JR Hokkaido 733/735 series

[bikkuri bahn]

With only 3 days left to the introduction of EMU's on the Sassho Line, the new 733/735 trainsets have been active:

733 series test runs on the Sassho Line.

 

735 series (aluminum body) revenue run on the Chitose Line, stopping at Osatsu Station.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJc4R7We39Y&feature=related

735 series on Hakodate Main Line, Asari Station

[Densha]

The Kiha train in the first video is much shorter than two coupled EMU's, and I don't see many passengers either, is it actually needed to have a couple of them?

In the second video the train seems really quiet and also very smoothly stopping and accelerating, seems comfy. Just like in the 3rd video.

 

These don't look like the cheap built commuter trains around Tokyo, maybe these are built for using a longer period of time.

They also look very much like previous trains from Hokkaido. I'm also a bit confused by the naming of the series, because they seem identical but belong to different series; 731/733/735.

[KenS]

They're not identical.  The 731 and 733 are stainless steel, the 735 is aluminum. Also, the 731 was built 1996-present. And of the new ones, 733 is built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and 735 by Hitachi. (all data per English wikipedia pages for the three models). The 735 also appears to have been limited to two sets of three to test the use of aluminum in cold environments. So the 733 is really just an update of the 731, and it's normal in Japan for that kind of update to use a new number (not required; may trains evolve over the manufacturing period without getting a new number).

 

They're JR Hokkaido trains, so they might not follow the JR East design philosopy of building trains for short lives and lower build cost ("half the life for half the cost"). The commuter-dense Kanto region served by JRE probably puts a lot more wear and tear on trains, making maintenance more expensive earlier in the lifetime of a train. I'd expect Hokkaido to be a very different operating environment. But I don't know anything specific.

 

The new trains were designed to MU with the older ones, and there's no mention of the new ones replacing the old ones (in English, anyway; sometimes that's less detailed than Japanese wikipedia, which I haven't checked).

[Densha]

They 731 seems also different in my eyes, and so the 733/735 an update like you say, but the 733 and 735 seem even more identical. After looking at some pictures it looks like the 735 doesn't have the green stripe at the side and the doors from the driver a bit different.

[KenS]

I expect the 733/735 were two competing designs for a refresh, and the 733 won.

[Densha]

Where I live they would have already scrapped the 735 series in that case, because they don't like if there are trains which need special treatment because they differ a bit and that's too expensive. Sometimes...

[keitaro]

i love the 733/735 it reminds me of a kiha at the front examples being kiha 130 hidaka or 160 with a more modern twist

 

i have added it to my list of wants.

 

ahh thats it was was also thinking of the kiha 201

[bikkuri bahn]

The Kiha train in the first video is much shorter than two coupled EMU's, and I don't see many passengers either, is it actually needed to have a couple of them?

 

Probably an off-peak service.  Six-car trains are definitely needed in the AM and evening rush hours.  This is very much a suburbs to CBD type of commuter operation (however, unlike the U.S., reverse/offpeak commute service is still good- basically 20 minute headways off-peak).

[bikkuri bahn]

First day of electric services on the Sassho/Gakuentoshi Line:

[Guest ___]

The 733/735 sorta grow on ya.

[bikkuri bahn]

The 733/735 sorta grow on ya.

 

Yeah me too.  I never really liked their predecessors, the 731 series (I call them Darth Vaders), though I do like the get up and go of the dual engined kiha 201's, which share the same carbodies. I am starting in particular to like the 735's, their smooth aluminum sides w/o the ugly green stripe appeal to me.

[JR 500系]

That's quite a nice looking train!

 

Does it come as an N guage model? I.e. Kato or Tomix or MircoAce? Short train with less than 8 carriages often appeal much to a poor man like myself...