Japan

That's terrible!! I hope you and the others are safe over there!! This is the first time I've seen a bullet train get shaken off the tracks like that!!
 
Yeah felt a mild shake for about a minute, but power didnt go out.

Luckily you are safe. When I was in Japan in April 2018 a month later after I left there was a 6.2 in Osaka. It must be a weird feeling but I saw the worst was around Sendai.
Was this Shinkansen derailed while driving at full speed? Or was it already slowed down by the early warning system?
 
Luckily you are safe. When I was in Japan in April 2018 a month later after I left there was a 6.2 in Osaka. It must be a weird feeling but I saw the worst was around Sendai.
Was this Shinkansen derailed while driving at full speed? Or was it already slowed down by the early warning system?

Video from inside the train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbRGPXaKuE8

Looks like the early warning system worked perfectly - the train was standing still well before the earthquake hit.
Luckily it seems that nobody on the train got hurt, altough the shaking was pretty violent - to the point of breaking the locking of some reversible seats and turn them halfway around.
 
Hi AlexMaria. Hope you are well :). Thank you for the video. BTW I did download the Seto-Ōhashi Line. It is a great line with good realism. Although it is BVE style I hope one day full scenery can be added.
 
This is the damage on Tohoku Shinkansen
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After a few weeks of work, here's the first part of this years' first megapack, wich will be finally covering one of the last "major missing series" of JR East: the first "New Serieses Trains" - the original narrow-bodied 209 Series!

209megapack.png


From left to right: original 901 Series prototype (1992-1994), Keihin-Tohoku Line 209 Series (1993-2010), Nambu Line 209 (-0) Series (1993-2015), Boso Area 209-2000/2100 Series (2009-Today), Nambu Line 209-2200 Series (2009-2015), Kawagoe & Hachiko Lines 209-3000 Series (1996-2019).

All six variants are already avaible on my website, divided into four packs: 901 and 209-0 Serieses, 209-2000/2100 Series, 209-2200 Series and 209-3000 Series.

Unlike the other JR Group companies, after the privatization of JNR, JR East decided not to immediately design new commuter and suburban trains design, and instead opted to continue production on some of the late JNR designs, mainly the 205 Series and the 211 Series, in order to "take time" to eventually develop a more advanced replacement for the 103 Series, wich despite the attempted mass-scale introduction of new series trains by the now-defunct national railways, was still the mainstay of almost all commuter lines in Tokyo, having been completely replaced only on the Chuo Line (by the 201 Series) and only partly on the Yamanote Line (by the 205 Series) by the time JNR got privatized.

The 103 Series was considerably heavy, as it had been manufactured out of carbon steel, and had a relatively high energy consumption compared to it's immediate successors. Furthemore, since it was concieved in the early 1960s, during the economic miracle and rapid urbanization and subsequent rapid constant increase in ridership of railway lines, it was designed to be as simple, cheap and quick to manufacture as possible, and was subsequently produced for 20 straight years, from 1963 to 1983 as JNR's standard commuter train.

Therefore, in its early years, JR East was facing some serious issues, as by the late 1980s most 103 Series sets were seriously ageing, and the series as a whole rapidly becoming more and more of an hurdle for the company.
Out of all JR East lines, the one with the most urgent need of rolling stock was the Keihin-Tohoku Line, wich depsite being one of the most important commuter lines, it was still operated almost entirely with 103 Series trains, along with a small fleet of relatively newer 205 Series trains ordered almost as an emergency mesaure piggybacking on a larger Yamanote Line order.

Therefore, in the early 1990s JR East started the first serious design workings for a 103 Series replacement. Another issue was the eventual long-term technological obsolescence, as JR East felt it couldn't keep up with the rapidly-developing electronics application in railway transport with trains that had a "traditional" lifespan of 30-50 years.
Furthemore, not only JR East had to replace 103 Series trains on the "core" urban lines, but also on numerous suburban and rural lines as well, something that would've taken a few decades, thus hypotetically, once all old trains had been replaced by new trains, it would've needed to start again, as the "new trains" that were introduced on the main lines by that time were now "old", and such circle would've repeated itself indefinitely.

