What is "BRIDALTRAIN"?

[Fasubkhanali (Ali)]

I found this photos in Facebook. Can someone explain what the meaning of that pictures? 

 

[bikkuri bahn]

It's a chartered train in commemoration of married couples day, which is on Nov.22 (for those who speak Japanese, "iifufu"). One couple was chosen to have a special wedding train with custom headmark.

http://m.travel.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20151122_731857.html

Edited November 22, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[Fasubkhanali (Ali)]

It's a chartered train in commemoration of married couples day, which is on Nov.22 (for those who speak Japanese, "iifufu"). One couple was chosen to have a special wedding train with custom headmark.

Can you explain it in more detail? I want to write an articel about that picture :D

[miyakoji]

They look like a nice couple.  But I wonder, did Rie really want the 103 series, and what are her thoughts on the privatization of JNR?  If they had been serious about reform, could it have worked?  Hmmm. 

[Sacto1985]

Didn't a couple get married on a 231-500 Series EMU Yamanote Line train some time ago?

[bikkuri bahn]

The wedding ceremony was on the train, which made one loop around the Osaka loop line, taking 32 minutes. The ceremony was presided over by the stationmaster of Osaka Station. After the ceremony, there was a reception at the Granvia Hotel at Osaka Station.

[bikkuri bahn]

Didn't a couple get married on a 231-500 Series EMU Yamanote Line train some time ago?

Yes, apparently there was:

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

Morinomiya depot is surely preparing the train very carefully, as this is a very special train

 

And the schedule number being displayed on the front of the train is also changed to suit with the date (November 22nd -> 22A)

[JR 500系]

I wondered how much the couple paid for that... Look at the amount of stuff that was required to decorate both the train and the starting station... And also 'disrupting' the usual schedule of the Yamanote line with an additional, perhaps slower moving train? Dun know if the train did make a full loop or stopped at all the stations though...

 

Also wondered why the couple decided to marry on a train... Perhaps they met on a train?  :)

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

Dun know if the train did make a full loop or stopped at all the stations though...

Well, from my own perspective it would run in full loop without stopping at intermediate stations (though the train would only stops at large stations like Tennoji for something like schedule adjustment, etc etc).

 

 

And also 'disrupting' the usual schedule of the Yamanote line with an additional, perhaps slower moving train?

JR did prepared the schedule for running the special train, ensuring that none of regular trains were temporarily disrupted due to the operation of special train...

 

 

Also wondered why the couple decided to marry on a train... Perhaps they met on a train?  :)

For this one, it seems that marriage on the train is something very special, but the real reason would be varied, like:

 

1. They really met on a train

2. The couple is a pair of "hardcore" railfan

3. The marriage is being held on the train to commemorate very special day, like the ones that happened on 2013's "Tetsudo no Hi" (which incidentally occurred on the same time with the 50th anniversary of Yamanote Line's green livery that firstly carried by its 103 series trains)

 

EDIT: wait, it seems that the leading KuHa 103 car on this special train is still in "un-refurbished" condition, as implied by the fact that its side windows and gutter are still the original ones, not the sealed-frame side windows and "hidden" gutter that received by the other 7 cars :confused5:

Edited November 23, 2015 by SuRoNeFu 25-501

[200系]

Interesting, just goes to show how significant a role the railway system can play in our lives.

 

 

 

 But I wonder, did Rie really want the 103 series, and what are her thoughts on the privatization of JNR?  If they had been serious about reform, could it have worked?

 

We all now 'kokutetsu' is love 'kokutetsu' is life   would be the only acceptable answer in that case.

 

 

 

EDIT: wait, it seems that the leading KuHa 103 car on this special train is still in "un-refurbished" condition, as implied by the fact that its side windows and gutter are still the original ones, not the sealed-frame side windows and "hidden" gutter that received by the other 7 cars  :confused5:

 

KuHa103-838 is a refurbished car (the single piece windscreen is a dead giveaway to that fact), just to 30N standards as opposed to the more thorough 40N standard used by the majority (46 cars are up to 40N standards vs 10 for the 30N) of 103系 cars still in use on the Ōsaka loop line. In fact of the seven 103系 formations still in service today (LA1~LA5 and SA1/SA2) only LA1, SA1 and SA2 are entirely composed of 40N standard cars, the rest are mixed 30N/40N formations (LA2 contains the aforementioned KuHa103-838, LA3 contains a 30N MoHa-102 (650) and MoHa103 (494), LA4 is composed nearly entirely of 30N cars with the exception of her two SaHa103形 cars (400 and 484) while LA5 has a 30N KuHa103形 (850, the final KuHa103形built, delivered in 1981) similar to LA2).

