100th post - a progress report

Well, about 3-1/2 years after starting the Tokyo in N Scale blog I have reached the 100th post.  Posting has been sometimes often and at other times infrequent depending on if I am working on any of my Japanese related model railroad projects.  I do appreciate everyone who has followed along and your supportive comments.

What started out as a blog about one particular module set (Musashi-Koyama modules), has evolved into something that also is about the rebuilding of one of my old Ntrak modules (Hot Springs Junction), and some of our travels in Japan, especially when it relates to trains.

The original Musashi-Koyama modules, while far from being finished, have been in 2 AsiaNrail layouts so far and seen by thousands of people.  At each of these exhibits, there has been at least one person (from Japan) who recognized the area after seeing the module which is very satisfying when you are trying to model a prototype scene.

The rebuilding of the old Ntrak module into the Hot Springs Junction module has taken longer than expected as I have had some distractions like building a new train room last year.  With the train room now finished and a chance to try out the module in a combined Ntrak / AsiaNrail layout later this month, activity has greatly picked up.  Some of the necessary things that I've been working on to get the module ready for this show but not had time to post on are:

• Laying of code 55 and 80 track and turnouts.
• Installation of Totoise switch motors.
• Installation of all track feeders and all the electrical wiring, there's a lot !
• Painting the module frame.
• Applying a printed background to the sky board.

I'll be posting on some of these in more detail in the near future.  As it was with the Musashi-Koyama modules, the scenery on the Hot Springs Junction module will not be fully finished for it's first exhibition.  

However I did get some basic scenery done on the small Interface module that goes between Hot Springs Jct and the AsiaNrail layout.  I took this module outdoors for some photos and here is one of them.

This first showing of the Hot Springs Junction Ntrak module will be at the Hiller Aviation Museum as part of their Trains and Planes event running between April 12th and 19th.  The module will be part of the layout presented by Peninsula Ntrak and will connect a small AsiaNrail layout to the Ntrak mountain division.