253-1000 Kinugawa Presentation

[gmat]

I arrived two hours early and shot the train from the opposite platform before the crowds came.

 

 

 

Blazers, hats and a cardboard poster for kids to have their picture taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the table for VIPs who got to tour the train early and received a special handout.

 

 

 

 

The security staff was kept busy saying "Don't cross the yellow line!"

 

One of two ladies with SLRs noticed taking train photos today. There were a few more, but with point and shoot cameras. This is the same lady I saw at Omiya back in Nov.I asked if I could shoot her photo but she declined, but said it was OK to shoot her from behind. Living proof of lady railfans.

 

 

More to follow.

Grant

[gmat]

More:

Now that's real cosplaying.

 

Railfans shooting from the opposite track.

 

The blazers and hats for kids photos. They usually have an 'onesan,' or older sister to help out. But sometime they have guys.

 

 

 

Posting the plans for the interior again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powder corner for the ladies to touch up their makeup.

 

 

Another Powder Corner for ladies.

 

More to come.

Grant

[gmat]

More:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to come.

Best wishes,

Grant

[gmat]

More:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The layout shows only one driver unit in the front, but this and the other one says OM-2. So maybe it will be double headed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Queuing to shoot the front of the train.

 

 

One More to follow.

Best wishes,

Grant

[gmat]

Last batch:

 

 

The train did a test run afterwards. I waited for over an hour to shoot these. But the train moved passed me too quickly so my shots didn't come out very well.

 

 

Then when I moved to the other side to shoot.....

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[miyakoji]

Great interior shots, thanks gmat.  The 253 in its previous form was the last train I rode in Japan, and it was the first time I rode it, the interior was a bit of a disappointment, in particular I thought it was somewhat claustrophobic, it looked like it was intended to resemble a plane's interior.  The refurbed interior is much better, imho.  I wonder if Nagaden will do anything to theirs.

[CaptOblivious]

Nice shots, Grant!

 

I'm afraid the new paint scheme makes me think of this, though:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Wienermobile-Bologna.jpg[/img]

[gmat]

Good one. I'm thinking Great Pumpkin.

 

Grant

[Guest ___]

The new livery wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that it just looks so faded as thoguh it were painted five years ago and jsut sitting out i nthe sun all that time. It's a train, not a wheel of cheddar, it doesn't need to age.

[Tecchan]

It's a Tobu train but it still has the JR logo?

[ToniBabelony]

It's a Tobu train but it still has the JR logo?

 

It's not a Tôbu train, it's a train from JR East servicing Tôbu-Nikkô. Just as there is a Tôbu train (Spacia) servicing Shinjuku on the same service.

 

Also, I like the adding of Korean to the headmarking.

[Bernard]

Great shots! I can't believe how "clean" the trains are in Japan. I took my family into NYC on the LIRR, and the mess that was left on the train was disgusting....fast food, paper wrappers and newspapers all over the seats and floor!

[disturbman]

Bernard, I'll say three or four things:

- Japan vs USA

- Freshly refurbished rolling-stock vs old rolling-stock

- Limited Express vs suburban

- A unit that still has to carry people (since it has been refurbished) vs one that certainly has already thousands

[miyakoji]

The new livery wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that it just looks so faded as thoguh it were painted five years ago and jsut sitting out i nthe sun all that time. It's a train, not a wheel of cheddar, it doesn't need to age.

 

:laughing3:  Although, I'll say that the real thing is not as bad as the artists' renderings prior to the debut.

 

Bernard, I'll say three or four things:

- Japan vs USA

- Freshly refurbished rolling-stock vs old rolling-stock

- Limited Express vs suburban

- A unit that still has to carry people (since it has been refurbished) vs one that certainly has already thousands

I saw some NYC MTA pics on Ompuchaneru once, there was no commentary on the rolling stock, only on the filth that had accumulated on the tracks.  

[Jcarlton]

The new livery wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that it just looks so faded as thoguh it were painted five years ago and jsut sitting out i nthe sun all that time. It's a train, not a wheel of cheddar, it doesn't need to age.

 

:laughing3:  Although, I'll say that the real thing is not as bad as the artists' renderings prior to the debut.

 

Bernard, I'll say three or four things:

- Japan vs USA

- Freshly refurbished rolling-stock vs old rolling-stock

- Limited Express vs suburban

- A unit that still has to carry people (since it has been refurbished) vs one that certainly has already thousands

I saw some NYC MTA pics on Ompuchaneru once, there was no commentary on the rolling stock, only on the filth that had accumulated on the tracks.  

It would be nice if people from around the world didn't come to NYC and spray paint all over our trains.  As for trash, if you have even a few people who don't care enough to throw in the very handy trash can, no amount of cleaning will ever catch up.  Yo would not believe how hard the TA has been trying to make things better since the '70's.  I know a bunch of these guys and to hear them talk about how the system gets trashed is just depressing.

[westfalen]

Great shots! I can't believe how "clean" the trains are in Japan. I took my family into NYC on the LIRR, and the mess that was left on the train was disgusting....fast food, paper wrappers and newspapers all over the seats and floor!

I've been on Yamanote line trains that have been in service all day and carried as many passengers on one train as our whole network does in a week that still looked as good as this. There are odd exceptions but always amazes me too.

 

To those who don't like the paint scheme, my verdict is still out, you've got to admit they've done a first class job on the whole train.

