Kato - New Releases

[marknewton]

That's an excellent post, very informative and very useful - thanks heaps! :)

 

One question - what does "getaden" mean?

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[mrp]

One question - what does "getaden" mean?

 

 

I liked bikkuri bahn's explanation:

"Yes, these old timers were nicknamed "geta den", after the wooden flipflops/clogs once common in society, as they were the everyday conveyance (feet) of the general public."

Edited August 11, 2016 by mrp

[Ken Ford]

I may not be Mark, but I might be able to provide some additional information.

 

The KuMoHa40/41 and KuHa55 type cars where part of the MoHa40 (after 1959 known as the 40 series) type commuter EMU class built between 1932 and 1943. They where First introduced to the Ōsaka metropolitan area in 1932 and starting with the 1935 production batch  in the Tōkyō area as well, before and during the pacific war they represented the main, 20m, commuter classes in both areas (together with the smaller MoHa42 (42 series) and similar MoHa51 (51 series) classes).

 

The 40 series, because of it's long production run, saw a large number of aesthetic changes during her 11 year production run, and was perhaps the class that best represented the shift in design taking place during the early Shōwa era in Japan. The first production batches featured a flat front, similar to the front used by the 17m class, MoHa33 (later 33 series) built at the same time for the Tōkyō metropolitan area. Starting with the second production batch of 1935 the shape of the front was changed to a semi-streamlined design (Hanryū, or half streamlined), though other design features stayed the same as the earlier batches (they still spotted composite wooden roofs and half cabs at both ends of the cars (similar to American stock of that period) for example). The second 1935 batch can be best described as a transitional design, and the 1936 batch following it introduced another number of changes, including the switch from wooden roofs to steel examples, and the introduction of the full with cab. The second 1935 batch was also the last batch to contain any (Ku)MoHa40 type cars, as production switched to (Ku)MoHa41, and from the 1939 batch onward to the improved (Ku)MoHa60 type cars.

 

Though it would go too far to describe every single change the 40 series experienced during her long production run (nor can I name them all from the top of my head (nearly every batch contained at least some changes)) I think it is important/interesting to look at the changes made during the late 1930's and early 40's.

As the Shōwa era progressed, the military campaign in China rapidly escalated to an all out war in 1937, and the continuously increased demand for resources by the ever more prominent military, further changes where demanded in the construction of railroad equipment, the most important being a reduction in the material needed for construction (initially steel, later copper also became a major focal point). As a result further changes to the 40 series design where implemented. Starting with the 1938 production batch, the material used for the single leaf passenger doors was changed from metal alloy back to wood, The 1939 batch saw the introduction of the electrical welded car body as opposed to the riveted construction used until then, while the 1940 batch saw the re-introduction of the composite wooden roof. All of these changes could also be found on the other series built during the same period (51 series and the late war designed 63 series, while the post war 70, 73(both former 63 series cars and new-builds, minus "all-steel' variants of those designs built in the late 1950's (70-300, 72-920 and 80-300 sub-groups) and 80 series where still built with wooden composite roofs for example).

 

After the end of the pacific war, and during the allied occupation of Japan, the surviving 40 series cars played an important part in the resumption of passenger services in both the Kantō and Kansai areas, Together with the 51 series and 63/72 series they would continue to play their role for commuter services in both regions. A number of 40 series cars where modified for more specialized roles during this period and thus found their way into the 51 series.

The 1953 vehicle format regulations amendment changed comparatively little for the 40 series with the exception of the renumbering of a number of cars, as well as the reclassification and modification of a sub-group of (Ku)MoHa41 type cars into (Ku)MoHa61 type cars (more powerful traction motors, MT15 to MT30), and didn't touch the remaining (Ku)MoHa40 type cars.

With the 1959 vehicle format regulations amendment, and therefore the introduction of the "系"  kanji (referring to 'system' in this case) to describe main series as well as the addition of the current car classification system (for example the addition of the syllable 'Ku' for motorized control cars (previously they where simply designated as a MoHa type car regardless of the availability of a control cab. KuHa was used, but only for trailer cars with a control cab. After the 1959 regulations change motorized ordinary cab cars would be designated as 'KuMoHa' type cars, as well as other changes in the numbering system). After the regulations where implemented, the MoHa40 class was now known as the 40 series, though members of this class could be found in formations with other pre-war series across the country, hence the car type designations (e.g. KuHaNi67 or KuHa55 type) being the preferred method of recognition after 1959.