In the end, JR East decided to break entirely with the tradition of JNR-derived designs, opting instead for a completely new rolling stock concept - "half the weight, half the cost, half the lifespan":
By using stainless steel bodyshells (as proven with the 205 Series) a train could be made to be "half the weigth" of a conventional carbon-steel one, wich meant less wear and tear, less maintainance needs for rolling stock and infrastructure wich would result in a cost reduction wich coupled with scale economies trough mass production meant the new trains would be nearly "half the cost" of equivalent ones, and thus larger amounts could be procured for the same price. Finally, "half the lifespan" meant that rather than spend all of it's 30 years of service life on one line, the new trains would spend half of that lifespan on major lines, then be refurbished and cascaded to lesser-used lines where they would spend the remaining half. This had the double effect of having the major lines always have the lastest up-to-date stock, and would've meant a relative saving in rolling stock purchase for the lesser-used lines, something that is always more-or-less regarded as a waste of money.

Breaking from the old JNR tradition of "in-house design" (for the vast majority of it's existance, JNR had designed it's rolling stock almost entirely on it's own, contracting the manufacturing to the various rolling stock builders, wich had little input in the design, something that was changed only with the very last JNR designs), JR East opted for the manufacturers to have ample flexibility in drawing up their proposals for a new commuter train design, limiting it's job only to giving out the necessary specs: the new 103 Series replacement was to be a 1500v mono-voltage commuter electric multiple unit with 20m-long cars with four doors per side, to be made out of stainless steel. Another important requirement was the traction system: the new trains were to use the then-brand new VVVF inverter control, coupled with regenerative braking, in lieu of the now long-obsolete resistor control or the slightly less modern chopper control.

In the early 1990s, three manufacturers proposed their designs, with two demonstrating theirs with a mock-up car: an "HX-1" prototype by Hitachi, more or less an updated version of the 205 Series and a "KX-1" prototype by Kawasaki, wich had completely smooth sides with an FRP front mask and was based on the company's previous experience with subway trains (primarily Tokyo's TRTA ones) and the late JNR and early JR suburban trains (such as the 211 and 311 Serieses).
A third proposal was also made by Nippon Sharyo, with an "NX-1" prototype, pictures of wich are rather elusive.

Out of three, Kawasaki's design was selected as the best, with the company being contracted, in collaboration with Tokyu Car Co. and JR East's Omiya Works to manufacture three 10-car prototype trains to be tested in revenue service.
Classified as the "901 Series", denoting the experimental nature of the fleet, the three 10-car sets, numbered A, B and C were delivered to Urawa depot in March 1992 for services on the Keihin-Tohoku Line.

Each of the three sets fetaured different technical solutions, with each train fetauring a different GTO-VVVF inverter (Fuji Electric, Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric), window opening system, presence or less and style of hanging straps, FRP front mask thickness, door system, driving desks (set A and C had two-handle master controllers, one of wich derived from the one of the 205 Series and set B had a one-hand master controller derived from the one of JR Hokkaido's 721 Series) and so on...

Another notable fetaure of the 901 Series was that for the first time for a commuter train, external design was made one of the primary concerns, with the GK Design studio, led by famous designer Kenji Ekuan, being contracted to give the new trains a more modern and distinct look from the old 103 Series.

After a full year of testing, the definitive design for the new trains was finalized, and consisted in an amalgamation of the best solutions found in each trains (such as the MELCO inverter of Set C, the one-handle master controller of set B and the bodyshell manufacturing technique of set A). Finally, the full-production "New Series Trains", classified as the "209 Series" began to be manufactured en-masse in early 1993, with the first sets entering full service on the Keihin-Tohoku Line in March 1993. The new trains were immediately well recieved by both passengers and railwaymen alike: they were comfortable, quiet and smooth, a far cry from the old 103 Series. Shortly after, in 1994, the three 901 Sets were converted to mass-production standards, being reclassified as the 209-900 Series.