This is in contrast to the sixteen 201系 formations (LB1~LB16) which all conform to the 30N standard (the 30N standard on the 201系 is more or less comparable to the 40N standard on the 103系).

The 40N refurbishment program was actually started before the 30N program, but was terminated in 2002 and replaced by the 30N program (the 30N standard entails the mechanical life extension work done on the 40N program, but lacks most of the cosmetic features (like mentioned though, the windscreen design of the 40N program was retained)), the 30N program itself ending in 2005. It seems the larger influx of new cars as well as the general ageing of the remaining un-refurbished 103系 cars forced JR West to simplify their life extension program, though I've never come across a better explanation.

 

To make matter more complicated, there are also the much less thorough N, NA, NB and N40 (not to be confused with the aforementioned 40N program) life extension programs at JR West, though as far as I know, only NA and N40 cars remain (the NB cars where all updated to N40 standards in 2006). the four (NS401~NS414) and six car (NS617~NS619) formations at the Nara ward are all composed of NB/N40 cars (the KuHa103形 from formations NS401~410 and NS414 went through the NA program, while their MoHa102形 and MoHa 103形 cars went through the N40 program, NS411~NS413 are full N40 formations. NS617~NS619 are all mixed NA/N40 formations, with NS617's two KuHa103形 cars as NA cars (the rest N40) while NS618~619 containing a single NA MoHa102形 (with the other cars brought up to N40 standards). But as those cars are from different batches (the KuHa's where built between 1969 (KuHa103-127 and 135) and 1973, while the MoHa's are all 1974~1976 built) they are not that relevant for this discussion, but it can't be helped I guess  .

 

 

 

 

[ToniBabelony]

Kantō Railway has 'Bridal Trains' as a regular charter on offer: http://kantetsu.co.jp/event/bridal.html including a photoshoot at Kokinu station and in the Mizukaidō Depot.

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

KuHa103-838 is a refurbished car (the single piece windscreen is a dead giveaway to that fact), just to 30N standards as opposed to the more thorough 40N standard used by the majority.

Well, the single piece windscreen is really giving the fact that the car was refurbished, but since the side windows and the gutters are still the original ones, I guess that this is a mixture of refurbished and non-refurbished condition in one car :confused5:

 

 

Kantō Railway has 'Bridal Trains' as a regular charter on offer: http://kantetsu.co.jp/event/bridal.html including a photoshoot at Kokinu station and in the Mizukaidō Depot.

This is interesting. It seems that Kantō Railway is really putting their effort on preparing regularly available "Bridal Trains" (note: the "regularly available" term refers to the fact that public people are allowed to reserve this train, even outside the special days)

[miyakoji]

200系, what are the 30N and 40N standards you mentioned? I haven't heard of those before.

[bikkuri bahn]

 ^^

They are designations of JR West's service life extension program for older rolling stock. The numbers indicate the number of years after initial build date, and the N is for Enmei ("life extension").

Edited November 24, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

 ^^

They are designations of JR West's service life extension program for older rolling stock. The numbers indicate the number of years after initial build date, and the N is for Enmei ("life extension").

Indeed, the letter "N" is taken from the "enmei" portion of "延命更新工事" term (literally means "life extension refurbishment work"). However, trains that received those refurbishment are usually referred by JR West as "体質改善車", since it refers to the fact that some parts of the body were reformed, like changing the gutter from the original type to "hidden-in-the-roof" type, changing side windows, refurbishing the interior, etc. One of the example would be like this:

 

 

While this is (completely) not related to the "bridal train", however, I guess that the brides are really enjoying themselves on riding these "magically refurbished" cars (many Japanese railfan referred the "magically-done refurbishment" as "魔改造") :laughing3:

Edited November 24, 2015 by SuRoNeFu 25-501

[Sacto1985]

What's interesting from that picture of the interior of the 103 Series EMU is that when originally built, those 103's didn't have air conditioning, but roof-mounted fans. I believe many of those EMU's got air conditioning installed in the 1980's as part of earlier rebuild programs.

