Ironically these are not the smallest on the market, these ones are (I've confirmed it now) 1/220th scale or as commonly known Z scale. While these ones are static display models there are also available motorised Z scale loco's. But even they are not the smallest on the market.
About 10 years ago Bandai produced a range called 'ZZ Trains' which are actually 1/300th scale, they produced a mix of Shinkansen (Bullet trains) and Suburban type trains like the E235 and were sold either as 'sets' where you got a 3 car train along with an oval of track and a piece of scenery like a station or a bridge. They also sold models in 'blind' boxes (i.e. you buy a box and get a random train) where you got either a power car with one piece of track or a centre car and dummy trailer car with two pieces of track. Now the thing is these again were motorised running on a couple of button cell batteries.
However they only held the acolade of 'smallest self powered train for a small time (about 2 years) and then some bright spark came out with 'T' scale. I'm not sure of the actual scale of these but they are genuinely tiny, I mean they must be 1/350 or 1/400 they are that small. But again they are really really tiny, yet at the same time being typically Japanese very highly detailed. They are so small that at the recent model exhibition I attended there was a dolls house that someone had fitted an entire 'T' scale layout in the loft of just like so many real houses have a layout in the loft (well at least here in the UK they do). This had the locomotive and rolling stock running round the track, the width of the track can only have been 2 or 3mm wide, but boy are they impressive.
Anyway to answer your other question these ones were manufactured by 'Atlas Editions' who usually sell their stuff online only as 'limited editions' - although I don't think they are that limited. If you search on eBay for 'Atlas Editions Minitrains' you will find them listed - or at least you do in the UK
Have fun!!! Cheers, Nigel
About 10 years ago Bandai produced a range called 'ZZ Trains' which are actually 1/300th scale, they produced a mix of Shinkansen (Bullet trains) and Suburban type trains like the E235 and were sold either as 'sets' where you got a 3 car train along with an oval of track and a piece of scenery like a station or a bridge. They also sold models in 'blind' boxes (i.e. you buy a box and get a random train) where you got either a power car with one piece of track or a centre car and dummy trailer car with two pieces of track. Now the thing is these again were motorised running on a couple of button cell batteries.
However they only held the acolade of 'smallest self powered train for a small time (about 2 years) and then some bright spark came out with 'T' scale. I'm not sure of the actual scale of these but they are genuinely tiny, I mean they must be 1/350 or 1/400 they are that small. But again they are really really tiny, yet at the same time being typically Japanese very highly detailed. They are so small that at the recent model exhibition I attended there was a dolls house that someone had fitted an entire 'T' scale layout in the loft of just like so many real houses have a layout in the loft (well at least here in the UK they do). This had the locomotive and rolling stock running round the track, the width of the track can only have been 2 or 3mm wide, but boy are they impressive.
Anyway to answer your other question these ones were manufactured by 'Atlas Editions' who usually sell their stuff online only as 'limited editions' - although I don't think they are that limited. If you search on eBay for 'Atlas Editions Minitrains' you will find them listed - or at least you do in the UK
Have fun!!! Cheers, Nigel
Happily collecting things all my life...
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