JAPAN | Railways

[Unsing]

Tokaido Line
First railroad in Japan
Opened between Shinbashi and Yokohama in 1872.

Shinbashi Station
After Tokyo Station opened, Shinbashi Station long functioned as freight rail terminal, but was finally abolished in 1986. The site is now known as Shiodome skyscraper district.


same angle


Shinagawa Station


Kanagawa Station
The track was built off shore.



Yokohama Station
Now known as Sakuragicho Station

Opening Ceremony



Tokyo Station
Opened as a new terminal station in front of the Imperial Palace in 1914.
Though the building was rebuilt differently after WWII air raid, restoration project is ongoing.


Under construction




Tamachi Station
Built on the bay in 1909, which is now fully reclaimed.



Takasaki Line
Opened in 1883 between Ueno and Kumagaya.

Ueno Station
The building was collapsed in the earthquake.
The current building is from 1932.





Kumagaya Station


Akihabara Station
First opened as a freight rail station in 1890. The freght came through the cannal by boat.


Yamanote Line
The predecessor of the Yamanote Line was opened between Shinagawa and Akabane in 1885.
Known as a loop line from 1925.

Ebisu Station
Added in 1901 as a freight station for the beer factory.


Shibuya Station



Shinjuku Station
Who could imagine that this station would become the world's the busiest station.





Ikebukuro Station
Added in 1903
Back then, there was nothing but the radish fields. Now a flood of neons.
Second busiest station




Akabane Station




Chuo Line
Opened in 1889 between Shinjuku and Tachikawa as Kobu Railway.

Ichigaya Station


Iidabacho Station
Opened in 1895 and merged into Iidabashi Station in 1928.



Manseibashi Station
Opened in 1912.
Though the station was abolished in 1945, the platform is still there.

[Frank J. Sprague]

Originally Posted by Unsing

[SIZE="4"]
Shibuya Station

Can't have pictures of Shibuya station without Hachiko.

[en]

Originally Posted by Unsing

Tokaido Line

Manseibashi Station
Opened in 1912.
Though the station was abolished in 1945, the platform is still there.

Isn't that beside the now-closed JR East Railway Museum?

Its sad a lot of the original train station buildings did not survive.

[Unsing]

Originally Posted by en

Isn't that beside the now-closed JR East Railway Museum?

Its sad a lot of the original train station buildings did not survive.

Yes, it is.

Most of the stations now are industrial-looking, since they are just designed to manage a massive number of passengers.
By the way, Harajuku Station building built in 1925 is the oldest in Tokyo, except concrete ones. The station itself opened in 1906.

[Sen]

why all the stations have western architecture?

[Unsing]

Originally Posted by Sen

why all the stations have western architecture?

Because railway construction was a part of the national modernization/westernization movement during the Meiji Restoration. Most of the architecture from that era built by the government look like that.
But if you take a closer look, you'll notice that some of those architecture have many strange parts, like roof tiles. Those were built by native carpenters in conventional ways.

[Federicoft]

Very sad so little remains of them. Is that owing to WWII destructions?

[japanese001]

The stationmaster is a cat
The name is Tama

[josema_call]

In Spain, we have another strawberry train, it is a turistic ride from Madrid to Aranjuez. Take a look:

http://www.madaboutmadrid.com/guide/...erry_trai.html

[burningbaka]

Stationmaster cat "Tama"








Very cute

[Hybrid 87]

The interioir of that train reminds a bit of the living room tram in Riga ... the inside looks just a living room - sofas, TV, bookshelfs, plants, etc

[allan_dude]

It looks like a fun ride. ^_^

[DiggerD21]

Is it a regular train or only used for parties?

[cal_t]

I believed it was renovated to be like a home to increase patronage.

[Gatis]

Very good idea!!! And cat is absolutely cute!

[nazrey]

Japan to introduce the world's first hybrid train
Published: July 28, 2007




The hybrid train Kiha E200, developed by East Japan Railway, picking up
speed during a test run near Saku in northern Japan on Friday.
(Katsumi Kasahara/The Associated Press)


SAKU, Japan: Winding through rice paddies and lazily blowing its whistle along bubbly creeks, a two-car train in rural northern Japan is the latest entrant in the battle against global warming.

Following its runaway success with hybrid cars, Japan is bringing the world hybrid trains. Regular passenger runs are set to begin Tuesday on a short mountain route, the first time a diesel-electric hybrid train will be put into commercial service.

