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Shuppo D-51 Set (1982)
First written November 9, 2023
The Shuppo D-51 Set (シュッポーD-51セット) or Chuffing D-51 Set was released in 1982 and features a D51 with cattle van and "chuffing" mail car. The three-piece Shuppo D51 featuring this car as well as a D51 with tender was also released in 1982. "Shuppo" is Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a steam train's chuffing. The layout is the Basic No.2 Set oval with passing loop and accessories include a block tunnel and an old country station as well as a set of five family dolls and a whistle which my set is missing.
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 3 pieces |
D51 with cattle car and "chuffing" mail car |
 |
| 1 |
R-01 Straight Rail (roughtop with Japan markings) |
 |
| 10 |
R-03 Curve Rail
(roughtop with Japan markings) |
 |
| 1 | R-08 Stop Rail (smooth with Japan markings) |
 |
| 2 pieces | R-11 Turnout Rail (one pair) (roughtop with Japan markings) |
 |
| 2 pieces | J-02 Block Tunnel (entrance and exit pieces only) |
 |
| 1 |
J-23 Country
Station |
 |
| 2 | Signal |
 |
| 2 | Standing Tree |
 |
| 4 | Catenaries |
 |
| 5 | Family Dolls |
 |
| 1 | Whistle |
The D51 is both a classic Japanese steam engine and a classic Plarail model. Over 1000 D51 were built between their development in 1935 to the end of their production in the mid 1940s and they were in regular service into the mid 1970s.
The D51 included in this set is similar to the period Shuppo D-51 individual release. It is a Japan-made old power D51 based on the D-51 with Light molding but without the light feature and the clicking "chuffing" noisemaker. Instead of the tinny clicking of the old all metal gearbox chuffer this set includes a version of the late 1970s mail car with a more advanced chuffing mechanism. The chassis in my D-51 was split when I received the set in early November 2023 so I glued it back together and got the motor running again.
The mail car uses the same upper body shell molding as the 1979 original but with solid static doors to hide the mechanism inside. A geartrain driven by the rear wheel spins a metal toothed cam which rubs against a spring running along the length of the car. One end of the spring in anchored to the carrier insert which also holds a white plastic diaphragm, and the other end is anchored to a plastic strip which also runs the length of the car and vibrates against the diaphragm. The end result is that when the car rolls and the cam rubs against the spring the diaphragm acoustically amplifies the sound, producing a "chuffing" noise. A weight is mounted above the back wheels to increase traction to make sure the mechanism works reliably. The same mechanism was later used for the "chuffing" Annie in the Thomas-series Thomas the Tank Engine and Harold Flying in the Sky Set and the Tomy Train Chug-Along train.
The cattle van in the set is the standard 1979 cattle van with big and cow miniatures inside. In the individual release Shuppo D51 the third car is actually the D51's tender, which is somewhat of a rarity. Looking back as a collector I would perhaps like another old D51 tender considering how relatively common the old cattle van is in comparison, but I think this was a cool choice for a set like this at the time and it helps to tie in the idea that this is an old line out in the country somewhere. I also think that the cattle and mail vans look together in just about any of their various iterations and that the cattle van is just a nice piece of rolling stock in general.
All rails in this set were manufactured in Japan and are of the roughtop variety except for the stop rail which is all smooth and of the "boxed" molding information variant.
The Country Station nicely depicts a rural station with a small station building, signpost, and water closet. This early 1980s Japanese produced example has the original tablet exchange hook and tablet as well as the original strip of tape that held the tablet down in the packaging. This tablet system was used on some railways to assign right-of-way to a train, and the train could pick up or exchange the tokens at speed. Later Thailand-made Country Stations replace the tablet pole with a second flat tree.
The trees and signals are of the early 1980s variety with the red bases as well as the inner rim of the trees being marked with Japan. Catenaries are of the slightly more orangey variety and have Japan molded in thinner letters than later Japan-made examples. The block tunnel is of the original Japan molding as well.
The layout is the Basic No.2 Set layout with passing loop. The combination of the D51, mail van, cattle car, and Country Station are an absolutely great choice for a set. The block tunnel is a nice addition and to be honest I think the set would look even cooler without the catenaries as an unelectrified line still serviced by steam. The family dolls are also a nice inclusion and add some color to the set and station platform, although their interaction with the train is somewhat limited. The yellow whistle also included with the individual Shuppo D51 as well as individually and in some odd releases like some Geyper Play-Rail sets.
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