I got my first model train just a couple of weeks ago - the Tsugaru 21 Series DMU by Tomytec - and immediately knew I had to run it. It did not come with a motor so a quick trip down the rabbit hole of N-scale trains and...
I came away with not just a motor, but some tracks, a power pack, and a few extras.
Armed with everything I needed to finally run my first little train (and then some), I immediately went off to install the motor and set up a small, oval track layout on my little hobby desk.
It was very cool finally getting to run my Tsugaru DMU after initially only having it sit on the shelf when I got it. I have been very into train sims lately and this, even with a simple track layout, gave me a similar feeling to when I'm driving virtual trains.
The only downside to motorizing this neat little train is that you can no longer see the tiny seats through the windows. That's a bit unavoidable, though. Ultraman Orb mostly approves, anyway.
I actually have some model railway buildings that I was planning to use for some Ultraman figure photography (but never got around to it). Not really the kind of scenery you'd expect for the Tsugaru Railway line but it was fun to plop those buildings next to the track, nonetheless.
There's probably no way I'd get this to run properly on my small desktop setup but I wanted to see the Super View Odoriko on rails, at least. I'm sad I'll never get to ride the real thing now that it's been discontinued - and destroyed - but now I have a version of it at home that I can drive myself.
After seeing Kato's Mini Diorama format, I have been very interested in small, model railway layouts. This book is cool because it gives some ideas and is a guide to making a desktop layout that fits inside of a 30x30 cm area.
Finally, I just had to get these 1/150th scale sumo minis. I have been very into sumo recently and thought I could combine my interests in a future railway layout.
That's about it for now, but we all know the N-Scale Express doesn't stop.