New trains on the JR Nambu line

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that we had used the JR Nambu line for part of our day trip to Ome in June of last year.  We rode between Musashi-Kosugi and Tachikawa but this line is actually part of an outer loop line around the Tokyo area.  We had used this line a few times before and have noticed newer and newer trains assigned to this line over the years.

I took this photo of a 205 series train when we rode the Nambu line in November of 2011.  At that time this line was one of only a few in the Tokyo area still running these and they were later replaced with the 209 series.

On this latest visit the 209's were gone and in their place were the the E233 series.  This was no surprise to me as I had already read about this change on the Tokyo Railway Labyrinth blog.

I had been wanting to buy a model of the E233 for some time but had not decided yet which line to buy.  After riding the Nambu line with this train type I decided to get this one.  I liked the extra graphics on the sides of the end cars and a 6 car train was just the right size.

So on the last day we were in Tokyo I visited a few of the shops in Akihabra.  Kato had recently released a model of this train and it was in stock in several shops so I was able to shop for the best price.

The JR Ome line

Here is another post from our trip to Japan last year.  While in Tokyo we made a day trip to a sake brewery in Sawai which is about 40 miles west of central Tokyo.  To get there we took the Tokyu-Meguro line to Musashi-Kosugi, then the JR Nambu line to Tachikawa and then from there we took the JR Ome line.   We had been on the Ome line before but had always gotten off at either Fussa or Hamura to meet some of Nona's family who live in that area.  This time we would be going almost to the end of the line.

The current trains on the Ome line are the same as on the JR Chuo line, 10 car consists of E233 series with an orange stripe.   The train stops in Ome where the line goes from double track to single track with passing sidings at the stations.

At Ome station, 6 of the 10 cars are removed from the train with 4 cars continuing.  I had always noticed the Chuo trains were made up of a 4 car consist plus a 6 car consist and now I know why.

Now here is something you don't see in Japan very often.  Between Ome and Sawai we were the only passengers left in our car.  Nice break from the packed trains in Tokyo.

Looking west from the platform in Sawai.   The line continues for several more stations climbing into the mountains.  At the end of the line there are some quarries.

At Sawai we got off the train and walked about 1 km down hill to the Sake brewery.  After visiting the brewery we walked back up the hill with several bottles of sake.

The Ome station looked quite old and in fact Nona mentioned that it looked the same as it did in the 1960's when she was a kid visiting her uncle who lived in Ome at that time.

Another view of the old shelter on the platform at Ome station.  I am glad to have visited this line when we did because I recently read that some of the stations on the Ome line are going to be rebuilt soon.

This view is looking east from the Ome platform.  We returned the way we came but with a stop in Tachikawa and dinner with family who live there.  We arrived back in Musashi-Koyama around 10:00pm.  It was a long day but a lot of fun.

The trams of Nagasaki

Our hotel in Nagasaki was near the Shiambashi tram stop on lines 1 and 4 and this is where I took the first 3 photos in this series.

Number 1702 running on line 1.  A more modern type tram in what appeared to be a standard color scheme for the more modern trams.

Number 1303 was also running on line 1 and appeared to be the same type of tram but in a bright yellow and green paint advertising scheme.  Many of the trams were custom painted for advertising.  The same is done at home on buses, trams, and even commuter train cars.

Number 377 is another one running on line 1.  It was an older type tram done up in a blue and white paint scheme advertising Suntory coffee.

Walking a few blocks took me to a new location where lines 2, 4, and 5 run.  Number 1205 is another modern tram in the modern standard color running on line 5.

Near this spot the tram tracks branched off from the street and crossed the river channel on a bridge of their own as number 1503 is doing here.  If I ever do a layout that includes trams it will have a scene like this.

Number 202 was running on line 2 and is an older style with a green and pale yellow paint scheme which seemed to be standard for the older trams that did not have an advertising paint scheme.

Next is number 366 in an all yellow paint advertising paint scheme running on line 5.

Last is number 504 in the green and yellow paint scheme running on line 2.

I got lots of tram photos but we also rode these trams to various places we visited while we were in Nagasaki.

The trains of Kyushu

Last year Nona and I spent a month in Japan during May and June.  I took lots of train photos but have been busy with other things and had not had a chance to post any of them until now.  About half the time we were in Japan we were traveling by train throughout western Honshu and on Kyushu.  It was the first time either of us been to Kyushu and we wanted to see as much as possible so we mostly kept moving.

