Mirai Zikasu wrote:...Thanks Mirai. It's more of a gag. Gadget is the secondary nickname the club members gave me after my handle "Suzukii". The guys at the club call me Gadget because of all the techno-toys I have to augment my trains, besides just the trains.
Also, Suzukii, I love the Inspector Gadget cosplay at Otakon in your avatar. Very nice.
Railroad Forums
O-Scale Bullet Trains
- Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
Moderators: 3rdrail, stilson4283, Otto Vondrak
Komachi, Luv the Shink E3 pic. I have the TGV in both blue & white, orange & white in both in HO & N scales. I've always admired the look of these trains since I was a kid.
Since I can't get Euro bullet trains in O-scale, for now I settle with this: If you like New York City styled subways checkout my link on the other forum I chill on to view the progress of our subway build at the NJHiRailers Club...
"Click Here".
"Click Here".
So... Any news on "O-Scale Bullet Trains" being manufactured, sold? It's been a few years since my last post on this thread. So I though of bumping it instead of starting a new one.
Well...I know that the latest versions of the Bullet Train, factory painted, have been offered for collectors in brass for O-scale, but I cannot even imaging the asking price.
The fact is that interest in highly specialized, non-brass, foreign operated trains in O-scale is extremely limited pretty universally these days. The model train hobby in Japan is dominated by N-scale and even HO seems to be fairly rare over there. Much the same is true in Europe concerning the most favored scale sizes, with HO, British HO, TT and N dominating the markets there. In those countries very few hobbyists have room for larger scale train layouts, Leaving me to believe that offering something like that in O, except as a unique, highly limited run, for the money-is-no-object collectors is going to be almost out of the question due to potential market size. At the same time, interest in foreign trains over here is likewise too limited in O-scale to likely prompt any of our "manufacturers" to attempt such a model affordably today (with the possible exception of MTH).
And just look at the price tags on the latest full train issues. The pending release of Walthers' new Metroliner is in much smaller HO-scale, but the price of that three car train is set at over $750 when equipped with DCC and sound!!! I would guesstimate that a comparable 3 or 4 car Bullet Train, or TGV, done in O-scale would surely not sell for less than $1500-$2000, perhaps much more. Such is just simply not marketable in today's economy and I honestly doubt that greater interest in such a project will be shown in the future.
CNJ999
The fact is that interest in highly specialized, non-brass, foreign operated trains in O-scale is extremely limited pretty universally these days. The model train hobby in Japan is dominated by N-scale and even HO seems to be fairly rare over there. Much the same is true in Europe concerning the most favored scale sizes, with HO, British HO, TT and N dominating the markets there. In those countries very few hobbyists have room for larger scale train layouts, Leaving me to believe that offering something like that in O, except as a unique, highly limited run, for the money-is-no-object collectors is going to be almost out of the question due to potential market size. At the same time, interest in foreign trains over here is likewise too limited in O-scale to likely prompt any of our "manufacturers" to attempt such a model affordably today (with the possible exception of MTH).
And just look at the price tags on the latest full train issues. The pending release of Walthers' new Metroliner is in much smaller HO-scale, but the price of that three car train is set at over $750 when equipped with DCC and sound!!! I would guesstimate that a comparable 3 or 4 car Bullet Train, or TGV, done in O-scale would surely not sell for less than $1500-$2000, perhaps much more. Such is just simply not marketable in today's economy and I honestly doubt that greater interest in such a project will be shown in the future.
CNJ999
That's sad news. They may sell here since the Amtrak Acela did well here made by Lionel, except that it's first run was plagued with problems but they did good by fixing them later on. I have the TGV from 18yts ago in both N & HO scales. I still love the way they look. I wouldn't want them in brass on O scale either.
Lionel has re-catalogued their Acela, minus the apparently troublesome tilt mechanism. and with the set configured as 2 power cars/4 coaches included + two more available as add-ons.
As for Japanese O scale high-speed trainsets, I found this a couple of years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s3CNk0g ... plpp_video
I did some digging and these trains are built by 'Kumata & Co'. and are frightfully expensive...a complete train would run you somewhere north of $15,000. They have done TGV's and ICE trainsets. I don't expect that any of these are still available.
MTH's European 'O' product has been going like gangbusters. The French Chapelon steamer was their best-selling locomotive ever. I asked Mike Wolf at one of the TCA York meets if we'll ever see a TGV. His response? "Give it time".
