Thoughts on this set?

[GDorsett]

Found this on EBay and have been watching it for several months now. Finally broke down and got it.

Gently used, all the details have not been put onto the engine yet.

 

 

 

Pleas pardon the poor picture quality

 

But it has the entire Nihonkai set as it appeared on it's last run in 2012. Engine and all 11 cars.

Thought it was a good find.

[grumbeast]

I don’t know anything about it but it looks like a great set to me!

[scotspensioner]

The Nihonkai ( Sea of Japan) was one of the many Blue sleeping car trains radiating from Tokyo and Osaka.I believe it's route took it along the coast through Kanazawa and Toyama

DM toys in Germany have some of these Sayonara sets still in stock issued when the trains were terminated.(Akebono and Twilight Express )

I recently picked up a Kato set for the Asakaze issued in 2005 at a very reasonable price.Anew version of that set with  13 coaches in two packs representing the Seto /Asakaze  when it entered service in about  1990is due out this month.

Adding the loco gives a price about three times what I paid for my EF66 and nine coaches off eBay!

[EH500 (12)]

1 minute ago, scotspensioner said:

DM toys in Germany have some of these Sayonara sets still in stock issued when the trains were terminated.(Akebono and Twilight Express )

With those astronomical fantasy prizes they ask for they will keep them in stock for a loooooong time.

[katoftw]

6 minutes ago, scotspensioner said:

The Nihonkai ( Sea of Japan) was one of the many Blue sleeping car trains radiating from Tokyo and Osaka.I believe it's route took it along the coast through Kanazawa and Toyama

The route is clearly shown in english text on the front of the sleeve in the photos provided

[scotspensioner]

14 minutes ago, katoftw said:

The route is clearly shown in english text on the front of the sleeve in the photos provided

I noticed that after I'd written it!

Based on a YouTube programme I've seen it changed locomotives at Tsurugai.An interesting detail on the programme is a freight passing behind an EF81 400

Edited May 1, 2018 by scotspensioner
Correction

[GDorsett]

The Nihonkai went from Osaka to Aomori.

 

 

This one I figured I'd share because it's the "last run" of the train. I didn't realise untill I opened it up that all the coaches are numbered to the set on the real thing, which is pretty cool!

 

This makes two Blue Trains. So much for focusing on freight...

I also have the base Seto set from Tomix. I need seven more coaches to total up to fourteen, but the seven works fine for now.

Besides, can't find the proper engine (an EF65) in the blank red for the set. Maybe later. The EF66 works fine.

[JR 500系]

Beautiful train if you ask me...

 

 

 

And for those who wants to 'take' the whole entire journey:

 

 

 

 

[Kamome]

I have the Kato version (10-881, 10-882) and it’s a really nice train, especially with that rose red EF81 (3066-3) pulling it. Does anyone know what the white or gold line along the side of the coach denotes?

[GDorsett]

Was wondering that, myself. On the Tomix coaches, there seems to be white and gold and chrome. Seems to regular to not mean anything.

[scotspensioner]

I've got  Kato Hokutusei and Asakaze sets which are fully gold lined .The Asakaze train (10-1177)was withdrawn in the 1980s and the coaches dispersed.

A new Asakaze came in and it has all chrome limit except for the lounge/Inverter coach and the adjacent coach which I believe had a shower in it.These two are gold lined.This is the train advertised for issue this month.My one is a 10-249 from 2005.

I believe that the gold Asakaze coaches were sent to Aormina after being winterproofed.

[scotspensioner]

.Further note.

The Tomix set 92816 listed in the 2015 catalogue shows the whole train as having a silver band except for an ORONE25-300 single room car which I presume is the equivalent of First Class.

However there doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule

The prototype formation has a generator van and 12 Coaches.Only number one has a gold line

[GDorsett]

My Seto consist has chrome on the generator van and all the coaches aside from the diner and parlor cars.

[scotspensioner]

5 hours ago, GDorsett said:

My Seto consist has chrome on the generator van and all the coaches aside from the diner and parlor cars.

The Seto and the Asakaze were made up of the same stock and the new set (Kato 10-1484/5) is advertised as such but the illustration of the train doesn't show it clearly.I discovered the link back to my 10-249 when I saw the Lounge car with pantographs on the moving band at the top of the Kato advertisement.

Incidentally this tablet has an automatic translation feature which is very useful!

Edited May 4, 2018 by scotspensioner
Wrong number

[GDorsett]

Pantographs?

On coaches?

Or are you looking at the Sunrise set?

[scotspensioner]

35 minutes ago, GDorsett said:

Pantographs?

On coaches?

Or are you looking at the Sunrise set?

 

Yes the Lounge car was also an invertor car with two pantographs on the roof .This provided 1500v DC to feed the train heating and lighting and was possible because the train terminated at Schiminosecki - the change over point to 20kv AC used in Kyushu and the Kamon Tunnel.The entire route from Tokyo was at one voltage.

On other trains there was a baggage/generator coach at one end or a diesel generator set mounted under the floor

There are plenty of film's on YouTube where the pantographs can be seen-- - the loco is usually an EF66 on the Asakaze which was filmed at Yokohama by Ayonkoi dated 2009 (I don't know how to download it!)

Edited May 4, 2018 by scotspensioner
Amendment

[GDorsett]

I will have to go find that!

[scotspensioner]

7 hours ago, GDorsett said:

I will have to go find that!

I have a playlist  Alex's Kato Trains.The first programme is by Kazu9521 and is of the Asakaze in 2004/2005.The pantographs on the lounge car can plainly be seen.

Hope this helps

[kvp]

6 hours ago, scotspensioner said:

I have a playlist  Alex's Kato Trains.The first programme is by Kazu9521 and is of the Asakaze in 2004/2005.The pantographs on the lounge car can plainly be seen.

Hope this helps

I had to look it up:

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/あさかぜ_(列車)

It looks like a lounge/kitchen/shower/staff combination car with a disel generator and pantographs and a static inverter for providing hotel power regardless of the locomotive used. The diesel generator cars used on other sets were similar.

[scotspensioner]

I've gone through the Wikipedia reference above using the tablets translator and have identified the vehicle as a Suha 301-303 series vehicle only 3 of which were rebuilt into this form.They appear to have been scrapped about 2008.

The large windows on the sides are quite distinctive.

Thank you for drawing my attention to this article which I found very interesting. - I'll be having another read at it again

-.