fall inside a hole

Shuppo D-51 (1982)

First written November 10, 2023

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 were in regular service into the mid 1970s. The Shuppo D-51 (シュッポーD-51) or Chuffing D-51 was released in 1982 and features a D51 with a tender and "chuffing" mail car as well as a yellow plastic whistle. The Shuppo D51 Set featuring the engine and mail car along with a standard cattle van was also released in 1982. "Shuppo" is Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a steam train's chuffing.

SL05 Shuppo D-51 (1982)

The first individual Shuppo D51 was in a fifth generation box in 1982 as SL05 Shuppo D-51. A boxed example of this release can be seen in the Plarail Museum. Although I do not have an original individual Shuppo D51, I do have the Shuppo D-51 Set released the same year which includes the type of D51 and mail car that would have gone on sale in 1982. The individual release originally came with a plastic yellow whistle with a sticker of a cartoon steam locomotive and the curvy Tomy logo, but my copy of the Shuppo D51 Set was missing it and I have not come across any others.

The D51 uses the D-51 with Light molding of the era but without the light installed. The clicking noisemaker in the gearbox is also omitted in favor of the more complex mail car noisemaker.

 

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 TomyTrain Chug-Along train.

Shuppo D-51 (1987)

In 1987 the Shuppo D51 packaging was updated for the sixth generation of boxes. The contents of the Shuppo D51 did not change and from 1987 to 1990 or so the Shuppo D51 continued to be made in Japan.

After 1990, old power D51s began being produced in Thailand until they were succeeded by the updated new power D51 around late 1993 or early 1994. The Shuppo D51 was not included in the seventh generation of trains around 1994 and went out of print.

I have the chuffing mail cars from two of these Thailand made Shuppo D51s. Of the appropriate Thailand era old power D51s that I own, none are a match for a Shuppo D51, seemingly all containing the D51 with Light mechanism. It does not appear that any Thailand-made D51s contained the noisemaking clicker, even those that previously did in their Japanese production runs. The loose Thailand-made D51 tender I have may be from a Shuppo D51 or possibly a Sound Station Set, but I think the Shuppo D51 would have been a more common source.

The Thailand made mail car has an updated bottom molding and no longer contains the weight above the real wheels. The white diaphragm on this example has come unglued from the carrier insert, and small molding features to locate the diaphragm before it is glued in place can be seen.