Japanese Railways

[tetsudofan]

Hello there, having lived in Asia between 1966 and 1999 I have an interest in Asian railways .....but, unfortunately, due to the lack of digital cameras I don't have many pictures of my early days in Asia .

 

To start with thought I would post some pics of the Enoden which runs along the coast south of Tokyo:

 

 

 

 

 

For my sins, I'm also Membership Secretary of the Japanese Railway Society so hope to get some more members interested in the society.....

 

Keith

[Claude_Dreyfus]

A very interesting set of pictures there...

 

I have been interested in the Enoshima Electric Railway for a little while...however haven't yet taken any steps further in this direction! I'm sure you will be more than aware that Doug Coster has an article in this month's Continental Modeller all about the Enoden; a prototypical precursor to Enoshima which is due out next month...

 

 

 

 

[Lawrence]

Hi Keith, thanks for the pictures, and as CD said there was an article by Doug Coster in the Continental Modeller about Enoshima.

 

As one who is very much just starting out down the Japanese route I find any pictures or articles of great use as I cant read or speak Japanese and there seems to be little in the way of published material in English

 

I had a look at the JRS site and the membership info. Can you clarify what services membership to JRS provides please.

 

Keep the picture coming

[tetsudofan]

Hello Lawrence,

 

Thanks for your posting and apologies for the delay in getting back to you but have been busy this week preparing my report for the AGM which was held today at the MRC in London. One of the members attending flew down (using a pre-booked good-price ticket)from Scotland!!

 

We are a small specialist society currently with just over 200 members most of whom live in the UK. We also have smaller groups of members in Europe, USA and Japan.

 

The main benefit of the society is our journal called "Bullet-In" which we try to produce once every three months. A subscription costs £15.00 which covers 4 issues of Bullet-In. The journal has articles covering latest developments in Japan, historical information (normally provided by our Japanese members resident in Japan, travel experiences in Japan and a modelling section.

 

Most modelling in done in N gauge although I'm one of the few members who run HO gauge stuff (and was running an 11-car Tokyo Loop-Line EMU on the MRC test track!!). Our Modelling Secretary is currently running a beginner's guide to N Gauge Models in the Bullet-In.

 

We also have a Sales Shop selling imported books and videos from Japan as well as back issues of Bullet-In. Most of these items are in Japanese ...but it's easy reading the pictures!!

 

Once a year or so a small group of members visit Japan to track bash as much as possible in a particular area of Japan - this year they concentrated on Western Japan visiting many of the local lines in that area. They normally end the tour meeting up with our Japanese members in Tokyo.

 

As you may have noticed our website is rather basic but at the AGM today we discussed how we can liven it up a bit. Hopefully we can some changes in the forthcoming months.

 

Should you need any further information please feel free to contact me by private message.

 

When I posted my pictures of the Enoden I did not realise that similar pictures were appearing in "Continental Modeller". If I had of done I would have posted some different pictures!! Any particular pictures of interest to you?

 

Keith

[tetsudofan]

...as a postscript to yesterdays posting here's a photo of the cover page of issue No.72 of the JRS Bullet-In, the magazine of the Japanese Railway Society.

 

 

This edition was edited by Anthony Robins, the Co-Ordinator and Leader of our Group in Japan. The pictures of the diesel railcar and electric multiple unit were also taken by Anthony Robins.

 

Shown below is the Tomix (HO) 11-car Electric Multiple Unit seen running at yesterday's AGM at the MRC in London. It's only the second time that this model has run in it's full 11-car consist . In Japan these units run on the Yamanote Line that circles Tokyo.

 

 

The unit as shown was prototypical when purchased but I understand that the two 6-door (standee cars with limited seats between the doors) cars are being replaced standard 4-door cars. Riding the Yamanote-sen all the way round is a great way to see Tokyo.....but don't try it in the rush hour

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Am I right in understanding that the KiHa 40 in the top picture was washed away in the March 11th Tsunami?

