Sore feet and acute "templitis" (JP#5)

[Nick_Burman]

Hello from Kyoto, where between one temple and another I've been able to fit a few rail activities in. However it is time to move as I'm developing acute "templitis" - aversion to temples of any denomination...

 

When I last reported I mentioned that I had been to Nara on a day trip. Went out by JR Nara line on the "Miyakoji Rapid Service" undertaken by a 220 series MU set. On the way noticed several 103 class units being used on the locals. The return was undertaken by Kintetsu - took an Amagasaki semi-express to Yamato-Saidaiji, then changed to an Kyoto-bound express there. Managed to catch a few glimpses of rush-hour activity at Y-S, with trains being lengthened to accommodate crowds. Riding Kintetsu I discovered how on earth Japanese commuters manage to sneak two winks aboard moving trains - the roadbed is sooo smooth, the trains hardly bounce and roll, even when running through interlockings at top speed. Kyoto Metro trains were in evidence around Tanabe on through runs, and at Takeda I saw their storage yard.

 

Arashiyama was also visited; the trip there was undertaken by JR from Kyoto station. Being a Wednesday, the Sagano Kanko was taking its day off so I was unable to ride the line (and savour the SL & Piano Museum...); the Sagano train was seen on a siding next to Umekoji museum, where I presume it is serviced. The target at Arashiyama was the bamboo grove...if there is one magical place in this planet, that is it. Once inside, time and space seem to have frozen, and the bamboo seems to go on forever. It looks like a place straight of of a RPG game (or at least, designed to be included into one). When I get back home I'll write to Blizzard and suggest they retcon the bamboo grove into World of Warcraft, it would look perfect in Pandaria as a place to undertake quests, maybe even as a PvP battle location.The only thing which breaks a bit the illusion is the ocasional roar of a passing San'in line train. Next to the grove there are two good places for photographing passing trains - one is an pedestrian overpass leading to a cemetery (turn a blind eye to the "no trespassing" sign...) and the other is a level crossing on one of the roads leading out of the forest, closer to the main street. By the time I finished wandering around my feet were crying to high heaven, so we retired for a bite at a cafe next to the Randen station. There I discovered one of the ultimate Japanese railfan experiences...the foot onsen located at the end of the platform. For 200yen you can dip your weary feet in hot thermal water while watching the comings and goings of Randen trams. The price includes a small towel with the image of a Randen car printed on, which you can keep as a souvenir!

 

At Randen Arashiyama, I noticed an interesting technical detail - the station switch panel located in the ticket office is automatic. In normal operation, cars are let in and out of the station without any manual intervention; the station master never touched it in my presence, his tasks being mainly making sure that folks boarded cars in timely fashion and minding the two sales ladies (who sold me the onsen ticket - and a Tomytec Tetsudo Collection model of a Keifuku car, ironically from their Fukui division which they ditched years ago...). We then proceeded to Shijo-Omya, but the days' tramping wasn't over yet...along Shijo to Karasuma, up Karasuma until the Imperial Palace, along the palace walls to Teramachi, down Teramachi back to Shijo, along Shijo back to Karasuma, then down to our hotel one block north of Gojo. You must have fit legs if you ever intend to travel with me...

 

Umekoji was also visited. What a place...the penny still hasn't dropped that I stood gaping up at C62 2 and that I saw a live (being steam tested) C57. Let alone the 8620 pottering on the steam train. One thing that is little know by foreign enthusiasts is the fact that Umekoji is still a "live" steam shed - bays 1 to 7 are used to service JR Central's excursion locos (plus the Sagano train, I believe). Although opening is still well in the future, work on expanding the museum is already moving on, part of the grounds have already been fenced off for the construction of the new facilities. There was a also a line of steam locos standing outside in the yard, but more importantly, #1 "Yoshitsune" was sitting inside the shops completely dismantled - I wouldn't be surprised if JRC wants to steam her for the museum reopening. Considering that one can board several of the locos, I tried several for size. Now I have never driven a steam loco before, but I left with the impression that the Japanese knew how to design a good steam loco from the point of view of ergonomics - all the controls on the engineer's side seemed to be at a handy position; no fumbling or body bending looking for valves or levers. Another conclusion I reached was that Japanese steam men were quite skinny - I had some difficulty getting in or out of the engineer's seat... on the way back to JR Kyoto, I discovered a footpath along the edge of Umekoji Park which, being above the height of the fence, gives one a good view of the tracks. Umekoji also has some preserved Kyoto trolleys, four of which have been turned into a cafe/souvenir store; I call it "Cafe Romen Densha"...