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

What's interesting from that picture of the interior of the 103 Series EMU is that when originally built, those 103's didn't have air conditioning, but roof-mounted fans. I believe many of those EMU's got air conditioning installed in the 1980's as part of earlier rebuild programs.

The air conditioners were installed from late 1970s (using AU75-type air conditioner) until early 2000s (depending on what type of air conditioner unit being installed by each companies of JR Group). As I've remembered, JR East uses AU712-type air conditioner for 103 series trains that refurbished after privatization of JNR, while JR West uses WAU102-type air conditioner for their own 103 series trains...

Edited November 24, 2015 by SuRoNeFu 25-501

[200系]

Miyakoji,

 

 

 

200系, what are the 30N and 40N standards you mentioned? I haven't heard of those before.

 

Though Bikkuri Bahn has already provided an answer, they are indeed designators JR West uses to differentiate between their various life extension programs for ageing equipment.

And as we are discussing JR West at the moment I'll focus only on their programs (JR East and JR Tōkai had their own life extension programs).

 

In general you can split the JR West life extension programs into two categories:

 

General life extension work:

 

-N

-NA

-NB

-N40

 

Life extension + remodeling:

 

-40N

-30N

 

As already mentioned by Bikkuri Bahn, the N comes from the Japanese 'enmei', and simply refers to the program as a life extension program (though conversely, the kanji as used for 'enmei' can also mean longevity, which is quite apt in this case). The second designator can denote to a few different things dependent on the designator used:

 

-N/NA: Used for pre-1972 built cars, replaces corrosion sensitive parts/sections as well as some platework (doors, window sash, windscreen (still retaining the pillars though) etc.) pipes etc.

What makes the NA life extension different from the N program, is that it includes cars that had also received conservation work during their life at J.N.R.

-NB: Similar to N/NA but with the window sash changed to black and WAU102 AC units. No NB units survive as of today.

-N40 Includes all the life extension work of the N/NA and NB but also sported a few modifications to the interior. This program was intended for cars built between 1973~1976 (including surviving cars from the 1973 batch (KuHa103形 only, afaik this all surviving pre-1974 are KuHa's only) and 1974~1981 batch (MoHa102形/103形 only). The 40 refers to the targeted service life for those cars (which they are reaching now, though the NA cars have already ).

 

The refurbishment programs follow a similar pattern:

 

-40N most extensive of the refurbishments: change to a single piece windscreen, changed roof, elimination of the rain gutters, T shaped picture windows as opposed to the legacy window sash, full interior refurbishment (roof of passenger cabin changed to a more modern design, lamp covers for the fluorescent lighting, new seats (207系 based) floor, removing the windows on the car ends etc) as well as the normal life-extension work mentioned before.

The 40, like with the N40 program, denotes to the intended service life of the refurbished vehicles, 40 years (a select few cars are reaching/have reached this age at this moment). The 40N program started in the late 90's and was ended in 2002 due to the high cost of this program.

 

-30N A stripped down version of the 40N program. As the 40N program proved to be a costly venture, the introduction of new cars and the general ageing rate of the remaining 103系 cars, JR West simplified the 40N program, creating the 30N program.

The 30N program kept the life extension parts of the 40N program, the changed windscreen and the majority of the interior work (only the light covers and seats where omitted, though the seats did receive new covers), but omitted the cosmetic changes like the passenger windows, changes to the roof (though the remaining roof mounted air inlets where removed) and kept the rain gutters. The 30N program ran from 2002~2005, and due to the change of scope the targeted service life was reduced to 30 years (which all remaining 30N cars have since surpassed).

