Blue train cars to new hostel in Kan-onji

[miyakoji]

Two 24 series cars have been moved to Kan-onji City, Kagawa Prefecture to be used as a hostel.  It's the project of an udon shop owner who used crowdfunding to collect almost 17 million yen for their purchase and relocation.  The hostel is to open in late 2021.  They were retired in 2008 from Naha service (Shin-Osaka to Nishi Kagoshima), and were parked on a siding at Akune Station, Kagoshima.  There they were operated there as lodging from January 2009 until October 2014.

 

The cars are OHANEFU 25 206 and 2209.  Both were built in 1976 by Fuji Heavy Industries.  2209 (originally 209) was modified in 1991 to have eleven 2-person "duet" rooms.  KSB and the crowdfunding page indicate the cars were 1,000,000 yen each, currently around 9,250 USD.  KSB doesn't mention transportation, but the crowdfunding page does; 7,500,000 yen or just short of 70,000 USD.  The cars were moved from their original location to Usuki, Oita where they continued on a car ferry to Yawatahama, Ehime.

 

There appear to be two different amounts shown for situating them at their new location, 500,000 and 6,000,000 yen on the crowdfunding and coolkagawa.jp sites, respectively.  The former may just be the sections of track they're sitting on, although even that seems low.  They are to be repainted, get connections for electricity and running water, and apparently have a green house sort of structure built over them.  Protecting them from the elements sounds like a good idea but I wonder how this will work in summer.  Figs and mangoes may be grown for guests to pick.

 

Pictures at Akune, in better condition: http://c5557.photoland-aris.com/ohanehu252209.htm

Crowdfunding pages: https://readyfor.jp/projects/bluetrain-naha and https://readyfor.jp/projects/bluetrain-naha-2020

Article with shelter illustration: https://www.coolkagawa.jp/news/entry-1345.html

New location already marked on Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/mGDWSEUrbATAm52K8

 

KSB Setonaikai Broadcasting

 

The man himself, Suit Train, on location for their arrival at Yawatahama Port

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by miyakoji

[katoftw]

At Akune station, was the car being used as a cafe/restuarant still there? Or was one of these two cars the cafe car?

[miyakoji]

As far as I can tell looking at Google map, these were the only two cars around the station, so I think one of these was the cafe car.