Let’s Talk About KoMus…

[ATShinkansen]

Specifically, I’m curious as to why there is a 2-axle container car in the first place, and what kind of traffic would warrant one over a KoKi (the older JNR ones)?

[Rod.H]

I'm thinking it's the same thing as all the other operators with 4-wheel rolling stock on the books at the start of container usage. Before the introduction of purpose-built container wagons, they looked at their surplus 4-wheeled and converted them for container use. Now in Australia, VR & SAR had 4-wheel open wagons which could hold a 20-foot container, they eventually removed the sides converting them into flat wagons. The same thing was also done to 4-wheel louver vans. 

 

In the end, it boils down to money: a hot new thing appears, need to support it, and don't want to go all in in case it fails. Start an interim scheme to test....

Japan's gone all in on containers while most places are still on a mix of containers and van cars holding palletised goods. 

[Beaver]

I thought it was to enable container deliveries to minor stations on rural/mountain branch lines where the minimum radius and axle loadings would not accommodate a KoKi?

[disturbman]

CowMews?

[ATShinkansen]

13 hours ago, Beaver said:

I thought it was to enable container deliveries to minor stations on rural/mountain branch lines where the minimum radius and axle loadings would not accommodate a KoKi?

This is more along the lines of what I initially thought.  Perhaps even on lines where the demand for container traffic simply didn’t warrant a full-size 5-container flat car.