Western Railroad Discussion > Tonkatsu, desu ne!

The ICBOA, a rolling meat wagon running from Council Bluffs, IA, to the Port of Oakland, typically makes its weekly appearance on Donner during daylight on Sundays. This particular ICBOA, seen running through Summit Valley on Donner Pass on the evening of Sunday, July 26, was really stretching the light to its limit at my location. They made the summit from Truckee in reasonably good time, but I believe they might have stopped between East Norden and West Norden to air up the train before the run down to Roseville. I watched as the shadows grew longer, then I almost missed getting the video rolling when they quietly rolled into the reverse curves near MP 190.4. So, tonkatsu that I ate in Japan, a quarter of the way around the Earth from Iowa, might have been produced from Midwestern pork. A small glimpse of the global supply chains that are in action 24/7.
 
Cheers,
Sean



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/26 20:22 by broken_link.

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Great shot and video. Train got there just in time looks like. Dramatic lighting. For a while I watched a lot of youtube videos of Japanese restaurants. They love their tonkatsu. I particularly remember a few vids showcasing especially thick tonkatsu. And tonkatsu sandwiches with these thick cuts. Great, now I'm hungry. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/26 11:22 by phthithu.

Nice work! I always loved chasing the Sunday Z westbound as one of the only reliable westbound runners on Donner in the evening. Great name too, my chasing partner and I called it the Wagyu Wagon. 

broken_link Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So, tonkatsu that I ate in Japan, a quarter of the way
> around the Earth from Iowa, might have been
> produced from Midwestern pork.

Depending on the price range (budget: ~1000-1200 yen, value: 1500-2000 yen), you most likely did. I don't frequent the pricier tonkatsu joints (3000+ yen) but they usually use domestic Kyushu angus pork. There's a railfan-friendly tonkatsu chain in the value price range that I frequent, and they use American pork. Many are found on the restaurant floors of malls/department stores next to or on top of train stations.

So does the tonkatsu restaurant/bento shop in Tokyo I frequent (American pork) to grab tonkatsu bento on the go

Cutlets ("katsuretsu") were introduced in Japan in the late 19th century, from Europe. Back then, beef was often the meat used. 1929 was when a restaurant in Ueno (Tokyo) introduced the tonkatsu we know today, using thicker slices of pork. Ton = japanese nickname for pork, and katsu = shorthand for katsuretsu.

I found a value price ranged tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo Station using Kyushu angus pork. Known for 1+ hour lines, ranked top 5 in all of Tokyo by one reviewer. Similar quality to first Kyushu pork tonkatsu I ate in Kagoshima more than a decade ago. So next time you are in Japan and decide to visit Kyushu, research and put tonkatsu on the list!

> A small glimpse of the global supply chains that are in action 24/7.

I nickname the ZNPOA --> ZG2OAB --> ICBOA "Super Beef". Of the $10 billion worth of beef exported from the U.S. per year, Japan gets about $2.4 billion of them. American pork to Japan is about $1.2 billion per year. Almost all the beef bowl chains in Japan (Yoshinoya, Sukiya, Matsuya) use imported beef, American, Australian, or Canadian. Most ONE containers get scattered on trucks in Tokyo, but a handful makes it on a train to Utsunomiya (see my reports in the International thread). Utsunimiya is the #1 producer of Gyoza (Japanese version of potstickers/dumplings) so I suspect ground pork goes there.

> Cheers,
> Sean

Why would they stop to air up the train between east and west Norden?

Now I'm really hungry--after reading cchan's post. 

In this youtube video of a tonkatsu shop, is that mayonnaise in the ramekin on the left? Look how incredibly delicious this looks. But also look at how much food there is. Almost too much food but you have to eat it all. 

https://youtu.be/QVhF6-rC2oQ?si=SCRLbZ1grH_-uv-4&t=27

 

Thank you cchan for the insight into the history of the market in Japan. I also enjoyed the beef gyukatsu over the small charcoal grills at your table. 

clickclack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why would they stop to air up the train between
> east and west Norden?

I might not be using the right term to describe this. I've heard crews on Donner of westbound trains talking with the dispatcher indicating that they were stopping and charging the brake lines or something to that effect before proceeding down the grade to Roseville. The mile and a half between East Norden and West Norden is effectively flat, so it might be a reasonable spot to stop before the ~80 miles of downhill running. Perhaps it's a safety thing with the long grade, and perhaps one of the crew members on TO that runs Donner could articulate what I was seeing and/or hearing on the radio and/or correct my comment.

phthithu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In this youtube video of a tonkatsu shop, is that
> mayonnaise in the ramekin on the left? Look how
> incredibly delicious this looks. But also look at
> how much food there is. Almost too much food but
> you have to eat it all. 
>
> https://youtu.be/QVhF6-rC2oQ?si=SCRLbZ1grH_-uv-4&t
> =27

I think you might be seeing a mustard sauce that is served with the katsu.

phthithu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In this youtube video of a tonkatsu shop, is that
> mayonnaise in the ramekin on the left? Look how
> incredibly delicious this looks. But also look at
> how much food there is. Almost too much food but
> you have to eat it all. 

Tartar sauce to go with the fried oysters (top right corner, first plate in the video). Fried oysters are only available seasonally in this restaurant. The guy ordered the larger size tonkatsu. Regular size order is smaller and less intimidating to finish.

