back to the fall of 1969, when my parents travelled there. I was only six years old and not invited on the trip. I stayed at home with Granny. She's my father's mother and a significant influence in my love of trains. One of the souvenirs the parents brought back for me was a fold-out pamphlet for Japan National Railways' Shinkansen. I looked at that and at some point it fell apart from having been folded and unfolded. At that time, I didn't know much else about trains in Japan.  Well, I did know that Japan was a major source of brass locomotives imported into the U.S. (At least that's what I learned from the back pages of the model railroad magazines.) Fast forward to December 2021. At that time, I was recovering from rotator repair surgery (left side). With nothing else...

The N-scale Japanese commuter trains I'm modeling are 1:150 scale.  U.S. prototype N scale is 1:160. The Japanese commuter trains are a slightly larger scale because, with the exception of the Shinkansen (bullet train), most heavy rail Japanese trains run on narrow gauge (1067 mm, or 3-foot, 6-inch) track.  In the miniature world of Japanese commuter trains, 9 mm N scale track is used. As I found out at the Pacific Coast Region convention this weekend, the track is not exact. Oh, well. (Sigh!) The Takadanobaba in Alameda is envisioned as a shelf layout with roughly six square feet of scenic area. There will be a high ratio of railroad to other scenic features.  For that reason, the raised right of way will be the layout's dominant feature. It needs to be properly represented.  When I first cooked up this layout concept, Atlas Code 55 flex track was considered. That's what I have on hand. But, the prototype track needed to be studied. In the selected era, the second ...

I was looking for a stretch project in modeling Japanese commuter trains.  I think I got more than I bargained for.  The first thing that I realized is that I'm modeling in a non-traditional scale.  Japanese commuter trains run on narrow gauge track. But, they are manufactured to run on 9mm n scale track. The off-the-shelf models from Kato and Tomix clock in at 1:150. That's just a smidgen larger than n scale at 1:160. I looked up a 1:150 scale ruler and found one on Amazon. I ordered it, super pronto.  Then . . . I discovered that the ruler is in meters. I'll have to access my faded 7th grade memories and remember how to use the metric system. Maybe there's a YouTube video.

I taking a break. I'm building a multi-deck layout in N scale based on Chicago belt line railroad operations ( The B&OCT in N Scale - read that blog here ). I still need to come up with a better name. It's a big project and has gotten overwhelming. On top of that, I had shoulder surgery in November. It has curbed my agility.  I'm looking to take on a small project -- something that could be achievable in a reasonable length of time and will stretch my modeling skills. I'm getting the idea that those skills will be really tested. This blog is about that project. The writing below was my first post on this topic -- on my other blog. It gives an introduction.  Come along for the ride. I think it will be an interesting journey. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately. That’s because I’m recovering from rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder. That has limited a lot o...