Shinkansens Design, Fashion & Taxonomy

[westfalen]

I just like the looks of them, I don't care where they ran.

 

That kind of attitude could lead one to go broke on new models.

 

Not that I'm in any danger of that. Certainly not.

Not really, I don't like the looks of recent Shinkansens so I haven't bought one since 1997.

[The_Ghan]

 

Not really, I don't like the looks of recent Shinkansens so I haven't bought one since 1997.

 

I hear you westfalen and note that you were careful not to refer to those ducks as bullets!!!

 

Here here !!

 

The_Ghan

[Kamiyacho]

Topic Summary

Posted on: Today at 12:28:30 pmPosted by: The_Ghan  

Insert Quote

Quote from: westfalen on Today at 03:52:52 am

 

Not really, I don't like the looks of recent Shinkansens so I haven't bought one since 1997.

 

 

I hear you westfalen and note that you were careful not to refer to those ducks as bullets!!!

 

Here here !!

 

 

Good to know that there are more true believers out there.  Every now and then I try to talk myself into buying something "new" like, say, a Series 200 or 300.  But my fascination stops with the Series 100 Grand Hikari.  

[scott]

Not really, I don't like the looks of recent Shinkansens so I haven't bought one since 1997.

 

I'm sure you can find a few other new releases of interest. I hear the model-train industry in Japan has been known to offer several models a year! ;-)

 

Good to know that there are more true believers out there.  Every now and then I try to talk myself into buying something "new" like, say, a Series 200 or 300.  But my fascination stops with the Series 100 Grand Hikari.  

 

I'm more of a limited-express-and-slower person, but I tend to agree about the shinkansens--other than the 500s (Anders has a model of one), I only really like 0s and 100s.

[clem24]

Good to know that there are more true believers out there.  Every now and then I try to talk myself into buying something "new" like, say, a Series 200 or 300.  But my fascination stops with the Series 100 Grand Hikari.  

 

The best looking Shinkansen IMHO is the 200 Series renewal wearing the original cream with green stripe livery (i.e. Tohoku 25th anniversary set).

[The_Ghan]

See?  I've started my band-wagon again!

 

Yup: Japan has 3 kinds of shinkansen:  Bullet Trains, Wedgies and Ducks!  All so named for their shape.

 

Bullets: 0, 100, 200, 500

Wedgies: 300, 400, 800, E1, E3

Ducks: 700, N700, E2, E4, E5, E6

 

... but I'm just making trouble!!!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[KenS]

Yup: Japan has 3 kinds of shinkansen:  Bullet Trains, Wedgies and Ducks!  All so named for their shape.

 

Bullets: 0, 100, 200, 500

Wedgies: 300, 400, 800, E1, E3

Ducks: 700, N700, E2, E4, E5, E6

 

... but I'm just making trouble!!!

 

I don't know, that seems like a good taxonomy to me.

 

Personally I like the Wedgies (and the 500), but mostly the bullets don't do it for me (and the Ducks are downright repulsive, although I'll make an exception for the E5, but I think it's the paint job there that does it).

 

But then I like E231 commuter trains, which are a box on wheels, so what do I know?  

[David]

Yeah, we need that taxonomy expanded to the rest of the Japanese train types.

[Bernard]

I like your breakdown.....it immediately gives me a mental image of what the train looks like. I'm not a big fan of the Duck design, but love the Bullets and Wedgies.

 

See?  I've started my band-wagon again!

 

Yup: Japan has 3 kinds of shinkansen:  Bullet Trains, Wedgies and Ducks!  All so named for their shape.

 

Bullets: 0, 100, 200, 500

Wedgies: 300, 400, 800, E1, E3

Ducks: 700, N700, E2, E4, E5, E6

 

... but I'm just making trouble!!!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[ShinCanadaSen]

Have to say that I really love the 0 series and like the 500. The wedgies and ducks really don't do it for me. However the b train shorty version of the N700 mey just be too cute to pass up. (shrinking the proportions made it look much better).

