Planning a Chuo-Chuo layout!

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Those of you who have noted my thread querying what pulls what in terms of freight trains would have guessed there is some research busily going on for layouts. Whilst there are already plans afoot for an urban type layout (our club layout), based on the Tokaido and Keihin Tohoku lines, I am currently investigating a personal project for something a little more rural.

My interest has been drawn to the Chuo main line, and whilst I am not after anything specific along there, I am looking to depict some wayside junction station somewhere in the mountains. I will probably play a little fast and loose with the stock I have in mind, but what I would like (in addition to the club layout stock and a few individuals for interests sake) would be a collection of stock you would expect to see along this route, not necessarily in the same places!

Electric stock would be represented by the following:

115
183*
189
253*
313*
383
E257*
E351*

Locos:

EF64* (probably two or three)
EH200*

The stuff with a star is already in my collection.

Being a junction station, I was also after a small branchline - diesel operated. I need somehting to run my small collection of DMUs  ;D. This is a real departure from reality as I have a Micro Ace Kiha 40 and Kato Kiha 110. Freight would be in the hands of a couple of TDE10s. One of my comments on the 'what hauls what' thread was about trip workings. I want to have a small electric haulled freight swap over to diesel in the yard for onward journeys down the branch. I guess the electric trip would be in the hands of an EF64.

Aside from the trip, I guess freight would be oil - in the hands of the EH200 - containers and perhaps ballast. Still trying to work out what else.

Don't know how big the layout will be as yet, but I'm reckoning on about 10 - 12 foot in length....depends if our impending house move works out okay  ::)

[CaptOblivious]

Very exciting. A couple of notes:

The Chuo line had EF64-0s: the -1000s were used on the Joetsu line.
JR East does its own ballast haulage in their own HOKI800—not JRF. So you'll want at least one JRE-colored EF64 in your collection.
Image:
http://rail.hobidas.com/rmn/archives/2008/11/jr8007.html
Incidentally, Tomix makes the only HOKI800 model available, but it's not too hard to get hold of.

As for the transfer of freight to local lines, as near as I can tell, the hand-off occurs at passenger platforms at the station where the two lines meet. An EF64 will bring in empties; a DE10 will haul them off and return loads, where another EF64 will then take them on to wherever its needed. I don't think that dedicated yards are used for this, but I could be very wrong.

[SubwayHypes]

make sure you stock up on some e233 Chuo lines!!  as well as some older type 201 series as well!

[SubwayHypes]

Those of you who have noted my thread querying what pulls what in terms of freight trains would have guessed there is some research busily going on for layouts. Whilst there are already plans afoot for an urban type layout (our club layout), based on the Tokaido and Keihin Tohoku lines

i think the tokaido/keihin setup would be much more interesting, you can run 217 tokaidos combined with the old school blue/white ones.

on the keihin the possibilities are endless, you can run 231 12 car sets, the newly released 233 keihin line sets, as well as the 217 and 211 series sets, AS WELL as the old school green/orange ones we see all the time.

you will have a predominately Blue line, right next to a orange/green line, much better colors IMO than a CHuo setup whcih would be mostly orange trains.

[Shashinka]

Those of you who have noted my thread querying what pulls what in terms of freight trains would have guessed there is some research busily going on for layouts. Whilst there are already plans afoot for an urban type layout (our club layout), based on the Tokaido and Keihin Tohoku lines

i think the tokaido/keihin setup would be much more interesting, you can run 217 tokaidos combined with the old school blue/white ones.

on the keihin the possibilities are endless, you can run 231 12 car sets, the newly released 233 keihin line sets, as well as the 217 and 211 series sets, AS WELL as the old school green/orange ones we see all the time.

you will have a predominately Blue line, right next to a orange/green line, much better colors IMO than a CHuo setup whcih would be mostly orange trains.

But the new Chou line trains are silver with yellow or orange striping, and are pretty.

[SubwayHypes]

you are talking about these ones right?



its all a matter of your color preference, because basically all models, e217, 231, 233, 531 are all shared with different striping.


i think it looks best in the orange/green to be honest!  although i have a e531 which is a blue stripe

i think the best reason to go Chuo on your layout would be the 201 series, which are classic japanese trains.

[SubwayHypes]

from wikipedia...

better start stocking up!!

