Japanese railways - some recent pictures

[tractionman]

hi folks,

 

I have just come back from 12 days in Japan - I had posted previously about where to go particularly for photographing loco-hauled trains (http://www.rmweb.co....raction-action/) and can now report back!

 

I started my trip in Nagoya, travelled down to Okayama and then to Matsuyama, then back to Kyoto - not major mileage but a chance to take a few shots of locos and stock, especially on the busy coastal route between Nagoya and Hiroshima.

 

I had a 7 day JR Railpass - £230 - a real bargain if you look into how much individual trips are. The great thing about the pass is that it is exactly that - no messing about making reservations, just walk to the ticket barrier, flash the pass, receive a courteous bow and you're through to the platform and can pretty well jump onto any service that rolls in - as long as you sit in an unreserved coach. Fantastic.

 

Here are a few shots of what I saw on my travels:

 

 

Nagoya station, something that must have been a bit special as others had turned up to photograph this freight.

 

 

 

Matsuyama, a tram-rail flat crossing, with tram waiting while railcar passes on the local private line serving Matsuyama.

 

 

 

Kyoto, a rare loco-hauled passenger service, heading south, a passing shot as it caught me by surprise!

 

 

 

Kyoto steam locomotive museum - a one km round trip!

 

 

 

Kyoto, my last day and a shot of one of the stylish 1970s-built units leaving the station.

 

 

Just a flavour of what I saw - I'd like to go back. Rail enthusiasts seemed well-catered for and there are plenty of books (in Japanese) for sale on railways in bookshops there.

 

cheers,

 

Keith

[EddieB]

Excellent taster in those pictures, Keith. I'd be interested to learn what other loco types you saw in service.

 

Did you visit the museum in Nagoya?

[tractionman]

Many thanks Eddie - I saw mainly EF66 and EF210 types on freights between Nagoya and Okayama, with some earlier electric types occasionally such as EF65s. I have inserted some further images of these below.

 

I went to the new museum in Nagoya, a temple to the Shinkansen it seemed to me! But nicely done, with other electric loco types including an English Electric example (ED18 2), as well as multiple units.

 

I saw few diesels, perhaps unsurprisingly, a D51 rumbled through Kyoto on what looked like a departmental working.

 

I have added a few further pictures here that I hope might be of interest. While in Matsuyama I bought a book with operational JR diesel, electric and steam locos all described, albeit in Japanese! It is published by Mook(?) and the ISBN is 978-4-86320-493-5, priced 1524 yen.

 

cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

 

The main hall at the Nagoya museum.

 

 

 

An EF66 at Nagoya.

 

 

 

Pacing an EF65 heading south from Nagoya, taken from a Shinkansen.

 

 

 

EF65 1124 in the yard adjoining the Kyoto steam locomotive museum.

 

 

 

EF210 15 about to enter Kyoto station - viewed from a small public 'garden' just outside the station.

 

 

 

A view of stored electric locos at Okayama, viewed from my Matsuyama to Okayama train just before arrival at the latter.

 

Okayama had an interesting range of both EMUs and DMUs including this smokey thing:

 

[EddieB]

Pleasantly surprised to see that the EF66 are still working, not a numerous class, and dating from the mid-sixties. Didn't realise that EE had supplied electrics to Japan.

 

Was the EF58 in the museum at Nagoya? On my only visit to Japan (1987), I travelled to Utsunomiya on the off-chance they were still based there, and was delighted to find one "on shed".

 

(If I'd known, I might have asked if you could buy a spare copy of that book - looking at it on Amazon, it seems it has a graphical shed listing at the back).

[tractionman]

hi Eddie,

 

Yes, an EF58 was in Nagoya, on display with the EE - some pictures below. What I particularly liked there was the a-v monitors by the locos with footage of their glory days.

 

The book does have a graphic listing locos around Japan - a nice little feature I thought and useful for non-Japanese readers like me! Hope you get to track down the book - when I searched the ISBN number quite a few Japanese online book services seemed to come up.

 

What I wish I had bought more of are little diecast models of trams and trains - I bought a Shinkansen one for my son but when I opened up the package I saw there are many more available - they're listed at www.trane.org and were around a thousand yen each (I also wish I'd bought a copy of OMD's latest album while I was in Japan as it features bonus tracks not available in the UK!).

 

As well as Okayama there seemed a fair few locos on shed at Matsumoto but I wasn't quick enough to record them as we passed by on the train...

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

Electric locos in Nagoya museum:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mp55aec]

 

Okayama had an interesting range of both EMUs and DMUs including this smokey thing:

 

 

This is a tilting type 175 of JR West, I have an interesting DVD about them, they actually describe this type of design "British" due to the tumblehome this like out MK4 coaches is due to the narrower upper body to accomadate the tilt into the loading gauge on the line they are used. The line between Tottori and Okayam is very similar to the Cambrian Coast line with severe curves.

 

There are numerous new designs of rolling stock every year introduced on the private and JR system and one of the rail magazines gives the "Laurel Prize" for the most popular voted for each year, the type KiHa 175 was the winner in 2002.

[Nick_Burman]

hi folks,

 

I have just come back from 12 days in Japan - I had posted previously about where to go particularly for photographing loco-hauled trains (http://www.rmweb.co....raction-action/) and can now report back!

 

I started my trip in Nagoya, travelled down to Okayama and then to Matsuyama, then back to Kyoto - not major mileage but a chance to take a few shots of locos and stock, especially on the busy coastal route between Nagoya and Hiroshima.

 

I had a 7 day JR Railpass - £230 - a real bargain if you look into how much individual trips are. The great thing about the pass is that it is exactly that - no messing about making reservations, just walk to the ticket barrier, flash the pass, receive a courteous bow and you're through to the platform and can pretty well jump onto any service that rolls in - as long as you sit in an unreserved coach. Fantastic.

 

Here are a few shots of what I saw on my travels:

 

 

Nagoya station, something that must have been a bit special as others had turned up to photograph this freight.

 

 

At the time of your trip JRF had announced that the WaMu 380000 vans (the blue wagons seen on the tail of the goods train) would be retired in May 2012. These wagons were used for transporting paper for the Tokyo newspapers. The papermaker decided to end shipping by rail so these wagons became redundant. They were the last remnants of a class which once numbered several thousands, so the reasons for the railfan's presence was justified. Japanese rail freight is now 100% containerized, with the exception of cement, petrochemicals and ores which still travel in specialized wagons.

 

 

Cheers NB

[tractionman]

Thanks very much Nick for this comment and info - I have attached below another pic that shows rather more of the wagons you mention. I did try to converse with the chaps who were photographing but when I did so they looked at me rather puzzled - I could only speak to them in English alas.

 

all the best,

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[Lawrence]

I am quite baffled as to how this thread has passed me by Great pictures Keith, I am very envious of you, also so nice to see the environment and not just the trains especially as I am about to start building the Greenmax apartment block kit and I spotted the paint scheme in your shot that I may now copy In fact there is much in your pictures that will give me pointers as I start to build my layout. Many thanks and please do keep them coming.