 

With the introduction of the 'new performance' classes of trains in the late 1950's and early 60's (starting with the 101 series  in 1957, though she was classified as the MoHa90 type before 1959) and especially after the introduction of the 103 series in 1963 and the 113 series in 1964 the older 'getaden' classes where slowly driven away from the primary commuter and suburban lines in The Kantō area (and presumably the same happened in the Kansai area).

A few of the modified former KuHa55 (KuHa55 to KuHaNi67900 conversions) and KuHaNi67 (KuHanI67 to KuHaYuNi56 conversions) type cars found their way to the Iida line with some of them surviving until the end of the 'getaden' era on the Iida in 1983. Others where transferred to less important lines around the Tōkyō metropolitan area (the site Mark linked to has a good overview of the situation in 1976, though this unfortunately only contains the remaining KuMoHa40 type cars, not the other cars in the same series) while I'm not sure when they where retired from the Kansai region though to be honest. The bulk of the remaining 40 series cars where scrapped between 1964 and 1983, with the last of the remaining KuMoHa40 type cars leaving in 1986 (scrapped in 1987).

 

Now, to the actual matter at hand:

 

Based on the photo they show on their site, the Kato model seems to be of one of the second 1935 production batch cars (actually the first car of the batch, if the number Kato shows is the correct one). They don't provide any additional information or pictures on KuMoHa41/KuHa55 combo *no numbers I could find at least). The photo they show is of KuMoHa40061, A Tōkyō metropolitan area version of the KuMoHa40 type cars (there where small differences between the Ōsaka and Tōkyō area cars). As she is clearly marked as KuMoHa40061, it is fair to say that she can only be used after 1959 due to the 1959 vehicle regulations amendment changes. Her sporting a PS13 type pantograph as opposed to her original PS11 also dates her to the post war period. She also seems to be sporting her original single leaf doors with split windows, The earliest photo I could find of KuMoHa40061 showed her in 1962 with the two piece windows already replaced by a single piece window fixed in H-rubber (J.N.R. modernized the majority of their surviving 'getaden' cars throughout the late 50's up until the 1970's, replacing wooden roofs with steel versions, incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lighting fixtures leaky wooden window frames with H-rubber versions etc.), so that would place the Kato model in the late 50's very early 60's at it's latest.

Now If you don't care about tiny details like that (I personally wouldn't go that far in terms of purism), she was used on the Ōme line until the series was retired from that line in 1978 together with the 72 series cars they ran in tandem with.

 

http://kokuden.net/mc53/sub.htm/sub40/sub40-40/sub40-40.htm

 

Has a number of excellent photo's of the 40 series on various lines throughout the mid 1970's, including a number of shots on the Ōme line.

 

Anyway, I hope this information is of use to you (or anyone else for that matter).

 

Phenomenal post - thank you!

[marknewton]

I liked bikkuri bahn's explanation:

"Yes, these old timers were nicknamed "geta den", after the wooden flipflops/clogs once common in society, as they were the everyday conveyance (feet) of the general public."

I must have been having a "senior moment". I posted on that thread, yet I didn't recall bb's explanation. Thanks for the reminder! :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[NXCALE]

Could you please explain what the track is used for? And where is the buffer mostly used?

 

Hi, not actually answering the question but just to place picture of buffer stops

 

Page taken from the set of documentation provided in DavideTreni's post (Link: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/11841-jnr-trains-operation-manuals/).

Really valuable information in there.

 

Cheers,

 

Nxcale

[marknewton]

That Kato product is only a poor simulation of an inspection pit, and wouldn't fool anyone - unless they're half blind.

It not intended to be a simulation of an inspection pit, it's a reasonably accurate representation of a section of an elevated brake examination road. My depot here in Sydney has exactly the same arrangement on the brake roads.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[velotrain]

Just after the Kato photo was posted, there was this question and response:

 

 

sascha:  Could you please explain what the track is used for?

 

 

katoftw:  Open pit in maintenance sheds.  So workers can work on the underbody parts at standing height.

 

 

you:  It not intended to be a simulation of an inspection pit, it's a reasonably accurate representation of a section of an elevated brake examination road.