[Bernard]

Bernard, I'll say three or four things:

- Japan vs USA

- Freshly refurbished rolling-stock vs old rolling-stock

- Limited Express vs suburban

- A unit that still has to carry people (since it has been refurbished) vs one that certainly has already thousands

I blame the passengers for the filth, and most of them are not the rush hour (regular) commuters, it's mostly the ones coming into the city for sporting events or concerts. The other sad thing is these are the New trains.

[gmat]

I think that part of it is the conscious decision for companies and municipalities in the US to cut costs by deferring or minimizing maintenance. If you look at the cleaning staff at a busy Japanese train station, for example Shinjuku, they have enough custodial staff so that someone can walk around to pick up litter and clean up dirty spills at regular intervals. This is in spite of the fact that they have limited the number of trash cans at station platforms. Thanks to ...  Also, a clean facility does tend to make people less inclined to throw litter around. There are still those that litter, but the system works against them. Graffiti is another matter.

Grant

[Martijn Meerts]

Bernard, I'll say three or four things:

- Japan vs USA

- Freshly refurbished rolling-stock vs old rolling-stock

- Limited Express vs suburban

- A unit that still has to carry people (since it has been refurbished) vs one that certainly has already thousands

I blame the passengers for the filth, and most of them are not the rush hour (regular) commuters, it's mostly the ones coming into the city for sporting events or concerts. The other sad thing is these are the New trains.

 

Over here the railroad company is actually (partially) to blame. They try to cram in more and more seat, leaving less space for waste bins. In the new-ish doubledecker intercities, there's 1 tiny waste bin for 4 people. The bins are so small, you can't even fit an empty coffee cup in there ;)

 

Of course, you could say passengers should take their junk with them and toss it in the waste bins on the platforms, but it would be nice if it was easier to dispose of it in the train itself. Regardless though, there are plenty people who think it's fun and cool to leave as much junk behind as they can, and if you tell them they should take their junk with me, you'll get an involuntary ride on an ambulance...

[Tecchan]

It's a Tobu train but it still has the JR logo?

 

It's not a Tôbu train, it's a train from JR East servicing Tôbu-Nikkô. Just as there is a Tôbu train (Spacia) servicing Shinjuku on the same service.

 

Also, I like the adding of Korean to the headmarking.

 

So it's a JR Train servicing a Tôbu Station on Tobu tracks with Tobu livery. Am I right? ^^,

Sometimes Japanese multiple train companies can be very confusing... I bet a lot of people don't get why they can't board a non JR train with their JR Pass: "But they told me I could take any train with it!".

[bikkuri bahn]

So it's a JR Train servicing a Tôbu Station on Tobu tracks with Tobu livery. Am I right?

 

I don't think it's really intended as an imitation of Tobu's livery, it certainly is more garish.  Back in the day, there was quite a competition between Tobu and (the then) National Railways, with JNR using their Nikko Line.  But Tobu continuously improved their services while JNR languished.  Eventually, JNR (now JR) gave up, and here you see the result.

 

Regarding litter on trains, I've been told that back in the fifties and sixties in Japan, the trains, especially the long distance ones, were quite dirty, with passengers throwing all sorts of garbage on the floors (and out the windows).  Of course, back then all the cars were smoking cars too.  Things have changed for the better.

[westfalen]

It's a Tobu train but it still has the JR logo?

 

It's not a Tôbu train, it's a train from JR East servicing Tôbu-Nikkô. Just as there is a Tôbu train (Spacia) servicing Shinjuku on the same service.

 

Also, I like the adding of Korean to the headmarking.

 

So it's a JR Train servicing a Tôbu Station on Tobu tracks with Tobu livery. Am I right? ^^,

Sometimes Japanese multiple train companies can be very confusing... I bet a lot of people don't get why they can't board a non JR train with their JR Pass: "But they told me I could take any train with it!".

Of course you can in fact ride a non-JR train with a JR pass when it is running over JR tracks but on the other hand you can't ride a JR train when it is running over non-JR track.

 

I wonder what the pass validity is on this service as it is one that non-railfan tourists to whom a train is a train are most likely to use.

[bikkuri bahn]

I wonder what the pass validity is on this service as it is one that non-railfan tourists to whom a train is a train are most likely to use.

 

Pass holders have to pay the fare in the Tobu section between Kurihashi and Tobu-Nikko.

[westfalen]

I wonder what the pass validity is on this service as it is one that non-railfan tourists to whom a train is a train are most likely to use.

 

Pass holders have to pay the fare in the Tobu section between Kurihashi and Tobu-Nikko.

Thanks, that fits in with what happens elsewhere.

 

I wonder how many unsuspecting tourists board the train at Shinjuku only to later have the conductor ask for the extra fare.

[Guest ___]

I think that part of it is the conscious decision for companies and municipalities in the US to cut costs by deferring or minimizing maintenance. If you look at the cleaning staff at a busy Japanese train station, for example Shinjuku, they have enough custodial staff so that someone can walk around to pick up litter and clean up dirty spills at regular intervals. This is in spite of the fact that they have limited the number of trash cans at station platforms. Thanks to ...  Also, a clean facility does tend to make people less inclined to throw litter around. There are still those that litter, but the system works against them. Graffiti is another matter.

Grant

 

Here's a good one for ya. I was reading the Straits Times yesterday (Singapore's newspaper) a group of kids got in to the SBS Transit yard and graffiti the hell out of a train set. The kids got out uncaptured only to have SBS file a police report the following day. The report found its way to the LTA (Land Transport Authority) who in turn fined SBS Transit the maximum fine possible of S$50'000 for not having sufficient security to protect a private company's assets. It's almost like a bugler breaking in to your house, stealing your stuff, and when you file a police report, they fine you for not having a home alarm.