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Terranetz 489 set has been delivered to dealers ands is now shipping.

PRMLoco freight car sets are promised for end of December and advance reservations were taken in November by both Hobby Search and Hobby World.

RealZJ seems to have disappeared from the scene but their web site is still up. The items promised by RealZJ seem to be coming from Terranetz now like the 489 Hakusan 7 car set. Still not sure if Terranets has taken over or RealZJ or what has happened. The hobby Shops still seem to be able to get the track, power pack, from RealZJ.

Early reports on the 489 Hakusan set is mixed. Definitely has a lower profile and the power car is smoother and quieter than the RealZJ power car. The book case the cars are delivered in gets good praise. Couplers are the biggest concern as they are difficult to use to connect the cars. The couplers are free to pivot on a single screw. There are reports that the wheel flange is very fine a can pick switch points causing derailments. Headlights are a great new feature. More later when we receive our set and test it.

Also promised for the end of December are the Container sets from Pro-Z but nothing further on the additional Diorama pieces C & D or the track and buildings found on their diorama pieces A & B.

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/uo3jp

Freight Cars release date late July 2008 was delayed to end of December 2008
EF-64 release date end of 2008 no new news on a delivery date for this engine.

 These car were to be available starting December 2008 and reservations have been possible from at least two retailers in Japan on the Internet in early November,. but as of Early May 2009 they have not been released yet.

Crown model of EF-64-1000 was released in early June. At the Tokyo Int'l Toy Show July 17/18 Crown announced release of their 3 pack of 2 axle box cars. The tank cars are still held up no new date given.

Starter 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

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.

Terranetz Co. Ltd.
The following is a translation of portions of the companies press release.
With drawn 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

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.

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 operaition.

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 knuckl coupler mates with Micro Trains knuckle couplers.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.