International Railroad Discussion > Shinkansen Facility Open House (Okayama, Japan)

The event is called Sanyo Shinkansen "Fureai" Day (山陽新幹線 ふれあいデー), where "Fureai" is literally translated as "contact" or "interactive" (my translation).

Sanyo Shinkansen refers to the ~344 mile extension of the first and original Tokaido Shinkansen, from Shin-Osaka to Hakata. Temporary terminus during the construction was Okayama from 1972 to 1975. That's the reason why a maintenance facility exists near Okayama, about 450 miles west of Tokyo, or about 110 miles west of Shin-Osaka.

While attending the event is free, advance registration is required, so JR West (West Japan Railway Company) can limit the number of attendees for crowd control. I registered electronically about 2 months in advance, and got the invitation before the event in May of 2016.

- A sign directing me to the Okayama Maintenance Facility while walking from Kita-Nagase Station.
- From left to right: 700 Series, 700 Series (Hikari Rail Star scheme), 500 Series, Rail Star 700 Series, N700 with the crowd.
- Doctor Yellow is one of the main attractions of the event.

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A 700 Series Shinkansen set in a Hikari Rail Star paint scheme was parked inside the maintenance building for visitors to take a closer look.

PlaRail (プラレール) layouts had toy trains running around, and in the video you can hear the kids talking. "Pla" has multiple meanings, a Japanese phoenetic abbreviation of "play" and "plastic." The toy trains are battery-powered, no throttle control like model trains.

There were speeder rides outside for kids and grownups.

- The lead truck underneath the "nose" (end car).
- Closer look at one of the wheel sets.
- Video of other attractions, PlaRail and speeders.

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- The wheel axle on the Shinkansen is hollow to save weight. (so says the sign)
- Due to reflection, the world inside the hollow axle looks psychadelic...?
- Machinery to meaure axle tolerances.

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- Visitors walking along the 700 Series set inside the facility.
- A lady taking a closer look at the exposed electrical cabinets.
-  Shinkansen brake pads on display - new vs. used.
 

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Kansenger ("カンセンジャー") is a 500 Series based hero character. "Kansen" is an abbreviation of Shinkansen and "ger" is added to make it a nickname. The wrap and character were introduced in 2012, and was still around in 2016. No news on its whereabouts after 2017, so I don't know if the wrap is still around. 500 Series sets continue to operate today, on the local "Kodama" service between Hakata and Shin-Osaka.

- 500 Series Shinkansen with the "Kansenger" wrap.
- Closer look at one end of the wrapped 500 Series.
- More cartoonish wrap (Kansenger Junior) on the other end.

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I walked to the other end of the yard, which had a different line up of Shinkansen train sets.

I had already mastered the "art" of catching Doctor Yellow before this visit, so seeing it here wasn't my primary motive. But for most visitors who haven't yet mastered the "art," this was the primary attracton for the "Interactive Day."

- Left to right: Dr. Yellow, 700 Series Rail Star, N700 Series, 500 Series.
- Another angle of Doctor Yellow.
- Doctor Yellow and baby strollers.

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Couple of maintenance vehicles were on display, one for overhead wires (catenary) work, and the other for tunnel work.

- The catenary work train on the front.
- Closer look at the tunnel work train.
- PlaRail line up.

That's it for the report.
 

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Impressive Japanese Railway equipment and opportunity.  Thanks for posting your visit.

Thank you for the interesting pictures and information.  Gerry

Very interesting series!

Larry

I'm curious as to what set you ran on the Plyrail layout? Are those shots from a current trip? Always enjoy your posts Charles.

Valleyman

Valleyman Wrote:
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> I'm curious as to what set you ran on the Plyrail
> layout? Are those shots from a current trip?
> Always enjoy your posts Charles.
>
> Valleyman

The PlaRail shots (video and photo) are from 2016 at the Shinkansen facility.

For the photo, "Rail Star" 700 Series is running on the tracks. 500 Series, old Doctor Yellow (based on the 0 Series), and N700 Series are the parked train sets from top to bottom. They are seen in the video after I pan down.

On the helix part of the layout, there's quite a variety, most of them not Shinkansen.

What a wonderful event and an excellent report.
Hollow axles go back to the steam era in the USA, visible on many of the newer, larger locomotives including the SP 4449 and the UP 844.
But I never tried to make an artsy photo of the hole......glad you did.