Crown model (PRMLOCO)
This is the Starter Set from PRMLoco or Crown set for
early April 2010 release. List price taxes in in Japan of 19,245 JPY or taxes
out price of 18,000 JPY and early reservation pricing has been as low as
13,320 JPY taxes out. Some in Japan are already referring to this
roadbed track as Primrail. Power pack appears to be a retool of the Akia
unit with different colour and controls.
Freight Cars release date late
of July 2008 was delayed to end of November 2009
EF-64 release date end of 2008 was released in June 2009.
 
These car have been available since
November 2009
Crown model of EF-64-1000
was released in early June 2009. At the Tokyo Int'l Toy Show July 17/18
Crown announced release of their 3 pack of 2 axle box cars. The tank
were delayed and became available in Sept. 2009.
This is the latest paint scheme for the EF64. It started to ship in
November 2009. Taxes out price of 7800 JPY. Discount pricing as low as
6240 JPY.
New drop bottom Gondola due later this year
new colour scheme for tank car due this summer
new colour scheme for 2 axle box car due this summer
new variation on container car due this summer |
Crown model is reported to be scale 1:220. The picture shows an Electric
Locomotive EF65-1000 with series 25/24 coaches in blue and cream
livery of JNR. The engine has PS22 pantographs and LED lighting but
no track system or power pack yet and so no delivery date or pricing
is given for this offering.
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/uo3jpStarter package from PRMLOCO no date or price yet.
In May 2008 still no release date for this set.
PRMLOCO EF65-1000 Electric Engine + 3 blue train passenger cars (25 types of 24 system) silver
band EF65-1000 powered with head and tail
illumination and folding pantograph silver band on blue body. Baggage car (Crab 24-0) blue body with
silver band and illuminated tail lights Coach [ohane]
24-100 blue body with silver band
Interior light yes optional part required
Lead or Tailend coach [ohanehu] 25-100blue body with silver
band
Interior light yes optional part required
No Release Date given for these items.
Power pack/Throttle 100vac to 12vdc (same voltage as
Pro-Z)
Roadbed style Track
Straight line 110mm x 3 pieces
Straight line 110mm x 1 (feeder railroad track)
Curved line 240mm30° x 12 pieces ( This is a widest radius
offered any of the Japanese manufacturers. They mention a Relay Ra 1 but I have
yet to identify what this actually is.
Update May 2009
Shown
here is the undecorated EF-64 pulling 2 axle box cars on a circle of
track and the same engine in a static display with a group of tank
cars behind it. The track is Marklin and the station in the
background is the Akia (RealZJ) station. Ef-64 due for release at
end of the year 2008. The release was delayed but advanced reservations
have been taken by several shops on line during early May 2009.
Update July 2009
The 80000 series 2 axle box
cars in 3 packs are to be released this month by Crown Model. The
tank car promised last month is still indefinitely delayed and no
delivery date given for the container cars.
sources for this information in Japanese are
http://www.jzf.jp/
http://www.rc-awaza.com/
http://www.proz.jp/index.html
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/uo3jp
Update January 2010
The packaging for the freight
cars changed and at time of issue in November 2009 there were two
containers cars per box and two tank cars per box and 3 box cars per
box. The trucks have metal wheel sets and Rapido type couplers but
unlike the Pro-Z cars there is no mylar spring backing the coupler
so they tend to droop and come uncoupled when under strain in a long
train consist. This can be over come by moving the cars around in
the consist. The couplers do mate with the Rapido type from Pro-Z
and Tenshodo.
The starter set with EF64 and
two container flats is to be delivered in April along with Power
Pack and an oval of track for about 150.00 US dollars.
The power pack, half circle
packs of 195mm radius and 220mm radius track will also be available,
plus 220mm straight track, and connector cable between track and
power pack. also slated for Early April delivery. Early indications
are this track and power pack are the same as was produced by RealZJ
and we hope it is compatible and can be connected with the earlier
product.
No date yet for the passenger
set but it is still promised for late summer.
