My Tomytec Moving Bus has arrived!

I'd always fancied the Faller road system, in HO or N, but had always been put off by the cost. Most of them seemed to run a little too quickly for my tastes too. Then I started seeing descriptions and videos of the new Tomytec Moving Bus on the net. It seemed to run at a more realistic speed and was a lot cheaper. Trouble was, it was also out of stock everywhere.

In the meantime, my wide tram track arrived and I was really impressed with the whole clip together / take apart concept. As a family, we keep coming back to the idea of living on a boat at some point. This being England, it would be a narrowboat, only 7 feet wide and probably about 60 long. No room for a permanent setup of any description, just like the Japanese households this track is designed for. The fact the bus would fit into the setup clinched the deal and as soon as I saw stock appearing again, I ordered a set from the brilliant Plazajapan EBay store. Good job to, a day later they were all gone again!

It arrived yesterday, faster than I'd expected and before I'd obtained the all important LR44 batteries. Another quick online purchase saw them arrive today, so tonight was test night. And what a brilliant addition it is! Once I'd figured out how to put the automatic stop together, it added a whole new dimension. The bus can be set to run automatically, stopping each lap for about 10 seconds, then moving off again. This left me to drive the tram, stopping to connect with the bus, reversing every so often - a good old fashioned play in other words!

I added a couple of Oxford Diecast models (a London Country Queen Mary PD3 can be seen chasing the tram in the top photo) and my Hornby bus depot as background colour. Next job is to make a few filler pieces for these to sit on - nothing too fancy, I envisage a series of small bases that can be fitted around the track in various configurations and packed away when not in use.