ED75 does Japan (take 2.3)

[Kamome442]

Oh wow, it's an arch under the actual station.

1 hour ago, ED75-775 said:

Haha, thanks Joe! I'd consider it an honor.

 

For sure, I like having elements with stories behind them and little secret details.

 

1 hour ago, ED75-775 said:

Oh, and here's my copy of the Yūrakuchō eki-stamp. Feel free to make use of it for your information boards!

 

That it awesome thank you.

[ED75-775]

Been a busy (and tiring) last couple of days here in Nagoya. Can't fault the location of my APA Hotel, although I do get a regular banging noise late at night that I think is related to the hotel's public bath downstairs. I've coped with it so far, so I can put up with it for one more night!

 

My first full day in Nagoya on Friday was spent hunting trains, both full-size and model starting with a trip to the SCMaglev & Railway Park in Kinjo-futo. I first visited in 2019 and loved it; this time around, I wanted to get as many photos as well to show how Japan does railway museums on top of enjoying my visit. The staff member manning the N700 Simulator was surprised when I pulled out the gloves I'd been given in Omiya before taking the simulator for a run! They might be cheap gardening gloves but whatever.

 

 

As an added bonus, the stretch of line between Arako and Minami-Arako stations passes the Nagoya Freight Terminal and associated tracks. Last time around I'd gotten a couple of the Nagoya Rinkai Railway's DD55s, ex JNR DD13s, but this time around it was just HD300 hybrid shunters to be seen. Although just as I did last time, I got an EF510 parked up in the sidings outside the Freight Terminal. Somehow I've found the EF64/65 freight locos to be somewhat camera shy this trip, although I did spot an EF64 heading north earlier in the morning. Might have to make more of an effort to get some older freight loco action!

 

 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering across Nagoya (and conveniently forgetting about Kanayama Station which would have saved a lot of walking). The goal here was to find some train shops, but I also managed to find a Nagoya tram in the process! 1400-class tram 1401 is parked outside the Nagoya City Science Museum on a short stretch of recreated tram line with safety zone, and looks to be well cared for. Next to it is a short stretch of railway track and a semaphore signal which was once the home of 2120 class 0-6-2T No. 2412, removed in 2016 and currently stored at the Sappa Boiler works in Osaka pending possible restoration. What form that restoration will take is unknown, if one Google review is to be believed the mayor of the time wanted to have the locomotive restored and placed on rollers so that it could be 'demonstrated' periodically.

 

 

If you do want to see a real 2120 though, there are two on public display: 2109 at JIT's Industrial Technology Museum in Saitama Prefecture, and 2221 at the Ome Railway Park in Ome City. A further two, numbers 2248 and 2649, are preserved but not on public display as part of the Railway Preservation Society of Japan's 'Yamada Collection', a private collection of thirteen steam locomotives stored in Ebetsu City, Hokkaido. For those who are familiar with the Tobu Railway's C11 123, this locomotive was previously part of the 'Yamada Collection' before being acquired for restoration in 2018.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Hmmm, steam trains... now where could I go for one of those if the Oigawa Railway isn't running steam...

 

How about Meiji-Mura?

 

Yesterday's day out took me to Meiji-Mura, the famous architectural museum dedicated to structures from the Meiji Period (1868-1912). Buildings from this time are sadly less and less common nowadays due to the interest in redeveloping properties for whatever reason, so Meiji-Mura is a great place to go to study how Japanese architecture evolved from its traditional forms to a more, shall we say, syncretic blend of East and West. I think I am justified in saying that, though I am no architect; that being said, my maternal grandfather was an architect and gave me a number of books on the subject including his venerable copy of Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method.

 

 

And of course, if you're at all interested in architectural history, there's one building you must see at Meiji-Mura: the lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (built 1919-23). As my grandfather told me that day, if you're interested in studying an architect, Wright is a good choice. And looking at the artistry that went into that building, and knowing the steps Wright took to make the building as earthquake resistant as possible, even with materials that weren't particularly earthquake resistant... I can only conclude that the man was a genius. It was a privilege to walk through the lobby of the hotel, which is all that remains after its last tabula rasa in 1965 as the building deteriorated beyond repair. There's a small tearoom upstairs, and on one of the landings a older gentleman was playing some sort of Japanese fiddle. A wonderful experience!