 

On a lighter note, that E231 looks most impressive. I was told about this possibly being at the AGM, however could not make it. It certainly looks an impressive bit of kit, and puts my longest H0 train - a 5-car Micro Ace KiHa 183 - somewhat to shame.

 

I'm not sure if the 6-door cattle wagons have all gone; however Kato have already released a new two-coach replacement set for their N gauge offering for those modellers wishing to be fully up-to-date...

[Lawrence]

Keith, thanks for all the info, I may be in touch via the JRS site. As for photos, all of them interest me, never having been out there I find it all fascinating

[Phil Copleston]

Is this forum still active? Last posting was over two years ago...

 

I have a few bits of Japanese N scale and T gauge, so would like to learn more about the prototype. Two years ago I stumbled upon the Japan Railway & Transport Review http://www.jrtr.net/ which is a fascinating historical and contemporary resource on Japanese railways. It is in English and I have gradually been working my way through the back issues.

 

I have also acquired a few books in Japanese on their railways too, which has prompted me to teach myself some Japanese characters so that I can understand the captions better. It's not easy, but I'm slowly getting there!

 

I also found http://www.japaneserailwaysociety.com/ which is useful. 

 

Are there any other contacts or links I should know about? 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Phil,

 

This is still very much an active forum...it's just nobody has posted on it recently!

 

If that makes sense!

 

You already have a good basic source of information, I have been a member of the JRS for a few years and find their Bullet-In to be a very interesting read. There are the usual Yahoo forums (fora, forii?) covering J-trains, but I rather like the JNS forum; which has a few familiar faces from on here.

 

As you will no doubt know, the range of Japanese N is vast, but the T gauge is a little more specific. Chances are you have a 103 EMU, Hankyu 8000 unit, or KiHa 40/48 rail cars from the Japanese range.

[Phil Copleston]

Phil,

 

This is still very much an active forum...it's just nobody has posted on it recently!

 

If that makes sense!

 

You already have a good basic source of information, I have been a member of the JRS for a few years and find their Bullet-In to be a very interesting read. There are the usual Yahoo forums (fora, forii?) covering J-trains, but I rather like the JNS forum; which has a few familiar faces from on here.

 

As you will no doubt know, the range of Japanese N is vast, but the T gauge is a little more specific. Chances are you have a 103 EMU, Hankyu 8000 unit, or KiHa 40/48 rail cars from the Japanese range.

 

Thanks Claude,

 

Good to know this group is still 'active'! And thanks for the assurance that I am on the right track with my reading matter. I will try and expand my personal railway library a little and acquire a few more books on Japanese railways. Any suggestions? I shall also have to consider joining the JRS.

 

As for modelling... The N scale stuff is exquisite, but it bothers me it is on the wrong gauge (9mm, instead of the correct 7.1mm). And the T gauge models are fun (I have several sets of 103 EMU units) but it is still very basic, particularly in its running qualities.

 

But I am very tempted to try modelling Japanese prototypes in my favourite scale - S scale 1:64. This is a well-established scale for modelling 3ft 6ins / 1067mm gauge 'Cape Gauge' prototypes from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Correct track gauge works out as 16.6mm so HO mechanisms, wheels and track are just about right. Of course, I'd have to scratchbuild pretty much everything else myself, but I'm used to that as an S scale modeller. 

 

Do you know of ANYONE else building Japanese models in 1:64th scale? Is S scale known in Japan? Are there any 1:64th Japanese kits and parts available? Thanks in anticipation! 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I have not heard of any Japanese S gauge. The vast majority model in N gauge, H0 (1/80), with Z and some T. There is also 0 gauge, but that is either eye-wateringly expensive. I don't have much of a J-trains library, so cannot really help there...

