Bullet train layout USA

[Bernard]

This past week I was able to do more work on my layout. I'm at the point of adding the finer points of the layout (cars, busues, people, fences, etc.) it's a never ending process but that what makes it fun.

I decided to work on the main station area and paint the road, add a walkway and fences.
Here are 2 photos of what I've done. I still need to add lane markings, people and vehicles.

[scott]

Looks good--I can't wait until we get to that stage. :-)

[Bernard]

Did a little more work on the layout, here is a new video:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/x2iNFrmEgE8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/x2iNFrmEgE8</a>

[Samurai_Chris]

I always hate being the gloomy one on the boards. But for me, making a realistic Shinkansen line is very difficult..

Shinkansen are run on flat, strait, very well maintained viaduct lines, and not in suburban areas on suburban lines..

For me, here in Fukuoka, It would also be very rare to see a Shinkansen taking a bend.

Although some gradients may change slightly. A Shinkansen line is relatively level at all points, and land is moved in order to get the line through. They simply don't bend around a mountain. Rather they go through them..

I love your layout. But for me, seeing Shinkansens in that sense seems a little odd..

[bill937ca]

Curves are a reality of model train layouts.  The prototype may take several hours to go straight, but most of us don't have that luxury.  Most of us don't even have as much space as Bernard.

[Samurai_Chris]

Oh no, I am knocking it. I am just saying that for me. It looks odd seeing a Shinkansen weave through mountains and urban settings.. Also, if and when you do see a Shinkansen when about the place. It is usually a brief experience, as they are moving at a great rate of knots..

For me, when I am into the building stage of my own layout. I will have the run of the mill layout like everyone else, but will have two very long, and at angles other than the layout straits that will house the Shinkansen viaducts.. All bends will be hidden with mountains, and so the only thing you will see is a Shinkansen at full speed going out one tunnel, across a strait and into another.. That for me is much more believable and an easy fix for a difficult problem.. But still making it realistic..

Chris

[KenS]

Good video.

And, while Shinkansen do tend to go straight or along very broad curves, in urban areas the track can curve quite a lot.  Look at the Tohoku Shinkansen route around Kita-Akabane and Ukima-Funado stations in Kita Ward, Tokyo. Not as sharp as a model has to be, but much sharper than the sweeping curves you'd find in a rural area since it's following the pre-existing Tohoku Main Line narrow-gauge route.

[Samurai_Chris]

Ken, good points mate. Like I said. I am not knocking his build, nor his diorama.. I guess if you want to have some middle ground in my thoughts. Then curved viaduct lines. But I am just one of those people that gets erked when I see a Shinkansen running on an everyday track... They are just not built for that...

[disturbman]

Reading those intervention I couldn't help but think: French High Speed rail do go through suburban areas and up and down some rough inclines at time. The only unrealistic thing for me are the curves but like Bill noted it, most of us don't have the space to model a 5km radius curve.

By the way, Bill, did you really meant hours here?

The prototype may take several hours to go straight, but most of us don't have that luxury. Most of us don't even have as much space as Bernard.

[JRF-1935]

Bernard -
  Really like your layout !  I've seen a lot of prototypical model RR's and model Trolley lines.  I however, believe in the MYRR concept.  ( MY RailRoad ).   I always try to have fun with what I model and play with.  The Hobby is supposed to be fun -right?  Once a proto layout is built - it's done.  No room for change and you can't run any other different trains because  they don't fit.  If that's your thing, OK by me, but that becomes boring to me in a hurry.  I like layouts where the owner/builder has incorporated many of his idea's, like scenery, cities, and country combined to run various trains.  Also makes it easier for friends to drop by and run their trains and have fun.  Even in N scale if you wanted to model a proto Shinkansen line, you'd probably have to convince 10 to 12 of your neighbors to build tunnels between their basements and yours, and then at proto N scale speeds you'd probably see your train for about 30 seconds before it went back down the block!  
  No criticism here for any modeler, proto or otherwise.  Just have fun, do what pleases you on your layout, and enjoy the hobby.
Keep up the great work Bernard - hope to see more vids of trains running.
Rich C

 

[Kumo]

Oh no, I am knocking it. I am just saying that for me. It looks odd seeing a Shinkansen weave through mountains and urban settings..

It is odd on Kyushu, not that odd on Tokaido or Sanyo. This doesn't shock me at all, after all, rail modeling is about having fun! :-)

It's a great layout, more scenery, details, cars, houses, temples, people and it will make it full of interesting things to watch!
The only thing that shocked me is the speed of the trains. Except for the Shinkansen, they all go too fast for my taste and for scaled speed. The two first trams for example, they look like they are speeding for take off lol. ^^,
On such a big layout, you could really enjoy slower (and more realistic) trains! 

[bill937ca]

Reading those intervention I couldn't help but think: French High Speed rail do go through suburban areas and up and down some rough inclines at time. The only unrealistic thing for me are the curves but like Bill noted it, most of us don't have the space to model a 5km radius curve.

By the way, Bill, did you really meant hours here?

The prototype may take several hours to go straight, but most of us don't have that luxury. Most of us don't even have as much space as Bernard.

This morning I'm not sure what I meant. Ooops!

[David]

I more worried about what happened to those poor people in the green Portram at the beginning, I'm assuming most of them died from the G forces.

[Kumo]

I more worried about what happened to those poor people in the green Portram at the beginning, I'm assuming most of them died from the G forces.

The chikan really enjoyed being pushed this hard against the young ladies in the back! ;-)

[keitaro]

I more worried about what happened to those poor people in the green Portram at the beginning, I'm assuming most of them died from the G forces.

Not unless they were installed with inertia dampeners.

Anyway I like the layout billion times better than mine.

But yeah a stated not enough room to do large layouts unless your one of those execs with a really big train and good looking girlfriend

[Bernard]

All comments are welcome....I learn from them.

As for the Tomix Portrams, I did have them on a higher speed due to having some grit in the wheels and just having them cleaned out. I had to do modifications on the controls for them because on a regular 12v transformer they fly....each one now has a separate control to make it go slower. I still have to add the overhead wires to the tram section.

I do have some large mountains on the layout to hid the tracks but there are certain areas where it just wasn't possible. My smallest radius is 17.5" and the largest is 21.5", to make a curve takes a lot of space on the layout.

[Mudkip Orange]

Could be worse, he could be running Shinkansens on singletrack with freight sidings...

Personally I think the idea of modeling the uber-flat, straight, monolithic concrete elevated Shinkansen lines is so boring as to be not worth doing. If that means running your 500-series thru trackage that would be under a 20 or 30 km/h speed restriction in real life, so be it.