Regional Japan 2015

Nearly six years ago I was fortunate to travel to Japan for the second time, which is a great place for railways generally.  International travel is probably off the agenda for most people for a fair while, and when it returns it will almost certainly be a massive hassle just to get into another country.  So, fortunate I was!

The Japanese love their trains, past and present.  And their present is our future, if we are smart about it.  Most people rightly associate Japanese railways with the massive Tokyo suburban network - 158 lines, 4,715 kilometres of track, 2,210 stations and about 40 million rides taken daily (according to Wikipedia).  Here are a couple of fairly boring shots around Shinjuku to make the point.

If not the Tokyo metro, then people associate Japan with the Shinkansen bullet trains. These were snapped on 24 November 2015.

But the purpose of this post is to cover the really neat semi-rural railways which also exist.  Between Tokyo and Kyoto lies Mount Fuji. An electrified line runs partway up the side of Fuji, and includes a zig zag (switchback) and a rack railway.  The trains aren't a lot to get enthused about, but the line is a scenic delight. This shot at Hakone-Itabashi on 27 November 2015 demonstrates the first point.

This 'through the front window' shot of the Hakone Tozan line shows a switchback and the general grade, necessitating the use of rack track.

Getting into the rural parts of Japan uncovers a better style of station building, such as this one at Myonshita (take care pronouncing that one).

But mainly, it is system where architectural merit is subsumed by functionality, which is fair enough given the transport task the system faces each day.

Back to Australia with the next post.  Just have a bit of cabin fever at the moment.

Don

Dunsmuir, a long way from home

Going a bit further afield with this post, but it covers a tick on the bucket list for this rabbit.

During the 2000s, the wide and wild world of the Internet even allowed you to gawk at massive US consists climbing up Tehachapi Pass and rolling through a small northern Californian town called Dunsmuir.  And the best bit about these websites is that you could see reasonably clear and up to date train workings, free of charge, without passwords, rolling ads and incessant encouragements to upgrade.  These websites were run by Trainorders, and the sites disappeared about the same time someone realised how to monetise these offerings.

Here's four shots that I'll admit I purloined for a rainy day.  They are a bit grainy but they convey (to me at least) a pretty attractive location for train watching, so its always been a dream to get there.

Anyway, today my dream became a reality. Snow on the hills, whistles echoing up and down the valley, fog rising, with the promise of more snow to come.  Around 7:30am local time I parked our rented steed in front of the substantial brick building in the Trainorders photographs, and wandered across the depot (see, I am learning the lingo!). And waited.

Hey, Dunsmuir is just like home, nothing runs when I go trackside!  Finally, around 9:00am my patience was rewarded with Union Pacific's 6039, 5393 and 8560 work south on a double stacked container train. Here's a couple of shots of it sliding into the loop, which got me excited about a cross which never eventuated.

After 30 minutes of waiting I packed up. Watching the flashing tail light of a freight has never been much of a thing for me.  Lucky I did quit, as I saw the same train stowed in the loop 3 hours later.

A break in intensive family holidaying late this afternoon gave me a second chance to sit at Dunsmuir's depot. This time a 15 minute drop-in produced the following cross.  First up, Union Pacific's 5444, 6204 and 7434 worked a south-bound freight into Dunsmuir's loop.  

I was heartened to see a couple of historic wagons included in the 115 wagon consist... a Chicago & North Western hopper and a vintage-liveried Canadian Pacific boxcar.

As the tail-light for this train traversed the level crossing, Union Pacific's 5321, 9093 and 5050 roared north with a similarly sized freight.

And the best part? When all the noise cleared a young couple approached me, explained that they loved trains, and we got talking. He showed me how to use the scanner app so I am now able to hear trains approaching town.  Its a great past-time when people from half a world away can have a yarn about something that isn't corrosive to humanity.

If you ever get an opportunity, look this little town up. The pizza palace is a good hang out, and one of the burger joints is in the top 100 for USA... what other reasons do you need?

Cheers,
Don

North west Pacific

And now for something completely different to NSW... ten years ago this week I headed to the States with a group of non-railway enthusiasts.  It took them a while but eventually they got the meaning of 'hey! Pull over quick!'.  We started in San Fransisco.  It took the brightest of my traveling companions about 48 hours to work out what was going on... BART, MUNI, cable cars, Market Street trolleys... like this one... 

After a couple of days I snuck away to Sacramento to the Cal State Railroad Museum for the day. A particular favourite of mine is the Western Pacific F7A pictured here.

More modern locomotive power got me there and back again. Slightly larger loading gauge than your NSWGR profile!

If you ever get to Sacramento, stick around the downtown area as a steady diet of UP freights mingle with the passengers.

I took tons of very average phots that day. One I particularly liked shows a pretty decrepit Southern Pacific loco teamed with a Union Pacific sister on a fuel train. This was taken from the cafe car on the train I was riding... its good to spend time in the cafe cars.
 

The second half of the holiday was up north - Portland and thereabouts.  It was notable for three things... first I have no photos but UP Challenger 3985 was in town in steam for the weekend.  I saw it from a distance and heard it whistling every hour.  Absolutely sensational stuff.

The second memory is this...

What? Well it shows that the curse I have (coming upon the last half of a train or a train in a cutting) transcends continents.  I reckon I saw the back third or the top quarter of 30-odd trains that week.

Third, I went to Tillamook. If you ever get a chance, go there.  Its famed for cheese and beer, but it also has Tillamook Naval Air Station which contains a blimp hangar the largest wooden structure in the world built in 1942.  

If you are not impressed with the immense scale of the hangar, take another look at its floor. There are standard gauge tracks, used to tow the dirigibles in and out of the shed.

Just as impressive, just across the carpark was the open air servicing area for the Port of Tillamook shortline.  The loco I had been wanting to see all trip was there - it had been the subject of a Trains article and it deserved to by seen by this little tourist. so, here it is... a loco painted up like a cow.

For the slightly more historically inclined, I also hunted down this Baldwin logging Mikado (built in 1926 for the Polson Logging Company of Hoquiam, Washington State).  With 48 inch driving wheels it looked anything but a typical logging loco.

The Pacific north west is full of logging railroads, but I was unsuccessful in convincing the others to spend a day riding the rails. Instead we went to see an active volcano - probably a fair call. We did stop along the way to photograph railroad bridge signage.

Anyway, it was a marvelous trip. Travel broadens some minds, they say. Will return soon with some homegrown ramblings.

Ciao for now!
Don