Single track Shinkansen?

[009 micro modeller]

I came across this video the other day. Obviously the main point of the video is to market the Bandai ZZ stuff but I’m also intrigued by the prototype image of the E3 (shown at the start and at about 1:42). It appears to be running on a single track line - I understand these particular units were designed to run on the mini-Shinkansen routes (slower lines converted from 3’ 6”) but I thought even these lines were double track. I’ve seen a few pictures of standard and 3’ 6” gauge single tracks side by side (where one has been converted and one retained) but here it seems to be purely standard gauge with one single track by itself.

 

 

[melmerby]

The only reference I can find is that converted lines usually end up with one 1067 & one 1435 track side by side but on the Akita line some sections have one 1435 + one 1067 + 1435 to allow Shinkansen trains to pass " other the otherwise single track"

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

The only reference I can find is that converted lines usually end up with one 1067 & one 1435 track side by side but on the Akita line some sections have one 1435 + one 1067 + 1435 to allow Shinkansen trains to pass " other the otherwise single track"

 

So perhaps the photo is just taken in such a way that we can't see the other track?

[009 micro modeller]

I think I might have found one:

 

 

On the Yamagata Mini-Shinkansen between Takahata and Akayu.

 

 

There may be others. I found this one by cross-referencing the listings by rail gauge and by number of tracks in the Wikipedia article for the Ōu Main Line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōu_Main_Line#Akita–Aomori_(185.8_km)

 

There's also this photo: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamagata_Shinkansen#/media/Fil:Yamagatashinkansen_nearsodesakista_160813.jpg

Edited February 15, 2021 by 009 micro modeller

[melmerby]

Nice find

You must have dug deeper than I as that was the same info I was looking at!

I gave up after a while without finding any single line standard gauge sections.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by melmerby

[Michael Hodgson]

Now there's an idea for a novel model , a Japanese GWR single line branch terminus.  

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Nice find

You must have dug deeper than I as that was the same info I was looking at!

I gave up after a while without finding any single line standard gauge sections.

 

 

Managed to find that crossing, it's just south of Nanyo:

 

I wonder what the second pole on the gate mechanism is?

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by melmerby

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Nice find

You must have dug deeper than I as that was the same info I was looking at!

I gave up after a while without finding any single line standard gauge sections.

 

 

 

I can’t be absolutely sure it’s standard gauge but from the appearance of the track it seems to be and the written information and the picture on the other link confirm this. Looking at it yesterday the entire Uzen-Chitose to Ashisawa section seems to be standard gauge-only and single track.

 

My original reason for researching this is that I have one of the Bandai sets and was thinking that it might be fun to build a mini layout based around it. I have the E3 series set which is still quite toylike but better than some of the other ZZ stock and based on a mini-Shinkansen prototype (smaller loading gauge), but needed to find a single track, standard gauge-only prototype to suit the available track. I also prefer this sort of prototype as it fits into its surroundings in a more interesting way than a high-speed line. The mini-Shinkansen, as far as I can tell, are effectively traditional secondary lines, regauged to standard gauge with electrification altered or added where necessary but otherwise using the same infrastructure as before the gauge conversion. Obviously I don’t have any way to represent the trains that handle local services on the converted sections but never mind.

 

For a more serious model, I’ve always idly thought it would be interesting to model one of the sections with 3’ 6” and standard gauge lines directly side by side (or occasionally dual gauge). Unfortunately, the common Japanese RTR approach is to use the international scale and gauge for Shinkansen prototypes; then the same gauge is used for 3’ 6” prototypes with a slightly larger scale, but still small enough that the track is over-gauge (so in 1:150, for example, N gauge track is 1350mm, still closer to 1435 than 1067). I think if I was modelling this (very unlikely to ever happen) I’d ideally use H0 and regauge the narrow gauge prototype stock to 12mm gauge (if possible), but I have a feeling this would still leave scale issues (1:80 vs 1:87? I’m not sure what scales are used for Japanese H0). It might be possible in 0 as there seems to be some equipment available there that would already allow you to show the gauge difference, but again I don’t know enough about this to say either way and it would probably be expensive.

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

I can’t be absolutely sure it’s standard gauge but from the appearance of the track it seems to be and the written information and the picture on the other link confirm this. Looking at it yesterday the entire Uzen-Chitose to Ashisawa section seems to be standard gauge-only and single track.

 

 

IMHO it must be standard gauge as it is used by Mini-Shinkansen which are only standard gauge.

It might still have the lower voltage OHLE that is used on the "joint" lines

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

IMHO it must be standard gauge as it is used by Mini-Shinkansen which are only standard gauge.

 

Yes, what I meant was that I can’t be absolutely sure all the sections I found on street view are standard gauge as there’s no trains shown and no other tracks to compare them to. But based on the written information and the image of Shinkansen stock running along a single line (I thought I’d found the bridge that photo was taken from but not so sure now) it’s pretty clear that there is quite a substantial section of single track standard gauge.

[dullsteamer]

On 16/02/2021 at 23:58, 009 micro modeller said:

I’d ideally use H0 and regauge the narrow gauge prototype stock to 12mm gauge (if possible), but I have a feeling this would still leave scale issues (1:80 vs 1:87? I’m not sure what scales are used for Japanese H0).

Japanese HO encompasses two scales and three gauges - 1/80, 1/87, 16.5mm, 13mm and 12mm.
 

https://www.imon.co.jp/webshop/index.php?main_page=addon&module=mt_pages&page=scalegauge_table

All the best,

 

Mark.

 

 

[009 micro modeller]

4 hours ago, dullsteamer said:

Japanese HO encompasses two scales and three gauges - 1/80, 1/87, 16.5mm, 13mm and 12mm.
 

https://www.imon.co.jp/webshop/index.php?main_page=addon&module=mt_pages&page=scalegauge_table

All the best,

 

Mark.

 

 

 

What is 13mm generally used for? I haven’t seen that before.