Useful New Tomytec TM-28 Power Chassis Announced

[brill27mcb]

Exciting news from Tomytec today via my Plaza Japan weekly newsletter! They have announced a new Railway Collection power chassis, the TM-28, scheduled for March 2026 release. While its arrival comes because of a new Nostalgia Collection set, it will also be very useful for people desperately seeking the long out-of-production TM-01 and TM-03 power chassis for things like the early Tomytec Japanese steeplecab locomotives and 12 meter freight/baggage passenger electric MU cars. With its very short length and wheelbase, this 2-truck chassis may also fill needs in the "Shorty" department.

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/11269814

They were clever enough to make this power chassis narrower than the early ones, and to include a surrounding frame spacer to bring it out to full TM-01/TM-03 length and width dimensions. Unlike those early chassis, the new one has a centered, low motor that allows both trucks to be powered. It looks like it should be better suited to power 3D printed steeplecabs with low hoods, too, because of this, as well as other "critter" applications. They do warn that using it in vehicles designed to be powered with the older TM-01/TM-03 may require some modification work. The new TM-28 also has a bogie spacing of 37 mm instead of the 40 mm of the older chassis. Oddly, they also state that unlike the TM-01/TM-03 it can not handle 103 mm radius Tomix "Super-Mini" curves, despite this very short bogie spacing.

Rich K.

[Chris333]

Exciting news for anyone who can smuggle them into the US.

[u18b]

Exciting news for anyone who can smuggle them into the US.

You got that right.

Tramfabreik in England told me he has stopped shipping to the US until this settles down.

[nscaler711]

Exciting news for anyone who can smuggle them into the US.

I have stopped ordering from Japan months ago because of recent "things"... and its essentially killed the Japanese layout I was building on my desk. I've wanted to order so much from PlazaJapan and Im terrified at the idea of not being able to pay DHL more after my shipments come in on top of the ~$30 shipping i get charged at PlazaJapan. Of course Ill pay for the shipping costs gladly as I am FedUP with US based carriers.

/rant

[up1950s]

Why are they still using those God aweful flanges ? Is it to make them earthquake resistant ?

[dem34]

Why are they still using those God aweful flanges ? Is it to make them earthquake resistant ?

Chassis are intended for use on Shorty layouts which are very different from what anyone here normally models. Think Code 80 rails and 6" curves.

[peteski]

Why are they still using those God aweful flanges ? Is it to make them earthquake resistant ?

Outside of USA, in N scale most of the world still operates on code 80 track and with rapido couplers. I guess the flange size is not their worry.

[randgust]

As all the wheels are metal on a split axle with the gears, it's super easy to pull them apart and reduce the flanges on a Dremel.  I've done it on request to many of them.   

But yeah, until the tariff and shipping thing settles down, I'm done with my kits.  I got whacked by UPS for $34 in charges on an $11 order that I'd already paid shipping on, went back to Plaza, they shipped it UPS and and I got a tariff and 'processing charges' bill to pay before it would be released.

I've been completely dependent on Plaza for parts since 2008 or so, so this suspends my production for now anyway.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Exciting news for anyone who can smuggle them into the US.

The good news is that these will be much easier to hide in certain places than your average Kato box.

[garethashenden]

The good news is that these will be much easier to hide in certain places than your average Kato box.

You first

[nscaler711]

[MK]

Exciting news for anyone who can smuggle them into the US.

Human mules.

Just got back from 4 weeks in Japan/South Korea.  I'll get to posting my haul in a few days.  Just catching up on the billions of posts on TRW since I was gone.

[peteski]

Just catching up on the billions of posts on TRW since I was gone.

You know Mike, TRW can be accessed all over the world (and maybe even from the moon if the signal is strong enough), but I supposed that you had better things to do while on your trip. 

[MK]

You know Mike, TRW can be accessed all over the world (and maybe even from the moon if the signal is strong enough), but I supposed that you had better things to do while on your trip. 

Bingo!

The list of interesting places that we were at is too long to even list!   



This was an interesting places!