[HSB]

Unfortunately they follow the British practice of running everything on the wrong gauge, the only difference being theirs is too wide while ours is too narrow! The main exception being 0 scale as I believe those beautiful Sette locos run on 24.5mm gauge. I remember reading somewhere that some very early N gauge models were actually around 1:120 scale (TTn3.5) but unfortunately, in my opinion, they quickly settled on 1:150.

[Phil Copleston]

Unfortunately they follow the British practice of running everything on the wrong gauge, the only difference being theirs is too wide while ours is too narrow! The main exception being 0 scale as I believe those beautiful Sette locos run on 24.5mm gauge. I remember reading somewhere that some very early N gauge models were actually around 1:120 scale (TTn3.5) but unfortunately, in my opinion, they quickly settled on 1:150.

 

Thanks HSB. Then it looks like I might be ploughing my own lonely S scale furrow (again)! Strangely, that kinda spurs me on... 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

More than likely! What it does mean, however, is that you have a great opportunity to delve into some of the more unusual or off-beat examples of Japanese railways...

[HSB]

You might be able to adapt some New Zealand bits and pieces, Phil. Some of the wagons look quite similar although I suspect the Japanese loading gauge might be a bit bigger.

[tetsudofan]

For those who model in HO and are interested in high-speed trains (that's me!!) Kato have announced that they are doing the E5 Shinkansen "Hayabusa" in HO with release planned for end of this year/early next year.

 

Quite a surprise as there have not been many HO models of Shinkansen in plastic produced. Kader produced the Series 500 Shinkansen some years ago but not all 16-cars were modelled. Sensible, I suppose, as not many of us have room for a 16-car unit!!

 

Shinkansen can be upto 16 cars long but some of the newer Shinkansen running in the north of Japan are shorter in length so that they can run in multiple and divide enroute to serve two destinations.

 

The E5 being modelled by Kato comes in a 4-car base set plus 4-car and 2-car add-on sets making a 10-car unit. Pictures of my set will appear on here when they arrive.

 

The E5 has a very long snout and, viewed from certain angles I think it looks ghastly. However, in this picture, it does not look too bad:

 

 

The above picture was taken by Kiyoshi Jinno, a Japanese member of the Japanese Railway Society, and appeared in Issue no.76 of "Bullet-In", the magazine of the Japanese Railway Society (of which I'm the Membership secretary).

 

Keith

[Saddletank]

Hi all, I'm in Japan now on a much needed and long awaited holiday, travelling on a JR pass so seeing plenty of the railways so far. The wee mountain train in Hakone Tozan is mad, apparently it runs on some of the steepest and tightest bending tracks anywhere in the world, feels like I'm running along a child's trainset!

 

So, in no particular order (and I don't know much about any of these trains, just a casual observer but I'm starting to like them)

 

 

The railways around Hakone. The line is built to a wider gauge than the rest of the non-Shinkansen network with a servicing depot further down the branchline towards Odawara, presumably the closest piece AF largish flat land they could occupy. It runs 2 or 3 coach trains on a single track with 3 switchbacks where the driver and guard change ends, and runs to an impressively regular timetable of every ten mins I think. The drivers cab on the older stock looks like a relic, being fully glazed to the passenger compartment so everyone gets a good view up the line, and of the drivers head. Sitting by the cab is an interesting experience, the driver sits to attention and points at every signal, must run through checklists and checks his watch about as often as he breathes. The gradients and bends are astonishing considering the country also invented the pinnacle of fast, smooth, straight rail travel. It's truly a piece of a bygone age of rail travel in Japan, and if you do get the chance to go there I can thoroughly recommend a trip on it - even if Mt Fuji is invisible behind clouds like I've experienced the last 2 days!

 

Oh, and thanks to my misunderstanding of Hakone-Yumoto station I ended up going back to Odawara so got off at a small station to wait for the next train back towards Yumoto again. Took quite a few photos while kicking around and noticed its where the servicing depot is, so there's double gauges of track laid through the station. I'll put them up on here when I get home, might be of use to someone wanting to model something a bit different, or even just see a modern image small through station for details etc.