 

 

Of course, if you prefer your entertainment to run on rails rather than exist in monolithic form, Meiji-Mura is home to a small collection of rail exhibits. And on this day, a very shrill whistle had me hoping that Sharp, Stewart 2-4-0T No. 12 was in steam. It was! Built in 1874 as Works No. 2421, it pulls three four-wheel coaches built in 1908 and 1912 between 'Tokyo' and 'Nagoya'. When it's not running, an ex-Fujiminobu Railway Baldwin 0-6-0T, ex-Tsurumi Steelworks No. 9 (Works No. 39744/1912) is used instead. Also present on the grounds, but statically displayed, is ex-Bisai Railway Brooks 4-4-2T No. 1 (Works No. 2779/1897), plus two Imperial coaches which are housed in a former workshops building.

Of course I had to have a ride behind this old lady, but couldn't help noting that she's by no means the oldest locomotive I've ridden behind; one of my local heritage lines has an 0-6-0ST saddle tank which was built in 1872 as one of three pattern engines for her type!

 

 

And for those who prefer to put their pole up and draw some 'proper' power, Meiji-Mura is home to two ex-Kyoto N-den trams, N58 and N115 which have been renumbered as 8 and 15 respectively. There's also an four-wheel tram on display that ran in Nagoya between 1901 and 1907, before it moved to the Sapporo tramway network, and which seems to have been placed on an open-ended loan. Again I took a ride... and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the conductor swinging the trolley pole, knowing I've done this myself so many, many times at Ferrymead both as a conductor and motorman.

 

It wasn't a bad day for it, being rather warm and overcast but not unbearably hot. While I enjoyed my time there, I got the feeling that this wasn't entirely 'my' kind of museum. It was still worth going though, and a ¥240 strawberry ice-block on the way out helped to keep the temperature down. For those wanting to know how to get there, here's the lowdown:

- Nagoya Railroad to Inuyama: ¥570 one-way but save yourself the time and buy return fares from the ticket machines at Meitetsu Nagoya Station

- Gifu Bus to Meiji-Mura: ¥330 outbound, ¥430 inbound. WARNING: Unlike Meitetsu Bus, Gifu Bus does not accept IC cards as payment, only the Ayaca credit card or hard cash. I am not sure if Meitetsu Bus services the Inuyama - Meiji-Mura route, though I did see one of their buses there while waiting to head back.

- Entry to Meiji-Mura: ¥2,000 for adults, ¥700 for elementary-school aged and under children.

- Tram and train rides: ¥500 one-way, or get an all-day pass which costs you just ¥800 and gives you unlimited train and tram rides.

 

Then it was back to Nagoya, back to Hobby Land Pochi to rescue my umbrella that got left behind (while buying a Tomix 500 Type EVA for @Wolf, oops!) then back to Kanayama Station for a trip to Joshin and back to Popondetta for two more Märklin 4029 coaches. I am astounded at the condition they're in, barring some rub marks on the roof you'd think they were new! From there it was back to the station via a fried chicken shop in the Akamon arcade for a pre-dinner snack, and then home to my hotel and dinner in the attached Peter Cole pub downstairs. Phew! That's a lot of walking and writing folks!

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Recent interesting find: I saw this book once or twice in Tokyo, but didn’t point my translator at it until today:

 

 

A book of now-closed stations, many of which look to be in Hokkaido and not all of which were rural-line-KiHa territory.

 

I immediately thought of @Tony Galiani when I saw this one. It might be good for anyone wanting some ideas for modelling rural or semi-rural stations though.

[Tony Galiani]

I did not come across that one in my travels or I might have purchased it.  The station at the bottom is my kind of modeling scenario!