 

 

I don't know if Japan has "elevated brake examination roads", but I'm going with kato's interpretation - which I suspect is shared by a majority of people here.

 

In point of fact, we don't know what Kato's intentions were, and we won't know unless they tell us - which they likely won't.  We'll have to wait and see what info they provide when the product is formally released.

 

[Densha]

The Kato inspection pit looks very close to this: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/spichu_spichu/11828855.html

Here another photo can be found: http://mitakashibue233.blog24.fc2.com/blog-entry-249.html

[kvp]

Actually the open inspection pit and brake examination road is the same thing, just called by different names at different parts of the world. The idea is to have a section of track, where people could work both on the underside and the outside of bogies without crouching. The open variant is shallower than the full height pit, so people have to sit or lay down on a wheeled platform to get under the bogies. This was probably choosen because it fits into the Kato ballast height without cheating.

Edited August 11, 2016 by kvp

[200系]

Thanks again for the positive responses, I'm always happy to help!

 

 

 

 

One question - what does "getaden" mean?

 

 

'Getaden' is one of the several nicknames used to describe the pre-101 series classes of commuter/express types. Other common nicknames are; 'Old form train' (Kyūgatadensha), referring to the fact that all of the included series where built before the 1959 vehicle regulations amendment came into action, hence using the old format. And another being 'Old national railroad' (Kyūgata Kokuden), referring to the fact that the majority of those classes where built/designed for the old national railroad, as opposed to the post war (1948)~1987) National Railroad (commonly referred to simply as 'Kokutetsu', while we in the west are more familiar with the English acronym, J.N.R.). The last name technically doesn't cover all the 'getaden' series though, as it is only applicable to any series built/designed before the establishment of the new National Railroad in 1948 (so it would theoretically exclude the 72 series, 70 series and 80 series).

 

As for the 'getaden' moniker, there are two different trains of thought (pardon the pun) regarding its origin and meaning. The first theory, the one Bikuribahn mentioned, is that the old trains are compared to 'geta' (wooden clogs) as a sense of familiarity or something that everyone could use, originally it was used to refer to commuter type trains as they were accessible to the common traveler. 

 

The other theory, and the one I ascribe to, is about the use of the moniker 'getaden' specifically for the old form trains. In this theory, the comparison to the 'geta' has more to do with the distinct sound  'geta' produce during walking. This also speaks to the greatest difference between the 'new performance' series and the 'old form trains', the drive system they used, and hence the sound they produced. The 101 series introduced a large number of changes to the Japanese railway system, the biggest innovation was the use of the hollow shaft parallel cardan drive system. This system had been introduced by BBC of Switzerland in 1941, and was first used in Japan on the Keihan 1800 type cars in 1953 (though the WN drive was tested on a few cars of the same series as well). Though the National Railroad preferred the WN-drive, technical limitations at that time made the hollow shaft parallel cardan drive a much easier solution for the 1067mm trucks (with the Shinkansen they did use the WN-drive, while private railroads using 1435mm gauge track adopted the WN-Drive as well). To cut to the chase though, the hollow shaft parallel cardan drive, by nature of its cardanic suspension, produced an entirely different noise footprint in comparison to the nose-suspension drive used by the 'getaden'.

 

As such, even though the late production versions of the 'getaden' series (300 sub-types of the 70 series, 920 sub-types of the 72 series and the 300 sub-types of the 80 series, all built between 1957~1958) approached the 101 series in terms of construction and facilities, their drive system still categorized them as 'getaden' series (even the 1974 rebuilt of 72 series cars using a new-built 103 series body style, the 70 series 970 sub-types where still considered to be 'getaden').

As such, according to this theory, the distinct sound of the nose suspension drive was likened to the distinct sound 'geta' produce during walking, hence the term 'getaden'.

 

For those interested in the subject, I wrote a short article about the different drive systems about a year ago:

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/9601-shinkansen-trainset-aerodynamic-noise-question/?do=findComment&comment=108319

 

Sound recording of a MoHa72-970 (72 series) type car, showcasing the distinct growling noise produced by the nose suspension drive:

 

Sound recording of a KuMoHa100 (101 series) by the same author, notice the much smoother sound produced during acceleration, the grinding noise is still related to the gearing though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQejstZf7RU

 

'getaden' on the Iida-sen; KuHaYuNi56+KuMoHa54100 (both 40 series incidentaly) and KuHa47+KuMoHa54100 (32 series and 40 series respectively)

 

more 'getaden' on the Iida-sen:

 

Hope this answers your question.