 

For added clarification, I added a few of my own 103系 shots:

 

 

^KuHa103-838 of the aforementioned formation, LA2 (the same formation was used for the 'bridal train') at Tenma, this car was brought up to 30N standard

 

 

^The same car from a different angle, note the window sash, roof line and visible raingutters, compared to the second car which conforms to the 40N standard

 

 

^KuHa103-848 of formation LA3, this car was brought up to 40N standard. Note the MoHa102形 behind the KuHa103形, it's also one of the 30N cars (and the MoHa103形 behind that as well, though it's obviously not visible in my shot).

 

 

^Nara formation NS411, seen here at Fushimi-Inari, on the other hand consists entirely of N40 standard cars, note the black window sash for instance.

 

 

^Nara formation NS402 is a mixed NA/N40 formations (the KuHa103形 cars are up to NA standards, while the MoHa102形/103形 are up to N40 standards). Note the stainless steel frames for both the windscreen and the destination/train number displays, those where part of all JR West life extension programs as well.

 

 

I hope that fully answers your question .

 

 

Well, the single piece windscreen is really giving the fact that the car was refurbished, but since the side windows and the gutters are still the original ones, I guess that this is a mixture of refurbished and non-refurbished condition in one car  :confused5:

 

No it's not. Like I mentioned the 30N reforms are simply a stripped down version of the 40N reforms, limited to the life extension work as well as most of the interior changes used during the 40N reform.

A refurbishment is a refurbishment, whether a car is reformed to the 40N standard or the less comprehensive 30N standard makes no difference to this fact.

 

 

 

What's interesting from that picture of the interior of the 103 Series EMU is that when originally built, those 103's didn't have air conditioning, but roof-mounted fans. I believe many of those EMU's got air conditioning installed in the 1980's as part of earlier rebuild programs.

 

 Actually, air conditioning was introduced from the 1973 production batches onward so every 103系 car delivered between 1973~1981 and 1983~1984 came factory equipped with air conditioning (AU75). As the surviving Ōsaka loop line 103系 cars are all post 1974 production batches, none of them had to be refitted with an AC system. 

 

J.N.R. began retrofitting pre-1973 batch 103系 cars (as well as a number of 101系 and 113系 cars) with AU75 units as early as 1975. Though as the AU75 was both expensive, and required a few structural reinforcements before the AU75 units could be retrofitted. As a result the program was quite expensive, and required a significant investment in man hours (modification took about 3 months if I remember correctly), progress was slow and there where still non-AC cars mixed in otherwise AC equipped formations at the end of the J.N.R. era (even some of the busiest Kantō area lines still spotted some non-AC cars in that time period).

 

Due to the cost of the AU75 as well as the work required, the JR companies who received legacy non-ac 103系 cars after the J.N.R. split (JR East, JR Tōkai and JR West, JR Kyūshū's 103系1500番台 cars where all built in 1982 and thus already equipped with AC units) sought an alternative to using the AU75, thus as SuRoNeFu already mentioned, JR East decided to use the AU712, JR Tōkai used the C-AU711A and JR West selected the WAU102 unit. Non of those units had the cooling capacity of the AU75 though (they all required 2 to three units per car as opposed to the single AU75 unit) and there are hardly any left today.

 

So, tldr, no, non of the surviving Ōsaka loop line 103系 cars where retrofitted with AC units, they already had them at their time of manufacturing.

 

-Sander

 

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

Ah, that's really enhances my knowledge :happy3: thanks for your another great explanations

 

 

Non of those units had the cooling capacity of the AU75 though (they all required 2 to three units per car as opposed to the single AU75 unit) and there are hardly any left today.

Compared to single AU75 unit (either it can be AU75D that uses normal steel casing or AU75G that fitted with bead-press lightweight stainless steel casing), AU712, C-AU711 or WAU102 are having the amount of air conditioning power being rated at half (or even one-third) of AU75. Indeed, AU712, C-AU711 and WAU102 air conditioners are considered as "Semi-centralized Distributed Air Conditioner" (集約分散型冷房装置), because they required more than one unit to be installed on the train, but having the unit itself having larger size than the normal "Distributed Air Conditioner" (分散型冷房装置).

[miyakoji]

Very interesting, guys.  Thank you.  I'll admit I never thought so much about air conditioners :)