American Outline N Scale Model Railroads

Well, now to start with it was Peter who got me to get up "of my arse" and have a proper go at railway modelling and through much discussion and hard work we have achieved this little layout called "KITISHA".

It is in fact on a foam baseboard measuring 4ft by 3ft so can easily fit in the back of any family sized car!  The island of Kitisha comes in fact from the island that Gilbert & Sullivan's opera, The Mikado is set on.  

I decided that the Island of Kitisha is a small Island the size of the Isle of Wight and is situated off the south western coast of the main Japanese Island of Honshu and is linked to the mainland by a series of post-war rebuilt bridges crossing three small islets in the Straits of Setonaikai.

Being only over 100 miles from Hiroshima it was affected by the fallout of the A Bomb dropped in 1946.

Subsequently, this whole area of Japan benefited from re-building helped by the Americans under General Macarthur and of course Kitisha was included in this area and the good rail link was restored to the already well maintained Island railway system!

The Island's railway infrastructure rebuilt by the Allies after the WW11 into the late 1950s made it easier for the electrification which has now been completed.

Before electrification there were the existing steam power and later diesel power was introduced in the form of the beautifully styled and built Kiha 82 units which still provide many of the services now augmented by the faster and more kuxurious Kiha 85 diesel unit with the "Wide View front end windows",

However, since electrification the series 165 type and 455 emus run the basic clock face services.  This is crowned by a special once a week "SUBAME" Express Service powered by the Class EF58 electic loco that also pulls the Imperial Train when not running to or on Kitisha!!  more about why this is in a minute!!

Oh we must not forget the local island demu service powered by the Kiha 40/47 railcars and of course the visits of the Imperial Train still powered by its own Class 62 4-6-4 steam loco.  "A magnificent beastie"!!

The post war history of Kitisha is that the Island was given to a Count Tsugaru Yoshitaka whose fourth daughter married in 1954 the Emperor Showa's second son Prince Masahito.  It was given as a wedding present  and the Count was given full power of rule under the auspices of the current constitutional monarchy!

The Count Tsugaru was a rail enthisiast but not a believer in electrification but the Emperor is. Despite their very close friendship the Count had to agree to his Island railway going "under the wires".  He did though inform the appropriate Imperial authorities he would not attend or make arrangements for any formal ceremony to mark the inaugral running of the electric service.

The Count did though win a partial personal victory over the Emperor by persuading him to travel to his favourite temple at Kondo by using the steam powered Imperial  Train not the electric one.

I hope you have got a taste of what is behind the thinking of creating Kitisha and will let you know as the railway develops and also will provide a stock list of what is currently running on the Island railway.

Also, the further stories behind the "everyday lives" of the Count and his Family, you must be joking, no.....watch this space!!

The beauty of creating a totally imaginary railway layout not based on anything factual is that modellers licence can be used abundantly and a story behind why a particular train is running can always be concocted!

OK, the layout is set in 1960s - but I do stretch the period as I want to run trains that are my personal favourites not dictated by a particular time in railway history!

Who knows you may in time see the first Bullet Train or even dare I say it a British train which has been especially imported by the Count who becomes a multi billionaire from 1990s onwards.