Wonderbolt

New track setup, got some points to give more play value.

The new packaging is so they can use the "ice box" style clear packaging instead of polystyrene it seems, the PO wagons are the old style large D couplings.

Yeah your right, the Main network is 3ft 6inches whist the Shinkansen is standered gauge (some smaller private railways are standard gauge to).

Thanks , Japanese railways certainly are interesting there is lots of verity.

So I have actually managed to get something productive done after just playing trains lately, I have managed to make some back scene templates, I will use these as a guide for the actual wooden back scenes.

This will but them head to head with the Marklin toy system, in fairness I think the Hornby unit looks better. Must be a relitivly viable product as the Marklin range is quite big.

I have finally started my new layout (Well I started a few weeks back with the construction of the baseboard).

  The project is a simple N gauge duel loop as space is quite limited. It will be split into fives separate scenes, Two "long scenes" (using the straight track parts of the layout) One being loosely based on modern day Akihabara district of Tokyo whilst the other side will be a 1980s London scene (not sure about where but most likely a third rail line). The other smaller scenes will be a generic Kanto region of Japan scene, a South Eastern England scene (Kent or Sussex yet to be finalised) and New Mexico desert USA scene.

  So what the layout will be is effectively five dioramas, as this will allow me to run three stock sets on one layout (Japanese, BR Blue and Santa Fe stock) and means I can cut any curved track from the main two Urban scenes.

   Here are some pics of the current state of play.

The Baseboard after construction:

An with the track added (Only half of the layout has overhead wires the other half will be 3rd rail or non electrified).

Playing trains:

A close up of my E231 and E233:

The next task is to add the scene dividers and find an appropriate back scene image for each of them and to get another Kato controller.

Intrepid also has one of the DRS logos on the cab printed the wrong way round =p

(The engine end)

EDIT: seems I was wrong the prototype does to, still looks a little weird.