 

Already thinking about my next trip and definitely going to be doing a bit more model and book shopping than I did on my recent trip!

 

Tony

[ED75-775]

Glad to hear it's your taste Tony. To give the English translation of the title, it's Introducing Abandoned & endangered stations [211 Stations] by Saiki Nishizaki. Hobbysearch does not look to have had this one in stock, but Amazon and any other number of book retailers in Japan have it. I'm personally intrigued by some of the little station buildings in there that were converted from retired brake vans.

 

Today being a bit damp, there was little incentive to get out and about, not even to the Nagoya Streetcar and Subway museum which holds three more ex-Nagoya trams. A Skype call to Mum revealed that the Toyota Commemorative Museum was nearby, but I didn't get anywhere near that, instead spending my time perusing the shopping malls within the Nagoya Station Gate and JP towers. I didn't get very far once I found the Books Sanseido Nagoya store on the eighth floor! Their railway section is impeccable compared to what I'm used to - in New Zealand, unless you go to a specialist bookshop you're unlikely to find much railway material around.

 

Of course I ended up coming away with a few books, including the 2023 tram book I'd been looking for... by the wrong color cover! Well done me. But I have it now so I'm reasonably happy.

 

 

With the rain slackening to mere showers, I decided to venture out once more towards the Komeno - Sasashima-Raibu area, where I had taken photographs previously in 2019. The attraction of this area is that you get it all: freight trains to and from the Nagoya Freight Terminal, JR passenger trains moving in and out of the main passenger yard adjacent to the Nagoya workshops, and Kintetsu trains to and from both Kintetsu-Nagoya and the small servicing terminal nearby. While there is a handy footbridge linking the two areas, it's not made to make photography easy due to the glass 'windows' installed atop the railings. And there are signs asking you not to climb on the railings, and cameras to ensure you comply. Crazy!

 

At least at ground level, there is a maintenance crossing that serves as a great photo point for the Kintetsu trains as they pass. Pro tip: the other side of the crossing has been barricaded to stop trespassers, so don't cross the crossing and stay by the gates. I got lucky, apart from the Urban Liner Plus and Hinotori sets in this shot, I got a few commuter trains and some Vista EX sets, two of which passed directly through into the maintenance depot while I was there. I also spotted two EF210's on freight workings in and out of Nagoya Freight Terminal, which broke the passenger monotony nicely.

 

 

Later that night, I headed up the JR Central Towers again to visit one of the highest Starbucks in Japan, at 13 stories above ground. The balcony was closed, but the view is astounding. Those little blue lights above the street by the way are attached to the railway tracks, for what purpose I don't know, but they're there. I plan to go to the highest Starbucks, also in Nagoya Station but on Floor 15 of the Gate Tower building, tomorrow for a quick drink before I catch the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Since both Jorudan and Google are pushing the Nozomi services (which I can't use) I'll just have to see what's available on the day.

 

Alastair

[kuro68000]

5 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Recent interesting find: I saw this book once or twice in Tokyo, but didn’t point my translator at it until today:

 

A book of now-closed stations, many of which look to be in Hokkaido and not all of which were rural-line-KiHa territory.

 

I immediately thought of @Tony Galiani when I saw this one. It might be good for anyone wanting some ideas for modelling rural or semi-rural stations though.

 

One of my major goals for my next trip is to spend more time book shopping. It's a bit time consuming, but books are also fairly easy to ship/pack and the "ROI" is high.

 

The main issue I have is finding stuff in book stores. I must study kanji harder.

[ED75-775]

Travel day today, but because I can’t do it the easy way I’ve got to find some way to make it harder for myself! Oh well...

 

To explain: I checked out fine this morning, but the fun and games began when I couldn’t get a luggage reservation for the Shinkansen beyond Shin-Kobe. OK, fine, change trains at Shin-Kobe and see what we get. Hang on, how far is that to Railgallery Rokkko?

