In train heaven now

[TRod]

At Hakata station seeing all the cruise trains is like WOW!

I don’t know all their names of by heart but l might be going on the fancy green one tomorrow morning before Shinkansen back to Osaka.

[TRod]

[Das Steinkopf]

Yufin No Mori, I did the trip with my wife and kids back in April 2017.

 

BTW have you seen any EH500's floating around as you are now in their stomping ground, if you want to see the Moji yard it's just north of Kokura (Kita Kyushu) I caught a local train from Kokura to Shimonoseki and then back, the up and the down lines go either side of the yard as they make their way to and from the Kanmon Tunnel that links Kyushu to Honshu. The EH500's generally run freight trains from Hiroshima down to Moji yard, they do venture further south as I saw them on a regular basis near Kokura station heading towards Hakata.

[Kiha66]

Love that 787, looks like you're having a good trip!  The green train is the Yufuin no Mori.  That set is the older Kiha71 series, which are actually Kiha 58 frames and trucks, with the bodies and interriors being all new.  

[TRod]

Yes l saw an EH500 today, about an hour ago. Boy was l excited haha. Very quiet is what l first thought. Only got a few seconds glimpse from about 100m away.

My next Japan trip will be a lot more trains and possibly seek geeky train spotting. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by TRod

[Das Steinkopf]

[TRod]

Big day tomorrow. 

Riding the Yufuin no  Mori from Hakata to Yufuin in the box set (cafe style 2x2 facing with small table) and returning straight away to take the Shinkansen back to Osaka.

Is the 787 the white two car diesel? That bought back childhood memories of country Victoria, Australia. I best save the rest for a train trip report when l get home and collate all the pics as I left my phone in Tokyo hotel so won’t see it until Osaka. Doh!

 

[Das Steinkopf]

The 787 is an express EMU that comes in 7,6 and 4 car formats, it’s the black train that you were photographed next to. The white DMU’s are members of the KiHa 40 family, JR Kyushu has a wide range of variants in service including KiHa 40 and 140 single car and KiHa 47 and 147    twin car units that only have the driving cabs at either end of the train. Next time you go to Japan try and spend more time in Kyushu, aim for around the beginning of April so you can enjoy the Sakura blooming. Also with April you would be able to enjoy many of the joyful trains that JR Kyushu go to, they all tend to go from one city to another through rural landscapes, they also have lots of local delicacies that they serve on board. If you want your girlfriend to like trains this is the best way to do it, when we went over in 2017 it was my wife who booked all the joyful train trips. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Das Steinkopf

[JR 500系]

1 hour ago, Das Steinkopf said:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Das, i'm not seeing the pictures... are you linking to an image sharing website? 

 

2 hours ago, TRod said:

Big day tomorrow. 

 

 

Have fun! There are TONS of beautiful and lovely tourist trains in Japan, especially Kyushu! Try and catch a glimpse of the following if you can!

 

783 series Huis Ten Bosch Orange set with Green Midori set

Kiha-200/ 220 in all sorts of colours, Yellow Nanohana, Red Rapid and Blue Seaside Liner!

Isaburo-Shinpei and Hayato no Kaze 

SL Hitoyoshi! 

Kiha-183 Aso Boy!

Umisachi-Yamasachi

885 series Sonic/ Kamome 

883 series Sonic 

819 series Dencha!

 

Just to name a few ~

[TRod]

Thank you for all the great info and tips once again. I think my N gauge layout will be longer and narrower for cruise trains after today's sightings.

We only get to come over at Christmas time and next year we are taking a small train from Kyoto up into the snow to a small temple. Need real snow gear for that trip. Will leave girlfriend to do family stuff and I'll go training although she does want to go on trains as well now and l caught her daughter videoing trains arriving. Yes, oh yes l won!

[Das Steinkopf]

27 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Hi Das, i'm not seeing the pictures... are you linking to an image sharing website?

 

I tried using the URL from Flickr on my iPhone and it did not like it, I have now just dropped the embedded links in now.

