International Railroad Discussion > Kyoto Station Action in the Late '90s, Part 3

One of the fun things about Kyoto Station is that we could see freight trains too, as in picture number one.  Wish I could read the drumhead on the EMU in picture three, but its too blurry.

(And thanks in advance, Hiroshi, if you add more information about these pictures too!)

John

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Karaoke1811 san:

The 1st photo: EF66 100s in COFC service, a total of 33 were built between 1989 and 1991.  This one wears JR Freight scheme.
The 2nd photo:  Class 381 EMU used in Ltd Express "Kuroshio." What makes this class unique is that this is the passive tilting design train (just like "the UAC Turbo."
The 3rd photo:  Class 207 1000s EMU for commuter service. 

Hope this helps.
Hiroshi

Korigaoka1811 Wrote:
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> One of the fun things about Kyoto Station is that
> we could see freight trains too, as in picture
> number one.  Wish I could read the drumhead on
> the EMU in picture three, but its too blurry.
>
> (And thanks in advance, Hiroshi, if you add more
> information about these pictures too!)
>
> John

Very interesting, Hiroshi.  I didn't know that the Class 381s were "tilt-trains".  I lived in Hirakata for 10 years and now I wish I had sought out some local railfan group that would have welcomed an English-speaking member to talk about trains.

John

Korigaoka1811 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Very interesting, Hiroshi.  I didn't know that
> the Class 381s were "tilt-trains".  I lived in
> Hirakata for 10 years and now I wish I had sought
> out some local railfan group that would have
> welcomed an English-speaking member to talk about
> trains.
>
> John

381s are still in service, on the Limited Express "Yakumo" between Okayama and Izumo, and connect between the Pacific Ocean and Japan Sea cities in the region. I rode it 4 years ago, and posted a photo of it in a report ("Okayama and Sakai-Minato"). They are all going to be replaced by newer sets by 2022, so if you want to document them again, you have a few years to do so.

I guessed right away that it was tilt when I first saw it, due to it having all the "appliances," including the air conditioner on the bottom of the train to lower the center of gravity to make the tilt (without active suspension) work effectively. Here's a quick video I got in 2016 (year after I rode it) on my way to a famous Shinkansen photo location near Kurashiki.

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cchan006-san:

Yes, Sir, it is very true Class 381 has been assigned to Izumo service for a quite sometimes.
But, it is also known that a new car will be introduced and replaced Class 381 by 2022.
​
Hope this clarifies.

Hiroshi

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Korigaoka1811 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Very interesting, Hiroshi.  I didn't know that
> > the Class 381s were "tilt-trains".  I lived in
> > Hirakata for 10 years and now I wish I had
> sought
> > out some local railfan group that would have
> > welcomed an English-speaking member to talk
> about
> > trains.
> >
> > John
>
> 381s are still in service, on the Limited Express
> "Yakumo" between Okayama and Izumo, and connect
> between the Pacific Ocean and Japan Sea cities in
> the region. I rode it 4 years ago, and posted a
> photo of it in a report ("Okayama and
> Sakai-Minato"). They are all going to be replaced
> by newer sets by 2022, so if you want to document
> them again, you have a few years to do so.
>
> I guessed right away that it was tilt when I first
> saw it, due to it having all the "appliances,"
> including the air conditioner on the bottom of the
> train to lower the center of gravity to make the
> tilt (without active suspension) work effectively.
> Here's a quick video I got in 2016 (year after I
> rode it) on my way to a famous Shinkansen photo
> location near Kurashiki.