 

Pro tip: I should have done my homework instead of rushing off to deliver Wolf’s Type EVA to the drop off point. Tokonami-san is having a long weekend so the shop wasn’t open, but I now know where it is, and as a bonus I got the Shin-Kobe and Sannomiya station stamps too! Plus more exercise I didn’t really need, and rides on the JR West Kobe line, the Kobe subway and Hankyu lines to reduce said extra exercise.

 

I’m back at Shin-Kobe now and I’ve got my luggage reservation. Now I just need to wait for Sakura 561 which departs at 15:36 and reaches Hiroshima at 16:51. Nothing sooner but oh well, might have to take some pretty pictures of Shinkansen while I wait!

 

Alastair

 

[Grant_T]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:05 PM, ED75-775 said:

although I do get a regular banging noise late at night that I think is related to the hotel's public bath downstairs

 

🤐

 

Coincidentally, we made it to Hiroshima this afternoon. 

[kuro68000]

3 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Pro tip: I should have done my homework instead of rushing off to deliver Wolf’s Type EVA to the drop off point. Tokonami-san is having a long weekend so the shop wasn’t open

 

Ah, done that a few times. Sometimes they post a notice about it on their website, but it very much depends on the shop.

 

Most Japanese people seem to handle this by simply calling the shop to ask if they are open. Phones make speaking and understanding Japanese much harder, so in the past I've asked friends or hotel staff to do it for me. The other issue of course is that with rental/visitor SIMs you usually can't make calls, and public phones are fairly rare now. I'm determined to try it next time though, it's one of those things where all you need is one phrase (今日開いていますか kyō aiteimasu ka) and the response will be fairly easy to understand, generally either "hai" (yes) or "sumimasen" (sorry). Then you end the call with "shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me I'm going).

[ED75-775]

To be fair this is Tokonami-san we're talking about, and I'm sure he posted it on his website. Which I did not look at while on the Shinkansen. Thank you for the tip on how to get around that @mojo!

 

Update: I did make it to Hiroshima in the end, checked into my hotel and after a quick unpack and shower hauled tail off to Sunmall Hiroshima to visit the local Popondetta store. Not a bad setup although like all Popondetta stores their secondhand stock is a real jumble, there's no logic to the placement of individual polybagged locomotives and passenger coaches although most of the freight stock is at least in one place. And because it was the fastest way there, I took the tram!

 

Hopefully tomorrow I will get a shot at one of the heritage tram types still running here, I did spot a few 1900s but none of them was going where I wanted to go! But I will probably head down to Eba either tomorrow or Wednesday to check out what is running, and I'll definitely do the main Hiroden depot which has a viewing platform in a nearby carpark - how thoughtful of them. And of course I will be spending some time haunting Hiroshima Station looking for KiHa's, I tried tonight after dinner at Ippudo Ramen and got no less than six KiHa 47's!

 

Photos to follow tomorrow once I've made my mind up as to what I do, and where I go.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

#KiHaLife

#NoKiHaNoLife

 

 

Old trains are good, and KiHa’s of any kind are even better. These two were heading to Karuga at 11:22, of course I had to film their departure, just to bask in the roar of the engines and smell of diesel fumes. Does that make me weird... or just crazy?

Alastair

[Tony Galiani]

I am impressed with how many KiHas are still service and how many have been the basis for some of the refurbished tourist trains that SJT and all the other vloggers ride and promote.  I expect you probably cannot have too many KiHas.

 

Cheers,

Tony

[ED75-775]

I don't think there is such a thing as 'too much KiHa', unless you are one of those modelers whose layout depicts some major area where DMUs are forbidden to appear. Personally I prefer the original style to refurbished tourist train - riding a local train is a great way to find the 'real' world beyond the glitz and lights of the city. Which is why I enjoyed riding from Shin-Yamaguchi to Chomonkyo via Yamaguchi in 2019 so much. KiHa's all the way, and an unexpected conversation in English with another passenger who took the time to talk to me and admit he'd been to Auckland years ago.

