Sunset and Commuter Train in the Northern Cities
北の街の夕日と通勤列車

EMU JR Hokkaido 731 series, a commuter train stands at Sapporo Station (August, 2012)

 

Following my last blog on May 17th, 2013, I am going to show you the other rolling stock on the island of Hokkaido.

I visited Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, last summer. It was a journey full of memories for me and my family. The trains in the northern island made our trip especially memorable... i.e., limited express "Super Hakucho", Hakodate City Tram and overnight sleeper "Hokutosei".

But, I must remember to show you the commuter trains in the major cities of Hokkaido. Look at the top photo. It is the EMU JR Hokkaido 731 series standing at Sapporo Station. Sapporo with a population of 1.9 million is the largest city in Hokkaido. Taking Sapporo as its starting point, the urban commuter railway network connects several large cities, such as Otaru, Asahikawa and Chitose.

The 731 series is an EMU with an alternate current system. It is different from the trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The other feature of this train is that the 731 series has equipment which is resistant to the cold and snow, such as "air curtains" to prevent the cold outside air from flowing into the cabin.

Getting on the 731 series, we visited Otaru City, which is located about 40km west of Sapporo. Our target was a waterfront restaurant, where we could see a beautiful sunset over the Sea of Japan. The sunset through the drinking glasses became a cherished memory for us (see the following picture).

I am impatient for a summer vacation to Hokkaido again.

 

Sunset through the glasses at a waterfont restaurant near Otaru Station (August, 2012)

Type KiHa 40 in the Northern Island
北の大地のキハ40形

Diesel railcars, JR Hokkaido Type KiHa 40, stand at Hakodate Station (August, 2012)

When I introduced the diesel railcar, type KiHa 40 "Hiroshima Color" in my blog (see the post on May 2nd, 2013), it reminded me of the time when I was visiting Hokkaido last summer.

Look at the photos. They are JR Hokkaido's type KiHa 40 "Hokkaido Color" standing at Hakodate Station. It is a brother of the KiHa 40 "Hiroshima color". The KiHa 40 is a standard diesel railcar for local lines. It was launched in 1977 by Japanese National Railways (JNR). The body is a white color with light green and blue colored stripes, which is so-called "Hokkaido color". It stands out against the beautiful scenery in the northern island (Hokkaido) of Japan.

I like this "JNR" style nostalgic design very much. Especially, two large rounded front lights and two panoramic front windows are my favorites. For your information, "panoramic window" is curved glass in front of the cab to secure the driver's visibility.

When JNR was privatized and split up in 1987, a total of 150 units of the KiHa 40 were taken over by JR Hokkaido. Fortunately, most of them are still being operated on the tracks in the northern island of Japan.

It is true that Hokkaido is the Kingdom of the KiHa 40. Summer in Hokkaido is a peak season for traveling. It is the time to start planning a vacation to this beautiful northern island to see the KiHa 40 again.
 

Frontal face of the diesel railcar, JR Hokkaido Type KiHa 40 (August, 2012)

Diorama, Indispensable Attraction in Railway Museums
ジオラマ： 鉄道博物館の必須アトラクション

Japan's largest railway model diorama in the Railway Museum

As I mentioned previously, there are several railway museums in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They are owned by major railway companies, such as JR East, Tobu, Tokyu and Tokyo Metro.

The main exhibitions in these museums are precious retired rolling stock. For instance, Japan's first steam locomotive in the Railway Museum (see my blog on April 11th, 2011), "Cat Whiskers" train in the Tobu Museum (April 28th, 2012), "Tamaden" streetcar in the Tokyu Museum (May 17th, 2012) and Japan's first subway electric car in the Subway Museum (September 10th, 2011) are the greatest treasures in each museum. Furthermore, train simulators are currently popular attractions in these museums. Many children and rail fans always form a line and wait for their precious "train driving" opportunities.

Don't forget one more absolutely necessary attraction...the diorama. There are many large scale railway model dioramas in these museums. Look at the top photo. It is Japan's largest railway model diorama in the Railway Museum. This diorama presents a typical day of railway operation and reproduces all 24 hours in 20 minutes. You can see the other railway model diorama in the Ome Railway Park (see the following picture). This attraction is always popular among kids. They keep their sparkling eyes on running model trains.

When I was a child, railway model diorama was a hobby only for rich families. It was unreachable dream for me. Even now, the fact remains that it is an expensive hobby; therefore, it is an indispensable attraction in railway museums.

"Overnight sleeper train" passes in front of junior rail fans in Ome Railway Park