"You just wanted to do that, didn`t you?" series

Good evening, Kapinozuka here.

The JR group has special trains with interior/exterior that is very different to the normal trains, for use as group train, or as temporary substitute train. And they are the trains called [Joyful Train].

It's not like they were recently made, there were already Joyful Trains and Resort Trains etc. existing back in the JNR days. And especially around the end of the JNR period, there were many trains produced for the people who wanted to travel around Japan, due to the asset price bubble in Japan at the time.

Those that are particularly well known are the "Euro Liner", "Salon Express Tokyo", "Super Express Rainbow", and "Salon Car Naniwa" etc. They are salon cars and the interior design could be western or eastern style, many with the tail train having a large observatory seats prepared as well. So today, I will introduce these items of my personal interest, the Joyful Trains.

Series 12 Japanese-style Salon Car `Edo` (6-Car Set)

*requires a locomotive sold separately to run.

Here is a train that was produced in the JNR period, a Joyful Train by the name of "Edo". This was created, by reforming the series 12-passenger carriage that was in a surplus state. It was active during 1984~2000 in the central area of the capital region.

I thought that this naming of "Edo" was quite a drastic, but just as its name, it's a Japanese-style salon car. Each car had been named with the name of a downtown area in Tokyo, the "Torigoe", "Yushima", "Fukagawa", "Hanakawado", "Mukoujima", and "Shibamata". They happen to be mostly areas somewhat near the Hobby Search office, too. Apparently this was taken from the Suro series 81 passenger car that was used by the JNR Tokyo Southern Railway Administration Bureau, before the "Edo" was made.

The Joyful trains of this era were mainly reformed based on the series 12 or 14. As a passenger car, the locomotive that will pull the train at the front is variable, and I personally wanted to join the EF65 series 1001 with it, so here is the resultant image.



I just wanted to make this formation out of my own personal interest... but personally, I think the blue locomotive fits very well with "Edo". I had seen the "Edo" running on the JR line several times, back when I was a child, and I had always wondered where those train were going. Only those involved will know their destinations, regardless of if the train is a temp or group use... It would be nice to see the formation with the EF62 series and EF64 series too, wouldn't it?



At the front (well its actually the tail car right at the back), there is a car with a large window. This is the observatory seat, and I'm sure the scenery you could see from there is just spectacular.



This observatory car has been greatly reformed, but if you look on the other side, you can still see remnants of the similar series, Suhahu 12.



You can see the inside quite clearly for the cars with large windows, from the outside, but if you take a look at the photo... removing the body of Surofu 12-825 (Torigoe), you can see that the seats of the interior has been beautifully reproduced. Plus, the table has been pre-colored brown, such detail. Also, the plastic is different color compared to the observatory seats. And, the window isn't just a clear transparency; you can tell it has been lightly colored blue. Ah, Micro Ace does such a good job, they focus on what others might not find as important. You could almost sense a 'they just wanted to do that' kind of spirit in it.



This here is Oro 12-850 (Fukagawa), one of the 4 middle cars. As the side windows have been left as it was as the similar series (Oha 12), it's a type that can be opened and closed, so its hard to see inside from the outside, but the interior has the tables and seats lined up here too. However, have you noticed that the seat arrangement is different to that of the previous car? At the left side of the image, there is an 'L' shaped wall that divides the room for the toilet, even though you can't see from the outside. And the black part at the right end is there to support the optional room light parts if you choose to install it, and had been made black so that it won't stand out.



So as you can see, the interior has been reproduced, and this just make you want to insert figurines in there and create a lively atmosphere inside the train, doesn't it? For example, if it was used for a school trip, it may be full with students and their teachers etc, and if it was heading for the hot springs, the passengers may be group travelers having a party or something. If it was rented out as a bridal train, there may be a wedding ceremony held inside.



So, I've listed the representative Joyful Trains here. The products by Micro Ace have very detailed interior, as I hope you noticed, but the other companies have very nice products as well, so I recommend them too. Please enjoy using them with the locomotive of your liking. And we apologize for the items that are already out of stock, and thank you for your understanding.

- Series 14-700 `Salon Car Naniwa` Currently Taking reservations!
- Series 14 `Euro Liner` coloring
- Series 12 700 `Euro Liner`
- Series 14 700 `Yutori`
- Series 14 700 `Salon Express Tokyo`
- Series 14 700 `Super Express Rainbow`
- Series 14 800 `Roman` (Renewal)
- Series 14 800 `Roman` (Original)
- Series 12 `Yasuragi`
- Series 12 `Nakoza`
- Series 12 `Edo`
- Series 12 `Kanuza` + `Salon Sado`
- Series 12 `Nagoyaka` (New Coloring)
- Series 12 `Kutsurogi` (Original Coloring)
- Series 12 `Kutsurogi` (New Coloring)
- Series 12 `Yu-Yu-Salon Okayama` (Unassembled kit)
- Suro 81 Series Ozashiki Passenger Car
- Suro 81 Series Japanese Style Passenger Car

Now, the list of reformed passenger car Joyful Trains above, the only ones that are still running at present are probably limited to the "Salon Car Naniwa" and "Yu-yu Salon Okayama". They mostly have either retired or has been replaced by other Joyful Trains.


By Kapinozuka