 

Today's post will be several posts long as my camera takes nice 'big' photos in terms of file size, and I don't really want to waste my remaining day in Hiroshima twiddling with photo sizes. Which also reminds me, I'm now halfway into my trip and that makes me sad! Meaning that I will only have about two more weeks over here, then return home and start job-hunting again.

 

This morning started with a simple breakfast downstairs at the hotel, and then off to find Fujiwara Models, the only other dedicated model train store in the Hiroshima metro area. It's about 10mins or less walk north of the station, but despite Apple Maps claiming the store was open, it clearly wasn't. A check of the website revealed that it's actually having a 'regular holiday' and opens again the day I leave. Hmmm, fine, be a good way to kill some time between checkout on Thursday and departure for Hakata. In the meantime, how about some sightseeing? Go west, young traveller!

 

  

 

I ended up walking right through to Hiroshima Peace Park, and viewed some of the monuments there to the events of 6 August 1945. Viewing the cenotaph in the Peace Park and looking down to the Atomic Bomb Dome (which I'd seen lit up the night before), the reality of what really happened then just... hit me. Rather than challenging myself to push through the emotions, and maybe even visit the Peace Memorial Museum, I decided to find somewhere to finish my lunch, and then head off somewhere a little more emotionally lighter.

 

One thing you'll notice around the Peace Park, there are plenty of groups of elementary school kids there on school trips, and you may be approached by some of them to help complete a school assignment in English. I didn't mind, and one of the kids very kindly gave me a little souvenir for my troubles - an origami crane. One of them probably hand-folded it, which is really nice. I'm going to bring it back to New Zealand with me.

 

So, where did I end up? Stay tuned for part 2!

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Last episode, our hero had found himself almost overwhelmed by emotion at Hiroshima's Peace Park. Now understanding something of the gravity of what happened in 1945, he set off to find something emotionally lighter and more enjoyable. Will he succeed? Stay tuned, dear viewer!

 

OK, overly dramatic (which I am good at) but that's it in a nutshell. Now, with only one train shop open and already picked through, what other sightseeing activities could I partake in? Well, I still wanted to find some of Hiroshima's classic heritage trams. Much as I love all forms of rail transport, I am not as keen on the more modern LRV's that snake through Hiroshima like a worm wrapped in tinfoil. And with a few sightings of ex-Kyoto 1900's the night before, I wanted more. There was a whole fleet of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Hiroshima trams to get through!

 

And luckily for me, the Aioi Bridge obliged. Just moments after leaving the Peace Park, a flash of two-tone green appeared behind a JR bus. Could it be? It was! Kobe 582 headed west, and I snapped a few photos for the memories. Now that was good timing! But that was only the appetizer, for over the Aioi Bridge and heading to my next destination came another classic tram, ex-Kyoto 1908. Wahoo! I would get a ride on a 1900 after all!

 

  

 

My destination for the afternoon was Hiroden-honsha-mae, home to the main Hiroden depot and a small (free) viewing platform in an adjacent carpark overlooking the internal depot fan. A quick dash to the depot entrance revealed something... several classic trams, including Hiroden 352 and 651! Once at the viewing platform, four more classics became visible - Kyoto 1903 in the maintenance shed, Osaka 672 and Kobe 1156 in the sidings, and for good measure Hiroden 652 trying to hide between a 5000-series and the maintenance shed. The sight of these classic trams, several of which I have Tomytec models of, almost brought me to tears (no mean feat!), before I managed to collect myself and set to with camera (as above) and iPod (as below) for some good old-fashioned bash photography.

 

I spent most of the afternoon hanging out here and watching trams, including a few shunt moves as 1156, 672 and 651 were trundled around the depot, 1902 was pulled from the maintenance shed, and 582 was brought in. And I wasn't the only one there either; during my sojourn a tour guide biked up with two tourists and explained to them something of the Hiroden's history during World War II, and how they were affected in 1945. Very interesting to listen to! And just before I left, a mother and her young son came along and to my surprise, the mother took the time to talk to me in English and ask whether I was interested in the trams, and where did I come from?