[Continues in Following Post]
 
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[Continues from Preceeding Post]

In order to ease overcrowding on the Keihin-Tohoku Line (and on similar lines), the soon-to-be infamous six-door "no seating" "cattle cars" began to be rolled out in the early 1990s, with the 209 Series being no exception. By 1995 all of the half-way delivered fleet was retrofitted with one six-door car, with the rest of the fleet being built with such car already in formation. Finally, the last set out of the 78 ordered for the Keihin-Tohoku Line was delivered in 1997, with the long-awaited replacement of the 103 Series finally arriving with the spring timetable change of 1998, with the last run of a 103 Series being made on the 10th of March, after wich the fleet of the Keihin-Tohoku Line was standardized to the 209 Series (the few 205 Sets had already been replaced in 1996 and moved to other lines).

Besides the Keihin-Tohoku Line, the Nambu Line also got the 209 Series, but in a far small number: just two six-car sets (numbered 1 and 32) were delivered in March 1993 to Nakahara depot in order to "fill the gap" left by the transfer of two 205 Series trains to the Yokohama Line (in order to unify the latter's fleet) and to supplement the existing 103 Series. The two Nambu Line sets were otherwise exactly identical to their longer Keihin-Tohoku Line siblings, barred obvious differences (livery, 6-car formation, lack of 6-door car).

Finally, a third "line" got the 209 Series early on: the Kawagoe and Hachiko Lines. These two are technically separate lines, but are operated jointly: officially the Kawagoe Line runs from Kawagoe to Komagawa, and the Hachiko Line runs from Takasaki to Hachioji via Komagawa. However, in reality, services are mostly run between Kawgoe and Hachioji via Komagawa (hence the "Kawagoe and Hajioji" Lines moniker) and separately between Komagawa and Takasaki.
The Kawagoe Line had been electrified at 1500v DC between Kawagoe and Komagawa in 1985 and had been operated until then by a fleet 103-3000 Series trains, wich were newly-manufactured 103 Series-style bodyshell using equipment salvaged from old JNR type EMUs such as the 72 Series. In 1996 the remaining Hachiko Line section between Komagawa and Hachioji was electrified, enabling trough services between the two, from Kawagoe to Hachioji.
To replace the KiHa 35 DMUs used until then, JR East decided to introduce it's then brand-new commuter train design, the 209 Series, but specially adapted to the needs of the Kawagoe and Hachiko Lines, with the main difference being the fitting of passenger-operated doors.

The new trains, classified as the 209-3000 Series were delivered starting from 1996, with a total of four 4-car sets being allocated to Kawagoe depot. These entered service with the start of electrified services on the 16th of March 1996.
Like their 209-0 Series siblings, the 209-3000 Series lived a tranquil life until recently, when it began to be replaced (togheter with the rest of the line's rollig stock) by 209-500 and E231-0 Series trains surplus from the Chuo-Sobu Line, wich had been displaced by the ex-Yamanote Line E231-500 Series, itself displaced by the newly introduced E235 Series. Classified as the 209-3500 and E231-3000 Serieses, the two series were introduced on the Kawagoe and Hachiko Lines in early 2018, and began replacing all the trains operating on that line, with the 209-3000 Series being no execption, with the last set being retired in February 2019.

Overall, the 209 Series had lived a tranquil, relatively uneventful life until the mid-2000s, however soon the time came for a major fleet modification: by 2007 the 209 Series had reached it's famous "half the lifespan" 15 years deadline, thus it was time for the 209 Series to leave the Keihin-Tohoku Line to a newer, more up-to-date train - the E233 Series, specifically the -1000 Subseries.
Introduced in 2007 as derivatives of the Chuo Line E233-0 Series tailored for the Keihin-Tohoku Line, the E233-1000 Series began to replace the 209 Series on a train-per-train base, starting from the three "ex-901" Series 209-900 Series sets, wich were all withdrawn by the end of that year and scrapped (except for KuHa 901-1, the cab car of ex-901 Series Set A, wich was saved and is now preserved inside the Tokyo General Rolling stock center), while the mass-production sets were to be converted and displaced to regional lines. By late 2009 enough E233-1000 Series sets had been delivered to fully replace the 209 Series on Keihin-Tohoku Line services, with such replacement being finalized in on the 24th of January 2010, with the last run of a Keihin-Tohoku Line 209 Series.