[Das Steinkopf]

 

Sammy how could you forget the Kawasemi Yamasemi, probably the most beautiful of any of JR Kyushu's joyful trains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Das Steinkopf

[TRod]

 

 

 

 

Did you know there’s a stripper pole on the Sonic Express?

surprised it’s not more popular!

Edited January 9, 2019 by JR 500系

[JR 500系]

22 hours ago, Das Steinkopf said:

 

Sammy how could you forget the Kawasemi Yamasemi, probably the most beautiful of any of JR Kyushu's joyful trains.

 

 

YEAH! Lovely pictures! It reminds me to MUST RIDE this train the next time I am in Kyushu! Thanks for sharing! 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by JR 500系

[JR 500系]

4 minutes ago, TRod said:

38 minutes ago, TRod said:

 

Did you know there’s a stripper pole on the Sonic Express?

surprised it’s not more popular!

 

 

Lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing! Yeah the stripper pole is interesting indeed!

 

I've merged your photos into one post ~  🙂

 

[TRod]

Thanks. I left my Samsung in Tokyo hotel, running of the GF iPhone. Very troublesome rotten apple product. 

[TRod]

Quick trip to the Kyoto Rail Museum today. Very enjoyable. Then Yodabashi where l spent nothing.

Then Kato shop where l finally got my Little orange Kirara. Shhhh! She doesn’t know...... yet!

That was my last Shinkansen trip for this trip. Getting dragged through Universal World tomorrow by a 14yr old girl Harry Potter nut. Oh the joy.

Then 3 days relaxing here in Osaka and home. I’ll do a test bag pack and see if l can fit anything else in.

[TRod]

Ok. So we went to Universal Studio today, was great fun and the Harry Potter ride was the best.

Then on the way home as we emerged from Umeda station my darling GF says she wants to go to the book shop. She suggests l go t o Yodabashi across the road and come back when I've finnished!

So l got 3 power supplies, the reason l went as l decided to just replace the power lead in Oz, and some couplers, 702 and 707.

Now I've always said you can't have enough freight wagons....... 8033, 8034.

Budget well spent.

 

Edited January 11, 2019 by TRod

[TRod]

Just when l thought it was well and truly over, the shopping that is, and with 30,000¥ in my pocket, it was decided a trip to Yodabashi was needed after our delicious dumpling breakfast this morning.

So another 2 pk of straight track and 2 pk of curves plus a D51. Didn't have my phone on me and everything was written in Japanese so l had no idea what was hiding in all the lovely green folders. I can say that they have been cleaned out of a LOT of stock

.

[cteno4]

Dumpings will do that...

 

jeff

Edited January 14, 2019 by cteno4

[tridentalx]

Great pics.

 

Did you have any difficulty in getting reservations on the special trains? I am in Kyushu in early March and i'll be wanting to travel on a lot of the same trains as you have.

 

Thanks

[TRod]

10 hours ago, tridentalx said:

Great pics.

 

Did you have any difficulty in getting reservations on the special trains? I am in Kyushu in early March and i'll be wanting to travel on a lot of the same trains as you have.

 

Thanks

No trouble booking the club seats on the Yufuin no mori the day before we travelled but it was mid winter and quieter that spring. The only other train l took was the Sonic Express which was also no trouble at all. 

The only time we couldn't book was a Shinkansen from Shin Osaka to Tokyo. But every hour there is one you can que early for and get a non reserved seat.

[TRod]

Home at last.

Tired and in need of a holiday.

The final count for trains is....

The track pic is just to big to upload even on the smallest setting. Let's just say l got lots.

 

[TRod]

And yes, yes l did put all the containers on the koki's and all the freight cars together behind the EH500 and let it chase it's tail around my kitchen table. Even the crane got a run.

I think l need more track!

[ben_issacs]

TRod, 

A good collection, but the blue vans really should half-a-dozen or so more mates, they ran in block trains of fifteen or more carrying paper, it would be unlikely to see just a couple of them in an ordinary train, but, after all, it's your railway!

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.