Progress - Slowly but surely...

I've been making slow and steady progress on Shintahara as of late. The track is down and my KiHa 40 has been happily running around it, much to the amusement of our two cats. The river area to the left side of the layout has been mocked up and a precursor to my station building can also be seen. The station will be a modified model of the historic Nijo station, the oldest wooden train station in Japan. I decided to take part in the Summer Project Party over on the JNS Forum, and that inspired me to get moving on the station area of Shintahara.

The mountain still has to be roughed in, and with it, the branch line roadbed. The approximate ridge line for the mountain has been drawn in though. The branch roadbed will be cut from foamcore and the mountain areas will be cut to fit. I also plan to have the top of the mountain removable to allow access to the hiddedn track in back.


The shot here shows the bridge mockup outside Shintahara. The bridgeitself likely won't get built until the 157.5mm curves come out and I can get the outside loop in place.

What's in a Name?"

The layout, which up until now, was nameless, finally has an identity. I wanted something that sounded Japanese, and yet wasn't necessarily based ona real place. The name that came unbidden into my head was "Shintahara". It definitely sounded Japanese, and a bit of Googling turned up a couple of people with the name Shin Tahara, but not a place by that name. I started with this and decided to run with it. For me, one of the important factors in my design strategy is why a railroad exists. It's all about the story behind a model railroad. Why was the railroad built? What purpose does it serve. What towns did it go through?
It was with this theory in mind that I developed the history for my T-Gauge layout. After much thought and planning, I've taken my rough layout design and plotted it in Anyrail. This new layout design has some elements of the previous sectional layout. It's basically a 24" X 36" base with extensions for the branchline. The branch is the main focus of the layout and is what gives it its name.

Based on the layout design as I have it with the branchline up-and-over loop, I decided to incorporate that into the actual prototype history. Loops are rare on Japanese railways, but not unheard of. One famous example is actually a combination loop/switchback at Okaba on the Hisatsu Line on the island of Kyushu. The exact location for the Shintahara remains shrouded in mystery at the moment aas I'm not exactly sure where in Japan I'm going to put it.

I started with some route icons from Wikipedia and began working in both directions from this point. As I did this, the line took on a life of its own and the Shintahara Railway was born. Basing the history on a number of other current and former lines in the country gave the Shintahara a plausible reason for being. The line's history as it exists now is below.

Shintahara Railway Company

The Shintahara Railway company was chartered in 1893 to connect the villages of Shintahara and Atakami with the Japanese Government Railway at the town of Baiji. The original portion of the line began construction in 1895 and was completed by late 1896. A branchline to the village of Kintubo was constructed in late 1896. The line initially began operation with a pair of 0-4-2 tender locomotives purchased used from the Japanese Government Railway (JGR). The line also had a few passenger and goods wagons as well. In 1900, the JGR built a line through Shintahara, and constructed a second interchange with the Shintahara Railway.

The village of Echindo several miles into the mountains northeast of Shintahara had a small coal mine operation. The short line saw this as an opportunity and constructed a line to tap this resource. The line was partially funded by the JGR as well. The terrain heading out of Shintahara dictated either a switchback or a loop configuration to gain elevation. The Shintahara Railway opted for the loop. The line passed through the small village of Itohara on the way to Echindo. A total of three tunnels and one long trestle were needed to reaching Echindo, which was reached in early 1904. In 1906, the line extended further into the mountains to the villages of Katangi and Ryabuko. There was another coal mine ay Ryabuko, so the four tunnels and one trestle used to get there were warranted. In 1907, the Shintahara Railway was completely absorbed into the new Japanese National Railway.

A Hot Springs bath house was opened in 1914 in Shiku and became a source of much traffic on the line.

Due to the secondary nature of the Shintahara Line, it was never electrified. Steam lasted on the line until 1970, after which passenger duties were taken over by a number of KiHa 30 diesel railcars. Freight service was taken over by diesels. The Ryabuko coal mine closed in 1970, and few freight cars travelled between Shiku and Ryabuko.

