Faller car system or Tomytec bus system???

[NTrain]

If i recall correctly you can buy single vehicles.  The N range is small (in number i mean), and about 100 quid each.  I successfully swapped out the body of the bus from my starter set to an older style british bus from NTrain's hongkong range.
[/quote]

Can we see a picture..................................

[tim-pelican]

There are ways to avoid all the duty which those doing a lot of "personal" importing sometimes use. You just need a friend in another EU state which has no ceiling on personal imports and to post it twice !

I've come across a Canadian business who were doing something similar on a commercial basis for video games, DVDs etc - drop-ship to France, and then send on within the EU at some wonderful discounts.  I have no idea whether this was creative abuse of "personal" imports, or the French having special rules for their Quebecois (sp?) chums...

[Mustermark]

Can we see a picture..................................

Sure can!



A couple more pics in this thread:

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=1545.msg41238#msg41238

[PLD]

I have used the HO version of the Faller system. It needs some thought and planing and ideally should be designed into the layout from the start, not an after thought added later.

Oddly I found that it was usually 20-30% cheaper to buy starter sets (vehicle, charger and various other bits and pieces) than to buy the same vehicle on it's own!

[NgaugeDan]

Thanks for replys guys.

Yes I'm looking at buying a starter set containing a lorry to get started.  My layout is currently in the base board stage (not for too much longer) so it would ok to add the car system at this stage.  I've just got to decide the route etc :-)

Or do I still consider the bus system ?!?  Ahh decisions decisions.
There's a bit about the bus system in Nspirations 7 and it does look good,  also it's to a scale of 1:150 instead of 1:160!

Dan

[H]

This guy has the Tomytec system. His observations may be of interest. http://www.sumidacrossing.org/OtherElements/TomytecBusSystem/

Which has effectively written off my interchangeability theory of the two systems. Although there is nothing there to say that the Faller system could not be adapted relatively simply to handle only Tomytec vehicles....it just precludes using both.

Although he says "The Tomytec system uses a very strong magnet, and wire attached to the underside of a fairly thick styrene roadway. Apparently Faller vehicles used with Tomytec roads don't track reliably, and Tomytec vehicles used with Faller wire can seize the wire and not move" I would have though that it's just a matter of a little experimentation to sort out a suitable metal strip and depth that it can be buried in the layout road-way (al la Faller style) to run the Tomytec mechs.

I have also seen a vid of the Tomytec system with lots of vehicle going in both directions. But the real limit is the size of the mechs (for both faller and Tomytec);  they'll only fit in large vehicle like buses and lorries - nothing suitable for cars.

H.

[NgaugeDan]

Yes that is a valid point.  At the moment though I'd be happy with buses and lorrys,  then hopefully later they'll develop a motor for N gauge cars.

I could have a bus lane on my layout with cars caught in traffic at roadworks, then it would be realistic too

[NgaugeDan]

Another reason for swaying towards the faller system is at the moment the cheapest I can find the Tomytec Moving bus system A2 starter set is £95 at Osborns.  I can get the Faller starter set for cheaper than that from eBay.

Has anyone seen the moving bus system anywhere for cheaper than £95.00?

Dan

[H]

Another reason for swaying towards the faller system is at the moment the cheapest I can find the Tomytec Moving bus system A2 starter set is £95 at Osborns.  I can get the Faller starter set for cheaper than that from eBay.

Has anyone seen the moving bus system anywhere for cheaper than £95.00?

I got mine for about £65 from Plazza Japan on ebay. When I was looking the Faller system was a lot dearer - if you could find one as most places seemed to no longer stock it. And you get the bus pull in/stop bit with the TomyTec.

H.

[NgaugeDan]

Thanks H,  I've sent them an ebay message as they currently don't have the set listed.  Did you have to pay import duty?

Dan

[H]

Did you have to pay import duty?

Nope, they declare on the customs form (attached to the parcel) that the contents are low value toys.

H.

[EtchedPixels]

Thanks H,  I've sent them an ebay message as they currently don't have the set listed.  Did you have to pay import duty?

Dan

They tend to label them as low value toys, but I have paid duty on their imports before now because our customs people are not quite that stupid and used to stopping fraud.

I can recommend Plaza Japan though - the service is excellent.


Your alternative is to build a magnetic roadway or moving surface road.

Take a look at Stafford Springs - and thats Z scale (the moving road stuff starts about half way in, and shows how its done)


Stafford Springs Z scale Train upgrade

[H]

Your alternative is to build a magnetic roadway or moving surface road.

Take a look at Stafford Springs - and thats Z scale (the moving road stuff starts about half way in, and shows how its done)

Yep, but it not new though. I've seen it done before on very old British outline layouts.

H.

[EtchedPixels]

Yep, but it not new though.

I never said it was - most of the best ideas have been around for a very long time but get forgotten. It's a lovely very small scale example though - especially the skater which is something you'd be hard pushed to do any other way.

Also somewhat cheaper than £100 a bus.

Alan

[NgaugeDan]

Well I've just had a result on eBay.

I decided to go for a faller starter set (162002) which is a wiking lorry.  I found a new one in Germany on eBay through a seller with decent feedback so I placed a bid in the last few seconds and won!

I got it for £65.13 including shipping from Germany which I think is a really good price.  The cheapest I'd seen it in the UK was around £80 plus P+P.

I can't wait for it to arrive and to incorporate it into my layout plans