With my thinking ever smaller and more compact my mind has been mulling over the passenger service for the island short line point to point layout and I ran across the Bandai line several months ago. Not too bad looking little units and two sets of these two car trains could make the rest of my passenger cars and locomotives surplus. Visiting Amazon I came across this. http://www.amazon.com/Train-Shorty-...6345080&sr=8-2&keywords=bandai+N+scale+trains. It appears this takes the venerable Kato 11-105 chassis. Any thoughts or experience with these.
The set I have my eye on would be fairly easy I think to covert to diesel power. The RDCs came out in 1949 and featured the engine under the car floor and I am modeling the late 40s to early 50s. So mini RDCs. I would keep my little kit bashed RPO cars and run them with a single combine for mail and express service in a mixed train behind one of my regular engines.
I bought a Shinkansen set. They are pretty neat, but really small. Very nonprototypical, if that is an issue. They can use either the Kato power chassis, or the Bandai power chassis. I have read that the Bandai is better as it has more weight and pulls better. Hobby search is a good place to find the power. If they are sold out, they seem to restock fairly quickly. Trey
The set that I am looking at is more inline with looking at a 34 ft Overton as far as windows and length, just more rounded, and that fits better with my modeling. There are a few videos on YouTube that show assembly of the kit, including motorization. I am already familiar with the Kato power chassis, have used them before. The Bandai power chassis looks similar to the Kato chassis in fact may be made by Kato. I just have not yet found any specifics on it. And my dealer who I frequent a lot just about 60 miles from me has the Kato. A little more research is called for on the power chassis part.
Well I finally hit paydirt on the www wasteland. There are three power chassis offered under the Bandai name. Besides one offered that is two axle the remaining two four axle ones are adapted to fit the bodies especially the steeple cab switchers with the sloped noses. One of those 4 axle versions has all four axles powered which would explain the greater pulling power.
Well flirting with the idea no longer. I ordered two of the B Train Shorty Seibu Railway 3000 system kits this AM which consists of two cars each, Coming from Japan through Amazon with free shipping. Going to take awhile getting here but that is okay. Being retired I have time if nothing else. I just have to worry that the slow boat from Japan can avoid the Dread Pirate Roberts. For the power units I decided to go with the Kato and I have four coming from the regular vendor and should be here by next week. I decided to power both cars. Should have the kits about the same time as I get my Shay back from warranty repairs. Went into my car storage boxes and culled 10 passenger cars and two locomotives from the diesel roster. Kept two sets of one combine and a RPO/express car, and will probably give the combines an all weather window on each side to serve as a caboose on the mixed trains. That means I can cull two cabooses from the roster also.
Well I woke up to a surprise this AM when I checked my Email. The order from Japan has already shipped less than 24 hours after I placed my order. The US order for the mechanisms placed about 15 minutes later hasn't started processing yet. Lot to be said about Japanese efficiency.
Glad you got Kato instead of Bandai power units, no comparison on quality. The 11-105's, out of the box, are little rockets. If you've got a good throttle you can get them way down, but the starting speed is significantly lower than most for voltage. The one-truck drive does give you the option of throwing a gearhead motor in there, my favorite is the Gizmoszone 5.14:1 on their 3.5v motor that screws right on the front of the Kato 12v motor. They can also use as much weight as you can get above the power truck. But overall, they are really well designed. My typical ship time from Plaza is as least four weeks, sometimes longer. Customs.
I have or had the Kato chassis under a number of my critters and have the 2 axle version under one current railbus and the 4 axle version under another. Both climbed my 6% with single trailer cars. However Bandai has a all four axle powered chassis that I wonder how that stacks up for performance. If this experiment works out I may consider next acquiring thier diesel switcher and replacing my SW-9s in which case the 4 powered axles would mean a vast improvement on pulling power.
Well a big 2nd thought on acquiring the Bandai shorty DE 10 switcher after some study. The small size is fine but those oversized handrails were the main killer. I am not going to mess with trying to fabricate any either with my arthritis and eyesight. Also I would end up having to rig lighting. I can get a 44 tonner for the same amount of money I would tie up and be ahead with directional lighting and closer to scale handrails and a 70 tonner for a few bucks more. So as it stands now I will toss a couple of the old SWs in favor of a couple of 70 tonners. Better lighting, better slow speed performance, has as good or better tractive effort. There would just be too much to do to upgrade the little Bandai unit. Still going with the Bandai shorty though for passenger power.
Well a surprise in the mail today. My Bandai passenger cars arrived about ten days earlier than Amazons date. I ordered two shorty trains of the 3000 system and opened one box for a surprise that greeted me of all sorts on individual packages of parts that make two cars each. There are three roof options for each car and multiple end walls for each besides the cab end. Lot of other options included. The one roof option does allow me to make this a diesel car as in a RDC. Now I am going to find out just how rusty my Japanese is because everything is in the language. Fortunately there is some nice diagrams. First measurements with an N scale rule finds the each car will be approximately 32 feet long which is what I hoped for. Shot of all the parts from one box to make two cars. 100_4917 by John Moore posted Mar 16, 2016 at 3:16 PM Nice note included from the shop owner even enclosed a piece of candy from owner's daughter. Take note Mike Fifer I expect a small Snickers Bar with my next order next time.
