Garden works, part 8: Elevated layout frame

Another month has passed and I've managed to achieve some significant progress with regard to my elevated garden layout. My last update covered building the drainage/foundation for the future structure. It also mentioned the challenge of removing all the dirt that was left from the digging I had to do...

Well, I'm happy to report that 2 full days and 5 afternoons later, the dirt is no more! I transported it all with a wheelbarrow to a container and it was taken away by a truck.

Right after that I bought all the wood that was needed for the missing layout frame modules. And it was of course immediately painted with a wood protector.

Once dry, the work on building the next set of walls has started. One challenge I had here was that the planks I bought were rarely really straight. I had to use a set of transport belts to force them into the correct position.

When the module walls were ready, they were painted the second time.

The next part was surprisingly easy. The wooden walls were connected using cross planks and immediately became my layout modules. They're not perfectly rectangular, but they fit pretty well. And it all actually looks pretty good, too (especially from a distance).

The trickiest part of the frame was the "soft corner". I really regret coming up with this idea. It took me over half a day to build and it was the moment when my lack of experience in working with wood really showed. The result is far from perfect but it feels sturdy and will have to do...

I also took an extra care about the modules' connections. Each module is supposed to be independent and be able to hold the filling by itself. But I really wanted to make sure that they don't shift and that the entire frame stays as one. Hence the extra support at the points of contact:


The remaining elements were installed and painted. The entire frame for my elevated layout is now ready. It's waiting for the stones to be filled with.

Unfortunately the days are becoming shorter and colder. The weather is often rainy, too. There's no way I can finish this project before winter. I guess I'll have to cover the structure for now to protect it and restart my activities in spring. So that might be the last update on my elevated layout this year...

Kato Portram 14-801-8, N-Scale TLR0605 Tram

And so it happened. I've bought my first Kato engine. I've been hesitating to do it for a very long time due to my love to DCC and Kato's lack of REAL support for this technology. But I needed something small, and nice, and not necessarily DCC to be permanently placed on my tiny layout. That's how the idea of buying a Kato tram came to life...

The unit I've bought is Kato 14-801-8 and it's an N-Scale model of a TLR0605 Japanese streetcar. I've purchased it from Plaza Japan on Ebay and it cost me $71 plus shipping. The unit comes in a typical transparent plastic box:

After opening it and removing the bubble wrap layer, the tram is fully visible. The model I bought has an interesting painting scheme. It's colourful and very Japanese-looking. The choice I've made will certainly be appreciated by my little daughters.

There isn't much to be found in the box. Here's the full content:

The manual is exclusively in Japanese. I can't read it at all and I hope I did not miss anything important. Two things however are worth mentioning:

The manual explains in pictures the process of opening the unit. This will be useful as I'm planning to install some people figures inside the car.

Judging from the pictures, it seems spare parts are available. No need for that, yet, but who knows what happens in the future...

Here's the tram in its full glory. Photos from almost every possible angle:


The tram looks fantastic. It has plenty of details and it's very nicely painted. The body is all plastic and it does not feel very heavy. This could imply low quality materials but the unit does not feel that way. It feels just right - neither fragile, nor very sturdy.

The wheels of the engine are very small. Smaller than anything I encountered in the N-Scale so far. I'd expect the model to be more prone to derailing because of that.
And that's correct - it ran off the track almost immediately, as my test layout had a small bump between the adjacent track pieces. I had to correct the connection between the rails to allow the unit to pass it properly.

Another interesting element is the pantograph. It's made of plastic and you open it by simply pulling it up. There's no mechanism there to hold it or support it. It looks great but it also looks very fragile. No wonder it's available as a spare part.

A very nice thing about the unit is the factory installed lighting. The tram has double white front lights and a single red back light. And yes, they work in both directions.

On top of that, it also features interior lighting, so the inside of the car is nicely lit, too. That's one of the reason I picked up this model and I have to say it was worth it. Looks great!

Unfortunately the lighting is constructed as in a usual DC model. So its intensity strongly depends on the track voltage and to get the full experience the tram has go fast.

Here are some photos showing the car under full power in a dark setting:

Enough pictures. It's time to see how it runs. In my opinion it's a little loud but other than that it operates perfectly. Here's a video showing it on my test track:

So how do I like the model?

I like it a lot. It runs nicely and looks great when illuminated. It would fit a modern city layout perfectly. Money well spent.

Pros:

• great looking
• nicely painted 
• well detailed
• runs smoothly
• interior lighting
• reasonable price

Cons:

• not DCC/sound friendly
• light intensity depends on track voltage
• small wheels
• fragile pantograph