Greetings from Kawasaki Neighborhood

20110924: Active City & People of Thailand

2011-09-24T21:53:00.004+01:00

I am having so many guests for business, in the very upward economy. Every day and night, I drink and eat much, and I do not feel like doing exercise, as I am exhausted. So I have got 2 to 3 kilograms more. As I had managed to lose 13 kilograms with a lot of effort, I will do my best to slim up again.

Contrary to Japan where things have already developed up and become stable, the city in Thailand are active and noisy. Things are always moving. People with famous Thai smile have also gotten expression of hope, and look confident, although they are not yet so well off. They are like those in 1960s in Japan.

Today the road was heavily backed up, and the bus arrived at Hua Lampong just 5 minutes before train #211’s departure at 12:55. I rushed to my usual camera position, but I missed the train by 30 seconds. It was the only day when the train started sharply on time. As the train often goes with 2 locomotives, and so was it today, with a 45xx in its head, followed by 41xx, I was disappointed.

As my wife is waiting at home for me to come back earlier for lunch, I intended to see just 2 trains in 10 minutes. Long distance train #171 was preparing for departure, with many people boarding and a lot of luggage being loaded ( even heavy motorcycles are lifted to the high floor of cargo car from the ground level platform, with human arms! ). At its regular departure time of 13:00, the work was still on-going, and even its locomotives was not there.

At 13:05, two 45xx ( 4501 & 4515 ), Japan’s DF200-like huge diesel locomotives from Hitachi, appeared and linked themselves to the long train. I was excited, decided to stay longer, to wait for its start. I looked up into its cockpit, and a driver welcomed me with nice smile.

And a surprising thing happened. 4212 appeared, and it even stopped in front of the two 45xx! Triple-headed today!! And 16 coaches!!!

Please look at this picture. #212 on Saturday, 24 September, 2011, starting Hua Lampong St. at 13:20 ( 20 minutes delay ).

On Sunday, 18 September, I had also taken a picture like this. At a depot just beside. The three locomotives looks as if they were heading the train under a rare beautiful sky in this rain season.

Thank you. In Japan, my friends are taking nice pictures. I will try to do so as well. You please have a nice weekend.

20110903 : Art of Sunlight

2011-09-03T15:51:00.008+01:00

I went to Hua Lampong Station as usual in weekends. It was a nice sunny day in the rain season. I expected to have beautiful pictures of trains, that I haven’t had recently, despite my regular challenge every week.

Considering morning sun around 11:30, I rather waited trains from and into platform 1, 2 and 3. However, there were few trains at the hour, and even if there were, I could not find any good places to frame a picture without obstacles but with good sunlight angle.

I found three 40xx DLs linked consecutively at the depot, and released the shutter. I believe it was not so bad, but if I had come maybe 15 minutes earlier, the locomotives would have got more light all over their bodies. The sun had moved towards the west.

Towards 13:00, the sunlight angle had switched opposite. I changed my camera spot and waited for almost an hour for train #211 from platform 7 at 12:55 and #171 from platform 9 at 13:00. The sky was perfectly clear, but, so unfortunately, about 15 seconds before #171 passed away ( #211 delayed and #171 started first ), the sun went behind a small cloud, and I did not have light for the train, while the background sky was perfect clear and blue!! The same happened for the delayed #211. What was irritating still, about 15 seconds after #211 passed away, the sun cleared the cloud, and I had a perfect light for after the train had gone out of my frame. What a bad luck!! It is a Murphy’s law for rail nerds, isn’t it?

So disappointed, I went home for lunch.

It was around 16:30 when I came back to Hua Lampong for revenge. The sun was getting low, and there was a shadow on the rail from a big tree over the tracks from platform #7 to #10 where some sun set hour trains starts ( in cloudy weather it does not happen ). So I had to move to platform 3. At 17:10, I managed to catch #83 for Trang in a tight camera position. Are these acceptable?

When I reached home around 19:00 by bus, I found a illuminated signboard of my condominium back-grounded in dark twilight navy blue. With a crescent moon behind it, I tried to take some picture, making sure that I do not lose subtle colors from over exposure. I had almost 10 pictures ( passers by were certainly looking at me with cold eyes ), but when I had a good frame, the twilight blue had become almost black, and the picture was not so good.

It is nice to take pictures in fine weather with clear light. But it becomes more difficult to capture perfectly good light, doesn’t it?

20110821 : NO DURIANS ALLOWED IN BUS

2011-08-21T10:09:00.005+01:00

I am an OCD patient. I learned the word from my English work colleague that it stands for "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder", indicating a nice person devoting on a good thing with strong belief and interest, like myself. So, as usual, I went back to China Town for fruits shopping, then to Hua Lampong Station for a few shots.

My wife said, "Again!?" She stayed at home, taking a nap, but it should also be an OCD symptom!!

(1) DL 4007

I again happened to see the 4007, a DL that looks like a HONDA Repsol MotoGP racing machine. He is so active recently.

Today, I had a shot with the 4039 in its background.

(2) Train #211 ( 12:55 )

As usual, it was double-headed. Following the 4210, the 4007 followed.

Would you like this photo better, if the locomotive sequence had been opposite?

(3) Train #211 ( 13:00 )

As usual, it was with 4500-Series DL, and it was #4501, the 45xx top, built by Hitachi.

On my way back home, I got on an air-conditioned bus. A conductor in her 50s quickly come close to me and advised that I should not bring bring any durian cuts. My Thai language has not got good enough to understand what people say, but I certainly heard a word that sounds like "durian". Her embarrassed face told me more than what she orally said. So, I got off the bus, and caught another one, this time without air-conditioning service ( = cheaper ). This time, I found that the bus will terminate in the middle of the regular itinerary, and I would not be able to get home. The third bus I finally caught was the one I could feel relaxed with.

Living in a foreign country without language command, and more than that, understanding about culture and common practices, is really a difficult thing. But it is certainly interesting and exciting as well. How would you feel?

Please enjoy rest of the weekend. Summer vacation season has almost finished in Japan, and my colleagues have been back in office, maybe sending more e-mails from tomorrow and onwards. To be ready for this, I will also relax myself. See you next week.

20110813 : Good Old Japan in Bangkok

2011-08-14T15:58:00.013+01:00

There are so many Japanese railway objects in Thailand. Some are locomotives and diesel commuter trains from Hitachi, that work actively every day. And others? It is interesting to discover some old Japanese coaches that were transferred to National Railway of Thailand.

(1) Series-4500 DLs

This was built by Hitachi, Ltd., a huge electric products manufacturer from Japan.

(2) C56 Steam Locomotives

Japan built about 160 units of this engine, and the imperial army brought about 90 cars to Thailand and Burma during the World War II, for transportation to the new Indian front. After the war that ended in surrender of Japan, all the C56s were held by the Allied Forces, and could not come back to homeland. After the war, the railway between Thailand and Burma was terminated, and C56 brothers even got parted.

Now, this C56 is beautifully preserved at the corner of Hua Lampong Station, and has just been repainted for queen's birthday on 13 August. And another C56 seems to be still active somewhere in Thailand!

(3) Series-12 Coaches

Train #211, leaving Bangkok Hua Lampong at 12:55. The train from 2 July consisted of 4 12-Series coaches plus one unknown local coach.

(4) Series-14 Coach

Far away beyond the 4001 DL ( the oldest 4000 DL boss, switching trains in Hua Lampong Station every day ) lies a Japanese Series-14 coache, still ith its original blue color. It is a slim and smart car with long UV windows for expresses.

(5) Series-24 Type-25 Sleeper Car

Look at this wonderful coach in its nice blue color, now standing alone proudly beyond the tropical banana trees! What else is it, if it is not the exact car that were in the traits of those old night express blue trains, such as Asakaze, Fuji, Hayabusa, Mizuho, Seto, Izumo, Sakura and Ginga?

Some Type-24 Sleepers and other coaches still have signboards in the Japanese language. While this car was repainted purple, the sign board still displays "B Shindai", which means "2nd Class Sleeper".

I saw some wonderful pictures in web pages by other photographers, showing coaches still with "Sakura" or "Hayabusa" Express head marks, or the destination sign showing "Nishi-Kagoshima" or "Nagasaki". Some of the cars maintain type displays saying "O-Ha-Ne 25". Those pictures were taken in 2007 or earlier. I am looking for those signs, but this "B Shidai" sign is the most attractive one I could find by myself since this April. Have they been removed? There remains some other signs for switch on and off, conductors room, window open and close, toilets and others, but they are so small.

