Starting the arcade

It's Thanksgiving Day today and I've started on another one of the key parts of the scenery for this module set.


The Palm Arcade is one of the best known covered shopping districts in Tokyo and it's main entrance is just outside the Musashi-Koyama station.


Here is a view of this entrance from the station.  The orientation of the module scene will place this entrance just behind the station.  Besides the station itself, this is a key landmark.




I've started to assemble the arcade entrance using a couple of modified Tomix buildings on a separate base like I have done with other groups of buildings on this module set.  I'll update and post pictues in the near future.

Mystery Train

Nothing new to report on the Musashi-Koyama modules as I have been working on some DCC decoder installations.  On a short break from that I was looking through my train collection and came across an odd set of Japanese passenger cars that had been given to me years ago and that I've never been able to identify what they were.  So I created a seperate page with photos on this blog in the hopes that someone will see them and let me know something about them.

Japanese Mystery Train Model

3 Types of Track

First an update on the station.  Today I painted the roof of the station building, the roofs of the platform awnings, and the concrete part of the platforms.  A friend in Tokyo is checking for me on the proper colors of the platform supports and the outside walls of the station before I paint those parts.

This evening I put the work on the modules aside for awhile so I can catch up on some DCC decoder installations and get some things ready for a train show on Thanksgiving weekend.  As I have enjoyed making regular updates to this blog,  I wanted keep this up by going back to something I skipped over earlier and that would be track.

Peco code 55

To

M/E code 55

Within the 6ft of double track line I am using 3 types of track - Peco code 55, Micro Engineering code 55, and Kato Unitrack.  The way this came about is the AsiaN Rail standard uses Peco code 55.  I was already familar with it as I am using the wood tie version on my home layout.  On this project I am using the concrete tie version.   Thing is I wanted to have a couple of cross-overs so this module could be a passing siding or stub end station if it were on a single track line of AsiaN Rail.  I decided to try out the Micro Engineering code 55 turnouts on this small project because I am also considering them for a future large layout project. I got the cross-overs made up to my specification by someone who was selling on ebay.  So far, just with test runs they work as advertised.

As mentioned in prior posts, I am using steel wire connecting rods inside plastic tubing to make the linkages between the turnouts and the Tortise switch motors.  The tubing sets into the 1/8 inch cork that covers most of the area between the tracks and the skyboards.


Then I decided to use the Kato adjustable length sections for the connecting tracks at the joint between the two modules to make setup quicker.  The photo below shows this area of track without the connecting tracks or the platforms.



Peco code 55

to Kato Unitrack