New starter set with EF64 and 2 container flats and oval of track
and power pack as shown at Shizouka Show May 2010. |
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New player announces entry to this scale August 28th 2008 - Terranetz
Co. Ltd. Less than a year later at the end of June 2009 they
announce their withdrawal from ZJ gauge entirely after failing to
deliver their passenger car sets promised for early 2009.
24/25 series of passenger cars
Hakusan 489 EMU
In October 2008 we have learned that Terranetz Co.
has taken over ZJ from Plus Up Co. and will use the brand name Yamato to
replace the RealZJ and Akia brands used by Plus UP.
The 24/25
Passenger car series will be issued in 2 sets of 7 cars in late January
2009 for
the "100" series cars and in late February 2009 for the "0" Series cars. Suggested
retail is to be between 180 and 190 US dollars in a display case. This
release has been delayed and as of May 2009 still no new release date,
but the summer Trains Show season is almost here and hope to hear more
soon. The planned
release of the Hakusan set has happened on the 27th of November 2008.
The coupler system has received poor press in that they swing freely and
it is hard to couple the cars. People seem pleased with the presentation
but operation through switches has received negative press.
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Terranetz Co. Ltd.
The following is a translation of portions of the companies press
release.
With drew from Z-scale market June 30th
2009.
Only the 489 x 7 car set was ever released.
As for the ZJ gauge which is produced at this corporation ST
(standard grade) and HG (high grade) it
starts developing in 2 types. As for ST by
the fact that request cheap price is actualized child way and fan
such as woman. It expanded the base, with
HG satisfaction was in the people from the past of the railroad fan
Just the [ru] way, detail of appearance and SI you adhered to
vehicle efficiency thoroughly The way we have become.
As for this corporation in
addition to such vehicle railroad track, point (switch) and
structure etc. To offer the pleasure of Z
gauge by the fact that it keeps developing consecutively, the Z
gauge market You aim toward activation and brand establishment.
* 1st as for feature you sell from ST
specification 489 Hakusan 7 sets As for 489
systems the wheel to become 3.9 pies (mm diameter) and actual
reduced scale size, the winch (motor) and the like the respective
company So the design and production, with
the fact that also the motor car increases motor torque quiet.
Whether, we actualized smooth travelling which has stability low at
price. In addition, by the fact that the
coupler (coupler) is devised in upward cheapness of slope
You consider, you have strengthened also draw bar
pull with rubber ring wheel loading. (traction tire on
engine) and will be capable of handling up to ten cars.
* Commodity summary
Trade
name: Yamato ZJ gauge 489 Hakusan (ST) 7 car set
Sale day: 2008 November (schedule) and was
released on time in Nov 2008
Desired retail price: 8,715 Yen (including tax)
I have a set and it is much better detailed than the Akia RealZJ
version with smaller wheels with very fine flanges. Couplers are
dummy knuckle couplers and they are free to rotate on their pins so
the cars are hard to couple. The power car has two traction tires so
pulls more than the Akia RealZJ units do. These units sit much lower
to the track on their scale wheels. Several people had great
difficulty putting the trains on the track and on curves the small
flanges tended to pick the switch rather than go through it. The
switch can be modified to stop this happening but it annoyed most
people. This set does not have lighting and there are no pick ups on
the non powered trucks. It is a shame as the head end cars do have
the plastic inserts for head lights and tail lights in the head end
cab cars. The RealZJ units had the wheel pick ups but no optics in
the head end cars.
* In the future the sale
schedule commodity
24 systems (HG)
43 old
passenger car (HG) 7 car set blue or brown
HG railroad track (straight line 220, curved line
R195 & curved line R220) 103 (ST) 7 set 4
colors
EF66 direct current electric locomotive (HG)
These
passenger cars have been delayed from their earlier published
delivery date of Feb 2009 and no new date as surfaced. They have
added another type of passenger car to the proposed list with
pricing but no delivery dates as yet.