Anyway, I really thank National Railway of Thailand, maintaining those beautiful cars, and show us, letting us any time inside the cars for pictures.

Japan in Bangkok ( 13 July, 2011 )

2011-07-12T16:24:00.004+01:00

I am having very busy days recently. Since there are no noisy bosses, I can decide anything as I like, I am free to spend money as I believe, it is a nice place to work. But I get exhausted every day, and as soon as I get home, I feel sleepy, and do not feel like touching my PC. That is why I do not have so many posting recently.

However, I am still active for photographing at Hua Lampong Station during the weekend. Please have a look at some of my recent pictures;

(1) Diesel Locomotive 4518 Driving 15 Passenger Cars

Taken on 3 July. I got excited to see this locomotive, with a Hitachi emblem in its body. I also liked the long train, consisting of many passenger cars, a cargo car and a cafe car.

(2) 24-Series Sleeper Car

I was happy to see the car, transferred from Japan Railway several years ago. It was used for such expresses like Fuji, Sakura, Hayabusa, Mizuho, Asakaze, Seto and Ginga, that traveled between Tokyo and western cities far away all through the night, day after day. The car looked all the more attractive, with its original blue color.

I also liked the combination with the banana tree.

(3) Greedy Labrador Retriever at A Fried Chicken Stall

I found a lovely Labrador near the station. He ( or she? ) is dribbling, silently waiting for the stall master to give him a fried chicken.

Bangkok is full of photo objects. I will continue to go around with my camera.

New Wave ( 19 June, 2011 )

2011-06-29T17:31:00.005+01:00

I happened to see 4007 DL at Hua Lampong. In a moment of sun light that came in the rain season, the colorful locomotive looked even nicer. While I was in Japan, I did not like those repainted locomotives with new color schemes like this, because those with original color scheme decreased day by day, but here in Thailand, this attracts more attention.

Looks like a Honda MotoGP racing machine RC211V in its Repsol Team color?

A few minutes later at 18:00, national anthem was broadcast in the station. I was impressed by the people all standing up still, till the music ends.

A nice memory of June.

20110528: Back in The Neighborhood

2011-05-28T10:04:00.007+01:00

I was back in Kawasaki for moving to Bangkok last week. Please find whether I worked hard enough for moving.

(1) Saturday, 14 May

Ayrton The Emperor, Tsune JNR Governor in Dormitory and myself met at The River. We were there under the blue early summary sky from 13:30 through 15:15. We also had a board of directors strategy meeting at a family restaurant after this;

#3090 EF64-1035 GP + Ta-Ki Tankers
#5078 EF66-117 Jaws + Ko-Ki Container Carriers
#87 EF210-136 Peach + Ta-Ki Tankers
#8095 EF210-171 Peach w/o wagons
#9070 EH200-901 BT Slipper + Ta-Ki Tankers
#2452レ DE11-2001 Ultra Man + Ko-Ki Container Carriers

(2) Tuesday, 17 May

I saw a web bulletin posting, letting us know a witness of US Air Force jet fuel tanker train. It is irregularly operated a few times a week.

Luckily, it came by EF65-1072♪ at 12:46. I stayed for the return train, and photographed again at Watarida Park at 14:46.

After packing my stuff at home, I went back to Watarida Park at 18:32 for #2093. It is another symbolic train for summer, because we can take it only from mid-April through the end of August.

(3) Wednesday, 18 May

I could manage to wake up at 04:00, to go to “Miso Stn” ( = Haccho Nawate Stn ), to wait for the Tokaido night freight liners passing one after another.

I started photographing from #50 at 05:06, a train dedicated to Sagawa Transportation Co. This train can be taken from mid-April through beginning of August, if you have an ISO 400 camera. Looking carefully at the picture, I found that its head mark was replaced with a sticker. I wonder since when it has been.

At 05:57, #1155 appeared. It was headed by EF200-20, the last number of family. I recently heard that EF200-4 is now parked at scrap line of Hiroshima Factory, so we should now chase EF200s. The locomotive was too powerful for the existing power supply system, so the production was terminated with no more than one experimental unit ( EF200-901 ) and 20 other roll outs. Some say it is the worst car built by Hitachi. If EF200-4 is really scrapped, its life span turns out to be just 20 years only.

The web bulletin said the day’s #2074 was seen earlier the morning at Nishi Urawa with EF64-1014♪, so I went out of Miso and walked for 15 minutes to The River. Getting back to Miso, I took #2096, the EF64’s subsequent operation of #2074. The sun was much higher than it was in early April, when I left The Neighborhood for Bangkok, and the light reached the side of the body enough.

(4) Sunday, 22 May

I would fly from Haneda late in the evening. So, I got up at 05:00, and went to Miso Stn to have a farewell party with Tokaido tains. I had packed and sent out my cameras to Bangkok, so I could just see off the trains, but it was nice.

That’s all.

Besides these train watching, I had three parties during the week; with my school mates, with The Neighborhood Gangs, and with work colleagues. I had good food and nice wines over pleasant talks. I could also see my mother, now living alone in Takasaki. I enjoyed driving my CB750 and CB1000 in my condominium’s parking area ( because I had the license plates already returned in March ). After an interval of 45 days, the bikes woke up without any difficulty. I sent them to a warehouse, to see again in 5 or 6 years. So many other events. I should have worked harder to reduce my wife’s work for moving, but we managed to move out, anyway. It was a wonderful “vacation”.

Long Way to Go over Night ( 8 May, 2011 )

2011-05-08T15:32:00.015+01:00

I went back to Hua Lampong Station this late afternoon.

Today, I saw a 41xx DL just refreshed and repainted. In the sunlight that happended to reach only for a moment between the clouds, the car looked even more attractive.

Contrary to daytime, an the twilight time, a lot of people were there in the lobby, waiting for night trains. At 18:00 sharp, Thailand's national anthem is played over speakers, and people stand still and listen silently. After the music, golden hour of night trains sets in.

What deeply impresses me at Hua Lampong is those Japanese cars that has just disappeared recently from Tokyo, Ueno and Osaka Station, but are still active in Thailand. Emigrated to Thailand, they are enjoying their second life.

Special Express #13 was standing by for its departure at 19:35, heading to Chiang Mai, a city in the north. For a long journey lasting until 09:45 tomorrow morning, the locomotive, cars and people, both attendants and passengers, seem to be warming up and charging energy. In the middle of the long treit, there are "O-Ha-Ne" 25s, sleeper cars retired from Japan a few years ago. How impressive to see those manufacturer's emblems, warning signs, instructions still displayed in Japanese!

I will go back for more pictures.

20100502 : Hua Lampong Station

2011-05-08T09:56:00.004+01:00

So called "Hua Lampong Station" is a polupar way of indicating "Krung Thep Station", the central station of Bangkok. From here, trains except to the western part of the land start.

As the steam locomotives are stored at Tonburi Depo, I did not rush to the station first. However, I found it to be an even more interesting place to see. How? I will write about it for the next few years.

First, let us see the locomotives. All of them are diesel locomotives, and it seems that there are several groups for them. One of the groups categorizes those engines with number 42xx or 43xx. The Alstom engine seems to be the most common one here.

As the sun is high up in the sky, it is difficult to capture the trains in good sun light. No matter whether the sky is clear or cloudy, the sky tends to be over exposured. However, I had one good shot in sun set. How do you like this one?

Locomotives look nicer with coaches and wagons. Here is another shot. The 4213 pulls out a long train with 13 coaches. Where does he go to? May be an overnight train heading to the North Eastern province near the boarder with Laos, or toward south to Butterworth near Malaysia? There are so many trains, and there are delays, so I cannot be certain without looking at the sign board located in the dome, but it is a bit far from this photo location.

I am excited to see a lot of trains with passenger coaches driven by locomotives, on the contrary to Japanese trains now operated by EMUs. I am pleased to have this opportunity to live in this country, Thailand.

20110511 : Hello from Bangkok!!

2011-05-05T16:10:00.017+01:00

I suddenly got a new assignment and moved to Bangkok, Thailand, on 7 April. I have been here so many times before, for short business stays, just to find that the city is just noisy, smelly, oily, smoky, dusty and funky. Compared with Singapore, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, other South East Asian cities I had ever lived in, I liked Bangkok least, to be honest. I had some other possibility this time to rather move to Johannesburg, I was a bit disappointed to hear that I am moving to Bangkok. However.