 

  

 

It's a nice little spot, and a walk around the depot block gave me views into some of the workshops space and around the maintenance shed, where I found 'Train Rouge', ex-Osaka 768 trying to hide behind 652 alongside the maintenance shed. The smells of grease and hot metal immediately took me back to Ferrymead and the tram barns there... bliss. But be careful not to get too caught up in your photos as I did, or you might miss your tram back. I lost a second ride on a 1900 for that very reason, and ended up settling for a tinfoil-wrapped worm back to Hiroshima Station.

 

Tomorrow's activities call for a trip to Miyajima Island, and then a tram ride to the end of the line at Eba to visit the small depot there. Still haven't found all of the Osaka and Hiroden classic trams yet, though I must be getting close to finishing the Kyoto 1900s by now!

 

Alastair

Edited June 13, 2023 by ED75-775
Uncooperative photos keep moving around!

[cteno4]

The museum is very worth a visit Alistair. It is emotional but one of those things that is good to experience even if it hurts as it’s what is needed to learn the lesson that you think you know, but the experience makes you learn it in a deeper way that’s really needed. It’s not a gruesome presentation, much is in English and it’s not a long visit. They use to have talks by survivors (probably few of those now) that were especially moving and real. Again worth the pain to grow.

 

Jeff

[ED75-775]

You’re not wrong there Jeff, it is well done, and there’s a part of me that’s glad I visited. It’s harrowing, very sobering, but the story it tells must be told so we don’t forget.

 

Quick update: after Miyajima in the morning and the Peace Memorial Museum this evening, I got out to Eba Depot for some classic tram hunting. Photos will follow later, right now I’m on the tram back to Hiroshima Station to grab dinner...

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Time for more pretty pictures because why not?

 

Today's adventure called for braving the rain and heading to Miyajima, or, to give its proper name, Itsukushima. Time to go back for the umbrella, head to the Hiroshima Station, and head down the San'yō Main Line towards Miyajimaguchi...

 

While the trip from Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi won't win any awards for being a great scenic train journey, it's still pleasant enough as it weaves through Hiroshima's suburbs, leaping over occasional rivers and diving through three short tunnels. And as a bonus, there's plenty of freight train action; if you like KoKi's, this is a good trip to do, as chances are you may see a freight train somewhere along the way. I got lucky; during my time on the train or at Miyajimaguchi throughout the day, I saw no less than six freight trains! Though by now I must admit that I am fed up of EF210s and hunger for something a bit... different.

 

 

First cop of the day, pre-production EF210-901 slips through Hiroshima with a southbound freight. By the time we'd left two more freight trains had passed through, a northbound one behind heavy banker version EF210-302 and another southbound service behind a third EF210. Also, watching KoKi wheels through an open deck is kinda a vibe. Not something I'm used to. Passenger services on this line are, from an enthusiastic viewpoint, almost all Series 227 'Red Wing' units which is kind of disappointing if like me you like some variety in your operations. On the way back though, I got lucky with a Setouchi yellow two-car 115 series; the leading car with a flat front (mid-train but without a gangway?) and the trailing car with the classic bug-eyed headlights.

 

 

Timing is everything at Itsukushima-jinja and to my delight my timing was perfect: the tide was out! So naturally I walked out to the great Torii gate and took some photos, before trotting across the bay and checking things out on the other side. Being as wet as it was, the Sika deer weren't too active although I did see one nearer to the port that decided the drawcords on a young lad's shorts looked rather tasty. I kid you not! There were others around sheltering under trees or bridges, but as things dried out a few of them returned to their regular scavenging ways.

 

And no, I didn't tour any shrines or temples per say, although I did wander through a Buddhist temple complex that for whatever reason had a sign forbidding the use of motor vehicles, leaving me to wonder if that included the forklift parked behind the shrine. Did the forklift count as maintenance equipment and was thus exempt from disturbing the Buddha enshrined within? And more to the point, was the forklift even owned by the shrine? Or maybe by a local business who happened to keep it there? So many questions, so many different scenarios to play out. Over to you and your overactive imaginations, fellow forum members!

