fall inside a hole
J-16 City Station (1998)
First written January 2025Expanded April 2025
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<-- J-15 Double Track Bridge Girder <-- J-15 Mini Bridge Pier |
J-17 New Railroad Crossing --> |
The Plarail City Station (街の駅) was first released in 1998 and was given the J-16 designation. The box shows many ways that the station works with other Plarail accessories, several of which are shown below.
The inside box flaps have specific tips for using the station. The Narita Airport Express is shown visiting the station.
It depicts a more modern city station with kiosk, underground pedestrian tunnel, and seating. Connected is a track stopper with off-center control so that two stations can be placed adjacently - this is shown below.
The station depicts a modern platform station with below-platform corridors and integrated stop rail. In 1999 it was included in the Let's Play With Parents and Children!! Shinkansen Set, where this example comes from.
The original releases also include a clip-in "bean" piece that can help connect track particularly when the station is elevated as well as a sticker sheet to mark the two platforms (the open back of the station can be placed against a second line). Blank stickers are also included so that higher platform numbers or extras can be made.
The roof molding includes hanging platform signs, which are stickered with 1 and 2 on this station which came in the box pictured above. It was produced in June 1998, so it is a relatively early example.
This station helped to establish the more-modern "wide" track spacing that can accommodate station platforms between rails and the stations work well with the R-22 Y-Shaped Point Rail released in 2005. The stations can be placed back to back and side by side to compliment one another.
The City Station is designed to fit on top of J-22 Double Track Block Bridge Girders and can still sit between two tracks on top of J-14 "New" Block Bridge Girders - actually, "old" block bridge girders from after the top of the stacking mount was updated can be used as well, and even original girders with the solid outer wall can be used in the front left corner. The original design of station is also such that the stations can fit under an elevated track, leaving the opportunity for multi-level interchange stations.
The City Station also fits in with other accessories of the day like the combined rail and road sections from Motor Tomica.
7496 City Station (Tomica World) (1999)
In 1999 the City Station was localized for the export Tomica World series with different stickers including the Tomica World logo over the stairwell.
This one was produced in December 1999.
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<-- J-15 Double Track Bridge Girder <-- J-15 Mini Bridge Pier |
J-17 New Railroad Crossing --> |
J-28 Station Set (2001)
| <-- J-27 Chatting Station | J-29 Horn Rail --> |
In 2001 to promote the new series of PlaKid figures a new retooled version of the City Station was released with three PlaKids as the J-28 Station Set. I have a sun-faded example of this station with the figures glued to the platform and some cracks in the plastic... its not that high on list of priorities to get a proper one. It is still in the current lineup, and has at least three box variations that can be seen in the Plarail Museum.
This version of the station tooling is taller to accommodate PlaKids standing on the platform. Some other differences in the details and tooling include the edge of the platform being a separate piece piece that was therefore easier to produce in different colors.
Several color and sticker variations were produced, like this one from the Season Try Sakura set, and the station can be used in many ways. Older station bases had the old curvy Tomy logo while it was updated to the new straight style by the time of the variant in the 2002 Shinkansen Kodama Set.
In 2003 when the range was refreshed the regular J-16 was discontinued with the J-28 Station Set that included three PlaKids remaining as a successor. Another variant, this one from the You Can do so Much! Rail-Filled Set, has similar advertising to the Shinkansen set station as well as the updated base.
The new tooling works with block bridge girders like the original other than the new height being unsuitable for running another line directly over at the height of a single pier. Because of the way the stop switches are offset, multiple stations can be placed next to each other at the spacing of Double Rail, so the whole system is tileable and can be elevated with a combination of Block Bridge Girders and Double Track Block Bridge Girders.
| <-- J-27 Chatting Station | J-29 Horn Rail --> |