Now that I have come here with a will to settle down, how differently the city looks! Very nice foods. Energy in cities and societies. Excitement ( not only at night ). Good and polite people with smile. Profound culture, history and language. It is not a place that we can explain in such simple adjectives as I listed above. I am now getting so interested in being here.

I once heard about some Japanese steam locomotives that came to Thailand and Burma during the world war II, some of which are still active in Bangkok. When my wife and I was enjoying boat cruising at a branch stream of Chao Phraya River, I happened to see a steam locomotive that really looks like D51, the most major engine in old Japan. I also found a water supply tank that is placed high up, that reads “Thonburi Locomotive Depo”.

It goes without saying that in the next weekend, I tried to go back to the place, the first thing in the morning. Yes, the locomotive was there. Unfortunately, the engine “950” was inactive, and was left there without care for a long time. Are there any active ones?

A diesel locomotive in front of me suddenly started to move and run away, and a surprising thing happened. Another 2 steam locomotives, “850” and “953”,appeared, and they are in working condition!! They must be the car I was looking for!!

There was a notice board for visitors nearby. It tells about the 3 kinds of SLs

(1) Pacific 2-D-1 ( Type 8xx )

“Made in Japan from 1946 through 1951. There used to be 30 engines, and 2 of them are still working. Fuel has been replaced from coal to crude oil”.

It resembles the C61 in Japan, but C61 is a Hudson 2-C-2. Also, C61 has box wheels, while the 850 has spoke wheels. It seems to be a unique engine.

(2) Mikado 1-D-1 ( 9xx )

“Made in Japan from 1946 through 1951. There used to be 70 engines, and 1 of them is still working. Fuel has been replaced from coal to crude oil”.

This resembles the D51, but cabin is larger, and chimney is shorter, like D50. In addition, D51 has box wheels, while the 9xx has a spoke wheels. It also seems to be a unique engine as well.

(3) C56 ( 1-C )

“There were 45 cars, and 2 of them are still active. Made in Japan from 1935 through 1942”.

This engine wears the Japanese C56 model name, and outlook is exactly same, except for some replaced parts and paint color. I know that differently from the Pacific and Mikado, delivered from Japan for war compensation after 1945, this C56 originally worked in Japan, and 90 were sent to Thailand and Burma during the war.

How wonderful it is for us Japanese to see these locomotives from our homeland!! They came here for very negative reasons, and I am sympathetic about them because they will have no chance in the future to ever go back to the place where they were built.

I learnt that those 5 active locomotives run 4 times a year, between Bangkok and Ayutthaya, regularly on the royal birthdays and railway day. I am looking forward to having a ticket for myself.

There are so many things to see and enjoy in this new place. I am now happy to be here.

20110420 : Bobby Jean

2011-04-19T20:11:00.021+01:00

Two years ago, I repeated to go to a location close to "Zenmai Stn" ( = Warabi Stn, Keihin-Tohoku Line ) to wait for the night expresses between north, that rush to "Shimohara Stn" ( = Ueno Stn, the terminal ) about 20 minutes ahead. I was on such small expeditions, often with Ayrton The Emperor and Mr. Nasuyama, frequent photographers in The Neighborhood.

On 19 April, 2009, I got on board the first Keihin-Tohoku Line commuter train from "The Central Stn" ( = Kawasaki Stn ) at 04:35, travelled for an hour, to reach there. In 10 minutes after arrival to this place, "Noto", a bonnet-shaped 485-series EMU night train from Kanazawa passed by us, in a very weak light. It was followed by "Hokuriku", headed by EF64-37, specially colored in dark brown to show like an old electric locomotive ( although I don't like it so much because it is just imitative ). As you may know, "Noto" is now down-graded to a seasonal chartered train with non-bonnet-shaped 485-series cars, number of cars of which was decreased from 8 to 6. "Hokuriku" faded out from our eyes in March, 2010.

The Emperor and Mr. Nasuyama had a long waiting hours in a Jonathan family restaurant over too much tea, with our brain almost dead with insufficient sleep. Killing over 2.5 hours, we went back to the location, to see "Hokutosei". On the day, it was headed by EF81-95, a special-colored locomotive that looks like a can of Coke.

I am not so fond of repainted locomotives like this, but it is certainly a car attracting a lot of attention from us nerds and geeks. Due also to a unstable camera position between needled cables, standing on a 2-step folding ladder, I released the shutter a moment earler than it should have been, because I was a bit excited; unexpectedly, the pantograph overlapped with the column. However, under a beautiful sun, the picture turned out to be in a vivid color.

How do you like this one? A memory from just 2 years ago.

Ayrton The Emperor recently talked about the day, saying good bye to myself now living in Bangkok, over Bobby Jean, a song by Bruce Springsteen. Yes. As the song says, “we liked the same music, we liked the band, we liked the same train. Just to say I miss you baby, good luck, good bye, Bobby Jean”.

20110406: Say Good-Bye to The Neighborhood

2011-04-13T02:01:00.001+01:00

The time has finally come for me to leave The Neighborhood for Bangkok. I am not certain when I will be back here. In the avalanche of cherry blossoms now coming out, I am heading to Haneda Airport. Here is a photo of EF65-1127, that headed #3064 on Saturday, 2 April. This is my last newly taken photo in Japan before I come back sometime, to be posted here. When I come back in 4 to 6 years, we will not see these EF65s any longer.

Thank you very much for your kindness so far. I will continue messaging from Thailand, so let us keep in touch.

20110321 : Trains Still Run in Sorrow

2011-03-21T02:00:00.006Z

We had an encouraging TV news. The first chartered emergency supply freight train from Negishi, an oil refinery base close to The Neighborhood, arrived at Iwate, to carry fuels to Tohoku district, where the severe earthquake hit last week. People there have been living without fuel.

I found out about the train. It is a daily service from Negishi, detouring itself to Shin-Tsurumi, Omiya, Takasaki, Nagaoka, running through the Japan Sea coast up to Aomori, then down toward south to Iwate. It is off the regular routes to abide the troubled areas facing Pacific. Without further good rails in operation, tank lorries relay the oil from Iwate, and head to the final destinations around Tohoku. I heard that the first train started Negishi at 19:44 on 18 March, by EF210 Momotaro with 18 Ta-Ki tankers. From Takasaki, it must have been relayed by EH200 Blue Thunder or possibly by double-headed EF64s, succeeded probably by an EF81 AC-powered locomotive from Nagaoka to Aomori. Onwards, I saw a video clip showing an EH500 Kintaro, arriving at Iwate Freight terminal at 21:52 on the 19th. 26 hour drive. Early in the morning of the 20th, the gasoline and light oil were reloaded to lorries.

As you may know, nuclear power generators in Fukushima are down, due to over heating. We at home cannot help accepting mass-power shut down for a few hours per day, for less national power consumption. It is on rolling basis, and the hour and target districts alternate daily. Even during evenings, it has so far happened twice at my area. In an hour or two, we run out of charged batteries and emergency power sources. Even our condominium’s evacuation steers are in complete darkness. But it is to be done, and we even feel pleased, because we should share the pain and problem with the people in Tohoku. We live in a candle light and small torches at home; how luckier we are to have good heated foods with family in a rather romantic atmosphere! They cannot even afford it, not knowing where their family is.

We, in The Neighborhood, are not severe victims of the disaster. However, some part of houses are in trouble, we have less public transportation services, and we are so much concerned about the people in Tohoku. Some people in The Neighborhood are in panic, although we are very far from the earthquake focus. Being stimulated by the tragic scenes in TV, they are rushing to supermarkets for food saving, and to petro stations to fill up their cars, queuing even a kilometer for a few hours ( won’t they run out of gasoline during queuing? ). We are advised to save these goods, for Tohoku victims to be prioritized. Are they thinking that things will be all right, if they themselves are just helped, being ready to escape far by their own car? Should there be a bigger nuclear power station problem, a car drive will not help at all, anyway, you know!

Annual high school baseball tournament commenced. Everybody usually supports a school from his or her own prefecture, but particularly in this round, people seem to expect much on Tohoku High School from Sendai to proceed. So do I. Hope their victory will bring energy and hope back to their home town. Good game.

(1) #8227 by EF65-1060 at “The Park”, 14:52, Thursday, 17 March

To be cautious to consecutive earthquakes, to save power in office and public spaces, and to avoid radio active objects, we have been instructed to work at home, unless there are customer meetings or urgent internal discussions.