From Hakata station in Fukuoka we took a Kiha 185 "Yufu" to the town of Yufuin in the mountains.   We had wanted to get on the Kiha 72 Yufuin-no-mori but it was sold out.  After spending a night in Yufuin, the next day we continued on this same type of train in the same direction to reach Bepu.

The 883 Blue Sonic took us from Bepu on the eastern side of Kyushu around the northern coast  back to Hakata Station in Fukuoka.

We rode the Kyushu Shinkansen round trip the length of the island between Hakata and Kagoshima.  The trains we rode were 8 car consists of the 700 series.

The round trip between Hakata and Nagasaki was on the Kamome 885.

We spent a couple of nights  in Nagasaki and while we were there we rode on their excellent system of trams.  I got lots of photos of those that I will save for another post.

Of all of these trains the one I would like most to buy a model of is the Kiha 185 Yufu.  It would be perfect for the AsiaNrail layout.

These have been done by Micro Ace in 2 or 4 car sets a few times but are currently sold out.  Guess I will have to wait for the next release.

Beyond the Palm Arcade

It's been way too long since I've added anything to the Tokyo in N Scale blog.  The modules are for using in a display layout and I have not had any opportunities recently to display the modules so my focus has been more on my home layout.  Hopefully I will get a chance to display the modules this year.

During our trip to Japan in November 2011, Nona and I took a walk all the way through the Palm Arcade to see what's on the other side.

This photo shows what it looks like at the far end of the Palm Arcade.  It has a structure very similar to the one at the station end.

We were surprised to find that the street itself continued on for as far as we could see and that it hosted a busy retail district of it's own.

Eventually we came upon this rail crossing and small station.  This is the Togoshi-ginza station on the Tokyu Ikegami line.  It's one of those old time small stations similar to Green Max station kit # 27.


It was another pleasant afternoon exploring Tokyo.

The JR Nikko line

In my previous post which was now almost a month ago I mentioned taking the Shinkansen on the way to Nikko.  When we arrived in Utsunomiya we made a connection to the JR Nikko line to complete the trip to Nikko.  This is a very short line of only 40 km and serving 7 stations within Tochigi prefecture.

Since 2013 the trains running on this line are 4 unit sets of the 205 series.

At one time the 205 series were very common in Tokyo but have been steadily replaced by newer models.  This photo was taken at Utsunomiya station.

The Nikko station has one of the old foot bridges similar to the one I built from a Greenmax kit for my Hot Springs Junction module.

Here is a look up one of the stairways of the foot bridge.  These type of bridges used to be more common then they are now and I don't see them much around the Tokyo area any more as things have been rebuilt and modernized.

Tobu has it's own line called the Tobu Nikko line that connects to central Tokyo with a transfer.  The Tobu Nikko station is very close to the JR Nikko station.  At the end of the JR platform the Tobu line passes over the JR line.  This 2 unit Tobu train is approaching the Tobu Nikko station.

Riding some of the newer Shinkansens

On one of the days we were in Tokyo in late March we made a day trip to Nikko.  We purchased Shinkansen tickets from Tokyo station to Utsunomiya to cut the travel time but also we hoped to ride one of the newer trains that are now running on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.

We were not disappointed and got to ride two Shinkansens that we had not ridden before.  The E5's running in 10 car formations are common on the Tohoku Shinkansen line as seen on the board shown here.

On the trip back to Tokyo we rode on this E3 which is not exactly new but we had never ridden on one before.  They also appear to have a new paint job from ones I've seen before.

I noticed that the E3 had these little steps that fold out when the train came into the station.  The E3 is a bit narrower than the other Shinkansens we had ridden with the seating arrangement being 3 + 2 as opposed the normal 3 + 3.




 I later learned that both the E3 and E6 Shinkansens are narrower so the trains can fit through narrower clearance areas on both the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines.

As I often do, I got a photo of the train guide that is  in between cars.  As seen in the guide, this was a 7 car formation.

So it looks like now I"ll have two more Shinkansen models I will  want to add to my collection.

Food trucks in Japan

On the Wednesday of the week of the Trains and Planes exhibit, several food trucks parked in front of the Hiller Aviation Museum during lunch time.  This was the one day I got Nona to go with me to the show.   Seeing the food trucks reminded me of some we saw last year in Sapporo, Japan.