A tunnel collapse in 1974 on the line just north of Shiku sealed the fate of the line to Ryabuko. Passengers still continued to travel by rail to the Onsen in Shiku, but improved roads through the mountains diminished this traffic.

The closure of the Echindo coal mine in 1984 had an impact on the line as well. Freight service was reduced to a trickle, and only a couple of years after the mine closed, all freight operations on the line were discontinued.

JNR was looking at various options to purge itself of the line, and when the company was dissolved, JR East took control of the Shintahara. Wishing to divest itself of the line as well, JR East sold the Shintahara line to a group of local investors. The new Third Sector Company, Shintahara Railways Group took control of the Baiji to Shiku section on May 1, 1988.

The line operates with a pair of KiHa 40 railcars with a pair of KiHa 30's on reserve at the Baiji shops. Also on roster is a single KiHa 47/48 set.
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I Have the Power! (Pack that is)

Well, I ordered a 132.5mm Radius track set from TrainAidsA last week. It arrived on Wednesday this week, and I've been spending the lsat couple of days entertaining the cats with it. My wife found it very amusing as well. Having the track and power pack set enables me to give my KiHa40 a workout. I have noticed that the KiHa tends to run better powered truck forward (which is to be expected). I'm hoping on getting a Pulse controller from one ot Talking T Gauge's members, nug. This will enable smoother operation than the current Eishindo power box. The next purchase, in addition to the pulse controller, will be a loop of 145mm radius curves. The 145mm curves are going to be the minimum radius on the main line.

My benchwork is still waiting to be assembled, and will consist of a 24" X 36" piece of plywood topped by 3/4" blue foam. The foam will allow me to make scenic features below the track grade with much more ease than a conventional cookie cutter design. The branch supports will probably be laminated foamcore with blue foam supports. For access to the main line loop, the mountain scenery is planned to be removable. This will allow me to work on the layout and get it running while I'm waiting for the announced 157.5mm radius curves.

Still thinking like a showman, I'm now thinking of having the branch line diverge from the station on the left side of the layout in both straight and curved options. This will allow me to extend the line along the other wall in my small space as well as allow the line to extend straight for shows and displays. The left hand side is planned to to extend along a rocky seashore, ending at a stub end station next to an amusement park. The mountain line will probably continue through mountain scenery, possibly ending at a Hot Spring. As before, the main focus of the layout is to be the branch line, but the mainline loop will offer through running as well as be a showcase for my future roster.

More as it develops.

I Got it One Piece at a Time...

I apologize for the lack of updates. There hasn't really been much to report over the last few weeks. This however is about to change.

A couple of weeks ago, I got my first bit of T Gauge. My first purchase consisted of a grade crossing kit and an unpowered 103 KuHa car from TrainAidsA. The other members of the London Model Railroad Group, the local 'O' Scale club to which I belong, thought I was absolutely nuts. After admiring the sheer size of the car (or lack thereof), and trying to assemble a couple of 1:450 scale paper houses from Pokara Paper Craft, I planned out my next purchase. The second arrival was a KiHa40 as well as a package of 200mm Flex Track and joiners. This is what I currently have right now, but I also have a 132.5mm track set on the way from TrainAidsA. I also purchased some lumber in the hopes of beginning layout construction in the coming weeks.

The layout plan has changed over the last few weeks and a rough approximation of the current design is below (Not to scale). The sectional idea offered alot for expandability, but didn't have the cohiesiveness of a single table. I was inspired by some pictures in Carl Arendt's "Small Layout Scrapbook" and in particular, an older issue showing some small Japanese themed 'N' Scale layouts from The Diorama Shop. The overall layout design is 24" X 36" with expansion possible from the upper right. I plan to possibly extend this into a nintey degree curve to fit my current room and allow the branchline to continue into the mountains. Another possibility is to extend the branchline below the main line somehow, also to the right.