On the 17th, I still went out for a customer meeting, after a lengthy process to obtain permission from office. A very cold, but beautiful day. When I came back home straight from it, it was a few minutes after 14:00. Someone reported on the web on an US airforce fuel transportation train he saw, operated in The Neighborhood irregularly, usually once to twice a week. I grabbed my camera, and went out for its return operation ( = at sinful “Black” mode, because we are supposed to work at home ).

Surprisingly, it was temporarily driven by EF65-1060, not by EF210 Momotaro! On 12 March, we just had an annual diagram revision. I am not certain what number of EF65 operations still remain, so the picture may be an important one.

(2) #5586 by EF66-54 at “The Station”, 16:26, Saturday, 19 March

Scion Machiume and I met for #5586 and #98, both by EF66-0s. We were the first Nieghborhood gangs to see. We were relieved to find each other’s safety, although such concern had not been necessary at all in this area. The EF66-54 for #5586 is a temporary substitution of EF210 Momotaro. With the white belt paint bolder than those of other EF66-0s, the 54 is attracting attention. EF66-27♪, the last EF66 in JNR original color scheme, has retired.

#98 was an operation of EF65 before the March diagram revision. It was nice to see the EF66-36 on the day, but it means that we have less chance to see EF65s. At the Station, we gang had called it an “later afternoon EF65 hour”, with #72 at 16:44 ( abolished or time shifted? ), this #98 at 16:48, and #76 at 17:10 ( still by EF65? ), passing one after another in 24 minutes.

(3) EF64-1007 on Sunday, 20 March

Here is two pictures of EF64-1007GP from yesterday. #2074 at 07:12 at “The River”, and its next operation #2096 at 08:10 at “Miso Stn” ( = Soyabean Paste Stn = Haccho Nawate Stn ).

Although the EF64 was a GP ( = Gyunyu Pack = Tetra Pack = Non-JNR refreshed coloring ), I went out in the morning by speed walk for exercise, because EF64 now seems rarer;

"We go down to The River, though I know the loco is cow, Oh, down to The River".

There is another important reason for me. I will move to Bangkok, Thailand, in a few months for my new business assignment. So, GPs, or even Momotaro is now attractive to me. Good-bye, Kawasaki Neighborhood. Good-bye, Neighborhood locomotives. Good-bye, Japan.

20110315: ED75s from Sendai, Featuring ED75-1039

2011-03-13T09:48:00.006Z

I was in Bangkok on Friday, 11 March. In the early afternoon, I heard from my colleague in office that there was a huge earthquake in Japan, with its focus located in Sendai area. I called my wife in Kawasaki, only to find that the lines were too busy to have one for ourselves. I instead sent an e-mail, to have an answer that she and our room were all right. I was relieved and did not think about the earthquake after that.

I flew from Bangkon by a 22:40 ANA flight. Due to a busy incoming traffic at Haneda, a new international airport in Tokyo, the captain requested a slight delay of flight schedule, but a slow action for approval of a famous huge and arrogant country made the delay more serious. We eventually arrived at 07:15, 45 minutes later. I was still lucky, because a lot of other flights to Narita were longer delayed or cancelled.

I wrote to a friend who likes to go to take railway photos by motorcycle. So am I, and we were talking about meeting each other during this weekend. He was from the earthquake focus area, and my e-mail read “what would you say to ride together today?”

Being tired after a night flight, I came home at 08:15. I unintentionally turned on the TV, to see a truly destructive disasters in the northern part of Japan. How fearful the tsunami is, that slowly comes up from the ocean to the coast, pushing houses, cars and everything up to the hill and returns! Towns are washed away.

There were some leaks from radioactive objects from nuclear power plants as well.

I strongly repent of having been so unconscious about the seriousness of disasters, and of writing such a disguising e-mail to the friend. He does not write back, so he may be trying hard to call his parents, or even driving there to see the situation. I am very sorry.

Ayrton The Emperor says he saw a TV scene, with a freight train stuck on the track that bends like warm candy bar. He says it was driven by an ED75, and to his sorrow, he saw its JNR original red color scheme for AC locomotives and white rubber front shield frames. While there is no way to confirm yet, it must be EF75-1039, that is the last single original color ED75 that still works for JR Freight.

I remember seeing the 1039 on 1 March, 2008, right before a huge diagram revision when a lot of ED75 lost its regular operations. I am usually a pure Kawasaki Neighborhood specialist, and it was the only exception I explored long distance to Sendai over 3 days. It was a great gift from the luck.

And I am now concerned about the locomotive, possibly saying good bye to us. Separately with the earthquake, we have just read in the 2011 freight train timetable becoming available last week, that there now remains only a few ED75 operations.

1) Please have a look at the 1039 photo from 1 March, 2008. A small electric locomotive with only 4 driving axles.

2) Along with, ED75-759 at the same place on the same day, nowadays a rail construction train locomotive, belonging to JR East.

3) EF75-1008 at Takaku Stn on 3 March, 2008. I was waiting for Hokutosei being delayed for almost 2 hours. The 1008 came, I took it instead, put the camera into a bag, and Hokutosei suddenly came. I did not manage to retrieve my camera back in a moment. In such distant place from Tokyo, it is sometimes difficult to tell progress of a train on the web information.

We must be careful of poisonous snakes in the meadow of Takaku. I learned about this after the expedition has been finished, but I felt very upset. I hate snakes, although I was born in the snake Chinese zodiac year...

4) Also, ED75-1024 at Shirasaka on 3 March, 2008. This locomotive wore renewal paint, that we call “Panda”. All the Panda 75s disappeared even before the JNR original color cars, and it reminds me of good old days.

Hope things are OK with everybody in Sendai.

20110213 : ANOTHER EXPECTATION

2011-02-12T23:41:00.003Z

Another picture of a locomotive in snow I have long expected to take is this. Do you remember this photo from 25 July, 2010? How wonderful it would be if silver-white snow, blue sky and pure cold air surround this scene?

I took this. #2096 daily train by the EF64-1036 on 2 February, 2010. Unfortunately, the sun hid behind the crowds a moment before the train’s passing, and it came out a moment after its passing. The locomotive is not in JNR’s original color, either.

How longer will it take for me to take the ideal photo? What is worse still, there are a lot of glass around here, and we are not able to take the whole body of the locomotive. And of course, it must snow and pile up!

20110212 : REMEMBRANCE IN SNOW

2011-02-12T17:14:00.009Z

It has been snowing on and off since Friday here in The Kawasaki Neighborhood. It is so cold and wet, and I do not feel like going out. I enjoyed internet chatting with The Neighborhood gang over old pictures, and looking at Youtube for old trains and motorcycles.

We had a lot of snow on the 21 of January, 2006. On the day, some of the gang had nice pictures of locomotives powerfully coming closer in the storm, and on the other day in a quiet stage with beautiful sun, pure air, and silver-white snow. Talking about 22 of January, 2006, I have a sour memory;

On the beautiful day, #5764 with “Ho-Ki” coal hopper carriers was driven by EF65-535♪♪ ( = most beautiful and authentic EF65 that existed back then ). The train usually passes The Station ( = Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn ) at 13:52, but, due to the snow since the day before, the train did not come. I had a lot of work to do at home, so I finally took a Hama-Kawasaki Line train at 15:26, leaving Mr. Contax G2, one of the best photographer of us gang. No sooner had I gotten off the train than I noticed #5764 coming into “Atama-Ashi Stn” ( = Shitte Stn ). I took out my cell phone with camera function, and took the EF65-535♪♪ in a bad frame with many cables, columns and poles. I was so much shocked.

This repeatedly happens to me. I once gave up waiting for EF66-27♪ ( = the last EF66 with JNR’s original color scheme ) after its delay of passing at The Station for almost 2 hours, and I saw it likewise at Atama-Ashi Stn. That time also, Mr. Contax G2 successfully captured the 27♪ with his perseverance. I did not.

This is not my own photo, but it is from somewhere on the internet, taken by a great photographer who must have been with me. I do not remember who he was. Apologizing for a quote without his permission, let me show you the fantastic scene I failed to see. Doesn’t the 535♪♪ look so cool in the amber sun at 15:34, when sun set was coming soon?

