Start of a Holiday Season - a chance to shoot rare trains

[gmat]

Toni, if you are going to shoot trains during Golden Week, the first day tomorrow should have some extra trains running. I would look for the Azusa running out of Shinjuku after nine in the morning to be a 183 or 189. It would be on track 11 and leaves after the 215 View Yamanashi for Kobuchizawa. There should be a bunch of people around to snap a quick shot or four. Next Friday would also be a good time and you should see it again. Or you can snap it passing through Hachioji Station. There might be a few special charters using 183/189s or the round nose 485s.

 

I'll be there from 4:45 until 915 or so. There are a couple of freight trains that run north before 7:00.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[bill937ca]

I posted this blue train yesterday.

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/7294-nico-nico-chokiagi-chartered-blue-train/

[ToniBabelony]

Sounds extremely tempting! Though, as my girlfriend is free, I'll be spending most of my time with her instead of trains... I will however have some time to do some train spotting while on the road as I'll be heading to Hakone in a few days, as well as Shimodate. I doubt I'll be able to snap specials, but most certainly the regular trains in those areas, which are also pretty interesting (especially the older types).

[gmat]

I know the feeling. When I travel with my wife, shooting trains is often quite limited. It's rush to catch the next train. 

 

Grant

[ToniBabelony]

I know the feeling. When I travel with my wife, shooting trains is often quite limited. It's rush to catch the next train. 

 

Hahaha, guess I'm pretty lucky that my girlfriend leaves me quite some room to snap something interesting on stations and on strolls near railway lines. We also regularly watch the train drivers up front and took an advanced driving course together in the Railway Museum. She's not a railway fan, but she understands my hobby a lot :)

[gmat]

It's probably too late, but there is a train leaving Ueno and passing thru Omiya heading Takasaki way sometime after nine. Fans starting setting up tripods on track 7 on the opposite side that it will pass through. They started setting up before four this afternoon. It became so crowded, that the station staff roped off the area that the fans were at. I couldn't catch the name of the train but about 45 fans were here. Mostly young guys.

I think that I'll stick around to see what it is.

 

Grant

 

[bikkuri bahn]

Mostly young guys.

Omiya seems to attract the niwaka tetsu crowd. 

[gmat]

It's a charter train. The platform sign says Party. I wonder what kind of train it might be.

 

Grant

 

[gmat]

A few more station personal came to assist in crowd control. Now two local police came by. There had been boisterious laughter breaking out, but it was hard to guess what the context might have been.

Grant

[gmat]

It was a 6 car night train. It was pulled by a red colored diesel, EF81-138. The sleepers were 24 or 25 series cars.

I had seen this train running through Omiya a number of times over the past year. It was never occupied. I thought that it was for training.

Earlier a chartered 115, the dark blue and white type that runs on the Chuo Line terminated here. It came from the South. I wonder if it used the freight line.

 

Grant

Edited April 27, 2013 by gmat

[bill937ca]

This might be the same train. Taken last night (4/26).

 

 

[gmat]

That's the one. Different diesel loco number. Anyone catch which station it ran through?

Grant

[bill937ca]

Notes on You Tube say the second video was at Kyoto Station.  The train started at JR Osaka and reached Ueno 15 hours later after passing along the Sea of Japan side.

 

A link from one of the videos:

 

http://www.jiji.com/jc/p?id=20130426200359-0014442352

[gmat]

That explains why the crowd was there. It will probably make a return trip in a few days. I shot the Black Ship Train as it ran through Omori station this afternoon. I had just finished my class and it caught me unprepared so I only got a going away shot. Dr. yellow runs tomorrow, so I'll shoot at Shinjuku and maybe Akabane and then head to the station next to Shinagawa to shoot Dr. Yellow and then wait for the Black Ship Train or it's vanilla sister.

Grant

[miyakoji]

Here's a Tetsudou Fan News article on it: http://railf.jp/news/2013/04/25/180000.html

 

Niko Niko Choukaigi-go. Don't know what this was, but both EF81 138 and EF81 108 are mentioned as well as Osaka, Kyoto, Ueno.

[bill937ca]

[miyakoji]

Bikkuri, I assume those are the 'niwaka' in the tobu2181 video that Bill posted. What is the 'ni' in the word?

[gmat]

Niko Niko means smile or grin.

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

Bikkuri, I assume those are the 'niwaka' in the tobu2181 video that Bill posted. What is the 'ni' in the word?

The term "niwaka" refers to anyone who suddenly starts a hobby or interest, particularly because it's a flavor of the moment.  Veteran railfans have come to call many of the younger railfans by this term niwaka-tetsu, and are characterized by their congregating in groups, carrying less expensive point and shoot cameras or even smartphone cameras, and sometimes displaying bad and potentially dangerous behavior.

[ToniBabelony]

The term "niwaka" refers to anyone who suddenly starts a hobby or interest, particularly because it's a flavor of the moment.  Veteran railfans have come to call many of the younger railfans by this term niwaka-tetsu, and are characterized by their congregating in groups, carrying less expensive point and shoot cameras or even smartphone cameras, and sometimes displaying bad and potentially dangerous behavior.

 

I'd be a nikawa-tetsu in that sense... It's just that I don't have the money to buy a more optimal camera than my iPhone :P Then again, I'm a foreigner. Domestic rules don't apply to me.

[miyakoji]

Bikkuri, is it this? 俄 I was imagining waka as 若 for young, but I misunderstood.

[bill937ca]

More video:

 

[bikkuri bahn]

Bikkuri, is it this? 俄 I was imagining waka as 若 for young, but I misunderstood.

Yes, that's it.  In the case of railfans, it's usually written in kana.  The kanji for niwaka is perhaps most often used in weather reports, for sudden, intermittent rainshowers, as in 俄雨.

[bill937ca]

The description of this video translates to Holiday Express Kamakura.

 

[bikkuri bahn]

The description of this video translates to Holiday Express Kamakura.

Yeah, that's a holiday service between Minami-Koshigaya and Kamakura, via the Musashino and Nambu Lines. At Ofuna Station on the return service. The trainset is a 183 series (OM101) based out of Omiya Depot. 115 series have been used also.

Edited April 29, 2013 by bikkuri bahn