Surplus 209 Series trains from the Keihin-Tohoku Line were reclassified into three subserieses and diverted to two areas: the -2000 and -2100 Subserieses (the bulk of surplus trains) would end up in the Boso Area for regional services around Chiba, while the -2200 Subseries would end up on the Nambu Line.

By the early 2000s services on the Boso Area were still primarily reliant on the JNR-era 113 Series, along with a minority of ex-Tohoku and Takasaki Line 211-3000 Series 5-car sets transferred to Chiba in order to replace the 113 Series sets that had suffered the most from saltwater bodysheel corrosion. Thus, to replace both on the Boso Area network (wich is formed of the Narita Line, Sobu Main Line, Sotobo Line, Togane Line, Uchibo Line and Kashima Line), a large number of 209 Series were moved to Chiba - a total of 62 Sets. These were shortened to 6- and 4-car sets and were fitted with new electric equipment, toilets, LED destination indicators, transverse seating and a new yellow and blue livery (based on the one of the Boso Area 211-3000 Series) at JR East's Nagano Works between 2009 and 2013.
Numbered in the Cxxx range (C6xx for the 14 six-car sets and C4xx for the 48 six-car sets), all 62 sets were assigned to the Makuhari vehicle center, and entered service gradually from 2009, starting to replace both the 113 and 211-3000 Serieses, wich were both retired on all lines between 2011 and 2012.

Currently, the 209-2000 and 2100 Serieses are still the mainstays of commuter services around the Boso Peninsula, howerver in recent years, due to the declining ridership of some lines, new one-man-operation-capable trains were introduced in the form of the E131 Series, JR East's first local-lines-dedicated purchase for the Tokyo Area. These quickly took up most of the off-peak services (and all services on the Kashima Line), resulting in a first round of 209 Series withdrawals, however a majority of 209 Series sets is still in service as of today, altough not for longer, as the final "30 years" lifespan date for this series is approaching.

The other line to recieve withdrawn 209 Series trains from the Keihin-Tohoku Line was the Nambu Line, wich recieved three 209-2200 Series 6-car sets in late 2009. Unlike the 2000 and 2100 Subserieses for the Boso Area, the 209-2200 Series sets had changed little from their Keihin-Tohoku Line days, except for the LED destination indicator. These three sets had been introduced to supplement the existing Nambu Line fleet, wich was then formed of 205, 205-1200 and 209 (-0) Series sets. Entering service in early 2010, their tenure on the Nambu Line was quite short, as just a few years later, they started to be once more replaced by the E233 Series (togheter with the rest of the line's fleet), specifically the -8000 Subseries tailored for the Nambu Line, wich entered service in October 2014.

The replacement was quick, with the 209-0 Series being the first to be retired, in February 2015, followed by the 205 Series in December that year, and the 205-1200 Series in January 2016. Out of the three 209-2200 Sets, two (52 and 54) were retired in 2015, while the third one (set no.53) managed to cling on a few years longer, being retired only on the 15th March 2017, replaced by an ex-Chuo Line E233 Series set transferred to the Nambu Line and reclassified as the E233-8500 Series.
Unlike the other four 209 Series sets (the two of the -0 Subseries and the two of the -2200 Subseries), 209-2200 Series set no.53 wasn't scrapped. Instead it was converted into the "B.B.Base" ("Boso Bycicle Base") train for tourist-oriented services in the Boso Area in late 2017. Under it's new appearance, 209-2200 Series set no.53 is still in service, shuttling cyclists around the Boso Peninsula.

All considered, the 209 Series was a major success for JR East, and quickly became the base for nearly all of the company's conventional local electric multiple units, wether commuter, suburban (such as the E217 Series) or even rural trains, such as the E127 Series and the 20Kv AC 50Hz 701 Series for Tohoku Area services. Furthemore, the 209 Series became the inspiration for many other companies all over Japan, such as Hanshin Railway, to introduce their own stainless-steel trains. However, JR East didn't stop there, deciding to carry out further developent of the 209 Series design, finally resulting in the masterpiece "millenium train": the E231 Series, wich would go on to be the de-facto standard and main inspiration for all Japanese commuter trains that have been manufactured ever since.
 
