Myanmar to get 15 JR West KIHA181s

[miyakoji]

Just saw this on Ompuchaneru.  7 cars will go on February 6, the other 8 will go on February 8, all from the port of Shimonoseki.  They've been stored since last March at Shimonoseki General Depot which is at Hatabu Station.  Japanese Wikipedia shows a lot of 181s transfered to JRW upon the privatization of JNR, but I didn't see any recent numbers.  I'll keep looking.

 

http://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/2012/02/page_1386.html

[bikkuri bahn]

Well, there goes the claim that they were retired because "spare parts were hard to get". 'Suppose Myanmar will reserve some as parts mules.  They were just old, and too expensive to run, I guess.  I just hope they are kept in decent running condition- the hvac systems need to be kept in order as these units don't have windows that open.  I wonder if 500hp per car performance is really needed on Myanmar's railways- it's not like these units need the acceleration to maintain schedules threaded between shin-kaisokus like they did on the Kobe Line (Tokaido Line).

 

Even as late as 2002 there were decent numbers of these units running in JR West territory, mainly on sections of the San-in Line, and in their proper JNR ltd. express colors.  I rode a couple, including one service ending at Kokura- I was the only passenger in the lead car of a 3 car train.

[Guest ___]

I'm astonished by Japan's official policy towards the current Burmese military Junta, that the Japanese government would allow such a sale. Unless something has changed, my understanding is that Japan has a trade embargo against Rangoon and biz is currently prohibited.

[miyakoji]

Shashinka that's an interesting point that hadn't occurred to me.  Maybe it's considered a donation or something?  Maybe there really aren't parts available for these things and they'll only run for 8 months! 

[Guest ___]

Not sure about donations, even in humanitarian relief. We've been trying to do that for years. The closet I have seen in donations or humanitarian missions to Burma has been a few refugee orphanages in Thailand, and some covert operations training to Karen, the Kachin and the Wa. Little harder to smuggle in a used train than some guns to rebel minorities in an effort to avoid ethnic cleansing.

[miyakoji]

No new information, but here's a photo on Tetsudo Fan's news site:

 

http://railf.jp/news/2012/02/07/220000.html

 

And an Ompuchaneru contributor was out there too:

 

http://rail-uploader.khz-net.com/index.php?id=1015335

[keitaro]

i think the idea is to persuade them to not be the way they are... as a will of good gesture they are likely trying to get them to open up allow for better governing etc.