 

 

This is Tonagawa station, on the Tozan mountain railway, and the closest station to my current hotel. It's also the first passing point where trains meet a couple of minutes out from Yumoto, interesting as there's only about room for the 3 coaches and the pointwork extends into the tunnel on either end of the platforms. Its also got a small Shinto shrine off one platform under the cliff - its so Japanese cliche I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it. The station area is begging to be made into a micro layout!

 

[SHMD]

Thanks for them Saddletank, they brought back some happy memories for me.

 

I took the “Bullet” from Fukoshima to Tokyo in 1997, which I duly got, but whilst I was waiting on the platform one of those super sleek super stream lined jobbies glided in on the adjacent platform.

I was gob smacked!

 

All I can remember was that there wasn't any markings, colours, stripes or other liveries applied – just all white.

I just kept thinking that an aircraft had landed at platform 7!

 

Enjoy your trip, Japan’s railways are fantastic.
(But you already know that...)

 

 

Kev.

 

[Saddletank]

Will do, I'll post up any more interesting ones I snap while on my travels. Cameras always in my pocket ready to capture the mad only-in-Japan scenes that spring from nowhere!

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Nice set of pictures there...

 

If interested, the bullets are as follows:

 

E4

E2, with the very end of an E3 visible on the far right

E6 and E5

 

Which, as their number prefix may suggest, are all JR Eastern Shinkansen.

 

Behind the E6/E5 combo is a Tokaido/Sanyo N700 set

 

The final one is a 700 series, used on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen.

 

Sadly much of the variety on the latter line has gone with the recent withdrawal of the 300 series and the removal of the 500s from Tokyo services.

 

Next on the hitlist is the E2, used on the Nagano Shinkansen.

 

Your picture of Odaware station has captured something interesting; the train on the far left is one of the 'Romance Cars'. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romancecar

 

Will be interested to see more of your pictures...

[Saddletank]

Well the first 4 pictures are all taken at Tokyo station while waiting to board trains upto Yuzawa for a days skiing (that'll be the double deck E4), then getting on a train a couple of days later for Odawara (on the N700). I didn't bother taking the Romancecar as the Shinkansen was already included in my JR pass, though the Romancecar would have departed from Shinjuku station near my Tokyo hotel. Might get more photos of that while passing back through Odawara today en route to Kyoto.

 

The suburban lines are a fascinating thing to immerse yourself in, immaculately clean and utterly punctual. Some of the newer trains have screens that show journey information including the cause of delays even if its only a few seconds late. The Yamanote and Chuo lines in particular were interesting, it seems that each major station has two platforms for each line in either direction -as one leaves the station, another is just pulling in, it's astonishingly efficient at keeping platforms clear!

[dmustu]

Thanks for posting the pic's. Mrs dmu and myself will be in Hakone in about 2 weeks, so its nice to get a glimpse of the trains we'll be riding!  

[Saddletank]

Easy system to use, and all the trains are open cabs so you can see the drivers view. They switchback 3 times so pick either end and you'll be going forward at least once during your trip - if you get a choice then sit left of the drivers central position as the guard stands by the brake on the right hand side when going backwards and blocks the view.

 

And don't forget, whether you're using the Romancecar service from Tokyo or the local service from Odawara to Yumoto Hakone you'll need to change trains in Yumoto Hakone for the mountain line further down the platform towards the station building. I didn't realise that and thought the train had had reached its first switchback, so had to go back one stop and then out again to change trains in Yumoto!

[dmustu]

Thanks for the tip. We'll be on the local from Odawara as we can travel there on the rail pass. What was the temperature like travelling up the mountain, was it very cold?

[Saddletank]

I think it was more reasonable up in the hills than it was by the sea, definitely still jackets weather everywhere but mostly it's been dry. In Hiroshima now and it is bitterly cold, taking the Sakura and Hikari Shinkansen back to tokyo today via Shin Osaka.