Made a new video and a new Soundtrack :) Check it out :):D:

And @ AlexMaria. Great work on the 209 series and thanks as always ;)

 
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Made a new video and a new Soundtrack :) Check it out :):D:

And @ AlexMaria. Great work on the 209 series and thanks as always ;)


Thank you! Also, nice soundtrack - i love it!

Here's the second part of my 209 Series megapack: the subway trough-service trains - the 209-1000 Series and the E231-800 Series!

2022-03-20-192651.jpg


From left to right: 209-1000 Series (Joban Line - Chiyoda Line trough services - 1999-2019), Chuo Line livery (2019-today), E231-800 Series (Chuo-Sobu Line - Tozai Line trough services, 2003-today)

All three are already avaible on my website [here], [here] and [here].

The 209-1000 Series was intrdouced in 1999 by JR East to cover an increase in planned trough-services between the Joban Line and the TRTA Chiyoda Subway Line made possible by an upgrade of the CS-ATC signalling system carried out a few months earlier.
Based primarily on the wide-bodied 209-500 Series introduced the year before, but with the narrow bodyshell (due to loading gauge restrictions) of the original 209-0 Series, the new trough-service trains, the first to have been designed by JR East since it's formation as a company in 1987, entered service on the 4th of December 1999, when the additional trough-services were made operative. Since the increased services weren't many, JR East ordered only two 10-car sets, both of wich were manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Overall, the 209-1000 Series is very similar to the "above-ground" 209-0 Series, except for the necessary modifications needed to make these trains compliant with subway regulations, of wich the most prominent fetaure is the requirement for a front emergency escape door, wich on the 209-1000 Series also houses a short ladder.
Another tell-tale difference was in the livery - per uniformity with the 203 and 207-900 Series (the other two types of Chiyoda Line trough-service trains of JR East), the 209-1000 Series doesn't have the small colored band above the passenger windows, wich is instead a fetaure of all of JR East's other stainless steel commuter trains.

For trough-services, the 209-1000 Series was of course fitted with signalling and saftey equipments compatible with both JR East's and TRTA's (and later Tokyo Metro) CS-ATC system, but not with Odakyu's OM-ATS, therefore these trains weren't allowed to run on the Odakyu Odawara Line (the other line that had trough-services with the Chiyoda Line) and as such were limited to services between Toride and Yoyogi-Uehara only.

The two 209-1000 Series set lived a relatively uneventful life for more than 15 years, with the only notable change being the replacement of the square pantographs with single-arm ones in 2014; however, a major development came in 2016, with Odakyu railway and JR East finally setting up the framework for trough-services between their respective networks, wich implied installing equipment compatible with the other's saftey system on their respective trains. Since JR East's E233-2000 Series, the replacement for the older 203 and 207-900 Series introduced in 2009, was already predisposed to recieve it, there were little to no problems in carrying out those modifications. On the other hand, the 209-1000 Series required extensive modifications, with JR East opting not to fit the two sets with Odakyu's saftey system, and as such, when Odakyu-JR East full trough services began in 2016, the two 209-1000 Series sets were "left out", still being unable to proceed further than Yoyogi-Uehara station, and thus becoming somewheat of a burden. Hence, in 2017 JR East choose to order an additional E233-2000 Series set to replace both 209-1000 Series sets, in order to finally have an uniform trough-service fleet.

With the arrival of the additional E233-2000 Series set, the two 209-1000 Series sets became surplus and were used sparcely, until they were completely retired on the 13th of October 2018, after nearly 20 years of Chiyoda Line trough-services.
However, depsite the relative age, the two 209-1000 Series sets weren't scrapped but instead transferred to Toyoda depot, for services on the Chuo Line. This was done to increase the number of available trains on the line, officially due to the platform lenghtening works to accomodate 12-car trains, but also as a means to reduce overcrowding and likely also to replace the one E233-0 Series set that was moved to the Nambu Line the year before.

