JR East: another HB-E300 formation

[miyakoji]

JR East took delivery of another HB-E300 trainset, intended for service as the Resort Shirakami Buna.  Currently there is a modified KIHA40 formation with this name.

 

This left J-Trec as a 3-car set:

• Car 1, HB-E301-5
• Car 2, HB-E300-105
• Car 4, HB-E302-5

Obviously car 3 is missing; its body will be also be built by J-Trec, but will be shipped to Akita Depot for final assembly.  A tour of the train is scheduled for July 9 before revenue operation begins on July 16th.

 

I think it's a nice basic design and a pleasant color/livery, even if it's just a wrap.  Buna means Japanese beech, which I guess is what's illustrated on the side of the train.  From a railfan point of view, this type has large windshields as well as large windows behind the driver's station, making for a nice view ahead (visible in these threads http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/7337-jr-east-tsugaru-line-shin-aomori-to-mimmaya and http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/3415-some-tohoku-scenery and I thought Bill posted some recently but now I can't find them :( )

 

http://railf.jp/news/2016/05/27/170000.html

 

 

 

 

The second video above is at Shitte, and the third is at Nishi-Kokubunji.  I assume this traveled by the Musashino South Line (a freight bypass), but after studying a map for literally minutes, I think the Nambu Line would have been possible too.  Subsequent locations are Fukiage and Takasaki, so I guess they're just going straight up the Joetsu Line to Niigata and then on to Akita along the Sea of Japan.  Sounds like a cool ride :).

 

The presumably outgoing KIHA40-based Buna formation at Ueno on April 10 for a sort of open day:

 

 

[katoftw]

The incoming model looks a lot better than the outgoing model.  Those mutant Kiha 40/47s with remodeled fronts that JRE made are horrible.