(1) EF65-57♪ @ #5764 on 29 January, 2006

I found some other pictures from own my album. This is the EF65-57♪, driving #5764 with Ho-Ki’s. Succeeding from EF65-56♪ who had retired, the 57♪ was repainted brown, which I did not like so much. But it is interesting. The locomotive was transferred from Takasaki to Okayama Depo in April, 2008, and got out of order and left operation in February, 2010. We do not hear about him since then;

(2) EF65-535♪♪ @ #8780 on 11 February, 2006

And this is our beloved EF65-535♪♪, heading #8780 with Ta-Ki oil tankers, seasonally chartered for increasing consumption of petroleum in the winter seasons. The locomotive retired in March, 2008, but is still preserved in a garage at Takasaki Depo, occasionally appearing in front of us in rail event shows. We hope he will survive long, along with the EF65-501♪♪, its colleague that is still active with the same color scheme, but without the original white rubber window shield frames;

20110111: "Black", Blue, Green, Red, Gold & "Mustard"

2011-01-15T00:23:00.029Z

I am having busy days for business, and sometimes assistance for my mother who said good bye to my father last year.

(1) "Black"

Following the Coming-of-The-Age Day of Monday, 10 January, I had an annual leave on Tuesday, 11 January, to make it a four-consecutive holidays. Although it was a "white" leave ( = officially admitted ), I have to say it was a "black" off from office, as people are working so hard now.

I went back to Takasaki to see my mother, and also my father who left last March. We had a busy but a good time, eating and laughing. During our house tasks, my nephew, doggie Sakura and myself walked to Takasaki depo, at 09:00 and 17:00 on both of the two days. Certainly, it was to see D51-498 SL and EF64-1001 EL going out to, and coming back from, Takasaki Stn. The two drove pull-and-push a chartered holiday sightseeing train to Yokokawa. My nephew, a 11-year-old boy, was excited to see a SL, huge and black, for the first time, and promised to accompany me for photographing this next time; I now have a good ally against my mother, wife and my sister. Sakura got frightened with the whistle, but she is interested in the complex movement of the SL.

But god does not allow us to relax and enjoy in "Black" leaves. During our walk, 2 strangers appeared, took pictures of my mother's house, and went away by their car when my sister went out tom complain. We had to call police, speak to neighbors and think about enhancing security.

(2) 11 January ( Morning Round )

(2)-1) Coming Across with The EF65-1050

People started to work. I went to "The Station" ( = Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn., our home ground ). For some reason, Ayrton The Emperor, my sidekick, joined my sortie. Will we survive his bad economy?

It was a chilly day. A lot of snow was reported in the mountains and northern part of Japan, and long distance freight liners did not appear in front of us. The EF65-1050 suddenly came with Ta-Ki wagons ( = tankers ). It is in refresh paintings, but EF65 is decreasing day by day. No reason to release the shutter, hoping his longer service. To recall, I have not seen him for a long time, maybe since August, 2008;

(2)-2) EF66-33

The reason Ayrton and myself came here was that #3082 at 09:37 would come with EF66-33, and #3072 at 10:13 by EF66-32. They are no longer in JNR original color♪, but those non-Jaws 66's are also valuable.

Ayrton was there with his family's permission to be home by lunch. The train delayed, and he had to leave around 11:30. I wondered if I should stay, but decided to wait for luck, because there was no delay information on JR-F's web page.

And, it really came at 12:15, using #3064's diagram, that was also delayed on the day. Sorry, Ayrton that I had this only by myself;

(2)-3) Bei-Tan ( = US Airforce Fuel Tanker Train ) in Green

Surprisingly at 12:45, a tanker train approached. Looking at the regular green Tak-Ki 1000's, I instantly thought that it was some ordinary oil train from somewhere. I was surprised to find "JP-8" logo on the Ta-Ki 1000's, the Bei-Tan symbol;

On the day, I happened to come across with return train of the Bei-Tan at a cross near my home, but the Ta-Ki's were black.

Are you interested in the regular black Ta-Ki 1000s with the JP-8 mark? This sample is from 23 November, 2009. The wagons were just renewed from traditional Ta-Ki 38000s to the brand new Ta-Ki 1000s. You can find my episode of this scene in this blog;

Another case is from 12 August, 2010, at "Atama-Ashi Stn." ( = Shitte Stn ). I was surprised that the locomotive was replaced with this EF210 Momotaro;

(3) 11 January ( Afternoon Round )

(3)-1) At "Anko-Rikkyo Bridge" ( = Ogura-Rikkyo Bridge ) - Avalanche of Red

Ayrton rather wanted to make his sortie in the afternoon at this place, "Anko Rikkyo". He gave up this idea, and accompanied myself at "The Station" in the morning. As I am a very cruel guy, I sent a cell phone mail to him, implicitly suggesting The Emperor's presence at my battle. And he came up, persuading his family again. Is he OK?

Here is today's train in spot light. DE10-1566 in JNR original color scheme, transporting brand new 5050 Series EMU for Tokyu Railway;

After this, I took some pictures of my motorcycle in red, in the golden afternoon sun light. Beautiful light changes any object into a good one, even if it is an old nasty motorcycle that has worked over 40 years;

(3)-2) What Does It Mean by "Karashi Devil" ( = Mastard Devil )?

Ayrton The Emperor and I moved for a couple of minutes to "Furu-Kamekiki Depo" ( = Shin-Tsurumi Depo ), as it became time for #5586 to arrive, on the day with EF64-1047. It is an EF64 usually stationed at Okayama Depo. Since last spring, all the EF64's from JR-F had been managed by Aichi Depo, although their assignments are still either at Aichi, Okayama and Takasaki. Since the reformation, however, we had expected of a small possibility that Okayama EF64s may come into Takasaki's territory and travel to the Tokyo area. Especially, the car EF64-1047 has Okayama's original color scheme, that looks like the face of Devil Man, a hero from TV animation from the early 1970's.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see the Devil Man, and also the EF65-1127, standing side by side!!

The EF65-1127 is now working at Takasaki, but wears Okayama's original EF65 color suit. it is characterized by the doors pained in "Karashi" ( = mustard color ). As it is not so active ( I did not see him for a year ), we never dreamed of this combination that really happens!!

Ayrton The Emperor is a good poet. He said;

The two have survived so many battles
and now come across after years of separation
The Samurais talk perfectly silently
with the words that propagate through the spirit

How nice!!

Replying to the Emperor, I would like to say;

The time has come to leave the place
and the samurais reposition their helmets and swords
With a neigh of a horse that echoed far around
the two disappeared behind the field

20110108: As Usual in The New Year Season

2011-01-15T00:22:00.001Z

Happy New Year to you.

While this is a kind of picture I should post first in the year, I have become now ready to show to you.

A train from Daishi Line, Keiyu Railway, from Kawasaki, heading to Kojima-Shinden through Kawasaki Daishi, where a famous temple exists. Trains run every 10 minutes both ways here, but for more people to travel to the Daishi temple, the service becomes more frequent in January.

As you see, the train has a head mark, as usual in January. The rabbit is after the Chinese zodiac animal of the year.

The 1000 Series, as you see from my post from January last year, no longer run, because it silently retired sometime last year.

May you have a prosperous and successful time in this year. Thank you, always.

20110101 : Shonan Beach in Winter

2011-01-01T23:05:00.012Z

How are you enjoying your new year?

(1) 2010 Final Shots

On 25th of December, I enjoyed photographing at The River with the gang, including Ayrton The Emperor, Scion Machiume, Sebastian The Duke and Dormitory The JNR President. All the EF66s I saw on the day was EF66-J ( J = Jaws = EF66-1xx ). Other locomotives were just ordinary EF210 Momotaroes and EF64-10xxGP ( GP = Gyunyu Pack = Tetra Pack = renewed colored ). We much expected of #2459 to come with a DE10 or DE11 with JNR original color, but it was also with DE10-1666 Ultra-Man ( = renewed color, looking like a drama hero ultra man ). However, we enjoyed chatting and it was quite all right, because recent reason of our meeting is to talk, rather than to photo those garbage locomotives ( sorry!! ). Also, a 6-car series 205 EMU passed the bridge, which was a irregular case, maybe to transfer the train to a factory in Ofuna for wheel maintenance. We were pleased with this;

And, eventually, my last rail photographing event of the happened on the 26th of December, last year. I predicted myself #3064 with EF66-33 and #3075 with EF66-54. Now those EF66-0s are our important photo object in The Neighborhood. The weather was stormy snow in the northern part of the land, but there was no information of cancellation and/or delay of these trains on the web page of JRF. So I decided to go out in the chilly weather.