Yes, they do have these type of food trucks in Japan and here's a couple photos.  While a bit smaller than their American counterpart, they are rather large compared to most vehicles in Japan.

I thought these might be something interesting to model sometime so took these photos for future reference. I'll need to keep an eye out for a suitable vehicle to start with.

Another milestone

The Tokyo in N Scale blog recently passed 40,000 page views.  Again, thanks to everyone for your interest and encouragement.

The Daiyuzan line

Another interesting short line that we rode this past summer was the Izu-Hakone Railway's Daiyuzan line.  This is a rather short line of  less than 10 km that stops at 9 stations between Odawara and Daiyuzan.

This photo shows the end of the line at Odawara

It's a single track line which splits around island platforms at a couple of the stations so opposing trains can pass.

The trains are 3 car 5000 series EMU's.

This is the entrance to the Izu-Hakone station in Odawara.  There are actually 5 adjoining stations in Odawara - JR Tokaido main line, Shinkansen, Odakyu, Hakone- Tozan, and Izu-Hakone.  I have always found Odawara to very active and great for train watching.

Between the 3rd and 4th station from Odawara the Odakyu Odawara line crosses over the Daiyuzan line as shown in this Google street view photo.

At another point the Daiyuzan line crosses over a river on a 3 section through girder bridge.

This is where the other end of the line at Daiyuzan which is less than 10 km down the line from Odawara.

Right next to the platform at Daiyuzan there is a maintenance shed with inspection pit.

With it's small size and features, The Daiyuzan line would make another great subject for a small layout.

The railroads of Musashi-Koyama

During our visit to Japan in 2011 I started to notice that the trains of other railroads besides Tokyu were running on the Tokyu Meguro line.  The reason was that after the Tokyu Meguro line had become a subway at the Meguro end of the line, it was connected to the Tokyo Metro Nambaku line.  The other end of the Tokyo Metro Namboku line is also connected to the Saitama Railway.  Many of the trains provide through service on all three of those lines making it more convenient for passengers.   There is also through service going onto the Toei  Mita line.

A passenger waiting on the platform at Musashi-Koyama may see trains with any of the logos shown below on them.  From left to right - Tokyo Metro, Saitama Railway, Tokyu, and Toei.

Shinkansen - The only way to fly !

During this summers trip to Japan we got JR passes for one week and took two Shinkansen rides.  These trips both originated at Tokyo Station.  I've always found the Shinkansen part of the station to be more like visiting an airport, but back in the day when flying was still fun.  Tokyo station is the terminal for the Tokaido, Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines so it's quite busy.

Inside Tokyo Station, below the Shinkansen platforms there are displays showing the trains that will be departing and which tracks they will be on.

The displays are in both Japanese and English and include graphics of the trains.

This display is just for the Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines.  The Tokaido Shinkansen line uses different tracks and has it's own similar display.

I have always noticed that even among the Japanese there is more excitement about going on the Shinkansen.  Notice the platform in the photo, I'm not the only one taking photos of this E5 / E6 lash up.

Each arriving train that is going to then go back out again is met by a large team of people who service the train after the arriving passengers have left the train and before the departing passengers are allowed to board.  You always get a fresh train with leaving from Tokyo station.


Someones post on the JNS forum led me to this story about the cleaning of the Shinkansen trains.

Here is Tamami and Nona on the way back from Osaka on an N700 Hikari service.

We were enjoying drinks, a smooth and fast ride, and way more leg room.  The Shinkansen is still my favorite way to travel.

How narrow can a building be ?

The scheduled expostition for the AsiaNrail layout and the Musashi-Koyama modules has me working to finish a few more of the buildings on those modules and I'll be posting about that soon.  Working on buildings I remembered a real interesting one we saw during our recent trip and I would like to share that now.

Anyone who has scratch built or kit bashed a structure to fit into that odd small space on their layout or module might wonder if they are making a structure that is unrealistic.  Well maybe for American prototype that could be a concern but as I am continuing to find out buildings can be quite small or narrow in Japan which is great for those of us modeling Japanese prototype.  Check out the photos below that I took early one July morning in the Namba district of Osaka.

End View

When we first approached this structure while walking down the street, I thought it was some sort of a wall.

It's actually narrower than the narrow streets.

Side view

Once we were along side of it I saw the windows and realized that this is actually a long, very narrow building.  Most of the building had 3 levels.

After seeing this I think we can all relax and build whatever we want, there's probably a prototype for it somewhere in Japan.