Japanese Train Yards

[Bernard]

Does anyone have photos or a video of what a Japanese (passenger) train yard looks like?
I'm working on a yard on my layout and want to know if I'm going in the right direction.
Here are 2 photos of what I've done so far:

[Martijn Meerts]

If you check google maps and go to Tokyo Station, then follow the tracks northbound from there, you should at some point come across a large storage yard. I've seen plenty shinkansen parked there. Not sure how far you can zoom in there though.

Also, Greenmax makes lots of trackside details used on storage and maintenance yards. They have large, modern loco sheds, washing installations, maintenance walkways and much much more. You should be able to find pictures of the items on any webstore that sells Greenmax. That might give you a little inspiration at least.

[stevenh]

Directly south of ShinOsaka station is a yard where there is often Blue-Trains being slapped together.



This was the only spot I saw this all occurring in the Kansai area... I really would love to know where they shunt the twilight express though!

[bill937ca]

Here's a plan of Shinagawa station and its yard.

http://www.japanrailmodelers.org/maps/doug-shinagawa.jpg

[bill937ca]

These are Japanese language pages on JR vehicle bases.

Narashino train district

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/chirasi.htm

Makuhari vehicle center

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/chimari.htm

Keyo vehicle center

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/chikeyo.htm

Mitaka train district

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/hatimitu.htm

Toyota train district

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/hatitota.htm

Matsudo vehicle center

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/toumato.htm

Tokyo synthesis vehicle center

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/toto.htm

[Bernard]

Thanks everyone, the photos and links are exactly what I was looking for. I even see in one of the photos that have elevated platforms in the yard.

[bill937ca]

A Shinkansen yard photo.

http://www.hood-online.co.uk/shinkansen/tokaido/027-osaka.php

http://www.hood-online.co.uk/shinkansen/general/

 :o

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/-uUfeqjMWug" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/-uUfeqjMWug</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/R97RZJnbm_w" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/R97RZJnbm_w</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VZ8mGYIsjY8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VZ8mGYIsjY8</a>

[Bernard]

Alright the videos and the 1st still shows I'm on the "wrong track". There is a concrete strip in the middle but there is ballast on both sides. Well I'm glad I didn't go too far with the foam sheets. I'll just make a middle strip.
It's interesting how close the trains are in the yard. I don't know how I would be able to get my fingers between trains to work with them if I had made my yard as close as the prototype.
Thanks!

[Martijn Meerts]

You won't be able to get the tracks that close with Tomix turnouts anyway ;)


Those are a LOT of shinkansen though.. Makes me wonder about the road numbers on the models. Do re-runs get the same road number or a different one, and is the road number even visible? I know it's visible on the 800 series, and that the Kato 6 part and Tomix 3 part base + 3 part add-on sets have the same number, but the Tomix limited edition 6 part set has a different number.

Would look impressive, a yard with 5 or 6 700 series, several 300 series, 500 series thrown in just for looks as well =)

[Darren Jeffries]

Of course, you could fork off a line into a hidden work area for placing new trains or working on them. That would then free you up to make your yard more prototypical and maybe put in some extra tracks.

[Shashinka]

You won't be able to get the tracks that close with Tomix turnouts anyway ;)


Those are a LOT of shinkansen though.. Makes me wonder about the road numbers on the models. Do re-runs get the same road number or a different one, and is the road number even visible? I know it's visible on the 800 series, and that the Kato 6 part and Tomix 3 part base + 3 part add-on sets have the same number, but the Tomix limited edition 6 part set has a different number.

Would look impressive, a yard with 5 or 6 700 series, several 300 series, 500 series thrown in just for looks as well =)

I wish I had the funds to load up a yard full of 8 and 16 car trainsets.

[bill937ca]

You won't be able to get the tracks that close with Tomix turnouts anyway ;)


Those are a LOT of shinkansen though.. Makes me wonder about the road numbers on the models. Do re-runs get the same road number or a different one, and is the road number even visible? I know it's visible on the 800 series, and that the Kato 6 part and Tomix 3 part base + 3 part add-on sets have the same number, but the Tomix limited edition 6 part set has a different number.

Would look impressive, a yard with 5 or 6 700 series, several 300 series, 500 series thrown in just for looks as well =)

Here's a list of Shinkansen bases along with the types allocated.

http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dajf/byunbyun/depot.htm

[Bernard]

For me personally this topic has become a real education. There was so much I learned from it and I kept on saying to myself, "Gee, I didn't know that."