At 12:15 at The Station ( = Kawasaki Sinmachi Stn ), the cross bell rang and #3064 from Sapporo approached at its regular time. The locomotive showed its body in the distance, and I was shocked to see a EF66-101J, but not EF66-33. I again accessed the JRF HP, only to find that #3064 delayed by 3 hrs and 24 min. So what did I see? It must have been other delayed train that irregularly traveled with #3064’s diagram. Please look at the masterpiece!! However, this will be a important photo in a dacade or so, when Jaws will disappear;

After transferring to The River by 20-min walk, I again stood on the podium, because there was nobody else. I was afraid of repeated falling on the concrete slope just in a step forward. At 13:45, I was relieved to see a EF66-54, with fully-loaded Ko-Ki Container Carriers; we seldom see full load on Sundays, but this may have happed in the busy year end season. How do you like this?

The light was not yet sufficient. Although it is a clear location, photos cannot be taken with good sun at this hour, and some shadows of poles and masts stretch on the locomotive faces. Please compare with another picture of the same train on 5th of September, last year;

Thank you all for kindness and nice time you have extended to me during 2010. Hope everyone have a wonderful new year.

(2) Back in Takasaki

From 29th through 31st, I stayed at my mother’s home in Takasaki. Since my father passed away in last March, we decided not to have new year events, and I went back abiding the new year’s day.

My wife and Sakura, a doggie, walked to Takasaki Depo for exercise. We were happy to see EF65-501, EF60-19, EF55-1, EF64-36 and -38. Even EF65-535 ( once a Tokaido blue train and The Neighborhood freight train hero that retired in the end of March, 2008 ) showed its face from the garage in a beautiful clear winter sun light, and it looked like a Buddha’s statue disclosed after a long time. We saw EF64-1006 and –1014, both in JNR color, that were coincidentally placed side by side; I was excited because they were two from the remaining 5 EF64s in original color. 3 DD51s were also seen.

I like to come here, remembering good old days from early 1970s, with a lot of EF15s, EF62s and brand new EF65-10xx’s. For some reason, Sakura likes to accompany me here.

(3) New Year Day of 2011

We woke up at 07:10, 19 minutes after sun rise. As it became impossible to photo the first Asahi of the year, I wondered what to do.

As there will be no rail photo object, and no shrine visits for me this year, I thought of having a short drive to Odawara, going through our old addresses in Yokohama, beaches in Zushi and Kamakura, Enoshima ( looks like St. Mt. Michele in France ), and Seisho Bypass Expressway that goes along the long Shonan beach. My wife agreed to my idea, while she usually objects to such especially in chilly winter. We made the engine of CB750 start to roll over, and drove for 7 to 8 hours.

On the way back, around Enoshima, we suddenly had a beautiful sunset with the orange-colored sun showing from between the clouds. We parked our motorcycle, and took a lot of photos. How nice!!

We bought a can of amasake, Japanese rise wine drink at a Seven Eleven. The sweet drink and heat from the can made our hands and hearts warm. It was a small happiness in our hands.

May the new year 2011 be the prosperous and happy one for all of us. Thank you, again.

20101223 : Winter Sunrise

2010-12-23T12:33:00.004Z

How are you? We are enjoying a nice holiday evening for Emperor’s birthday in Japan. The sky was very clear before the day break, as is often the case with the winter season, and today I left home at 06:00 for The River. It is usually difficult to wake up for work, but not so much for our favorites.

I photographed a couple of trains between 06:45 and 08:00, under the sinking full moon and the rising sun in the sky that kept changing its color from black, purple and then to dark and bright blue, although the locomotives did not attract me so much. But I looked at the photos taken, to find that some of them were quite nice. How do you like this one? Just an EF210 Momotaro with ordinary Ko-Ki container carriers, but the train looks so nice in the blue transparent sky. Usually, this train does not run at this hour. It could be a late or a chartered train. But it does not matter.

The train stopped right before the bridge, letting train #951 on another track from Tokyo merging into this go first, stayed for some 10 minutes, then slowly started around 07:50.

After breakfast and some work at home, I left home again with my wife and my CB750, to enjoy cruising on Daisan Keihin Express Way. The 1969 Honda, almost as old as ourselves, looked young, aggressive and beautiful under the beautiful blue sky.

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

20101218: Jaws Photo at Risk of Life

2010-12-18T04:28:00.006Z

(1) #3082 by EF66-29 at “Atama-Ashi Stn” ( = Shitte Stn ) ( 12 Dec 2010 )

It seemed to be a very good EF66 day. I started by photographing #3082, passing “Atama-Ashi Stn” at 09:35. Nice old locomotive under the clear winter sky.

(2) Jaws Photo at The Risk of Life ( 12 Dec, 2010 )

My face now looks black and blue with some scratches. I’ve got other scratches in my hands and fingers. In my office, a lot of my colleagues talk to me, saying “hey, Hide, did you have a fight with somebody over too much drink again? You look like Ebizo. Are you OK?” ( as you may know, Ebizo is a famous young Kabuki actor, who recently had a serious fight over drink and had his face severely injured ). Do you know why?

I traveled to Shanghai in the evening on 12 Dec. Before that, I went to The River in the afternoon to wait for #3075. It was a beautiful Sunday, and I was reluctant to go home earlier for the business trip. Locomotive assignment record up until the day before indicated that the EF66-27♫ might be heading the train on the day.

I arrived at this photo location, before no other geek else did so. I was happy. I went up to the “winner’s podium”, a very small space by the power cable column, where only one photographer can stand and can command the most splendid view.

Suddenly, I slipped down from the podium. I grabbed a metal rail nearby, only to find that now there is needled steel cable around, and could not stop the slipping ( as there are some photographers with bad manner here, JR put the needles to prevent them from going further into the track area ). I could do nothing but just falling down into the concrete slope some 2 meters below, and after that, without any way to stop my body, I rolled down to the edge of the cold Tsurumi River, hitting my face hardly. I was lucky because I did not fall into the river, although I came very near. Realizing myself what had just happened, I started to feel much pain, and then became sad to see my Alpha-900 and its 17-25mm F3.5 lens, keepsakes from my father, having some scratches. The hood of the lens got crack, and my sun glass was broken. What a pity!! Fishing people were surprised, and came by me for help.

Fortunately, I was not so seriously injured, and went up again to the podium ( stop it!! ). #3461 finally came - with the EF66-115, a Jaws, but not by the long waited EF66-27♫!!

It is important to remind ourselves that photographing wild dangerous animals and aggressive fishes is subject to risk of life, as this case shows.

Also, Sebastian The Duke suggested us that the EF66-27♫ seems to have competed its very last operation earlier this week, and retired. What a shame!!

Now, look at this triumphant Jaws! In its perfectly refreshed paint!!

(3) How Lucky!! ( 18 Dec, 2010 )

And today, Saturday. I like to see The landscape of The River at sun rise. It was so cold this morning, but I hustled to go out, to arrive there at 06:45 by 30-minute walk. It is difficult to leave bed for work, but not so for fun. Beautiful sun was there, as I had expected.

I took #5075 ( at 06:47 by EF210 ) and #1093 ( at 06:59 by EF210, on behalf of regular EF66 ), then waited for #2074 at 07:09. I was surprised to see the EF64-1006♫ heading this train!!

Thank god and how lucky I am today!! I have a heavy load for business, but it was good for such frustration.

20101113: I Like Classics

2010-11-13T03:50:00.004Z

I have been spending hectic days since last months. L ast week in Singapore and Jakarta, this week in Osaka, and later this month in London for business. I am motivated to travel around, seeing a lot of people, enjoying different foods and drinks, and watching many trains and motorcycles, now that I have come of my middle age, it seems a bit difficult to go on with such events that continues without sufficient rest day after day. I am feeling a bit exhausted. With the fact that the locomotives coming to The Neighborhood are now being replaced to newer models ( a lot of EF66 duties are now substituted by some EF210 Momotaros, and EF66-0’s are now not east to come across – some are even excited with the EF66-100’s “Jaws” ), I now have less motivation to go out for photographing. Under the sky hazed with sands from central China, things outside of home seems less attractive ( I believe a lot of leaders of the world now in Yokohama for APEC conferences are also surprised to see this sky, due to less rain and sandy land expanding in China ). Let us enjoy nerdy time at home. I will have a drink and meal with six of The Neighborhood Gang this evening ( celebrating safe return of King Kaz from his around-the-globe sailing trip ), so killing time at home will not be so boring.