All in all this is a step up from the RealZJ 485 sets but not a leap
ahead in technology or anything. The Terranetz book case sleeve is a
true case like those used by Tomix and Kato not an adapted video
cassette sleeve like those used by RealZJ but both work just fine
for carrying the models. |
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Tenshodo D51's in Z
The first variation of this model
is shown on the left above and it was delivered on 28 Dec 2009 and I
received mine on the 18 of January 2010. It runs very well. As of mid
February 2010 there have been 3 variations delivered of the 8 to be
presented.
There have been one report of a
mal formed drive shaft on the semi streamlined with no white line model
which in the first series released. The engine is still operational but
there is some evidence of binding so no totally smooth operation.
I have one each of the first
three versions and all mine are smooth and MU together really well and
pull quite will.
They have been converted to DCC
using a DZ125 decoder replacing the spacer and weight located behind the
motor in the tender.
Changing the coupler on the
tender from mini rapido to knuckle was easy just pull the old one out
and push the new one in. The knuckle coupler mates with Micro Trains
knuckle couplers.
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Two proposed new entries to Japanese Z-Scale from Heaven Prize Hall
also known as Tenshodo. The first
steam engines in Japanese outline . Minimum radius for track is 195mm so they will not
run on the Pro-Z Diorama curves. They are said to run very well and they
are expected to be on view at the Tokyo Train Shows this summer 2009.
The drive is in the tender so no motor in the cab windows. Couplers are mini Rapido
on the rear and knuckle on the pilot. There are alternate coplers
for he rear and tender in the box to change to either style front
and back. Valve gear is much
more advanced than any we have seen except on Brass models in Z.
UPDATE February 2010
What is the model really like. The first of 8 variations
delivered is the streamlined version with no white trim. It is 19mm
high 90mm long and 13mm wide.
While it has a 12v motor, but Tenshodo says because of the gearing they
recommend operation from 0 to 6vdc only, because at higher voltages
it is likely to leave the rails. The weight in the engine body is
made of tungsten and there are no traction tires but the model still
pulls 20 Pro-Z or PPRMLoco cars up 1.5% grades on my layout. Engine weight is about 40
grams which a bit lighter than a Marklin USRA Mikado. Physically
this Japanese Mikado is smaller and has an operating headlight but
it needs almost 3 vdc to become lit.. The
motor is located in the tender and there is a drive shaft from the
tender to the firebox of the cab. It has 16 wheel electrical pickup
and two wires run from the engine to the tender. All axles are on
the track which is quite different from Marklin design. Operation is
smooth with the valve gear made of stainless steel and it is more
complete than any Marklin Engine. It comes with two coupler
versions, one is a mini rapdio style coupler to match Pro-Z and
PRMLoco cars and
then a dummy knuckle similar to the ones we see on AZL cars. The
only detail to be added to the model is the locomotive number and
there are four different numbers and each set includes two
extra boards per number.
Ztrains has been in contact
with Tenshodo and is said to be importing several of the models for
sale in North America and their list price is 106.00 plus 14.00
shipping for the USA so 120.00 in Total. It is a bout 10.00 more
than getting it EMS from Japan or 20.00 more than getting it shipped
SA from Japan. However delivery times are shorter and your dealing
in country if you live in the USA.
Watching the stocking and
sold out on the Hobby Search site they seem to be flying off
the shelf. There was a period in early Feb. where in a promotion
they were selling for as low as 7600 JPY. The reservation
price was 8550 JPY and the current price at Hobby Search is 9025 JPY
which is a 5% discount. |
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At the Model Railroad Fiesta Yokohoma Feb 12-14 2010 Premium Z (Tenshodo)
was showing these freight cars for delivery in he summer of 2010 as an
addition to their D51. They are open gondola, Reefer, box car, and
boxcar with guards van with operating red lights to the rear. |
In addition to the above cars Tenshodo (Premium Z) was saying that
they will have starter sets with track and power pack and passenger
cars Type 24 Class 25 also ready for delivery in the summer of 2010
. 
These passenger cars are also to be released this summer in two
versions in two colours. The end coach has end marker lights that
will operate and the other is a standard coach in blue or brown
colours. |
