2010/03/09|
Hello everyone. Kapinozuka here, getting an article in before Roku. Since our blog leader seems to be working hard on a series of articles introducing strange products (in a good kinda way), I thought I might as well follow the trend and write about something along that line, from a rail model perspective. JNR Kumoya 22(000,001) Test Container Car (Unassembled Kit)  There was a 17m class old electric train called Kumoha 11 series 200, and modifying this as the base, Kumoya 22 series 000 and 001 were born. I'm sorry for the image only being something of a construction plan sheet right now at this current date. The body is brown, with the face being stripe pattern of yellow and black. The only body-like area is the driver's room on each end, so I'm sure you can tell that by its looks that its appearance is clearly not normal. This is an experimental train with purpose to transporting freight containers. Actually, JNR was planning a project in the 1960's, something like "Let's run an express freight train on the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail line". The conventional freight train had a steam locomotive pulling heavy freight cars, so they had strength, but lacked speed, therefore they would clearly get in the way on a shinkansen (bullet-train) rail. So they thought, if they create an electric train style freight car, by motorizing each car like bullet train cars, it might just work on the high-speed rail. So they modified cars that were no longer needed. And this was the birth of Kumoya 22 series 000 and 001, as a container freight car. At this time, the size was apparently decided with the intent to load the containers as shown below. 
They thought, if they turned the containers loaded on the standard train 90 degrees, it will fit the width of the shinkansen train size. In this age, you would doubt yourself if you saw this plan. However, this project to run a high-speed freight train on the Tokaido Shinkansen line was abolished due to a series of complication, leaving the freight train that runs on Shinkansen line to be just imagination. The experimental container freight train Kumoya 22 series 000 and 001 had been given a door like that of truck doors, and are used as distribution train, train which transport parts to the train factory. JNR Kumoya 22001 Distribution Car period (Unassembled Kit)  Anyway, these distribution trains are quite tricky, as they are very difficult to make them run on their own, as a train model. It's all right as a large-scale model such as the HO-scale, but when it comes to N-scale, where will the power unit, i.e. the motor and gears etc. be placed? As the only space to hide the power unit were the driver's room at the ends, this is something many train modelers continued their trial and error process. Some may have hid the power unit in the containers that were loaded. But running this train without containers or anything on it was the greatest problem. The kit by World Craft shown previously, has been equipped with a super mini power unit, so there is no need hide large motors with containers. Right, so after the trials, the freight trains are continuing to run on the standard rail as standard train, to this current date. Is the container train going to remain as a dream for Japan...? ...but tens of years later, Japan Freight Rail has done it! Series M250 Super Rail Cargo (Basic 4-Car Set)  In year 2004, the JR Freight has succeeded in creating a container train. Named M250 series, a high-powered, high-speed container train has been released to the world. Nicknamed "Super Rail Cargo", the specifications of this train has been made as a company Hobby Search uses often, the Sagawa Express custom. The Super Rail Cargo departs from the Tokyo freight terminal late at night, and dashes straight onto the Tokaido main line and reach Ajikawaguchi Station (Osaka) early in the morning. Running with top speed of 130km/h, and using around 6hours. That's as good as the limited express [Kodama], [Tsubame](electric train series 151). And by using the Super Rail Cargo, Sagawa succeeded in reducing over 12000t of CO2 per year. Now that is surprising. The ideals brought by today's odd train, a.k.a. Kumoya 22 type 000 and 001, although its not exactly as planed, is supporting the logistics of Japan today in one way or another. By Kapinozuka, who mentions that Roku's blog is up next. |
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