Micro Ace "Viva Aizu" 485-1000

[KenS]

Someone had asked me for photos of my new Micro Ace Viva Aizu, and I thought I'd post them here for others to see.  It's posed on the partially sceniced "curve above the village" part of my layout, which isn't operational yet (although I did hook up a DC power pack and drive it into position as the first half of the curve is wired, so that almost counts).

 

It's a six-car train, with two cab cars, two passenger cars with pantographs (AC/DC model), one ordinary passenger car, and one "Aizu Invitation Car" which has half the windows blanked, and the rest looks like a lounge car with small circular tables. 

 

Photo 1: all 6 cars on the curve

 

Photo 2: the cab car adjacent to the motor car. Note the green mark next to the door; this is the "green" (first class) car.  According to the Japanese wikipedia page reserved seating was a feature kept even after the express was downgraded in 2003 to something that doesn't translate ("Reiner Idzu thing"?, gotta love Google).

 

Photo 3: This is the motorized car.  It's hard to tell the seating ends at the window line. This is the second car (following the cab) in the set.

 

Photo 4: The "Aizu Invitation Car" (the logo at the end says this plus "Viva Aizu" and "Shuttle Express", where the other cars just say "Viva Aizu" with no additional words.  This is the fourth car in the set.

 

Photo 5: The first car with pantographs. This is the third car in the set (between the motor car and the Invitation car).  I skipped over the second power car (fifth car in the set) as it's essentially identical.

 

Photo 6: the other cab car (identical to the first except that it's normal class seating). Sixth and last car in the set.

[Bernard]

Ken - Nice train and the layout is looking great!

[westfalen]

Photo 4: The "Aizu Invitation Car" (the logo at the end says this plus "Viva Aizu" and "Shuttle Express", where the other cars just say "Viva Aizu" with no additional words.  This is the fourth car in the set.

I've got some video of the interior of the Aizu Invitation Car I took when I rode the train in 1997. I'm off to work now but I'll post it when I get the chance.

[KenS]

I've got some video of the interior of the Aizu Invitation Car I took when I rode the train in 1997. I'm off to work now but I'll post it when I get the chance.

 

Looking forward to it!

[westfalen]

Here you go. No much but it shows what it is/was like.

 

[KenS]

Interesting video.

 

So it looks like the Invitation Car is/was used to display local history or something along those lines, and also contains some tables.  Was it a food-service car of some kind, or a "bring you own" dining car, or were the tables used for something else?

 

Which stations did you ride between and what was the ride like?

[westfalen]

Interesting video.

 

So it looks like the Invitation Car is/was used to display local history or something along those lines, and also contains some tables.  Was it a food-service car of some kind, or a "bring you own" dining car, or were the tables used for something else?

 

Which stations did you ride between and what was the ride like?

 

We rode from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Koriyama then Shinkansen to Tokyo, the ride was pretty good for older cars on a secondary line (by Japanese standards), but then they knew how to build them in those days. As far as I remember there was no food service on the train except maybe a refreshment trolley service, the seats and tables appeared to be just somewhere to sit with your own food, I think we went to a 7-11 outside the station before we left.

[SubwayHypes]

hey the layouts looking good ken, i almost bought that same train i saw it at TAM TAM for 14,700 i was tempted.

[KenS]

If anyone's interested, HS is showing this as restocked today:

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10100662