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Tomy Super Rail Rail

In the 1970s Tomy developed the Super Rail (スーパーレール) range as a larger intermediate train toy to fill the position between Plarail and something like a traditional model railway. A range of different track, trains, accessories, and sets were released. Track was produced in multiple curve radii to facilitate concentric loops and switches, uncoupling tracks, and control rails to adjust the train's directions and speeds were produced.

Older early 1970s Super Rail track was tannish grey while Super Rail Black series track was black with silver-painted rail surfaces.

Straight Rail (1972)

Super Rail straight track is approximately 344mm long. This matches the radius of the "B" curve.

Rail from 1972-1974 was grey, and in 1975 black with silver rail track was introduced for the new Super Rail Black range.

1/2 Straight Rail (earlier 1974)

Super Rail half straight track is approximately 172mm long. It first appeared in the early 1974 "10s system" sets.

"A" Curve Rail (1972)

The "A" curve is the largest diameter Super Rail curve and appeared in the original early 1970s Super Rail sets with D-51s and ED-75s. Their radius is about 404mm.

"B" Curve Rail (1972)

Also introduced with the introductory sets was the 344mm radii "B" curve rail, matching the standard straight rail.

These two sizes of curve are standardized around a double rail standard and were used to form large concentric loops in the large early 1970s Super Rail sets.

In the Super Rail Black era this type of curve was sold in a four-pack and were included in the massive Shinkansen and Steam Locomotive Wide Panorama Set in the later Super Rail era, the only later set to have concentric track loops.

C Curve Rail (later 1974)

In later 1974 for the first DD-20 set and the last set of the original Super Rail era the smallest radius "C" curve was introduced. These were the "default" curve for Super Rail Black, and were part of Tomy's efforts to lower the cost of Super Rail.

All three types of curves can be set up in evenly spaced concentric circles. The "B" radius curves measure in around 344mm, matching the normal straight rail, and the A curves are 60mm wider at around 404mm and the C curves, developed later (presumably because it made sets cheaper and smaller), are 60mm tighter at 284mm.

The relation with the crossover switch means the different radii work together well in concentric circles, although mixing different radii may get the track into a configuration that makes it hard to reconnect without an equally varied mix of track pieces to return to the "standard." It is generally easiest to at least use the same radius of curve in a single orbit.

Crossover Point Rail (1972)

The crossover point rail is a parallel track section that adheres to the 60mm difference between parallel tracks with a turnout rail going between one track and the other.

Unlike some switches of this type, there is only one actual turnout section so a train can only change tracks if they enter from the "correct" end of each of the two tracks, but there were two separate versions produced and sold that offered opposite crossings in both grey and black.

B Point Rail (1974)

A B radius branching turnout was produced for some of the 1974 Super Rail sets. The curved exit is 2/3rds the length of a regular B curve, and 2/3 B curve rails were produced so that the curve could be realigned with the straight section using another 2/3rds curve or make up a 90 degree turn with two additional 2/3rds curves. In the Super Rail System 30 set and in individual track packs two turnouts are used with four 2/3rds curves that can form a passing loop across a B radius oval or similar.

C Point Rail (~1977)

Appearing by 1977 was a C radius turnout. The branches of these turnouts are the standard length of a "C" curve, so no odd-length curves are needed to incorporate these into a large setup.

 

Uncoupling Rail (1972)

This automatic coupling/uncoupling rail has an integrated reverser for turning around trains which enter it, and trains and carriages with the spring-loaded couplings required for proper operation will be switched back and forth between coupling up and being left in the siding when the train pulls away.

A yellow swinging lever engages with part of the bottom of the train and pulls back, cycling a ratcheting cam that alternately raises and lowers the section of the rail beyond the reverser with two raises ridges which come up to actuate the release levers hanging down from the sprung couplings. By pulling the yellow trigger section for the uncoupling mechanism forwards, it disables the mechanism and leaves the track in whatever position it was in previously, pausing the cycle until reengaged.

There are a few variations in the tooling - the original version developed for the early D-51 sets has the reverser positioned before the uncoupling plate, with the reverser moving beyond the uncoupler for the early ED-75 set as the D-51s tender had given it extra length beyond the uncoupling plate that other trains lacked. There are at least two variations in the Super Rail Black version of the rail as well.

On two-speed trains, uncoupling in high gear can cause the cars to overrun the rail and end up further down the line.

With multiple uncoupling rails and control over the points and some reversing rails, some nice train yard operations can be performed.

Control Rail (1972)

This neat five-lever control track can reverse a train incoming from either direction, change the speed of a train passing in either direction, or stop a train right in the middle. Obviously the speed features do not work on the single-speed trains. During the later original Super Rail era as well as the earlier Super Rail Black era this rail was released individually.

The rail also appeared in a few later Super Rail Black sets, where the reversing directions were swapped around, so the train be be reversed after speed change or pausing actions or caught between them both, instead of turning them away right at the entrance. There are a few export variations too - the American Switch-A-Rail one has an uncoupler in place of the stopper.

This rail appeared in the earlier Super Rail series to control the two-speed D-51 and ED-75. The stop section doesn't usually work on high-speed trains...

The single-speed trains that do not have an electrical reverser can be stopped in the middle if they are traveling slow enough, and any train can be trapped reversing back and forth. By the time the "Black" had been dropped from the name in the later 1980s this rail had gone out of production, although I think it hung around on store shelves in the blue Super Rail Black boxes for a while after...

Return Control Track (~1976)

The Return Control Track is the length of a half straight and includes two levers which lift reversing plates up in the path of the reversing peg, reversing an engine that enters from the direction that is flipped but allowing a train to otherwise pass out that way (unless both levers are flipped, causing trains to be returned from both sides).

Slope Rail (1974)

Slope rails were somewhat uncommon in Super Rail, in part due to how large (and expensive) the train sets already were with just a simple oval. Slopes, bridges and supports were all produced and mostly sold piecemeal, however, with slope rails being two straights long and made up of two pieces of rail.

The lower section has a support towards the top, but the upper section requires a support of some kind to stay up properly. The rail surface is not painted silver but instead had a rack of teeth molded into the rail surface to help trains grip the slope. These did appear in the older Super Rail series in the large System 3 ED-75 set as well as a few of the later large bubble-era striped box sets, and were sold in a pair with one bridge girder.