Bijomaru's YouTube videos

Hi everyone.

I've created a YouTube channel at the beginning of this year to share Plarail builds we're doing with my 3yo son. Currently doing one video a month but thinking of more content as well to grow the channel as a little side project and something to learn.

I'll post the oldest video first and will add more soon.

Hope you'll enjoy!

Any comments, suggestions or questions are more than welcome!



Tomica Plarail - 4 lines, 5 trains and routes
Circular Line - E231-500 Yamanote
Inner Loop - E921 East I
City Line (1) - E3-1000 Tsubasa
City Line (2) - E1-Max
Outer Loop - E3 Komachi

Built over a period of a few days, many weeks of fun.

[Super]

Thanks Bijo

Yes! If you recall, I was looking forward to seeing your own thread/s when you introduced yourself and linked to your channel. Thanks for giving us an appropriate place to discuss you and your son's layouts and help you as you progress.

While I am impressed with the size of the first layout and use of elevation (and the idea of separating the railway into specific lines), I'm not entirely fond of the part uses and placement in some areas compared to the later ones. Due to your apparent preference for modern/real life trains, it would've been better to replace obvious Thomas parts like Brendam Docks with scratch built alternatives or find better ways to disguise them so they won't look out of place (I do know you've since refrained from using them as much as possible). Building custom stations, infrastructure, scenery, props or even custom shells depicting other trains could be a way to teach your son DIY and add concepts and themes to make the layouts come alive. Much better than the big, sore thumb Maxi Bloks. Also, you might want to start using the road system and vehicles to avoid roadless level crossings and have non rail traffic that actually works. All those aside, you're in the right direction and they're clearly improving. The first one I saw was the garden layout, and I liked the execution despite much of the track being placed on thin brick walls.

Good thing I kept getting lots of track riser packs to allow spirals and extra elevation after seeing what they can add.

Thanks for your encouraging words!

Indeed I try to refrain from using the 'Thomas' scenery parts but as it's a joint effort sometime I am 'forced' to use one of the older parts, so often it's a mix of the two themes. Same with Mega Blocks (and recently some Lego trees). I try to give him freedom and if he wants to build a bridge for the layout I'm ok with that.

I know it's not a very 'purist' approach, but those are the compromises I have to make in order to keep my son focused enough to let me shoot the video

Our collection is basically made up of what we can find on local FB, plus some more targeted purchases on eBay (but those aren't cost efficient), so odd parts will appear here and there. The plan is to get rid of all the dark-blue track and replace with light-blue only, get some more Tomica buildings and accessories (recently bought quite rare motorised kit for the scenery, for one of the coming videos). I definitely need more of the raised curves for some of the stuff I want to build.

Thanks for watching and your suggestions. Happy to take some advice from more experience Plarail fans. We're just getting started and hopefully he won't lose his interest anytime soon! Failing that, we have another boy, at 9 months old, and he likes just sitting there and watching trains go past him, so there's always a chance he'll be into it too

[Super]

Building with your child and giving them the confidence in using their own imagination is the best. Keep encouraging him and your youngest will learn from watching him and you.

Hey!! I know you!!
I just checked out your video, and I’ve seen it before!! I had already subscribed to your channel a while ago!!
I love your videos.
Your story sounds very similar...
We started at 2, and it never stopped.
You have many years of fun left with your little ones...enjoy it!
My son Tully is 12 now, and has pretty much lost interest. He will humor me sometimes, and make a video with me now and again, but I sure do miss the times that you’re having now.
Soak it in like a sponge, it goes by real quick.

Keep encouraging him and your youngest will learn from watching him and you.

He's taking his first steps and building his own 'laoyuts', which either tend to be circles or long twisty tracks that don't loop around yet
 

Hey!! I know you!!
I just checked out your video, and I’ve seen it before!! I had already subscribed to your channel a while ago!!
I love your videos.
Your story sounds very similar...

Thanks! I'm going to have to sub to you on my 'daily' account that we use to watch train videos on a TV. 

We've been doing it for a year now but he's getting involved more these days. Still quite a challenge to manage a busy rail system with a 3yo, but he should be able to help out a lot more soon, I hope.

Ok, let's add the second track we've filmed

We've tried something similar to what I've seen elsewhere on YT, and I did a test build a week earlier, although smaller scale. This went through a couple of iterations where I've repositioned the top level and extended the bridges.

This was also after we bought another box of spares and trains back in January. A more targeted purchase and therefore more expensive than ma FB bargain hunts

   

Out first double-raisers, NEX train which I wanted for a while (I then had another one in a FB lot), JR 313 with sounds and the series 300 Shinkansen - the fastest running train that we own so far.

The idea here was to have as many separate running tracks so we can run as many trains without managing them as possible. Still, levels 3 and 4 were joined together to try some transitions and added an underground station if we need to delay one of the trains. 

Multi-level loop. Bridges, tunnels, and an underground station

1st Level - Yamanote E231-500
2nd Level - JR West Shinkansen 300-3000
3rd and 4th Level - JR East NEX (Narita Express) - two trains running
5th Level - JR Tokai 313 series


Maybe not as interesting build as the large layouts, but it was a nice compact design, still quite busy, so it was fun and left us enough space in the room to play with other toys.

[Super]

You know you are having a good time when you see those huge smiles on your sons face. Thanks for sharing.

Early on, my Grandson and I had the best times when we made a huge layout covering the whole basement floor all interconnected with lots of switch points. We would run many trains and the game was to run around and make sure there wouldn't be any crashes by hurrying to manually switch the switches before an inevitable crash occurred. We never laughed so hard as most of the time we were running around so fast and of course when we ran to one crash,  another was about to happen on the other side of the layout...good times.

We would run many trains and the game was to run around and make sure there wouldn't be any crashes by hurrying to manually switch the switches before an inevitable crash occurred. 

I know exactly what you mean My son isn't quite there yet with preventing crashes, he's more likely to cause one for now But I'm sure we'll get there soon.