Rare train for cheap!

Decided to do a second round of Japan orders, and I really struck gold this time. Bought a lot of the plastic push along Nakayoshi Thomas trains (though I suppose they’re not really fit for this forum!



Getting more on topic, I found a small lot of some old Plarail freight cars. Particularly excited for the chuffing mail car (it makes a chuff-chuff noise as it rolls along) and the long red pipe car.



This is the big one. A train I never thought I would find... a Made in Japan James! This is a very rare and the earliest revision of the Plarail James. The Plarail series was made in Japan up until around 1995, and James was one of the very last trains to have still been made in Japan. Released in October 1994 and probably lasted in Japanese production for a few months. There has never been a boxed example discovered. $12 for the lot! Missing the battery cover but is otherwise in great shape.



-MagicRail

[Super]

All trains fit in our Forums Magic. Quite nice finds to add to your collection.

I am not sure I have ever heard of a "Chuffing" Plarail Mail car. I have heard of others but not this. Could you Post some more pictures of it? Wonder when and with what set that was released in,.

I’ll certainly post pictures of it inside and out when it gets to me. It’s very similar to the Chuffing Annie from Tomica World, if you are familiar with that car (same basic mechanism). Easily identifiable by its red wheels, rather than the standard yellow wheels on the old blue mail cars. As far as I know this mail car never got a single release, and came in this set with a D51. Could have had other releases over the years, I’m fairly certain examples of made in Japan and made in Thailand chuffing mail cars exist.



-MagicRail

[Super]

Very cool, Thanks Magic, I will keep an eye out for this one.

Easily identifiable by its red wheels

And by the fact that one pair of those wheels has tires on it.

[Super]

And by the fact that the doors don't open like every other variation of this car has.