 

Today we went to see Ginkakuji; after exiting, having had enough of temples we decided to go to Demachi-Yanagi and catch the Eiden to do the trip across the top of Mt. Hieizan. However, by the time we arrived at Yase (a neat little station by the way; Demachi-Yanagi is also a neat station and you can find the original structure hidden around the modern paraphernalia) it was raining quite briskly; by the time we exited the aerial cable car at Hiei-Sancho (much, I presume, to the bewilderment do the powerhouse operator...), it was cold and visibility was down to zero. Facing a 2.5km hike to Cable-Enriaku-ji (top station of the funicular from Sakamoto) and with no bus in sight, we backtracked to the hotel via Keihan and Metro. On the Keihan I had the luck of sampling an 8000 series on an Yodoyabashi express - a serious contender for the title of the most comfortable commuter train ever designed?

 

Cheers NB

Edited May 15, 2014 by Nick_Burman

[E6系]

Hello Mr Nick,

 

So sorry the weather spoiled your trip to Mt Hieizan.  It is one of our favourite day trips in Kyoto.

 

Also, with a visit to Arashiyama, did you manage to ride on Keifuku Arashiyama Line?

[Nick_Burman]

Hello Mr Nick,

 

So sorry the weather spoiled your trip to Mt Hieizan.  It is one of our favourite day trips in Kyoto.

 

Also, with a visit to Arashiyama, did you manage to ride on Keifuku Arashiyama Line?

 

No problems, it gives me another excuse to come back to Japan...my trip has barely finished and I'm collecting features that I would like to do again better on my next trip...when and if I pull that one through...

 

Randen = Keifuku. Keifuku cars are branded Randen and the whole line is regularly referred in tourist guides as the Randen.

 

 

 

Cheers NB

[westfalen]

I'll be following in much of your foorsteps next week.

 

I've always liked Umekoji, I think you get more of an authentic steam experience there than some museums where the locos are polished to a mirror shine and stuffed and mounted in a sterile airconditioned bulding.  I hope they don't change it too much.

[E6系]

At Umekoji you can get grease on your hands and smoke in your eyes.  It smells, I believe, like a roundhouse should.

 

That's what a steam museum is all about !!! ;)

[Nick_Burman]

I'll be following in much of your foorsteps next week.

 

I've always liked Umekoji, I think you get more of an authentic steam experience there than some museums where the locos are polished to a mirror shine and stuffed and mounted in a sterile airconditioned bulding.  I hope they don't change it too much.

 

No lack of mirror shine on the locos at Umekoji, including the working ones. The only locos which looked a bit crusty were C62 1 and a D51 which were shoved onto the garden tracks to allow the steam test on the C57 to proceed. There was a C56 which was getting an air brake test (air tank connected to ground supply and lots of "pshawing" going on) and which looked pretty shiny.

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

At Umekoji you can get grease on your hands and smoke in your eyes.  It smells, I believe, like a roundhouse should.

 

That's what a steam museum is all about !!! ;)

 

Indeed, it was years since I last smelt "that" smell. I could do it at home, but at Umekoji I'm more at ease with the fact that I'm looking at locos with proper boiler certificates...

 

Cheers NB

[lurkingknight]

there was a gale blowing through tokyo on the day we had set aside for the sky tree... of course with winds that high, they closed the upper deck. There's always something in a trip that gets cancelled. :P

Edited May 16, 2014 by lurkingknight