Edited August 11, 2016 by 200系

[westfalen]

It not intended to be a simulation of an inspection pit, it's a reasonably accurate representation of a section of an elevated brake examination road. My depot here in Sydney has exactly the same arrangement on the brake roads.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

It is also similar to the arrangement at the former platform one at Roma St station in Brisbane where the rails were raised on concrete blocks to facilitate the watering and servicing of passenger cars while at the platform, no need to be deep enough to get right under the cars but enough to make it easier to service and inspect the running gear.

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by westfalen

[marknewton]

Interesting! Do you know anything about these prototypes, Mark - where they ran, how late they lasted, etc?

G'day Ken,

 

I took some of my 40 series cars down to the club tonight so I could get a photo of them for you.

 

 

Not the best photo, but good enough to show what nice models they are.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

It is also similar to the arrangement at the former platform one at Roma St station in Brisbane where the rails were raised on concrete blocks to facilitate the watering and servicing of passenger cars while at the platform, no need to be deep enough to get right under the cars but enough to make it easier to service and inspect the running gear.

Wow, that photo brings back memories! That was our first trip interstate with the 38er and the Bicentennial Train. It was a great experience but a steep learning curve for us all. We had a lot of media coverage along the way, including a live radio interview by Macca with the engine crew as we ran through Border Loop.

 

If you saw a skinny bloke with too much hair wearing a blue flanno shirt, oiling round at Roma St, that was me. Happy days indeed! :)

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

Edited August 13, 2016 by marknewton

[Ken Ford]

G'day Ken,

I took some of my 40 series cars down to the club tonight so I could get a photo of them for you.

image.jpg

Not the best photo, but good enough to show what nice models they are.

Cheers,

Mark.

Very nice, Mark - thank you!

[Das Steinkopf]

Photos are up from JAM 2016 for those of us who are not lucky enough to be there.

 

The Kato inspection pit tracks look really great here when you see them intergrated into a running shed scene.

 

https://www.facebook.com/japantrains.eu/photos/a.783418441799869.1073741854.370705549737829/783431061798607/?type=3&theater

 

The model of the Misakubo No 6 bridge looks absolutely stunning especially when seen in a well crafted diorama scene.

 

https://www.facebook.com/japantrains.eu/photos/a.783418441799869.1073741854.370705549737829/783431321798581/?type=3&theater

[railsquid]

Photos are up from JAM 2016 for those of us who are not lucky enough to be there.

 

The Kato inspection pit tracks look really great here when you see them intergrated into a running shed scene.

 

https://www.facebook.com/japantrains.eu/photos/a.783418441799869.1073741854.370705549737829/783431061798607/?type=3&theater

 

I was going to post that, won't bother now :D

 

T'was a very small Kato stand though.

[Ken Ford]

Has anyone seen part numbers for these?

[katoftw]

New - no part numbers yet.

[Densha]

Pictures of new Kato models from JAM 2016:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN0Vo6A6w5ZUzTf1om6EndKGB87KLR-h48TQXpihQc4RABKBWMxYNwjNO8TuzCtoA?key=TGRVeTFmbU1KejdRb1U2MFpTY0hvQ1NaQ2lGRUJB

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMGoxrRsoJoG7npIzCayr8YuSJxuNOO1bEIiWk70ynongmmrYPF8r63He9kQs2ykg?key=LUtlRGRiNHhsY2tWeHNCd01ROGdnbGdMM1hudjlR

[bill937ca]

Announcement of a N Gauge 50th Anniversary magazine from Kato's Facebook page.  Text in Japanese.

 

 http://katomodels.wixsite.com/50thmm

 

https://www.facebook.com/katomodels/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Edited September 1, 2016 by bill937ca

[railsquid]

Nice, must get that.

[katoftw]

It looks the same as the book that comes with the C50 50th box set.

[ToniBabelony]

Niiice. I should get one and have Mr. Kato sign it himself next time I meet him! xD

[westfalen]

It looks the same as the book that comes with the C50 50th box set.

It's different from the small booklet that came with my C50.  Looks to be a larger size with more pages.

[Gordon Werner]

new announcements from KATO ...

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by Gordon Werner