I eventually bought another motorcycle in August. As you may have read in my post on 16 July, I happened to find a 1969 HONDA Dream CB750 Four K0 at a used motorcycle shop in the Neighborhood, and after a lot of tough discussion with the Minister of Finance at Home, the bike joined my family. I have dreamed of it since my teen age time.

On Saturday, 7 November, I went to a Daisan-Keihin Expressway, to enjoy short riding and bring my CB to its parking space. During weekends, a lot of motorcycles and automobile enthusiasts get together to show their machines. My old 750 also attracts attention from old bike fans. Talking with them is wonderful. I took some pictures of my bike, in the twilight sun that is now weaker in autumn. The CB750 was first delivered to me in mid-September, but it had a gear and ignition problem in the very first day, and went back to the shop by truck. It came back to me after a service for 45 days. On the first day of its second delivery, it ran very well, with aggressive note from carburetor induction and engine exhaust. Old motorcycles are exciting, because it happens without any tampering. I had a nice time.

I parked my CB at my condominium. A few hour later, I went back to start him for a run to my dinner at a good Chinese ramen noodle and dumpling house, because my wife was out. I was shocked to see that he was lonely standing in a pond of gasoline. From carburetor over flow or a crack in fuel supply pipe, almost all the fuel in the tank was flown, giving a stinky smell around!! As I was afraid of a fire, I immediately called for a truck from the shop again. How long will it take for him to come back again?

However, I love this CB750 very much.

TITLE: ANOTHER MONDAY'S COMING

2010-10-24T15:28:00.003+01:00

Tokyo Haneda Airport officially resumed its international services after its 35-year absence. With a new runway that is built toward a different direction, some flights now passes over The Neighborhood, and we now hear some noise of jet engines. I wonder if we have worse situation with the number of international flights increasing in future.

(1) Saturday, 23 October

I went to The Station ( = Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn ) for train #5582 by EF64-1019♪. Unfortunately, only at the exact moment the train passed, a cloud shaded the sun, and the picture became miserable, with perfect light toward the tail of the train.

After that, I just walked for 15km for excising, to lose my weight. On the way, I dropped in to my motorcycle shop, only to find that my CB750 has not received complete service yet, delaying its delivery by another one to two weeks…

(2) Today, Sunday, 24 October

I walked back to The Station at 09:30 to photograph #3082 by EF66-29. What happened there was quite wonderful:

09:30 #3082 EF66-29 + Koki Container Carriers
10:00 #3084 EF65-1060 + Koki Container Carriers ( 193 Min. Delay )
10:03 #2076 EF64-1015 + Koki Container Carriers ( 87 Min. Delay )
10:16 #3072 EF66-35 + Koki Container Carriers

Photo 1: #3082 by EF66-29

One of the EF66-0 family that is decreasing its member;

Photo 2: #3084 by EF65-1060

EF65's are now important, even if it is not in the original JNR color;

I was happy because I was not in the least expecting such extra gifts of EF65, and another EF66-0 for #3072.

However, in the afternoon, I started to feel ill from cold, and maybe from fatigue from too much exercise that I am not accustomed to. I did not have productive and enjoyable time, just taking naps, bathing, and drinking from daytime.

As another Monday is coming, I am feeling sad…

20101017: Dayflower

2010-10-17T11:43:00.009+01:00

The 201-Series EMU train, a very ordinary commuter train use-to-be, retired today, with its memorial final run from Tokyo to Matsumoto. Due to lack of other major news, the scene was broadcast on TV for almost 1 minutes. A lot of nerds seem to have rushed to the event, and ifrom some stations, the TV ( sarcastically ? ) showed hundreds of the funs; I wonder what about the 201 so attracts a lot of people. It was nice, however, that I did not see other people by the rail in The Neighborhood. It is nice to have the photo location all for myself in this crowded land!!

(1) 185-Series EMU, Non-Service Transfer, Kawasaki Stn
( 09:32 on Saturday, 16 Oct., 2010 )

Having nothing else yesterday, I went to "The Central Stn", my station just beside my condominium, for half an hour to photograph daily trains. Unfortunately, the chartered 189-Series train did not appear today. No other photographers, without any significant targets.

09:43 AM at "The Central Stn" always reminds of me of good old time with "Fuji-Hayabusa" night express with EF66. Without any other trains to use this diagram, there was strange silence and boring time at the moment.

The 185-Series EMU trains are now one of important Tokaido photo objects for me, after Fuji Hayabusa disappeared. This series was built when Joetsu Shinakansen for Niigata started its service in 1981 or 82. There was no rail ready between downtown Tokyo and Omiya Stn, so relay trains traveled between Ueno and Omiya by this series. The train was also used for express trains in Tokyo area on Joetsu and Tokaido Lines. 30 years have passed, and the train is sometimes used for some stopping service as well. I hope these car will live long.

(2) EF65-1072♪, #73, Watarida Park near Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn
( 07:31 on Sunday, 17 Oct., 2010 )

This is my single masterpiece today. JNR-Colored EF65♪ heading train #73. Thank you, Machiume The Prince, for letting me know about this combination.

Unbelievably, there now remains only 4 EF65♪'s with the formal wear. It was so common when I started photographing in The Neighborhood back in 2004. Time goes.

However, there was nobody else to enjoy this scenery with. Power of the 201-Series final run!!

(3) Another Dayflower, Tama-Gawa River Side
( 11:30 on Saturday, 16 Oct., 2010 )

On Monday, 11 October, along the Tama-Gawa River Side Walking & Cycling course toward Haneda airport, I heard cicada shrilling. It is the second time that I hear cicada shrilling in October, with my experience on 18 October 3 or 4 years ago. The observation on 11 October did not break the record, but was interesting enough.

As another nature object that is going with summer, I enjoyed photographing again some dayflowers at the walking course. Compared with 2 weeks ago, there were less flowers, and some leaves are turning dry and brown. I finally found a good one, and it is this.

With the cloudy weather today, the flower, usually closes around 11:00, looked fine even at 11:30;

Monday is coming. Let us work without hustle, and wait for the next weekend. Cheers!!

20101016: PC DOWN DURING OCTOBERFEST

2010-10-16T10:54:00.015+01:00

My PC have had a problem for the past 2 weeks. Windows XP seldom starts normally ( abnormal start up happens roughly 19 out of 20 times ), starting usually only at Safe Mode. I tried many things. Being unable to settle the problem, I even re-installed the operating system, completely damaging the environment that has been improved for years. It was not until yesterday that I discovered that lousy contact, or some dust at the interface, of the Video Control card was seemingly responsible for the problem. I detouched the card, and put it back again, to finally get out of the desperate situation. I did not have to re-install the XP... It is a fortune in a bad fortune that I was able to totally restore my user files, dictionaries, address books, e-mails and some other system files.

With my old PC now in good order, I would like to brief what has been happening to me in The Neighborhood since the beginning of this month.

(1) Misfortune Turned into A Luck ( Sunday, 2 October, 2010 )

189-Series EMU @ "Furu-Oyataka Stn" ( = Shin Koyasu Stn, Yokohama )

Machiume The Prince kindly e-mailed me this morning that a nice chartered construction material transportation train will come to The Neighborhood, led by EF65-1118, an only one single EF65 that is painted red, that attracts him.

I first went to "Kamekiki Stn" ( = Tsurumi Stn ) to photo the train, but there I found a new huge condominium just built, putting a large shadow on the rail ( it's a shame ). With another veteran I coincidentally saw at the platform, I moved to "Furu Oya Taka Stn" ( = Shin Koyasu Stn ), the next stop toward Yokohama.

We waited for a while chatting, but the train did not appear. We noticed that it is only at Kamekiki that we can see it, because at this Furu Oya Taka the freight line has yet not merged. What kind of nut am I !!

But I could forgive my stupid mistake, since we enjoyed chatting about trains with each other. And this 189-Series EMU chartered train for school excursions passed by us!!

(2) Dayflower at "The Park" ( Sunday, 2 October, 2010 )

Isn't it nice to give our eyes to the nature around by the rail, while waiting for trains to pass by? Fowers, birds, insects, and certainly nice landscapes. This morning, I happened to find this dayflower, or "Commelina communis" as is called academically, at "The Park" near "The Station" ( = Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn ).

This blue beautiful flower is a summer plant, that blooms silently in the morning, often having some dew in the petal or on the leaves. It reminds us that summer has set in, but in "The Neighborhood", for some season, I see it more often in October.

