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J-21 Electro Railroad Crossing --> J-21 Large Railroad Crossing --> |
In summer 1995 the two-level Plarail Fun Train Factory (たのしい列車工場) was released. It is an orange structure meant to resemble a train workshop with many play elements including a dynamometer, track elevator, train wash, and maintenance tools. The set also includes four half straight rails.
In early 2002 the Fun Train Factory's tooling was updated and rereleased as the Locomotive Depot and Five Mechanics (機関車基地と整備士5人衆) set in 2002 as part of the PlaKids push in the early 2000s.
The knob on top raises and lowers the elevator, and the lower track can be slid over and under the raised carriage. The "tools" and a section up by the dynamometer-type device and "buckets" on the elevator platform can accommodate PlaKids. Other than the changes in color, the main accessory base is similar to the original. The four included half straight rails are now grey.
As the name suggests, the set originally included five PlaKids - only two survive with my example, numbers 4 and 5. One of them is a blue android.
Also very nice are two EF65 type locomotives, with one powered and one unpowered chassis to swap the two shells back and forth between. The blue EF65 501 and brown EF65 56 are included and look very nice.
These trains date the accessory to early 2002.
Late release Blue Train EF65s would have still been hanging around when this accessory was first released, but a refreshed higher-detailed EF65 did not appear in the new "S" range, with its S-39 Blue Train including an EF66. This EF65 is a rather nice looking detail update to the classic Plarail tooling.
In 2011 the accessory was released again in new colors as the Repair! Inspection! Vehicle Maintenance Station. This release did not include any trains and only has one PlaKid, being released at the same time as the individual KF series of Plarail locomotives
<-- J-19 Doll Play Automatic Ticket Gate Station |
J-21 Electro Railroad Crossing --> J-21 Large Railroad Crossing --> |