my thoughts about layouts
I do have a large amount of track and accessories and when I design a layout I try to use as much of it as I can. Instead of having several different circuits with several trains running and the chance of collisions I tend to make my circuit as all one long track. The trains may be seen to travel in different directions and on different levels, and with much of the track being twin rails they also seem to go different ways on the two tracks, but actually they all connect up to be one single line. This avoids many collisions, though not all. Points may be left in the wrong direction or trains of differing speeds can catch up with slower ones, so one must always be alert, maybe allowing a slower train to stop at a station or in a passing-loop whilst the express goes by.
My large layout in the photos allowed a fast train to run for over five minutes before returning to the same spot.
A good item available here in Thailand, which I haven't seen for sale in the UK, is the auto 2 or 3 way points, which when set to auto instead of manual will automatically change the point to the next line as a train passes. This means you can have a train passing it put onto a different circuit each time it passes, although it can get confusing if several trains are run at once!
About four years ago I wrote a long letter to Tomy Japan expressing my thoughts about the system. I think the general robustness of the plastic track is good, especially where kids are concerned. And the battery operation instead of electrified rails is also better for kids. The present connectors between trains, trucks and carriages are awful, being very awkward to connect and release. I think the original magnetic ones were far superior. I stated that most kids watching Thomas the Tank Engine on TV, DVD, or VHS would want to replicate as much as they could with their train sets. I suggested they make the larger turntable (at that time only the small red/yellow one was available) and the big engine shed, which they have now gone some way to reproducing with a set of single sheds instead. Also I said they should make a coal loading gantry and the dockside crane plus the big terminus station with over-roof, all now produced to some degree.
I also said that adults and even children get bored with just watching the trains go around. The adult railway modellers usually like to get involved with various shunting activities, loading and arranging trains of trucks etc.
I said that if these abilities were included in the range, then the kids would greatly extend the age in which they would continue to find their tomy train sets interesting.
To that end the following would be necessary.
a. A better and easier coupling system.
b. ability to have engines go forward or reverse (also available with the original Tomy product.)
c. Radio control with different channels being assigned to different engines. Although kids do not mind getting their hands in there they often derail the trains whilst trying to turn on/off the switch on the engines, and it would reduce the need for stopping tracks.
The last is obviously the hardest to implement, but I did see a radio controlled train in one of the Japanese catalogues (about 2003). The price of radio controlled stuff seems to be very cheap now with cars etc. available at very low price.
My large layout in the photos allowed a fast train to run for over five minutes before returning to the same spot.
A good item available here in Thailand, which I haven't seen for sale in the UK, is the auto 2 or 3 way points, which when set to auto instead of manual will automatically change the point to the next line as a train passes. This means you can have a train passing it put onto a different circuit each time it passes, although it can get confusing if several trains are run at once!
About four years ago I wrote a long letter to Tomy Japan expressing my thoughts about the system. I think the general robustness of the plastic track is good, especially where kids are concerned. And the battery operation instead of electrified rails is also better for kids. The present connectors between trains, trucks and carriages are awful, being very awkward to connect and release. I think the original magnetic ones were far superior. I stated that most kids watching Thomas the Tank Engine on TV, DVD, or VHS would want to replicate as much as they could with their train sets. I suggested they make the larger turntable (at that time only the small red/yellow one was available) and the big engine shed, which they have now gone some way to reproducing with a set of single sheds instead. Also I said they should make a coal loading gantry and the dockside crane plus the big terminus station with over-roof, all now produced to some degree.
I also said that adults and even children get bored with just watching the trains go around. The adult railway modellers usually like to get involved with various shunting activities, loading and arranging trains of trucks etc.
I said that if these abilities were included in the range, then the kids would greatly extend the age in which they would continue to find their tomy train sets interesting.
To that end the following would be necessary.
a. A better and easier coupling system.
b. ability to have engines go forward or reverse (also available with the original Tomy product.)
c. Radio control with different channels being assigned to different engines. Although kids do not mind getting their hands in there they often derail the trains whilst trying to turn on/off the switch on the engines, and it would reduce the need for stopping tracks.
The last is obviously the hardest to implement, but I did see a radio controlled train in one of the Japanese catalogues (about 2003). The price of radio controlled stuff seems to be very cheap now with cars etc. available at very low price.
posted by fred at 3:48 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home