(OT: oh yeah, MTH just acquired S-Helper Service, just thought I'd throw that in)
---PCJ
As for Japanese O scale high-speed trainsets, I found this a couple of years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s3CNk0g ... plpp_video
I did some digging and these trains are built by 'Kumata & Co'. and are frightfully expensive...a complete train would run you somewhere north of $15,000. They have done TGV's and ICE trainsets. I don't expect that any of these are still available.
MTH's European 'O' product has been going like gangbusters. The French Chapelon steamer was their best-selling locomotive ever. I asked Mike Wolf at one of the TCA York meets if we'll ever see a TGV. His response? "Give it time".
(OT: oh yeah, MTH just acquired S-Helper Service, just thought I'd throw that in)
---PCJ
"Give it time" means before Christmas, 2050. I asked him that at the York show back in 2008, a similar answer is what I received.
I've wondered about O scale high-speed trains, too. I'd like to see an O scale TGV or ICE-T trainset. Problem is, they don't do much O scale in Europe. HO is the dominant scale there, with N a close second. The only O TGV I have ever seen was a crudely-done wood body kit of the power car. Don't bother asking me more about it, as I forget who made it, and it wasn't anything special. As for the Japanese trains, I don't expect an operating 'bullet' train model anytime soon, in that N scale-dominated country. There is an O display model of the cab car of the first (type 0) train from the 1960s coming from a Japanese maker, and it may be available now. It is mounted to a train-station display base. It may be intended as a museum store-type model and is priced around US$800. Maybe MTH will surprise us and do a nice O gauge TGV set some day, I'd be happy with that!
Mike Bartel
Mike Bartel
Just back from Japan, two weeks with kids chasing/riding Shinkansen up and down the country… the 500 series is even more spectacular in the flesh than the photos suggest. Came home with a bunch of N scale models.
As regards high-speed trains in O Scale, Kumata are the people to talk to. But it's very much a case of 'if you have to ask the price you can't afford it': a four car starter set of the 500 series retails for over US $8,000:
http://www.kmt.co.jp/en/models/500/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They do some other Euro high-speed stuff; scroll to the bottom of the above page.
Yes, I'm looking for the Tenshodo Series 500 in HO. Any offers for sale, or leads, please get in touch!
Couple of teaser pics:
That's the E5 series 'Hayabusa'. 200mph cruise.
And these 500 series are what they use for the slow, stops all stations service. Restricted to only 175mph. Not to be unpatriotic but… they must take one look at Acela and fall around laughing…
(Oh and in 40 years and 7 billion passengers the Shinkansens have had ONE derailment (due to an earthquake!), and NO passenger fatalities or serious injuries. Fastest average speed between stops: 162MPH. On-time performance? Average delay 16 seconds...)
Mike
As regards high-speed trains in O Scale, Kumata are the people to talk to. But it's very much a case of 'if you have to ask the price you can't afford it': a four car starter set of the 500 series retails for over US $8,000:
http://www.kmt.co.jp/en/models/500/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They do some other Euro high-speed stuff; scroll to the bottom of the above page.
Yes, I'm looking for the Tenshodo Series 500 in HO. Any offers for sale, or leads, please get in touch!
Couple of teaser pics:
That's the E5 series 'Hayabusa'. 200mph cruise.
And these 500 series are what they use for the slow, stops all stations service. Restricted to only 175mph. Not to be unpatriotic but… they must take one look at Acela and fall around laughing…
(Oh and in 40 years and 7 billion passengers the Shinkansens have had ONE derailment (due to an earthquake!), and NO passenger fatalities or serious injuries. Fastest average speed between stops: 162MPH. On-time performance? Average delay 16 seconds...)
Mike
Well, another several years have gone by since my last posting. (I'm now married 4yrs and a mortgage with a finished basement ...plans-plans-plans..., a 3yr old, a 1yr old are in the mix now), and I am STILL in search of the elusive and not-so-expensive Oooh-Scale ( O-scale) bullet trains.
So... Any news on "O-Scale Bullet Trains" being manufactured, sold? It's been a few years since my last post on this thread. So I thought of bumping it instead of starting a new one.
Thnks in advance for any input.
Any takers?... 2-B Continued
So... Any news on "O-Scale Bullet Trains" being manufactured, sold? It's been a few years since my last post on this thread. So I thought of bumping it instead of starting a new one.
Thnks in advance for any input.
Any takers?... 2-B Continued