Chūō East Line

    * Chūō Rapid Line
          o 201 series

          o E233 series

    * Chūō-Sōbu Line
          o 209-500 series (early version of 231 series)

          o E231 series

    * Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line
          o 05 series
          o 07 series
    * Local Trains
          o 115 series

          o 119 series
          o 123 series

          o 313 series

    * Limited Express
          o E257 series (Azusa, Kaiji, Chūō Liner, Ōme Liner)
          o E351 series (Super Azusa)
          o 253 series (Narita Express) (One train per day starts/terminates at Takao)
    * Seasonal services
          o 183 series (Azusa, Wing Azusa, Moonlight Shinshū)

          o 185 series (Hamakaiji)

          o 215 series (View Yamanashi)


[edit] Chūō West Line
383 series trainset on Shinano service

    * Local Trains
          o 313 series
          o 115 series
          o 211 series
          o 213 series
          o 311 series
          o 313 series
    * Limited Express
          o 383 series (Shinano)

          o 381 series

[edit] Freight train

    * JNR Freight Class EF64

    * JR Freight Class EH200

[SubwayHypes]

i dont see a 189 series listed, is this the one you speak of?

[Shashinka]

you are talking about these ones right?

its all a matter of your color preference, because basically all models, e217, 231, 233, 531 are all shared with different striping.


i think it looks best in the orange/green to be honest!  although i have a e531 which is a blue stripe

I didn't realize those bad boys ran on the Chou, but then again, most of my time had been spent shooting Ueno to Ikibukuro and Omiya with a little time at Tokyo, Shinagawa and Shinjuku. Next trip, I want to hit the Chou some more.

[Shashinka]

I've been meaning to ask for ages, what's with the big roll board box on the front of the Chou Line's old 209's? I know they did not originally have those. It always throws me because I spent time on the Osaka Loop Line which is exclusively 201 but without the breadbox on the front of it.

[SubwayHypes]

im not sure myself, older chuo 201s didnt have those big boxes on the front, then they started putting them on to show graphics in front, either way i like the 201 series alot with those front boxes, those sets are "long sold out" at hobbysearch

 
here are some without the front boxes, from the osaka line


and here is a 103 series i think?  the older prototype

[Shashinka]

I actually saw more 103's in Kansai than I did the 201's. It is amazing how much longer JR West keeps their rolling stock in service. They still run the 103's on quite a few lines. Hell, the 103 is still the back bone of the Nara Line with only a few 201's and I think 209's are on there as well, I'm pretty buzzed right now on Sake Dew (Mountain Dew and Sake) cause it's anime night with the Japanese group.

[SubwayHypes]

^japan has so many awesome train lines sometimes i wish they would import their trains over here to the bay area.  everyday on my commute i see nice commuter trains but they are always boring dirty BART cars, sometimes i fantasize and pretend im seeing a 231 series Tokaido with green car 12+4 set speed pass me.

alot of times when im drinking, and the night has winded down and everyone has left my house, i find myself drunk and watching JR train videos on youtube, it lowers my blood pressure and relaxes and makes me happy to see Japanese commuter trains speeding past.

check out my youtube favorites, i have a few cool train videos in there!
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SubwayHypes&view=favorites

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I whilst I do like the Chuo suburban stuff - I already have an E233 set - this scheme was meant to be further out of the city - towards the mountains on the main line. Suburban stuff in general will be looked after on our ongoing club layout - http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,797.0.html.

To add to my target stock list, I also have a 185 set in that green and orange livery. In addition Tokyo-Rail has supplied me with an EF64 from Micro Ace (not one of the EF64-1000s). I think getting hold of these may prove interesting, especially as unlike Kato, the MA model comes ready fitted with the running number - EF64-42. I'll keep looking, and will grab whatever comes up.

[CaptOblivious]

To add to my target stock list, I also have a 185 set in that green and orange livery. In addition Tokyo-Rail has supplied me with an EF64 from Micro Ace (not one of the EF64-1000s). I think getting hold of these may prove interesting, especially as unlike Kato, the MA model comes ready fitted with the running number - EF64-42. I'll keep looking, and will grab whatever comes up.

FWIW, Rainbowten has a Kato EF64-0 in JRF colors (Kato 3043) in stock for under 5700¥

[Claude_Dreyfus]

To add to my target stock list, I also have a 185 set in that green and orange livery. In addition Tokyo-Rail has supplied me with an EF64 from Micro Ace (not one of the EF64-1000s). I think getting hold of these may prove interesting, especially as unlike Kato, the MA model comes ready fitted with the running number - EF64-42. I'll keep looking, and will grab whatever comes up.