Taking a break from packing for the move and decided to tackle the Bandai B unit shorties. I had reviewed a couple of YouTube videos on assembly and knew from those that there was certain order these little critters had to be assembled by. Unfortunately My Japanese is so rusty it is now iron oxide powder so other than using the diagram, and what little I remember from the videos, this first unit is trial and error, mostly error. I found that the ends and roof are the last thing assembled and the end pieces that have the coupler or drawbar pockets are the first pieces if you are going to motorize this. There is a different floor piece if one intends to use their trucks and not motorize one of the cars. 100_4919-1 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 11:31 AM You have a choice with each car in the two car set of roofs. Unfortunately neither of the three fit correctly on the cab car. The front tapers back and the roof is a tad bit too long. Razor saw to the rescue. 100_4920-2 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 11:31 AM Trimmed the roof and you can see the small piece in front of the car that I trimmed. Took me about and hour and a half fumbling around but the first car is assembled. Now I have to take the Kato power chassis and trim the ends to fit into the car. 100_4921-3 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 11:31 AM In about 15 minutes I was able to trim the Kato 11-105 chassis end the ends to fit. It snaps in. The drawbar between cars is way to long in my opinion but made of a material that I am sure won't take glue. I also need to take a file to it since it does not pivot well. Some thing I may have to live with. But the first car is done on to the 2nd in the kit. 100_4922-4 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 12:31 PM For the most part the quality of the kit is is fairly well done and I have enough extra parts to play with.
Finished the 2nd kit of two cars. Now that I know what I am doing went fairly easy and fast. Don't know whether I will run these as four units or two. If I run as two I am going to dig in the old parts box and maybe graft a plow on the end. Then again I may order two more sets just to get the cab cars and run them as a three unit set and have the other two cars as spares. Worked on the drawbars some with a file and have them with free swing now. The couplers are Bandai's but I believe one could put a MT 1015 in the boxes or a Z coupler. Some decals and a roof top airhorn and I am done except for testing. All the cars are powered and they come out to be 32 feet long. 100_4924-5 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 4:26 PM 100_4925-6 by John Moore posted Mar 17, 2016 at 4:26 PM
Spent an hour testing the Bandai shorty sets. First shot is them running on my 11 inch and 9.75 inch tracks. I then moved to the inside 8 inch radius and a 6% grade. Also transitioned through the double Peco ST5 and 6 turnouts which have about a 7.5 inch radius.Flawless performance. The Turtle Creek has new passenger power. Based on this I am going to order some more sets to have a cab car at each end and run in either 3 or four car sets.
With a plow on front, they'd start looking like a pint-sized version of the WP&Y ALCo units, crossed with an RDC.
The cab units do have a pilot plow though not quite as extreme as the WP&Y. Just for the fun of it when I concluded testing, and still on the 8 inch radius and 6% grade I kicked the throttle all the way from warp speed to ludicrous speed on the uphill portion. Danged things nearly popped a wheelie and were lifted off of the track on the curve on the inside rail. Nearly derailed but did not. The wisdom in powering all cars has paid off. Through the switch frogs with no problem, no wheel slip or any other issues. I was going to put a thin strip of Tungsten putty in each car but it is not needed.
Maybe that is why my visor on the helmet won't work anymore. Anyway I put into motion my plan to make these into a three car train with a cab car at each end by placing another order for two more sets. The two extra trailing cars I get will stay un-powered and give me the option to have a four car set if so desired. These kits come with two underfloor frame options. The first gives a static display using the supplied dummy wheels and side frames. The 2nd under frame takes a set of Bandai's trucks with metal wheels that allow track operation as a non powered car and are not provided in the kits but have to be ordered separately. Leave out the under frames and either Bandai's or Kato's power chassis simply snaps into the car body. For whatever reason this car series seems to be popular and harder to find. I ordered the last set in stock at the original dealer and then had to search to find another that had any. It may be because the cars can be used as overhead catenary, third rail possibly, or as mini RDCs. Anyway I now have sets coming from two different vendors in Japan, the operational wheel sets coming from another vendor in Japan, two more power chassis coming from my US vendor, and finally some more TCC decals coming from Micro Scale. If I figure out how to modify the extra trailer cars, with an extra cab front that is in each kit, I just might make the extra cars into cab cars to be able to run a 3rd or 4th train. I am also flirting with the idea of running one of their container trains. The short containers are intriguing and may just fit in with the smaller inter coastal vessels in the harbor.
All of their stuff moves very fast. You have to get it quick or put it on a wishlist and hope they redo them. Still they are kinds neat, I still need to power my Shinkansen and I have a pair of DD51's. So many projects, not enough money, lol. Trey