"It's part of our efforts to be green," Yasuaki Kikuchi, a spokesman for East Japan Railway Co., said Friday during an exclusive trial run for The Associated Press.

Compared to cars, trains are a relatively small contributor to global warming. In the United States, railways contribute just 4 percent of transportation-related emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

But the popularity of hybrid cars, such as Toyota Motor Corp.'s best-selling Prius, is helping to boost interest in hybrid trains. Railway companies around the world, including America's Amtrak and Germany's Deutsche Bahn AG, are working on or investigating the technology.

Cost remains a hurdle. The Japanese train, which boosts fuel efficiency by 20 percent and reduces emissions by up to 60 percent, runs nearly 200 million yen (US$1.7 million; €1.2 million), twice as much as a standard train, Kikuchi said.

The Kiha E200, as it is known, is equipped with a diesel engine, two electric motors under each of its cars and lithium ion batteries on the roof.

With the word "hybrid" splashed in silver across its side, the otherwise normal-looking train rolls quietly out of Nakagomi station, powered by its four electric motors.

The diesel engine only kicks in with a rumble when needed to climb a hill or if the batteries run low.

The batteries are recharged when the train slows down. After the power is switched off, the motors continue to turn for a while, and that energy — wasted in a non-hybrid train — is used to recharge the batteries.

Besides the usual buttons and dials, the conductor also has a touch-panel monitor. Arrows show which way energy is flowing, connecting boxes that represent the engine, generator, motor and battery, busily changing direction every few minutes. Whether cars or trains, hybrids delicately balance the two sources of power, relying on a computer to minimize waste.

The Kiha E200, which seats 46 and can hold 117 people including standees, is debuting on a line that runs about once an hour on a 79 kilometer (49 mile) route through a mountain resort area.

East Japan Railway will gather data on fuel consumption, which is expected to vary with different passenger loads; maintenance needs and whether the power holds up for heating in winter, said company engineer Mitsuyoshi Yokota.

In North America, Railpower Technologies Corp. has developed a hybrid train called the Green Goat for moving freight cars in a rail yard.

But industry efforts are focused on developing cleaner fuels for non-hybrid trains, said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a trade association representing engine and equipment manufacturers.

"Here in the U.S., we're not really looking at hybrid technology as replacing the main locomotive," he said.

Hybrid trains, long viewed as impracticable because it's cumbersome to get the various parts to work together, are catching on thanks to hybrid cars, said Makoto Arisawa, an ecology professor and train expert at Keio University in Tokyo.

"Maybe we can't expect too much from a railway this small," he said. "For the technology to be effective, it must become more widespread."

That didn't stop Hitomi Shimizu, 29, who runs a nearby inn, from showing up at Nakagomi station to get a snapshot of herself on the platform with the train.

"I'm so proud of being part of a community with a train that's gentle to the environment," she said.

Copyright © 2007 the International Herald Tribune All rights reserved

[invincible]

Originally Posted by nazrey

The batteries are recharged when the train slows down. After the power is switched off, the motors continue to turn for a while, and that energy — wasted in a non-hybrid train — is used to recharge the batteries.

Regenerative braking has been around for decades.

Over here, braking trains and trams generate power which is fed back into the overhead.

I guess the actual advancement is being able to develop batteries (and control systems) that can store sufficient energy to power a train over a reasonable distance.

[RawLee]

Originally Posted by invincible

Regenerative braking has been around for decades.

Over here, braking trains and trams generate power which is fed back into the overhead.

I guess the actual advancement is being able to develop batteries (and control systems) that can store sufficient energy to power a train over a reasonable distance.

Partly. But this train functions with electricity without overhead cables. So this can replace diesel locomotives on non-electrified tracks,which is a new thing.

[Slartibartfas]

Diesel electric locomotives are a long established category.

I dont know if those in use do use breaking energy though. Perhaps this is why its called "hybrid" in the article.

Perhaps someone who knows more about it can write if thats really a new application at diesel-electric trains or not.

[RawLee]

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

Diesel electric locomotives are a long established category.

I dont know if those in use do use breaking energy though. Perhaps this is why its called "hybrid" in the article.

Perhaps someone who knows more about it can write if thats really a new application at diesel-electric trains or not.

I believe the diesel-electric produces electricity from the fuel. This only uses fuel when needed. Otherwise runs on stored electricity.