My brother scored me a big haul on eBay, the final train I need!
A Train for my Layout's 'Passenger Line
I mentioned in a previous post on my N Gauge layout build that although my primary focus is freight and shunting that I would like to have a main line passenger or commuter line running past my local branch line. In fact, my brother picked me up my blue DE10 loco so I can run that on the main line (though this is a sleeper train so would only be making rare appearances, but will be great to give that impression of my having a proper 'schedule').More regularly what I needed was a diesel commuter unit running back and forth, showing that my little branch line was connected to a regional or inter-city line.
And, my brother being an eBay demon he soon picked me up a fantastic train as a bargain price!
A Rare Piece - KATO's KiHa 181 DMU
What Ian got me is something of a niche unit as unlike model of Japan's modern commuter units - which are electrically driven - the KiHa 181 is an older diesel train. This fits in really well with my idea of having an 1960/70s diesel only layout, as I believe diesel was the preferred choice for more remote parts of Japan which were yet to be - or could not be - electrified.
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| Above: JNR KiHa 181 series DMU car KiHa 181-1 preserved at Sakuma Rail Park' Photo source:Wikipedia |
Getting a diesel multiple unit is a little more difficult in N Gauge, though my brother has just proven, not impossible!
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| Above: Ian gave the new train a complete overhaul and got it working very smoothly and sent me this short clip showing it in action! |
(I think this is partly because - it seems to me - that Japanese model train fans seem predominantly interested in contemporary trains and don't seem to be as nostalgia driven as their British counterparts. At least, that's the impression that my very basic experience through YouTube has left me with. I am probably wrong.)
Anyway, the KiHa 181 was a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type operated in Japan on limited express services between 1968 and 2010 (they stopped building them in 1972). So it's hey day was that late 1960s and 1970s period that I am interested in. And although they were intended for mountainous regions of Japan and not the northern Hokkaido region that I am basing my hypothetical layout on, the retro look of this DMU fits in nicely with an older period setting that I want to reproduce.
This particular KATO model appears to have been discontinued, so it's nice to get hold of something that is a bit out of the usual.
The Last Train I Needed!
Actually, that's not strictly true, I would still like one more little shunter to compliment my KATO Steeple Cab BUT this KiHa 181 is the last BIG train I need and it will give my layout the atmosphere of a working railway that has a connection to a larger imaginary world beyond my little branch line.
This is what I always wanted, as in part - and despite being Japanese themed - my idea for this local branch like is actually based on my hometown railway line, which is a rural branch connected tentatively to the larger rail network via regular trains to the regional capital cities. (Essentially, you have to get a local line train from my town to a local city in order - then - to connect to a national service.)
So I will be running this big beasty round my lager outside loop on a regular basis, with it's own platform. With five parts to this multiple unit it will need that bigger sweeping curve to do it justice!
One really unusual fact about this unit is that the motor that runs this train is NOT in one of the leading or trailing cabins as you might imagine, but is in the second carriage!
As a beginner to N Gauge railways I'm not sure about any pros or cons to this system and as you can see from my brother' little movie clip (above) it's a smooth runner so I'll just have to set up my big loop and see!
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