Tomix

TOMIX is a Japanese model railroad brand and a division of the TOMY company focusing mainly on N Gauge offerings of EMU/DMU sets, locomotives, rolling stock, and scenery. Most TOMIX items are Japanese outline.

TOMIX features the largest range of N-gauge shinkansen (bullet trains) and also features a substantial catalogue of Japanese express and commuter trains. TOMIX also features a wide variety of electric locomotives, passenger rolling stock, freight stock, and diesel units.

TOMIX units have long sold for a slight premium over comparable sets from KATO due to a perception of generally slightly higher detail and quality. As of 2008, while the price gap still remains, the perception gap has shrunk significantly, as TOMIX has been relatively stagnant in new model railroading technology such as flywheel drives and DCC compatibility. Where TOMIX has innovated, however, is in areas such as coupling, with its TN-coupling system for N-gauge arguably being the most reliable general purpose close-coupling standard out there, and in the development of a line of "HQ" (High Quality) sets which have pushed the limits of exterior detail available in ready-to-run N-gauge sets to heights as yet unmatched by any other manufacturer in regular production.

While Japanese-outline N gauge items make up approximately 95% of the TOMIX range, there are also a few HO Gauge Japanese-outline sets. Also, a series of Thomas the Tank Engine locomotives have been produced under the Tomix name that are much prized in the west for their rarity and reliability. TOMIX additionally has been involved in the creation of an N-gauge version of the Taiwan Shinkansen.