JR West San'in Main Line, Shimonoseki to Senzaki

[Sacto1985]

YouTube member JRwtrains' channel did three years ago something I've never seen elsewhere on YouTube: a zenmen tenbou video of a complete trip on the JR West San'in Main Line from Shimonoseki to Senzaki on a KiHa 47 DMU, probably the quietest part of the San'in Main Line. Here's the playlist for that 14-part video of this complete trip:

 

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIQAWQiLfSc4NzgBb2Qo0R9W5BXxrnPDX

 

Note a number of stops along the way to explain sea views, and there's even a storyteller along the way, too. 

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

Very good video (^^)

 

Note: from the video's title, indeed that the video was recorded on board Joyful Train "Misuzu Shiosai", which is a tourist train that operated by JR West's Hiroshima Division from Shin-Shimonoseki to Senzaki. The train utilizes specially-modified KiHa 47 (classified as KiHa 47-7000), which they were modified at Shimonoseki General Rolling Stock Plant in 2005 (KiHa 47-7001 and 7002, for use on Setouchi Marine View) and 2007 (KiHa 47-7003 and 7004, for use as Misuzu Shiosai trainset)... 

[Sacto1985]

Which (in my opinion) explains why they were able to do a zenmen tenbou video of that trip. This part of the San'in Main Line uses KiHa 47 Series DMU's, and given how hard it is to do a zenmen tenbou video on a KiHa 40/47/48, with a Joyful Train the videographer probably got permission to mount the camera aiming forward to film this route. It would have been a lot easier had this route been traversed by a KiHa 120 (we have lots of zenmen tenbou videos of the San'in Main Line between Izumoshi and Nagatoshi Stations, all taken from a KiHa 120).

[JR 500系]

It's a beautiful train, with MicroAce still holding the pre-order for this since donkey years....

 

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

It would have been a lot easier had this route been traversed by a KiHa 120 (we have lots of zenmen tenbou videos of the San'in Main Line between Izumoshi and Nagatoshi Stations, all taken from a KiHa 120).

But unfortunately, KiHa 120s are limited only to Nagatoshi (according to Japanese Wikipedia page of KiHa 120); from Nagatoshi to Shimonoseki, the line still uses KiHa 40s 

 

It's a beautiful train, with MicroAce still holding the pre-order for this since donkey years....

 

 

When I saw the photos of this train's interior, it's really beautiful and luxurious. No one could imagine that this train was evolved from the aging local-type DMU to luxurious Joyful Train 

 

But unlike its older brother that used by Setouchi Marine View (KiHa 47-7001 and 7002), this one still retains its front gangway, allowing regular KiHa 40s to be coupled with them 

Edited December 22, 2015 by SuRoNeFu 25-501