 

 

Low cloud hung over Mount Misen during the day, which gave the island a sort of brooding air of mystery. By mid-afternoon the rain was clearing, and I could walk around without needing my umbrella after a late lunch at the island's Starbucks - the staff there are reasonably versed in English, which stands to reason as it's on the tourist trail, and the second-floor verandah has a great view over towards the mainland. I also picked up the latest Hiroshima Starbucks mug, which makes seven mugs in total to date and that's only part way through the trip!

 

Back on the mainland and after some hassle with the Popondetta app, which proves to be almost unmanageable for those not fluent in Japanese, I decided to take the advice of @cteno4 and pay a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It's a sobering experience. Seeing some of the artifacts that survived the bombing, it really hits home just how destructive this thing really was. I didn't stay too long, and somehow I coped although I think someone else who was there at the same time may not have.

 

But that wasn't all for today folks! I'll be back in a bit with some more!

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Final wrap up from me today folks, I move on to Kyushu sometime tomorrow afternoon with plans to check in after 3PM - which will likely be a drop off for my bags, and then haul tail to both Popondetta, the bookshop across from Popondetta, and then Hobby Land Pochi to see what they have to tempt me with. Probably something, if my eccentric ramblings in the 'What did you order' thread are anything to go by.

 

When I left off, I had just left the Peace Memorial Museum and needed some lighter fare to round off the day. Since I can't navigate Popondetta's Japan-only app, I decided that the best thing to do was conclude my Classic Tram Tour with a trip down to Eba depot. This smaller depot, I hoped, contained the last of the classic Hiroden cars that I hadn't seen at Hiroden-honsha-mae the day before. I made it with some residual daylight remaining on board another tinfoil-wrapped-worm, alias GreenMover LEX 1004, and headed straight for the depot gates. There was already a tram waiting at the gate, 700-series No. 714, which would shortly head out and meet sister 713 at the nearby terminus platforms.

 

 

With just the LEX now in the yard, I could look down to the tram depot behind, and... success! Hiroden 156 and 653 were clearly visible. Moving further down along a bike shed by the depot ladder revealed three ex-Kyoto 1900s (1911, 1909 and 1910) plus ex-Nishitetsu 602 in behind, while trawling back up confirmed that ex-Osaka 913 was also on property. Goooooaaaalllll!

 

 

Getting a picture of this little lot took some doing, and some craning my camera onto the fence so I could shoot over and into the tram depot. Ah, the sweet taste of victory! But while I had sighted them slumbering peacefully, I wouldn't be riding these anytime soon. According to Hiroden's own fleet list, the 650's and Nishitetsu 602 are used during the morning peaks on certain routes (1, 3, 5 and 7 for the 650s, 1 and 6 for 602) while 156 is currently in storage. 653, of course, runs as an event tram commemorating the events of 6 August 1945. Nothing is mentioned for the ex-Osaka cars or 352, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are also restricted to morning-peak services too.

 

 

With that now ticked off the List of Things that Must Be Done, I could tram back to Hiroshima Station in time for dinner. This time I called upon the services of car 809, which I had to myself until the first stop. It took me right through to Hiroshima Station, where I disembarked and headed for Ippudo Ramen for dinner. I have to confess, I love Ippudo's chashu especially when it's had a chance to imbibe some of the flavours from the ramen broth. I now expect a full discourse from forum members over where the best ramen stores are; personally I lean towards Ieiki Ramen in Shinjuku, flying under the radar with simple but delicious ramen and chilled handles of soft drink or orange juice for just ¥300. What can I say? My body runs on sugar as much as steam!

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it, eh?

 

It’s travel day today, and after leaving my big suitcase at the hotel for the morning, I traipsed off looking for things to do to kill time. Junkodo Books had a nice selection of railway material but nothing brought, and I was the first customer through the doors at Fujiwara Mokei today. Nice little shop, selection ok but again, nothing brought.

