JR Hokkaido 735 series enters revenue service, 733 not far behind

[miyakoji]

Youtube is surprisingly lacking videos on the matter, but JR Hokkaido's 735 series EMUs entered regular service on May 1 after being on JRH property since sometime in 2010.  I did a bit of a double take here; the 735 is apparently a test of aluminum as a body material in the Hokkaido weather.  There are only 2 3-car sets of these.  The very similar looking 733 series, built in larger numbers (12 3-car sets) and of stainless steel, are to enter service on June 1.

 

English Wikipedia articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/733_series

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/735_series

 

Tetsudou Fan news articles:

-on 735 series entering service: http://railf.jp/news/2012/05/02/090000.html

-on 12 733 series cars leaving Kawasaki's Hyogo Works: http://railf.jp/news/2012/04/25/185700.html

-on 733 series test runs: http://railf.jp/news/2012/03/22/160000.html

[bikkuri bahn]

There are relatively few railfans up here*, coupled with cr*p weather makes videography not the most pleasant pastime.  And the 735's are few in number, I have yet to see them.  Come June and some more sunlight, along with the start of electrified services on the Sassho Line, expect to see more video of these types.

 

*I believe the presence of private railways, increases the number of railfans.