fall inside a hole
Yonezawa My Rail
First written September 2025Around 1975 Yonezawa introduced the My Rail (マイレールの) series of train toys in Japan. My Rail evolved from a very brief "Chibi" companion range to their Shushupoppo series of larger train toys and competed with Bandai's similar Mini Mini Rail, which at the time used the less-common N size batteries and did not have a reversing feature. The track is slightly larger than N scale trains, which were gaining popularity as a gauge and hobby in Japan in the 1970s. Several different sets and a few accessories were released as well as three different trains, but the series was relatively short-lived, with Mini Mini Rail gaining a reversing mechanism around the time My Rail seems to have ended.
These days, My Rail seems even harder to find than the early Mini Mini Rail series it was sold alongside. August 1975 advertisements for both series can be seen on this blog (archived).
Trains
My Rail trains were usually three-car sets, like many other Japanese toy trains, and three models, the Hikari Shinkansen, the D-51 steam locomotive, and EF-65 and freight cars were produced. The three-car Hikari, D-51 with tender, and EF-65 with tanker were sold as individual trains as well as two coaches and pairs of freight cars appearing individually.
The trains have a reversing switching sticking out of the top and run on one AA battery.
Sets
A fairly sizeable range of sets were produced for the short-lived series... Three initial styles of sets, the No.1 through No. 3, were sold by August 1975, with No. 5 and No. 6 sets also developed.
| Year | Set name | Description | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | My Rail No. 2 Points Train Set | No. 2 passing loop set with D-51 freight train |
Rail
The My Rail rail was based on the Chibi Poppo Rail standard. Curves and straights in standard and half lengths, a controllable and straight-through turnout, crossover rail, and even briefly a double curve rail at the end of the series' life were all developed.
| Year | Name | Description | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
Accessories
Similar semaphore and light-type signals that slot into the holes in the roadbed like Mini Mini Rail signals were both produced as well as the overhead catenary signal that can trigger the trains to reverse.
Flat trees were also sold.
Catalogues
My nice unused My Rail No.2 set included what I think is the only My Rail catalogue printed.
| Year | Name | Description | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | My Rail Catalogue | First and only(?) My Rail catalogue |
 |
Chibi Poppo Rail
Before Mini Mini Rail, a Chibi Poppo Rail (チビポッポレール) set with a shorter three-axle D-51 with tender and open car was released in an oval set with blue track (like the larger Shushupoppo track) that uses the same tooling as the later My Rail as well as the same flat green trees and red bridge. I have come across just the rail and bridge from one of these sets, acquired with some Bandai Mini Mini Rail trains and track.
The straight rail does seem to be the same tooling. It has a re-railing straight rail like Shushupoppo which also appeared in the My Rail No. 6 set in blue.
The track connects to My Rail track, although the curve radius is tighter.
The bridge from this series was also used in My Rail.