Japanese High Speed Train Lines

[katoftw]

Got this thrown in with my last purchase of Kato parts.  Its something I haven't come accross before.  Mostly likely old news for the regulars.

 

Shows the high speed trains available and a little colour coded map of Japan to see where they run.

 

Being a JP modelling rookie, I wasn't too familiar with their running lines. 

Edited October 9, 2013 by katoftw

[JR 500系]

Nice~ 

 

Basically, for shinkansen, there is the Tohoku line - the one that runs up from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori, the Tokaido line - the one from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, the Sanyo line - the one from Shin-Osaka all the way to Hakata (Hakata Minami) and the Kyushu line - from Hakata (Hakata Minami to Kagoshima Chuo). There's some smaller gauge lines like the Akita line where the E3 Komachi and E6 Super Komachi runs, the Shinjo/ Niigata line where the E3 Tsubasa and E4 Max runs and the Nagano line where the E2 Asama runs. I'm quite new too, so hoped i got them right ~~

 

Nice adverts! I'll love to keep them all, especially loving the last picture of the 'Roster' line-up shot ~ Beautiful! 

 

*Kato re-cycled the N700 picture from 2008 i think? for the new N700 Advance advert.... You can actually the N700 printing on the car instead of the large 'A' *

[Densha]

Actually, is there somewhere a complete summary where/what/when Shinkansen run/ran on all lines and services? It would be very interesting to read that.

[John P Boogerd]

It is a nice brochure, though, and I got one, too, with my shipment from HS this week.  It's all N scale which I don't collect but that's okay.

[cteno4]

most of the shops ive used usually throw in brochures like this with orders. really a neat treat. Hobby world was the best, use to throw in the tomytec calendars!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[stevenh]

Why... oh why... have they now completely forgotten the 300? :(

[Densha]

Because Kato didn't make the 300 series, 400 series and 700 series Railstar.

[Mudkip Orange]

One thing that's somewhat fascinating about the Shinkansen is the reason there's no through-running in Tokyo... they run on different power supplies.

 

Tokyo and points north use 50Hz AC, because when Japan was first electrifying they bought European equipment. Everything south of Tokyo, including Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto) is 60Hz, because they bought American equipment. So all of the Shinkansen lines to the north of Tokyo are 50Hz and to the south are 60Hz.

 

This will get somewhat complicated when the Hokuriku Shinkansen opens, because it will bridge the gap... so there's going to have to be dual-mode trains and dead spots, just like our own Northeast Corridor.

[katoftw]

Most of Europe is like that also.

[Ochanomizu]

Japanese: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B9%E7%B7%9A

 

English: Please search "Shinkansen" in Wikipedia.  However, you should note the Japanese site has more detail.

[westfalen]

One thing that's somewhat fascinating about the Shinkansen is the reason there's no through-running in Tokyo... they run on different power supplies.

 

Tokyo and points north use 50Hz AC, because when Japan was first electrifying they bought European equipment. Everything south of Tokyo, including Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto) is 60Hz, because they bought American equipment. So all of the Shinkansen lines to the north of Tokyo are 50Hz and to the south are 60Hz.

 

This will get somewhat complicated when the Hokuriku Shinkansen opens, because it will bridge the gap... so there's going to have to be dual-mode trains and dead spots, just like our own Northeast Corridor.

I will possibly be easier to accomplish with today's technology that which was used when the Shinkansen was first built.  Not having through running is not that unusual, none of Australia's state capitals have through running long distance trains and you can't get through Chicago, London or Paris with out a change of trains.  At least in Tokyo you just have to go to the next platform and wait a few minutes, if there is not already a train waiting.

[Mudkip Orange]

Well you've got three different phenomena here.

 

In the US/Aus you have trains with very long trip times, 2-3 days, so you need so much schedule recovery by the time you get to CHI or NOL that it's easier to have separate trains.

 

In cities like Paris the rail stations are geographically separate and you have to cab or metro from one to the other.

 

I think Tokyo is somewhat unique in having the Shinkansen tracks literally 20 feet apart, identical track gauge, near-identical loading gauge, same voltage... but different frequencies rendering the two systems incompatible.

[westfalen]

I wonder if they have ever done a survey to find out how many people would travel from, for example, Nagoya to Sendai if a through service were available.

[Ochanomizu]

Hello Mr westfallen,

 

A survey is not required.  JR would rely on the ticket transaction.  JR knows when a Nagoya-Tokyo and Tokyo-Sendai tickets are purchased in the one transaction, irrespective of how it is paid for.

 

Personally, I only ever travel up to 3 hours on shinkansen before taking a break.  Perhaps those travelling through Tokyo might welcome a 15 minute break, or even an overnight stop, in the capital before continuing their journey ... I would.

 

Finally, with such a great distance, anyone who needed to travel the length of the country in a hurry would surely fly, right?