Like the two-axle Komu container flats, these are examples of wagons that Tomix has produced for a very long time. While definitely towards the more basic end of the range, they are very inexpensive. Does that make them worth buying though?
Background
The Wamu 80000 series are two-axle general purpose goods wagons that were built in large numbers from 1960 until 1981. They were built by a number of different companies including Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, and Nippon Sharyo. Successive batches of wagons were improved with things like better shock absorbers and roller bearing axles that allowed them to run at higher speeds, up to 75 km/h. The 28000 type was given a slightly longer wheelbase to improve stability, and the steel side doors replaced with aluminium ones.
Up to 15 tons of cargo could be carried, usually on pallets that could be quickly loaded and unloaded by forklift trucks through the sliding side doors. As well as palleted goods, these wagons were also used at times to transport things like motorcycles and even plate glass.
The last ones being withdrawn from commercial use in 2012. Quite a few were modified for specific sorts of traffic, such as beer and even fish (some of the 58000 type). A more extreme modification was made for transporting wood chips, with the side doors sealed up and the roof opened and given a tarpaulin cover (the 48000 type).
A few remain in use on private railways. Some have even been repurposed as sheds or even waiting rooms for quiet stations!
Tomix 2714 (80000-type) and 2715 (38000-type)
What's in the box?
- Two-axle covered wagon with Rapido couplings
Although physically similar, the two wagons represent different types. The brown wagon is the 28000 type wagon, improved over the original for faster running but otherwise the same sort of general purpose wagon. The brown livery shown here, known as Tobiko #2, was the the standard for freight cars from 1960 onwards. The blue wagon is from the 38000 series, which were wagons upgraded with roller bearings from 1990 to 1993. Once they were modernised, the wagons were repainted into a shade of blue known as cargo blue, which is what you see here.
On the plus side, these wagons are nicely moulded and seem to resemble the real things rather well. While there aren't any separately fitted parts, such as handrails, all the basic details are there. The chassis, in particular, has the right look, with things like springs and brake rods where they should be. It doesn't seem to be a generic chassis (as you might expect for such a cheap wagon) but one that broadly approximates to the real thing.
But on the other hand, the paint work is very simple, and there are details on the chassis that could be picked out in white to better match the prototype. The wheels are not chemically blackened. The couplings are not easily switched out for other types, but the traditional sort with a springy bit of metal behind the coupler, all contained in a tiny little box. Open that box and you're likely to spend some time looking for that springy bit of metal... guess how I know!
Summary
As with the container flats, for a wagon costing a little over 600 Yen (about £3.50) it feels churlish to call out too many shortcomings here. These are attractive, useful little wagons that could be seen almost anywhere in Japan across a very long period of time. The fact they were used for palleted freight makes them idea for private sidings serving whatever industry you want to feature on your layout.
There are some nice pictures online, such as this one at Wikimedia, that would make a good starting point for anyone wanting to tweak their Wamu wagon into something more authentic. All it would really take is some white paint to pick out the details around the chassis, and then a bit of weathering to make the wagon look more 'used'.
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