Japanese Bullet Trains - "Shinkansen"

[StarLane]

I'm in the process of putting together a photo book of Japan. Been there four times in the last five years or so and captured thousands of images, thought it was time to do something with them, get them out of the computer and into some sort of print.

Anyway, if there's any train freaks out there, such as myself, please enjoy this small selection of these AWESOME machines. There's a couple of newer models which I didn't manage to photograph, the E5 Hayabusa and the E6. There's about 20 or so different types of Shinkansen.

[koputai (Jason)]

Awesome machines as you say Paul. My favourites though are the older models, I just reckon they look much better. The Series 0 is a classic, and in the flesh looks a lot like an old DC3 aircraft!

I was standing on Himeji Station one day when a Series 500 came through on the centre tracks at 300kph. It was a rainy wet day but not raining, and this thing condensed the moisture out of the air as it went past! It was in the distance, then here, then gone in no time flat.
Amazing.

Have you been on the 'Romance Car' down to Hakone? We went on the 10000HiSe. Another great trip is up the river valley from Nagoya to Takayama on the 'Hida' limited express. Awesome views, especially if the river is up.

There's a nice little railway museum in Kyoto too, they often run steam. You can be standing there watching a steam train getting ready and have a Shinkansen whiz past.

Japan is a great country for railway buffs.

Cheers,
Jason.

[omegacrux (David)]

That's what they need running up the east coast of Aust
Be great hop on in Melb couple of hours later in Sydney !
No mucking about at airports
Awsome trains

David

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by omegacrux

That's what they need running up the east coast of Aust
Be great hop on in Melb couple of hours later in Sydney !
No mucking about at airports
Awsome trains

David

I'd say Qantas would have to say something about that. True. Awesome trains and it would make perfect sense in Australia as well. In Europe most of the trucking freight traffic is taken off the roads and loaded in trains. The truckies can sleep in the truck or get off in a wagon, have a meal, etc... then drive off the train when destinations is reached. Less accidents too on long trips. With high speed trains many people live as far as 400km from the place they work and just take these trains like we take our inner city lines to go from A to B.

[StarLane]

Originally Posted by koputai

Awesome machines as you say Paul. My favourites though are the older models, I just reckon they look much better. The Series 0 is a classic, and in the flesh looks a lot like an old DC3 aircraft!

I was standing on Himeji Station one day when a Series 500 came through on the centre tracks at 300kph. It was a rainy wet day but not raining, and this thing condensed the moisture out of the air as it went past! It was in the distance, then here, then gone in no time flat.
Amazing.

Have you been on the 'Romance Car' down to Hakone? We went on the 10000HiSe. Another great trip is up the river valley from Nagoya to Takayama on the 'Hida' limited express. Awesome views, especially if the river is up.

There's a nice little railway museum in Kyoto too, they often run steam. You can be standing there watching a steam train getting ready and have a Shinkansen whiz past.

Japan is a great country for railway buffs.

Cheers,
Jason.

Hi Jason

Yeah I love the look of the older beasts also. Obviously I don't have an image of the 0 series, but I do have some shots of the 100 series (somewhere) and the 300, which looks like something from Mad Max, just needs to be matte black (will post below).

I've purchased some Shinkansen toys and tracks for my 3yo (and for me, just quietly). Have you heard of Plarail??? stands for plastic rail....They have been making toy trains in japan since the early 60's. We have their original Shinkansen series but now they have the Plarail Advance series which includes a model of the 0 series....and many others. They are great close to scale reproductions, almost N gauge, Check em out.

I was sitting at a station waiting for our train.....I think in was Mishima, coming back from Mt Fuji one night, tied, veging out waiting, and suddenly a 700 series came fanging through at 300 or so km/h. That woke me up. At that stage I hadn't experienced this before, didn't realise they went through the station at full speed, this was my first trip to JP. So I got up and watched the next ones approach.
Like you described, you can see them coming miles away, then in a few seconds it was there, then it was gone. Pretty amazing to be sooo close to something so big and heavy moving so fast.
A friend of mine's uncle is a Shinkansen engineer based at Okayama where I had the privilege of sitting in the drivers seat of a 300 series. We then spent the rest of the day looking around the whole operation in Okayama, very cool.

I've been to Hida Takayama before for a town festival, not by train though, drove there from Nagano city. That part of Japan in the alps would be great in a train, breath taking scenery, can't stop and get out to take photos though.

There is also a great railway museum in Omiya, and a Plarail world for the kids.

Cheers
Paul

[StarLane]

David and Marc,

I reckon this is exactly what we need in this country. Like you say, no mucking around at airports, waiting on the tarmac to take off, waiting to collect your bags etc etc. The train can take you straight to the city centre. The Shinkansen run on time to the second, you can get up and comfortably walk around, they have a decent sized toilet, even a trough for the boys, there's a lady that comes around with a trolly with food and drink, beer, scotch etc. Grab a drink and sit back and watch the world wizing past.

The problem with Aus is the vast distances, huge investment required with infrastructure, and the population isn't here to make it viable. We have 20 or so million, just Tokyo has close to that. If the Fed government ever go ahead with the Syd, Can, Mel route, I'm sure the ticket cost would be far more expensive than flying with the ridiculously cheap flights at the moment, the first years of a train service would be pricey to use. They are not cheap in Japan either, but driving is expensive in Japan with toll roads EVERYWHERE. It works there because of the population, they run the network very well, it's convenient, and cheaper and faster than driving and flying in a small country like JP.

If they create a bullet train network in Aus, I for one will be using them even if they are more expensive.

Cheers,
Paul

[Esseth (Alan)]

Originally Posted by koputai

Another great trip is up the river valley from Nagoya to Takayama on the 'Hida' limited express. Awesome views, especially if the river is up.

Cheers to that, I've done that. Really amazing... and if you happen to get to sit right up the front WOW!

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Nice shots Paul. I was fortunate to experience a Shinkansen trip a few years ago from Tokyo to Odawarra which was a leg of a day trip to the Hakone area. I'm not a big fan of train trips but the fact it was on a "bullet train" made it special

[BPO]

One of the few memories I'll have forever is the first time the Shinkansen blasted past me in a station. Simply awesome. And the Tokyo-Nagoya trip is far more comfortable by Shinkansen express than by air.