 

I booked my luggage reservation early, settling for Kodama 849 but not registering even after a visit to @TestudoToTetsudo‘s thread that @Kamome had warned of this being the Hello Kitty Shinkansen. I had expected a Hikari Rail Star for some reason...

 

Oh well, a 500 is a 500 when all’s said and done. And I snapped a photo of a ‘proper’ liveried 500 at Shin-Iwakuni so I am pleased to say, I am doing much better than last time when I saw and rode no active 500’s at all!

 

EDIT: just reached Shin-Yamaguchi and the turntable area is chock-full of KiHa 40 and 47 DMUs. Plus there’s a smart looking DE10 in the sidings on the far side of the station, which may be one of those used on DL Yamaguchi in recent times. Just what the doctor ordered!

 

Alastair

[kuro68000]

Fantastic photos, Alastair. Thank you very much for sharing.

[JR East]

Hiu @ED75-775, I don't know if you had a chance to ride thru Okayama Station (in direction to Shin Osaka) but very close to it, there is a depot, a nest of KiHa 40

 

Here is a Google view : https://goo.gl/maps/u8WaPNpYAAbsZ3t89

 

And below so shots I made as the Sinkansen went thru (resized to medium) : 

 

 

and here ... zooming into one picture

 

 

 

Shot on April 4th, 2023

 

JM.

 

[ED75-775]

Yep, passed through Okayama on Tuesday and I did see plenty of KiHa's there too. Also a lot of 115's on the other side of the station and Shinkansen tracks, including the Shonan-liveried set which, if my memory is correct, is being released or re-released by Kato later this year. Those are some pretty good pictures you got!

 

Quick update: I'm now happily ensconced in Hakata, and looking forward to spending a couple of days doing new things, and a few familiar ones for old times' sakes. I've already hit two train shops today, can't say that either was overly thrilling but did make two purchases which I'll post later. I also need to make a reservation for the SL Hitoyoshi so I can ride that this weekend. I won't be pleased if I miss out on that one!

 

Sadly for me the Hitoyoshi will be my last main line steam trip as I found out earlier yesterday the SL Yamaguchi is out of service this month, and will resume as the DL Yamaguchi next month with either paired DE10's or Shimonoseki-based DD51 1043. While I don't know what has happened to D51 200 or C57 1 that both went out of service at the same time, I suspect I will see them under maintenance later this month at the Kyoto Railway Museum, meaning once again I may be unlikely to see that C57 in one piece! It was undergoing overhaul during my previous visit in 2019.

 

Alastair

[Yugamu Tsuki]

Are you taking the SL Hitoyoshi and going to the namesake town or just the train? I'm planning on hitting up Hitoyoshi myself when I visit (want to do the rafting and Sochu brewery vitis) but I'm trying to figure out which buses go where still.

[ED75-775]

57 minutes ago, Yugamu Tsuki said:

Are you taking the SL Hitoyoshi and going to the namesake town or just the train? I'm planning on hitting up Hitoyoshi myself when I visit (want to do the rafting and Shochu brewery visits) but I'm trying to figure out which buses go where still.

Unfortunately the SL Hitoyoshi does not run to its namesake town anymore, as large parts of the Hisatsu Line were destroyed including the two major bridges over the Kuma River during the 2020 Kyushu floods. I understand that prefectural governments are trying to get the railway restored, but it's dependent on large sums of money being stumped up to make it happen. You may want to ask @SL58654Gō about the state of negotiations as he's based in Kumamoto and has been involved in campaigning to get the railway running again.

 

The train itself wasn't affected and nowadays runs between Kumamoto and Tosu, although it's due to retire at the end of FY2023 due to JR Kyushu finding it too expensive and difficult to maintain a 100-plus-year-old steam locomotive. Hence why I am so keen to ride it before it finishes and goes back into museum life.

 

Alastair

Edited June 15, 2023 by ED75-775