Repainted in the Chuo Line's orange livery, the two 209-1000 Series sets re-entered services in March 2019, virtually unmodified from their Chiyoda Line trough-service days. Currently, both sets are still in service on the Chuo Line along the E233-0 Series, mainly between Tokyo and Takao, altough finding them on the Ome Line isn't unheard as well.

Trivia #1
For a brief period between late 2009 and early 2010, JR East's trough-services between the Joban Line and the Chiyoda Line were operated by a staggering fleet of four different serieses, with entirely different equipment: the chopper-controlled 203 Series from 1982, the GTO-VVVF-controlled experimental 207-900 Series of 1987, the two GTO-VVVF-controlled 209-1000 Series of 1999 and the then-brand-new IGBT-VVVF-controlled E233-2000 Series. Furthemore, each of these four was derived from a different "above-ground" series: the 201, 205, 209 and E233 Series respectively.

Trivia #2
The 209-1000 Series is one of the very few trains that went from running trough subway tunnels (on the Chiyoda Line) to running trough mountain tunnels (on the Chuo Line section between Otsuki and Takao and on the Ome Line).

On the other hand, the E231-800 Series was introduced in 2003 to replace JR East's ageing Tozai Subway Line trough-service fleet, wich was then formed of the 301 Series (dating from 1966) and the 103-1200 Series (dating from 1971), both of wich had seriously deteriorated after well over 30 years of service.
Since JR East had already introduced new trough-service trains a little more than three years before, the 209-1000 Series for Chiyoda Line trough services with the Joban Line, the company decided not to desing an entirely new train, but rather to adapt and upgrade the existing design. Hence, the new trains were built with a bodyshell identical to the 209-1000 Series, with the main difference being in traction control equipment instead: rather than the relatively old GTO-VVVF inverter used on the 209 Series, the new trains were to be fitted with equipment similar to JR East's lastest commuter trains - the E231 Series, mainly the IGBT-VVVF inverter control, hence the new trains recieving the designation of "E231-800 Series".
(compare to the similar, but opposite, story with the 415 and 415-1500 Series: different bodyshell but same traction equipment, hence same series number).

A total of seven 10-car sets were manufactured jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Tokyu Car Co., with all sets being delivered to Mitaka depot in early 2003, entering in service in May of the same year, replacing quickly both the 103-1200 Series, wich was retired in July, and the older 301 Series, wich was retired shortly after, in August. Currently, all seven sets are still in service, running daily between Mitaka and Nishi-Funabashi or Tsudanuma, via the Tozai Subway Line. Unlike TRTA/Tokyo Metro stock, however, the E231-800 Series is not allowed to run on the Toyo Rapid Railway line as it's lacking the necessary equipment (vice-versa, Toyo Rapid Railway's rolling stock is not allowed onto JR East lines as it isn't fitted with ATS-P). Depsite nearing 20 years of age, there are no plans to replace the E231-800 Series yet, mainly owning to it's nature of being a "specialized" train.
 
I like those end-of-line platforms. Are they available somewhere? I already have the ones that sit beside the line. The two at the end of the line are nice, especially since they have wheels and can be moved along the tracks.

Bill
 
Here's the third part of my 209 Series megapack - the TWR 70-000 Series!

TWR-70-000-Series.jpg


It's already avaible on my website!

The 70-000 Series was introduced in 1996 to operate services on the newly-opened Rinkai Line (then still known as the "Rinkai Fukutoshin Line") a mostly underground rapid railway line serving new developments on the reclaimed islands of Toyko bay, primarily Odaiba. Since the line was already being built with trough-services with JR East in mind, Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit, the owner company of the Rinkai Line, decided to order rolling stock based on JR East's designs.

The definitive choice obviously fell on the 209 Series, then JR East's new commuter train, with TWR ordering a direct derivative, classified as the 70-000 Series.
These new trains were to be virtually identical to JR East's 209 Series, using the same bodyshell, bogeys, pantographs, Mitsubishi Electric GTO-VVVF inverter, driving cabs and other technical equipment, with the main (and almost only) tell-tale difference between the two serieses being the front FRP mask design, wich was given a rather pleasant rounded design instead of the flat one of the 209 Series.

Manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1995, the first four 4-car sets (numbered Z1 to Z4) of the 70-000 Series entered service with the opening of the first section of the Rinkai Line, between Shin-Kiba and Tokyo Teleport, on the 30th of March 1996.
An additional fifth 4-car set (Z5) was delivered in 1999 to increase the number of avaible trains. This was followed by a sixth set (Z6) in 2001, bought for the opening of the one-stop extension of the line to Tennozu Isle.

With the opening of the extension of Osaki, wich completed the Rinkai Line, and the subsequent commencment of trough-services with the JR East Saikyo Line in 2002, the whole fleet began to be extensively reformed: out of the six avaible trains, the first five were lenghtened to six cars, and the sixth one was lenghtened to ten cars. At the same time four newly built 10-car sets were also delivered to the line, bringing the total to five six-car sets (to be used on Rinkai Line-only services) and five 10-car sets to be used on JR East Saikyo Line trough-services.

With the re-organization of Saikyo and Shonan-Shinjuku Line services using the Yamanote Freight Line in October 2004, new "slots" were opened for more Rinkai Line trough-services, thus TWR proceeded to further reform it's fleet, bringing all the remaining six-car sets to ten cars.
However, since all services to be operated on the Rinkai Line were to be trough-running trains, the number of necessary minimium trains to cover all services decreased, from 10 to eight (this is because with non-trough-running services TWR needed to cover all Rinkai Line service with it's own stock, while with trough-running, part of the work could also be done by JR East trains). Thus, after the reformations were done, TWR ended up with four surplus cab cars and two surplus intermediate cars (the other cars of these two former sets having been used to lenghten other trains), wich the company promptly sold to JR East, for use on the Kawagoe and Hachiko Lines as the 209-3100 Series.

After the tumultuous reformations, the situation has remained roughly the same to this day, with TWR owning eight 70-000 Series formed as 10-car sets. The whole fleet is assigned at Yashio Depot, wich is located on Tokai Island, right beside JR Freight's Terminal. The only major modifications to have been carried out relatively recently have been the ongoing replacement of GTO-VVVF inverters with IGBT-VVVF ones, and the fitting of ATACS equipment to all trains in 2015, necessary due to the conversion of the Saikyo Line to said signalling system.

The 70-000 Series is now well over 25 years old, and TWR has hinted a few times at a planned replacement of the fleet, however due to the company's financial constraints we can safely assume that the 70-000 Series will continue to run on the Rinkai and the Saikyo Lines for the forseeable future.
 
Evilcrow looks nice can explain more please

Looking for good steam route for the japan steamers now I have so many

did you get all the extra ones not on dls?
 
Re post #6975 HiBaller.
Hello Bill, thanks for the compliment. Japan is one of the steam countries I missed out on my world travels, get there one day!!!.
Re post #6999 tdstead
Hello tdstead.
The route I'm using is a 3' 6'' adaption of "Appalachian Right of Way" on the Trainz Forge website https://trainz-forge.com/appalachian-right-of-way.
All the locos/rollingstock are by "Keimei" and are on the DLS, but I have cloned and adapted for TRS19.
A long process, you will need IM Editor https://contentcreation.trainzsimulator.com/im-editor-edit-im-files/
PEVSOFT tools Trainz Mesh Viewer2, Images2TGA and Texture Txt (Get the lot) http://trainz.shaneturner.co.uk/tutorials/index.php/home/utilities/pevsoft-trainz-tools
I use Paint.Net, finding the Effects/Blurs tool "Smart Blur" at the default setting for smoothing out the mottled effect on the original TGAs most useful.
I found the BR Ivatt 2MT Black <kuid:248163:101508> by 2995valliant on the DLS most useful to see how textures can be up-date for TRS19.
A good dollop of "Trail and Error" is also needed!!

JNR WIP

My-Trainz-Screenshot-Image.jpg


Cheers, Ken
 
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