Good Evening. Kapinozuka here.
There were days that we saw snow even in Tokyo this winter, and there is even an impression that there was more snow compared to last year. The first thing that get affected by snow in Tokyo, is the public transport system, so we saw staff finishing up their after-hours work early and briskly leaving work, here at Hobby Search.
Right, and the train that plays an active part in the winter of snowy countries are the Russell Car or Rotary Snowplow etc. That's right, it's already spring here, but today we will be looking at snowplows
The Japanese sea side regions of the Japanese archipelago keeps getting the damp snow pilling up, so much that it's hard to keep up trying to get rid of it. And of course, the snow on the railway is too much to be removed by hand, so there has been snowplows produced and dispatched to the areas of heavy snowfall, even from the JNR age, to even now, as JR at present.
DD53-2 Snow-plow Locomotive `Improved ` (2-Car Set)
The series DD53 is also one of them, and has been placed as a snowplow locomotive at Niigata Regions. The rotary head placed at the front car is used to gather the snow, and blasts the snow to the sides, such rough job at 20km/h, a speed which a standard snowplows couldn't manage. Looking at the image, you could imagine the large black mouth swallowing the snow. However, apparently there were incidents where the snow that was spat out had cut the overhead wiring, and blasted the houses by the railway etc, possibly due to it's immense power... such a lively locomotive, don't you think?
Now, the locomotive itself is the box shaped car joined at the back, generating the power to move forward. During the summer, the rotary head can be removed and can run as a locomotive on its own. There was times where it had lead the passenger train until the 1970s, but as there is less and less passenger trains these days, it seems they mostly hibernate in the summer.
However, there was a commotion when the second car was decided for use as a temporary replacement leading car for the [Banetus Story Car] in 2006. It was rare enough for it to run in summer, and it was also rare for it to be leading passenger train. And as it was for a limited period while the Series C57-180 was under maintenance, you could say that's also rare. As there may never be other chance like this, its understandable for it to become the topic of talk.
There was also another temp replacement for the [Banetsu Story] leader car in 2007, but this time it ran equipped with the sleeper express headmark for "Dewa" and "Choukai" that it had been using before, so this was a very valuable opportunity for the fans that wanted to capture this rare event on camera.
For those of you that would like to recreate that rare scene of Series DD53-No.2, these items are recommended.
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12 Series Banetsu Monogatari (7 Cars Set)
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Series 12 `SL Ban-etsu Monogatari` (New Color) (7-Car Set)
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Train Mark For Locomotive Part3 (S7010) 4pieces
*This contains "Dewa" and "Chokai".
Right, lets take a look at other snowplows, shall we?
DD53-1 Snow-plow Locomotive `Shinjo Rail yard` (2-Car Set)
This is the same DD53 series as the previous one, but is the car number 1. the places it had been positioned had changed from Niigata to Asahigawa to Shinjo, but it was scrapped in the JNR period, and is currently preserved in the "Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park".
JNR DD53 Rotary Head (Unassembled Kit)
JNR DD53II Diesel Locomotive (Unassembled Kit)
The series DD53 has also been released by World Crafts. This kit is recommended to those that pursue a sharper modeling and a weightier feel than the standard plastic product, as this assembly kit is made of brass. Oh, and the Rotary head and the series DD53 itself are different products, so they are sold separately.
DD18-1 Russel Head
This is the series DD18, the product of reformed series DD51, a standard convex type diesel train. This series DD18 isn't just another snowplow, its only used between the old Yamagata Shinkansen line and Akita Shinkansen line area, so it's a very rare train. Therefore, it's not something you could see on a standard rail. Unfortunately, it has retired due to the arrival of it's successor snowplow train.
*The old line of Yamagata Shinkansen area = Yamagata Line. Standard active area of the Ou Main line.
*The old line of Akita Shinkansen area = The standard active area of the Tazawako line + Ou Main line.
J.R. Snowplow-equipped Diesel Locomotive Type DE15
The DE15 series, still active to this date, although it's workload has been reducing recently. Working in 4 different companies, the Hokkaido Railway Company, JR East, and the Central Japan Railway, and West Japan Railway Company. It's based on the series DE10, so it looks exactly like the series DE10 if you remove the Russell head.
Russell Head for Tramway DD13/DD15
This here is a Russell head assembly kit in HO scale (1/80 scale). By equipping it to the series DD13 from Tramway, it will quickly turn into a snowplow similar to the series DD15, an interesting item that is more for mood making. The reason for the term 'similar' is due to the fact that to precisely reproduce the series DD15, you need to customize it with equipment specifically for the snowplow locomotive, directly onto the DD13. So here is a challenge for you, if you want to make it that specific.
Snow removing action! Type DD14 & Type DE10 Snowblower Diesel Locomotive Set
This here is the snowplow set from the Plastic Rail series. It gathers the white balls used as snow, and blows them away, enabling you to enjoy the gimmick similar to the actual snow removal action. The Plastic Rail series normally has blue rails, but this particular kit has a white rail, designed with the concept of snow. It's currently sold out, but it was secretly (?) a popular item for the winder of 2009.
MCR600 Snow Clear Car (Red/Echigoyuzawa)
MCR600 Snow Clear Car (Yellow/Numata)
MCR600 Snow Clear Car (Blue/Yokote)
In JR East, they use a small snow removal motor car to replace the snowplows that has gotten old. The MCR600 are colored differently for the different companies it is used by, and has a kind of mascot-like quality to them. It runs on the rail just like normal trains, but unlike a locomotive, it's just seen as a machine for clearing snow.
The model is not quite 1/150 scale, due to matters regarding the size of internal motor. Its slightly larger than the other 1/150 scale cars, but you won't notice it too much, so may be its been scale downed around 1/148 ish or something. The product name says 'type' due to this reason.
As the snowplows aren't for public use, general passengers can't get on them, but the way it gathers snow when it piles up, and remove them powerfully is cool. It's a need in a snowy country, so for those who collects train models from the snowy regions, or have a layput with image of snowfields, I would really like to recommend these models to you. It could be interesting to feel the winter of Japan with your rail model collection.
*please note that these models in N-scale and HO scale do not have the capabilities to actually remove snow, so please please please, do NOT attempt to experiment with snow.
By Kapinozuka, who awaits the day Baleo Express awakens from its hibernation.