fall inside a hole
Plarail Tokaido 211 series trains
First written August 27, 2024211 series trains began servicing the Izu Kyuko line and some parts of the Tokaido main line in early 1987, with 210 cars at their peak stationed at the Tamachi Vehicle Center. These trains were first operated by JNR but JR East operated them on the Tokaido after Japan's railways were privatized. These classic commuter style trains have steel bodies with an orange and green stripe to indicate the line they run on.
Suburban Train (Orange Line) (1987-1990)
In August 1987 a plated train based on the 211 series trains was released in the refreshed new-power lineup with plated body in new sixth generation packaging as Suburban Train (Orange Line) 近郊電車(オレンジライン). This train was included in the Suburban Train (Orange Line) Talking Station Set the same year and was an all single-level train with body toolings shared with the Commuter Train but 211 series style front and rear ends. This train went out of production in 1990 as the toolings were moved to Thailand and partially used on the Double-Decker Suburban Train version of the Tokaido 211 series.
I have come across just the intermediate car to one of these trains.
Double-Decker Suburban Train (1990-1994)
On August 10, 1990 a new 211 series train with a double-decker intermediate car was released in sixth generation packaging as Double Decker Suburban Train 近郊電車ダブルデッカー. This new two-level commuter train uses the same power and tail car toolings but without the plating effect and with a new intermediate car. Its kind of a pity that the single-decker car wasn't made without plating (or the double-decker car with it) so that you could have a train with both, but it would be very easy to use a car from another commuter train that uses the same intermediate car tooling and change the color of the stripe.
The example shown here dates to 1992 and is actually an error product - the headlight stickers on both the power and tail car have been put on upside down. I have seen at least one other example of this on a sixth generation Commuter Train. The headlight stickers used on these earlier unplated types are more similar to the older Japan types than the later seventh generation releases where the headlight stickers changed a little more noticeably.
Suburban Train (Double Decker) (1994-2003)
In 1994 the Tokaido-stripe double decker commuter train was rereleased in seventh generation packaging as Suburban Train (Double Decker) 近郊電車(ダブルデッカー). These releases are very similar to the earlier 1990s releases but with some extremely minor changes like new stickers and the modern style of strain-relieved couplings.
I have two of these trains, one from 1998 and the other from 1999. There are no real differences between them, although I noticed the 1999 chassis has an additional paper sticker over the gearbox connection. Actually, I have come across an April 1996 example of this type of train as well... it was produced for several years, obviously, and seems relatively common.
S-31 211 Series Commuter Train (2003-2015)
In 2003 along with much of the Plarail range the two-story Tokaido 211 series was rereleased in new packaging as S-31 211 Series Commuter Train (S-31 211系近郊電車). Other than having the new Tomy logo in the tooling and some other updates like more modern chassis construction, these releases are mostly unchanged externally, using the same body shell toolings and even carrying forward the toyish yellow wheels, something Tomy has used to signify older toolings in the modern era. This was discontinued in 2015, three years after the 211 series was retired from Tokaido main line operation.