The single track mainline is designed with 145mm radius curves in mind. I also plan on adding a second outside track once Eishindo releases the new 157.5mm radius track. The main is electrified, as the previous layout was intended, with the branchline diesel powered. The current design doesn't use turnouts, but may very well include them in the final plan. The branchline will be designed for point-to-point automatic operation with mainline trains continuously looping. The back half of the layout is going to feature mountains with the branchline winding up it to a small Shinto Shrine complete with Torii Gate above the lower level town.

Construction on the benchwork will be beginning this week. I'll post progress as it develops. The track plan sketch is below with generalized locations of what's planned. A more detailed plan using Anyrail is planned in the near future.

Possibilities and Prototypes...

In preparation for developing a Japanese themed layout, I've been researching Japanese railways for the last while. Japanese trains offer an amazing variety of paint schemes and appearancess. Also notwithstanding is the fact that alot of them just look incredibly cool. The basic premise of my layout design is a double track heavy electric mainline with a secondary branchline. The branchline is intended to represent a 'third sector' Railway, or private railway line. There are a number of these in Japan, essentially branchlines that have been spun off from the main trunk lines. Alot of these lines have colourful pasts, and some can be modeled almost in their entirety. The main layout will represnt an urban area, with the station based on Sanuki Station on JR East's Joban Line. This station interchanges with the 4.5km Ryugasaki Line, operated by Kanto Railways. Kanto also operates the 51km long Joso Line. The Ryugasaki line has several things going for it as a prototype. Scenically it runs through some nice country, is modelable, and has a small roster. Another small branchline that has alot of character and scenic beauty is the Kominato Railway, a 39km line about an hour from Tokyo. This line runs into the mountains and has alot of interesting scenery and tunnels. I plan to take elements from both of these lines, with a sprinkling of other lines to represent my freelanced branchline. This beanchline will initially be home to a KiHa 40 diesel railcar. A small yard may be added to my planned terminus as well with storage for a couple of cars. The urban station may also recieve a second track for the branch platform, allowing more than one car to be operated at a time.

As my plans for a layout are being refined, so are my plans for a roster. I was browsing the TrainAidsA website and I saw that they are offering alot more spare parts and kitbashing parts for all three of the current Eishindo chassis. Also available are single 103 powered and unpowered cars, and this opens up alot of possibilities for the kitbasher. The availability of these parts makes my mind work overtime and the creative juices flow. While my first priority is to get my end loops done to get a working layout, I do want to start building up some additional rolling stock as well. I've been slowly planning and refining my eventual roster, and the more I research and view images online of Japanese rolling stock, the more confident I become that I can do this. The 103 Series is the same length as a 20m long passenger coach. These can be used in both powered and unpowered combinations with a Hankyu 9000 powered electric locomotive. I may even power a 103 with a lengthened 9000 chassis, possibly do it as a mail/baggage car to sit behind the locomotive for extra pulling power. The planned addition of free-rolling 19m and 20m chassis also makes a locomotive-hauled passenger train an option.

Freight is another story, but still a definite option. The majority of Japanese freight cars were small 4-wheel cars, with a few exceptions - mainly flat cars. Most freight nowadays travels in containers - not really a "powerable" car, at least if one wants it to bea ble to run empty. Over on the Talking T-Gauge forum, member nug has developed a shortened chassis of 31.5mm mounted on a base of 3mm aluminum. He's also developing a chassis based around a 6mm pager motor that hopefully will pull 4-6 standard cars. This is hopeful, as a 6-car train would be perfectly acceptable on a small layout. There were some four-axle boxcars used in the past - The Waki 10000 for instance, that could be used as powered cars in a freight consist if need be. The Waki 10000, based on model lengths, works out to about 16.6m Long. This tranlates into a 37mm long car in T-gauge - entirely within the realm of possibility. The motive power would still have to be full body electric and diesel locomotives until a narrower gearbox gan be worked out for a hood style unit. Japanese diesel hood units offer their own set of challenges, as they are mid-cabbed with low front and back hoods. A lower profile gearbox would almost be needed before one of these locomotives (powered at least) is an option. That said, one could be pushed by a couple of powered freight cars (or passenger cars) as a dummy very easily.