Dark red miso soup has small clams ("shijimi") with shells, their juices enhancing the flavor. 

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> phthithu Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In this youtube video of a tonkatsu shop, is
> that
> > mayonnaise in the ramekin on the left? Look how
> > incredibly delicious this looks. But also look
> at
> > how much food there is. Almost too much food
> but
> > you have to eat it all. 
>
> Tartar sauce to go with the fried oysters (top
> right corner, first plate in the video). Fried
> oysters are only available seasonally in this
> restaurant. The guy ordered the larger size
> tonkatsu. Regular size order is smaller and less
> intimidating to finish.
>
> Dark red miso soup has small clams ("shijimi")
> with shells, their juices enhancing the flavor. 

Thanks! I noticed how dark the miso looked. Small clams, wow. It all sounds so good. 

broken_link Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you cchan for the insight into the history
> of the market in Japan. I also enjoyed the beef
> gyukatsu over the small charcoal grills at your
> table. 

You're welcome, and thanks for more Donner videos.

You must mean :Gyu-Kaku, which is a chain of BBQ ("yakiniku") restaurants.

Great video...  Two questions and a comment:  First, left hand running?  And second, there appears to be a red light showing below the radiator wing on the trailing locomotive.  Any idea what that is?  Comment:  Tonkatsu is a staple in Hawaii and by extension in our home and most of our family.  Our son, a professional chef, usually does a Hawaiian night for the family every couple of months and tonkatsu is usually featured along with Hawaiian macaroni salad.

So I had to look to clarify. Gyukatsu is the dish, while Gyu-Kaku is the restaurant chain. Gyukatsu is beef that is prepared similar to Tonkatsu. The meat is left blue/rare on the inside, and then you can grill the slices to your liking on a stone that is heated over charcoal. There is an accompaniment of sauces for dipping, along with the sides of rice, pickles, salads, etc. The cutlets were heavily marbled cuts that stayed tender with a quick sear on the stone.

The place where we ate this dish was in Asakusa. (Asakusa Gyukatsu 浅草 牛かつ) It was kind of a touristy place near Senso-Ji, but it was worth the wait after spending the day walking around various parts of Tokyo.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> broken_link Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thank you cchan for the insight into the
> history
> > of the market in Japan. I also enjoyed the beef
> > gyukatsu over the small charcoal grills at your
> > table. 
>
> You're welcome, and thanks for more Donner
> videos.
>
> You must mean :Gyu-Kaku, which is a chain of BBQ
> ("yakiniku") restaurants.

Regarding your first question: Donner is run bi-bidirectionally on both mains. It consists of CTC, CTC islands (typically crossover locations), and in between these CTC islands it is now signaled CBS/ABS for running in either direction on either main.

Regarding the second question: I think that might just be a reflection in the paint on the long hood showing the reflective(?) red "lightning" pin-stripping that runs along the bottom edge of the radiator where it comes off the long hood if I'm seeing what I think you're referring to.

Hawaii has such great food with it's mix of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, etc. It's always been a great destination for my family with our palate.

a737flyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great video...  Two questions and a comment:
>  First, left hand running?  And second, there
> appears to be a red light showing below the
> radiator wing on the trailing locomotive.  Any
> idea what that is?  Comment:  Tonkatsu is a
> staple in Hawaii and by extension in our home and
> most of our family.  Our son, a professional
> chef, usually does a Hawaiian night for the family
> every couple of months and tonkatsu is usually
> featured along with Hawaiian macaroni salad.

broken_link Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The place where we ate this dish was in Asakusa.
> (Asakusa Gyukatsu 浅草 牛かつ) It was kind of
> a touristy place near Senso-Ji, but it was worth
> the wait after spending the day walking around
> various parts of Tokyo.

Great thing about Asakusa is that despite the area being touristy, it is one of the best destination within Tokyo for diehard foodies. I visited there last year and approached the area from the less touristy side (from the Tsukuba Express station) and found a Kobe Beef joint with great value, about $70 for lunch including a large bottle of beer. Less expensive cut, but expertly prepared, cooked and sashimi beef.

There's a famous "western style" Japanese restaurant closer to the Tsukuba Express side, that has been in business for more than 75 years. Went there too, to have their famous beef stew.

Appreciate your mentioning the gyukatsu restaurant.
 

The Soba Udon Monju spot in the B1 level of the Asakusa Station was great, and it only cost a few hundred yen. It's a counter style, standing only spot, but I'm willing to bet the same meal in the Bay Area would have cost me $12-$15, perhaps more.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Great thing about Asakusa is that despite the area
> being touristy, it is one of the best destination
> within Tokyo for diehard foodies. I visited there
> last year and approached the area from the less
> touristy side (from the Tsukuba Express station)
> and found a Kobe Beef joint with great value,
> about $70 for lunch including a large bottle of
> beer. Less expensive cut, but expertly prepared,
> cooked and sashimi beef.
>
> There's a famous "western style" Japanese
> restaurant closer to the Tsukuba Express side,
> that has been in business for more than 75 years.
> Went there too, to have their famous beef stew.
>
> Appreciate your mentioning the gyukatsu
> restaurant.
>