 

Kai

[disturbman]

Les goûts et les couleurs...

 

Just to say that I don't find Shinkansen very attractive in general. The only one that really catches my eye is the E6 (because of its color scheme) and if I need to force myself, I can find some grace to the 800, the 100 and the 300 Series (in that order). And for me the 500 is one of the worst design wise. The color scheme is just to dark and boring, it doesn't highlight the nose shape and the aerodynamic.

 

But hey, I was born with the "orange TGV" and I might have been quite impressed by it. I still think that the SNCF should abandon it's gray and blue color scheme to go back to the basic and repaint it's TGVs something orange and more appealing.

[grumbeast]

Thank goodness for that!.. I thought I was the only one who can't stand the 500 series.

 

Personally the series 0 is just classis, although I do enjoy most others ( I even have a softspot for the 700 series (but not the N700 for some reason)

 

The problem with the whole Japanese rail system is the more you get into it, the more you realise that there is so much more cool stuff besides the Shinkansen.  It was the 0 that got me into it.. but now I would rather save my pennies for a series 489 or a Nankai 60000 rap:t

 

bugger.. so many trains.. so little money!..

 

and this doesn't even include all those trains from other countries I love too *sigh*

 

Graham

[quinntopia]

ust to say that I don't find Shinkansen very attractive in general. The only one that really catches my eye is the E6 (because of its color scheme) and if I need to force myself, I can find some grace to the 800, the 100 and the 300 Series (in that order). And for me the 500 is one of the worst design wise. The color scheme is just to dark and boring, it doesn't highlight the nose shape and the aerodynamic.

 

But hey, I was born with the "orange TGV" and I might have been quite impressed by it. I still think that the SNCF should abandon it's gray and blue color scheme to go back to the basic and repaint it's TGVs something orange and more appealing.

 

Interesting, this is sentiment I've felt internally many times, but never expressed.  I particularly like the 'first version' of the TGV with the somewhat angular front compared to the 'smoother' newer versions.  Yes, I wish I could explain that a bit more coherently.  I am also not a big fan of the ICE or Eurostar for similar reasons.

 

On the Japanese side, my favorites are the 500 (which despite its great looks, I can't imagine it looking good on any curve! It just seems like this one should only ever go STRAIGHT!!), and really the Tsubame 800...tough looking, sleek, cool light placement, and a somewhat amusing color scheme...defintely my favorite!

 

But as clearly pointed out, what makes Japan so fascinating is that there is so much diversity beyond the Shinkansens!

[disturbman]

Agree! I also have a sweet spot for what I will portrayed as "brutalist" (or angular) designs. There is some nice designs in those smooth and sleek contemporary designs (like the Series E653 and the Series 789) but I still prefer the TGV PSE (the first version), the Series 783, the Series 781 (one of my personal favourite) and the Kiha 185 (another favourite) over any Series 885 and ICE 1/2 or 3. Of course I forget to speak about the Series 485/489 but those are so iconic that they are automatically included in my list of best design ever. 

[quinntopia]

Saw this video today on ye olde Tube of You, and thought of this thread.  Nice running presentation of various models.  I'm not sure, but he seems to have staged them in chronological order?

 

[clem24]

Saw this video today on ye olde Tube of You, and thought of this thread.  Nice running presentation of various models.  I'm not sure, but he seems to have staged them in chronological order?

 

Bahaha his E1 is prototypically incorrect. Just sayin' LOL. Good vid.

[Kabutoni]

Saw this video today on ye olde Tube of You, and thought of this thread.  Nice running presentation of various models.  I'm not sure, but he seems to have staged them in chronological order?

 

Lol. The stations model is a kit of Bonn HBf from Vollmer. Just the town I live in now where only a few ICE services per day stop (ICE2 and the occasional ICT). I could only wish for a setting with high-speed passings of passenger trains. So far only fright trains pass a high speed through Bonn.

[bikkuri bahn]

Nice sound on that video.  Didn't know shinkansen models could sound so realistic.