FWIW, Rainbowten has a Kato EF64-0 in JRF colors (Kato 3043) in stock for under 5700¥

Thanks for the tip-off. I make that a Kato locomotive for about £37.00   :o  8)

They have a slightly odd ordering process...all I can say is thank heavens for Paypal (?)

[SubwayHypes]

I whilst I do like the Chuo suburban stuff - I already have an E233 set - this scheme was meant to be further out of the city - towards the mountains on the main line. Suburban stuff in general will be looked after on our ongoing club layout - http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,797.0.html.

you should stilll get a 201 series set though!!

[CaptOblivious]

I've got a photo on my HD of a 215 in blue/grey (or is it cream?) colors on the Chuo-Sobu line (stopped at Akiba Station, naturally)…it's a nice break from the blocks of Chou orange. Also, Kato has a nice model of the JR "Chuo Liner" in JNR revival livery (cream w/red).

[Mudkip Orange]

its all a matter of your color preference, because basically all models, e217, 231, 233, 531 are all shared with different striping.

My railroad concept has corporate colors of blue and orange (hence E531 Joban, etc). There'll be exceptions (i.e. Yamanote E231s) but for the most part I plan to stick to that scheme.

[SubwayHypes]

Yea some people stress stayin to area specific prototypes, however i also mostly do it for the colors.  Most of the trains on my layout have blue lines (217,531,221) even tho some of them never run near each other. 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

A few additions to the Dreyfus Chuo fleet as intimated earlier here, and on other threads...

The 183 is from Plaza-Japan, and in so many ways is the quintessential Japanese train - looks, livery etc. It comes as a complete 9-car set.

The two EF64s are in addition to the EH200 already in the collection. Both are very impressive, as the pictures show, but to me the blue Micro Ace example shades it. That said, I may well try to obtain at least one other freight liveried example (possibly two) as the layout may well have some pretty steep gradients.

I have a couple twin-pack Hoki1800 ballast hoppers one their way for the MA example to play with.... 

[disturbman]

Nice addings, you're going to be abble to update your first post. :)

[Bernard]

Claude - How is the planning coming along? Personally I really like working with flex track.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Slowly but surely, I'll try to post a trackplan tonight if I can.

The main reason for the delay that we have not completed the purchase of the house as yet. . We did take a look at the weekend, and the prospective home looks very promising 

Rest assured, it will involve flexitrack though!

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Okay, so its been a little while since I updated on this, which to be honest isn't a great deal other than our house move was finally completed and I have a new site for the layout...now all I need is electricity for it! Pictures of the new home below.

The space I have to play with is about 10 foot in length (3 metres) by about 2' 6''. This means I can get it into the car (in two 5' x 2' 6'' boards) as well as have it fully erected in the shed... . Sadly it has to share the space with garden tools etc.

Still looking at the Chuo line, but now will probably be 'inspired by' as opposed to being 'based upon'. May well involve large amounts of single track running through scenery, which is my speciality. Getting my E351 'Super Azusa' from Mr PlazaJapan any day now...

[Bernard]

Claude - Congratulations and you must be excited to finally move in. How do you plan to solve your electrical problem? Can you run a line from the house?
A lot of modelers prefer single line layouts so they can concentrate on the scenery. One modeler gave me the idea of at certain spots on my layout to have trees hide the train from view.
The big thing is you got real estate, enjoy it!

[Bernard]

Claude - How is everything going with the move, any updates?

[Claude_Dreyfus]

It's been quite a long time since any updates were made on this thread.

The reason is very simple, as work has been diverted to the club layout over the last few months, and the insulation and 'electrification' of the shed will take some time - not a top priority so I've been informed - I have decided to put this idea on the back-burner for a while. Many thanks to all those that have commented and made suggestions here.

All is not lost though, and the comments and advice regarding the Chuo line will still be put into practice for Yamanouchi Oshika, which will satisfy my Chuo line fix for the immediate future as its 'prototype' location will be on that line.

As a replacement? Well there is something in the pipeline; altogether different but still Japanese. This will be the subject of another thread in teh very near future.

[Mudkip Orange]

Kato is re-releasing a "final formation" 201 series later this year, which I assume is detailed to match the way the last remaining Chuo 201s look today.