Interesting containers

[Krackel Hopper]

All this talk of container yards/cranes/forklifts had me browsing for some freight.

 

I stumbled across this entry:

http://hanadanna.exblog.jp/4042936/

The generator container is very interesting.  Does anyone know anything about these?  How or where they're used?  I did find, this container is from a 2006 MicroAce release: A1490 (6 car set) that came with this unique generator container as well as a couple unique milk advertising containers.

 

 

Then I ran across what is maybe a generator container?  ZGZ-101 is the designation.  It has several vents, a door on the end, and windows out each side.

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/komume1973/e/d6099e73d8addcc1afe04426e37be04b

[KenS]

I had never heard of these, but did turn up a couple of references based on the number on the model: "ZG-3".

 

One was a (machine translated) description of the model: "cool container set after the mosquito JR, in the specification of up to around 1996, with a cool container system was developed by JR Freight breath 50,000 57,000 has been altered from the breath. Container to gain power in the center ZG-3 organization. Other containers in the form of cool UF26A of Nippon Express, two of the 14 ads with illustrations. Logo of "COOL EXPRESS" in container frame chassis."

 

Which makes it sound like it provided power for a container express train of refrigerated UF26A containers.

 

The Japanese wikipedia page for "Container" defines a refrigerated container as "The specification of refrigerated containers with refrigeration own rail freight in Japan, "Cool container system concentrated expression" refrigerated containers with an electric motor powered by electrical cable from the generator and the external ("concentrated expression" below), independently of individual containers "Cool container system dispersion formula" refrigerated containers with diesel engine to power a small generator was mounted directly in there ("dispersion equation" below)."

 

Which suggests that some Japanese refrigerated container trains used separate generators ("concentrated expression") and some used integrated generators  ("dispersion formula" or "equation") for the cooling system (which is how refrigerated International containers are built).

 

Further translation of this section describes a refrigerated container train operating between Hokkaido and the Kanto Region (Tokyo). That would make sense of the cows on the containers, since Hokkaido is known for farms, and I've seen other artwork that associated cows with it. It also appears that the centralized generator method was shortlived (although I'm not certain of that bit) and that current refrigeration uses generators on each container (I'm more sure I read that right, and another wikipedia page notes that the centralized approach is no longer in use).

 

There are further comments that containers passing through the Seikan tunnel (to Hokkaido) must have radio receivers that allow the generators to be turned off when entering the tunnel, to avoid activating smoke detector fire alarms.

 

I found a Microace PDF for the A1490 that used similar language, but referred to the generator as a "ZG-1"

 

Putting that all together the Microace model represents a prototype that may have been in use c. 1988 - 1996 (and possibly longer), but there may have been more than one generator container design (perhaps three iterations, although I haven't run across ZG-2 yet).

 

Here's a photo of one:

 

http://container.pro.tok2.com/imgo_jg/zg3.jpg

[cteno4]

its a milk trains with refrigerated cars and the generator was to make sure always had power. curt has one of these, quite a fun looking train!

 

jeff

[Kamiyacho]

curt has one of these, quite a fun looking train!

 

Yes, it is one of my favorites.

[cteno4]

got milk?!