Spotting... JR Hokkaido

[Guest ___]

For Hokkaido photos check this blog.

 

http://blog.livedoor.jp/katechin3/

 

Good blog, Bill. Shame Rikachan isn't all that good at translating.

[disturbman]

Some EMUs on Super Kamui duty for our electrical friend Scott. There is two magnificient shots in this video. Train, curve, trail fo snow.

 

[scott]

Bzzzzzt!!

 

That's a nicely-shot video. Looks like Rule 1 for winter travel in Hokkaido is "sit in the lead car if you want to see anything."

[disturbman]

It won't be to Scott taste this time:  a mismatch Kiha 183 consist. I'd love to be able to run the same train on my layout, but that would be pricey. There is no simple away to achieve this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X8AZfrKI0s

[disturbman]

Not exactly a JR Hokkaido train, but more a JRF on a Hokkaido line (allready discussed somewhere else). The Red Bear in action:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJtDAvjEQY0

[disturbman]

I'm still deep up my head in Hokkaido snow. New video. Again a Kiha Series 183, but this time in a new spot and very close. You can clearly hear the heavy diesel motor.

 

[Guest ___]

I'm still deep in Blizzard of 2010 part ! and II snow, myself.

[disturbman]

Two full speed Limited Express meeting on a curvy Hokkaido treck, you can really see the pendulum system in action. Slight but effective.

 

[Mudkip Orange]

That's pretty impressive.

[bikkuri bahn]

The pendulum tilt bogies (furiko daisha) are useful for running on the curvy non-electrified long distance lines prevalent in Hokkaido. Their use has resulted in shaving 30 minutes off the travel time between Sapporo and Hakodate compared to conventional bogie stock.  But these mechanical suspensions are expensive and complicated, and recent designs such as the Kiha 261 use active air suspension instead to provide the tilt.

 

video of the tilt system demonstrated at the Naebo Depot open house last year (the speaker also mentions the forced steering feature on this bogie type):

 

[disturbman]

Thanks for the precisions bikkuri. That's quite impressive, I think Fiat Ferroviaria system is unecessarily complicated compared to this.

 

Question, is the 789 equiped with such a system? I've the impression that only the newest JR Hokkaido DMU rolling-stock (Kiha 261 et 283) was equiped with pendulum tilt bogies.

[bikkuri bahn]

Question, is the 789 equiped with such a system?

 

No, the N-DT(TR)789A bogies are conventional (non-tilt) types.  I suppose the routes the 789 types are designed for (Hakodate Main Line Sapporo-Asahikawa and Seikan Tunnel/Tohoku Main Line) don't require this expensive feature, plus you have the superior acceleration of electric vs. diesel.

 

pictures:

http://rail.hobidas.com/bogie/archives/2007/08/ndt789antr789a.html