[SubwayHypes]

Awesome thread! I love train yards, cant wait until i get some more funds, im gonna build a huge yard and fill it with so many commuters.

[Bernard]

I never realized the importance of a yard until my friend Dave pointed it out. It should be designed to easily get yout trains onto the mainline and can be an impressive display of your roster. (It does have a double edge though because that is when your spouse realizes how much you've spent on trains. ::))
My friend redesigned my yard and more than tripled the amount of trains I could store from my original plan. Yards get your trains out of their storage boxes and onto the tracks.

[bill937ca]

Yards get your trains out of their storage boxes and onto the tracks.

That's what it is all about.     ;D

[cteno4]

I never realized the importance of a yard until my friend Dave pointed it out. It should be designed to easily get yout trains onto the mainline and can be an impressive display of your roster. (It does have a double edge though because that is when your spouse realizes how much you've spent on trains. ::))
My friend redesigned my yard and more than tripled the amount of trains I could store from my original plan. Yards get your trains out of their storage boxes and onto the tracks.

Bernard,

LOL always my fear too! Yards are really nice to have for the reasons you have stated, not only prototypical but also just really cool to look at. I have always been the most fascinated with train yards of all rr features -- I just love them.

The jrm layout yard is one of our biggest hits. folks love to see all the different trains there (we have up to 12 tracks on it with 3 that can hold 16 car trains). its great to let a kid pick which train in the yard they want to see run and pull it out for them.

a thought for you:

I have been thinking if its possible to just mount a stretch of track on a thin board and have it butt up against the layout. then you run a train onto the track and you can then lift the whole board off and put it up on a set of wall shelf brackets to keep it on display! could have a swing down plex cover to help keep the dust off. would be hard to do with 16 car trains (9' long board!) but could break them in half with something like a 4.5' long boards that would hold most other smaller express and local trains as well. could just make some little plex blocks that would clamp on the tracks at either end to prevent the train from rolling off either end. wouldnt be grand to have a wall or two of the room covered with train shelves like this!

folks have done elevators and even rotary systems like this with tracks (like a revolver gun cylinder), but these seem clunky and very hard to engineer and you dont get to see the trains well!

had thought of doing like a 12" wide yard that you could either lift off and put on shelf brackets or have multiple ones in a stack and the stack moves up and down to run out onto the layout, but again pretty messy. the simple lift off one track still seems simple and creates great wall displays. going to have to experiment with it this summer now that the basement is ready to start playing with trains in!

[CaptOblivious]

Jeff: How about the "Train-Safe". They are expensive, but really awesome.

http://www.train-safe.de/resource/TRAIN-SAFE-Pricelist_15_E_int_Overview_system_elements.pdf

[cteno4]

I actually have a 1m one of these sitting here in my office. just before matthew left for japan two years ago (one of our founding jrm members who went to japan for two years to live and teach english, coming back in may) he bought one and used it a couple of times. was a bit of a pain to use and not clear how well it would work in the long run. he left it with me and i had planned to fiddle with it to see if there were some way to make a simple version to get trains to shows like this, but never got to it.

Not sure if the trains will stay on the track all that well with all the banging around and they are horribly expensive, i think it was like $50-80 for the one matthew got to try out.

I have peaked around at various extruded styrene clear tubes. was hoping to find a square one like 1.75" that a track could be mounted in. while this would not keep the train for transport it would seal it up to keep dust off if put up on a shelf and be protection incase the shelf was ever bumped!. there is a small display company that was selling tubes like this but i think they were like $20 for a 4' tube.

I tried sourcing that flexible styrene/acetate tube material they use for poster/doc shipping w/o any luck yet. something i would like to do in the long run for home storage. only problem with the clear tubes is everything i think would look a bit 'packaged'. I like the idea of a simple frame and a plex front that swings up or down to let you pulloff individual train shelves. would make a very clean and elegant presentation of the trains on the wall.

i think to go to shows ill stick with packing them up in their cases, pain, but very safe (and cheap!). what the train safe would be great for is the con-cor aero train or zephyrs as once hooked together with their internal wiring they do not come apart easily so you have to store the whole train in one long linked snake!

we have done enough shows now we are pretty fast at whipping out the trains and packing them up!

cheers,

jeff