STEP 1 Purchase a bunch of stuff
For Christmas last year, I received a Tomix 500 series 4 car train set. However, I did not have appropriate track (I had a small loop of single track), and I did not have any buildings. So, to start this off, I made a pretty substantial purchase:
The track I already had wouldn't do do–the shinkansen operates on viaduct double track. So, that was the major thing I purchased. Along with that I bought a station and some buildings I thought would look good in a city. (Yes, I also bought a 2nd Shinkalion E5; however that is not a part of this project.) You wouldn't guess just by looking, but this was a several hundred dollars purchase.
STEP 2 Build a table
To display my model railroad, I needed a table. I could buy a table, but the only tables that would be big enough would be kitchen tables costing several hundred dollars (not in the budget here)! So, I found a very basic guide for a simple 4ftx8ft table. (Video here). Now, what makes this table so simple is that it uses a standard sheet of plywood, and the legs and central supports are just 2x4s cut in half. There is very minimal cutting required, and since the viaduct track itself is already pretty big, it works great for me. The trickiest part here is the braces, and I do recommend them, as it really helps the table feel sturdy.
After that, the smart thing to do would be to wait to be able to buy the foam, so I could then paint it and have my base prepared so I don't need to take down everything, but... I had no patience! Immediately, I began connecting track.
And then.....
I had the shinkansen running!
After that, the next logical thing to do is...
STEP 3 Add buildings to the table, determine you don't have nearly enough
With the buildings I had on the table, I could see how I still had quite a lot of room. I also noticed that I had quite a lot of extra room on the sides of the table, so, I bought some more buildings... (Once again, a several hundred dollars purchase).
And along with those buildings, I bought the second train I wanted to run--the N700A! I think these two trains look perfect running side by side.
With the extra space, I decided to use it to create a small suburban scene next to the urban scene inside the viaduct track. This area would also have a station of its own, and the track for this station would run the entire outer area of the table.
I do think it would contrast quite nicely with the cityscape that is slowly coming together.
And, unfortunately, that brings this entry to an end, as this is all I have gotten done as of 6/23/25. I will continue updating this as I continue working on this ^^. Look forward to it!
|