For the first little bit, I plan to run my standard gauge Hankyu cars alongside the narrow gauge JR stock - the average Joe isn't going to know the difference. Eventually, the 9000 may morph its way into another style of multiple unit, either diesel or electric. When I get some 103's, they may also find themselves sitting on a modified 9000 chassis, the guts being used for other projects. The 103's actually make better fodder for certain kitbashes given their modular construction (versus the sealed Gen 2 chassis). Uwe Fenk from Germany has done some kitbashing of his own using the 103's. He's taken two mechanisms and combined them together in a long (58mm) chassis. This length chassis is standard for a North American passenger car and could be easily adapted for that as well.

More plans as they develop.

Progress on Layout Design

I've been thinking about layout plans ever since I first saw T-gauge. For me, part of the enjoyment of model railroading is sharing the experience with others. I've been to train shows with layouts in the past, and loved the interaction and answering questions from people. This said, portability and the option for continuous running are major factors in my layout designs. I knew I wanted a double track mainline to be able to run two trains. I also wanted a branchline to have limited operating possibilities.

Another factor in my layout plans as of late has been my location. My wife and I live in a two bedroom apartment. I've managed to secure the storage closet as my office/layout space but it measures only 4 feet by 8 feet. Seeing as it still needs to function as an office/computer room as well, that limited my size as well.

The third factor is ease and economy of construction. Hobby resources are limited, so the ability to build the layout in sections was also a concern. Given all of these factors, I developed the layout plan shown here.

This plan is pretty much the final. To cut back on costs and increase running in between building sections (and waiting for turnouts), I may split Section C into a 9" X 24" Front section and have the double track back section split in two to give me a 36" X 18" loop.



Thoughts on Prototype

The other big question I've been facing is "What to model". Being Canadian, a North American prototype is an option, but I'd like to model something different. I've also got an interest in the railways of Finland due to my work on an expansion for the game Transport Tycoon. I seriously thought of modeling some Finnish EMU's and DMU's in T. The other option, logically, is modeling a Japanese prototype. This, ultimately, is what I've decided to do. I enjoy researching and finding out new things, and seeing as I don't know alot about the railways of Japan, it's a perfect opportunity for me.

My first T purchase will be a Hankyu 9000, and I'll probably keep this set as is. The mainlines will be electrified and handle both 9000's and 103's to start. The branch will eventually be home to a KiHa40. Another deciding factor in the choice of Japan is that alot of Japanese trains are available online as paper models - a good source for overlays for new prototypes.

I'm thinking about purchasing a Hankyu chassis "kit" from TrainAidsA to turn into a heavy duty Japanese electric locomotive - An EF64-1000 series. The length matches the Hankyu almost exactly. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about the centre truck, whether it's going to be operational or static with the bottom flanges ground off, but that'll be documented when the project begins.

More to come.

Yet another T-Gauge Presence on the web

A bit about me. My name is Dan MacKellar and I'm soon going to be delving into the madness that is T-gauge. I've modeled in HO, N and Z Scale, so T seemed like a natural progression.

I've been following
Eishindo's T-Gauge since it first came out. I'm an avid follower of David K. Smith's T-gauge Blog as well. I'm always looking for something different and interesting, and T-gauge is definitely those things.

This blog is to be a showcase of my adventures in this new and exciting scale. It will contain musings, thoughts and general miscellany. I currently don't have any T-gauge equipment, but I've been preparing to get some within the next month. I've been mulling over prototypes and what to model, but that's the subject for another day.