If I got bored with railway photographing, I may be starting flowers like this, as it is also a very common object.

(3) Extra ( Sunday, 2 October, 2010 )

EF64-1044, Train #3094 @ "The River" ( = Tsurumi-Gawa River )

The EF66-0's are disappearing. The old brothers are being obsoleted.

I went this afternoon to photo EF66-32 leading train #3075, to appear in a perfect sun light.

Some 10 minutes before that, this train by EF64-1044GP passed by. This is its picture.

2 or 3 minutes before, the signal turned green again for the #3075. But no sooner had it turned green than the sun was hidden behind a bulky cloud!! The EF66-32 passed in the shaded sun light, but in a perfect blue sky background from the angle.

It was so ironical that the cloud went away and the light returned to be perfect, right after the train has passed. It took no more than 2 minutes to clear up.

Cheers for this "EF64GP", just a Tetra Pack!!

(4) The Momotaro Now Attracts Me ( Sunday, 3 October, 2010 )

EF210-106 Momotaro, Train #5052 from Fukuoka to Tokyo, "The Station"

I have been tired of looking at Momotaroes that is driving the EF65's away from the rails. But I liked this picture for some reason.

(5) I have Long Waited This to Come ( Saturday, 9 October, 2010 )

EF66-27♪, Train #1097 @ "Miso Stn" ( = Haccho Nawate Stn )

Due to heavy rain, I decided not to go out for #3082 in the morning, that passed The Neighborhood headed by the EF66-27. The head mark was not placed on the exact end of the locomotive, from which we could see.

The weather turned out a bit better in the afternoon, while it still rained on and off. I went out with my camera to "Miso Stn", to take this picture. EF66-27♪, heading train #1097 from Tokyo Cargo Terminal to Inazawa, Aichi.

Surprisingly, there were more than 30 nerds and geeks at Miso. Most gathered at a spot where some roof abides the rain. I did not join the crowd, certainly, and stood somewhere else in the rain. Photos becomes much more beautiful and clearer in a fine weather, but it is not bad to have rain at this time and location, because the side we are looking at from this angle will be shaded in the sun.

The mark is not clear in the rain, but I would travel next morning to Ofuna Stn ( 25 min by Tokaido stopping service from "The Central Station" ( = Kawasaki Stn ) where my room is located nearby ), in order to wait for #3074 from Inazawa to Tokyo. This exact locomotive is supposed to head the #3074.

It was very wise of us to have taken this photo, even in the rain, because the locomotive for the #3074 was replaced by EF66-28.

(6) Memory in Blue ( Monday, Culture Day Holiday, 11 October, 2010 )

113-Series EMU, "Holiday Raid Kamakura" @ The River

15 geeks got together in a fine weather at The River for this 113-Series EMU train at 14:30, as well as for #3094 at 13:30 with EF64-1014 and for #3075 at 13:40 with EF66-30.

About 15 years ago, the 113-Series with this beautiful two-tone color was so common in Yokosuka Line, Chuo Line, Narita Line and others. Now in Tokyo area, regular operations remain only at Narita Line beyond Chiba Stn, but most of them are quite short with only 4 cars.

How do you like this contrast of blue sky, river and the train? If the frame had included the river a bit more, the picture would have been better. I am a bad photographer, unless I use a tripod like this case.

20100926: Momotaro Is Not So Bad

2010-09-26T05:48:00.004+01:00

For a revenge shot for #3064 by EF66-52 yesterday, I went back to "The Station" this morning. In a nice refleshing autumn weather.

I first took #3082 by EF66-23 ( one of the locomotives from the oldest EF66 generation still active ) at 09:37. As you see, the shadow that troubled me yesterday is lying even closer to the next column because of the sun angle, and with the narrowed shutter chance space, I felt even more difficulty. Abiding the shadow, the pantograph overlapped with the column. The gap will be larger towards the afternoon, but less sun light will reach the face of locomotives at this season of the year. How challenging!

Next, I took #3072 by EF210-158 at 10:15. The pantograph overlap is less, because the shadow has shifted a little bit toward myself in the 40 minutes.

How do you like this photo? I ( and maybe most of the spotters also ) dislike the Momotaroes ( EF210's nickname ) as they are driving away EF65s and 66s from the rail, but if it looks so smart and stylish under the blue autumn sky, it is not so bad.

I have long complained about the SONY Alpha-900's color control being too poor. However, I recently noticed that with drastic color adjustment by a retouch software of cyan and blue towards (+) values, for example, +25 and +5 respectively, pictures look much better. The two pieces in this post is created through the same process. If you are using the Alpha-900, would you please advise how you get clear color?

Anyway, except those elementary school students who grew up with the Momotaroes and are happy to see them, is it a bit strange for a middle-aged fan to be attracted by it, even if it is with such beautiful sun light?

20100925: What A Mess!!

2010-09-26T05:47:00.003+01:00

A typhoon was passing the Japanese archipelago. This EMU 189-Series chartered train, often operated for school excursions in late spring and autumn, went through Kawasaki Station at 09:30 in a drizzle.

A typhoon has passed. I went out again with my camera. In the 30 minutes that I walked from home to "The Station", the weather turned out from cloudy to be such fine.

I expected #3064 to come with EF66-52, an old locomotive. The train from Sapporo today came at 12:41, that is, 28 minutes behind the regular time. However, the weather was so fine, and I could not abide the shadow from the power cable column coming down to the face of the beautiful locomotive, because my finger was not properly placed on the shutter release button, and it got stuck for a very small moment. What a miserable picture!

At the next #2090 by EH200-22 Blue Thunder, I was somewhat nervous, and the release timing was oppositely a bit earlier. Another failure!

Challenging the third time, I took this #2092 with my mind so concentrated. It became an acceptable picture, although the release could have been half to one meter later. Look at the narrow shadow that lies just in front of the snow plow.

It is not common that I show EF64-10xxGPs ( = Gyunyu Pack = Tetra Milk Pack = Renewal Color EF64-10xx's ) in this page. Nothing else to show, however.

Now, later in the afternoon. The 189-Series EMU chartered train travels two rounds a day, between downtown Tokyo and Kamakura, but only during weekends in late spring and autumn, good sightseeing seasons.

30 minutes before this train came, a large cloud suddenly covered the sun, and it would not go away. It is a pity because the sky was so clear as to have no clouds in the back, but there was no sun light.

However, if the cloud had not been there, how would the sun light reach the train? On the left hand side out of the picture, there are some buildings, and there might have been dirty shadows. I had better find some other places.

Nothing special today. But all those trains looked nice under the cool autumn sky.

20100922: "Black" Wednesday

2010-09-22T14:26:00.009+01:00

I had an uncomfortable stomach this morning, what with fatigue and what with frustration and what with some bad foods. I had a leave from office today.

However, as the time goes, I came to think about going out for relaxation, which I believe is a positive and offensive treatment of the problem. Going out, what we do for change of air is certainly rail photographing and enjoying good ramen Chinese noodle.

I broadcast a memorandum of summons to The Gang. To my surprise, Machiume The Prince replied, saying he is willing to join me at The Station. Oh, how black we are!

As web bulletin information said, we saw following locomotives;

(1) EF64-1040♪ with #5582 Tank Wagons @ "The Station"

(2) EF64-1016♪ with #2092 Container Carriers @ "The Station"

The cell phone rang. My subordinate was sending a SOS signal - I rushed to my office.

20100920: Arts from Three Consecutive Holidays

2010-09-21T13:55:00.012+01:00

Including Silver Day on 20 September, we enjoyed 3 consecutive holidays last weekend. We had some nice pictures, with a lot of EF's with JNR original color scheme. We seriously believe that Takasaki Depo assigned them for fan service.

(1) EF64-1040♪, #2074, "The River" on 19 September, 2010

As Machiume The Prince predicted, #2074 was headed by the EF64-1040♪

(2) EF64-1040♪, #2096, "Miso Stn" on 19 September, 2010

This is a return operation of the #2074 above. I like this picture with 105mm lens ( for a conventional 35mm full size camera ).

After taking these, I went to Takasaki to see my mother, and to go to see my father in his grave. Sakura, a doggie, my wife, and myself also walked to Takasaki Depo late in the afternoon, to see off Annaka "Cockroach Freight Train" with EF81, and D51-498 right before parking at the depo after his service of The SL Minakami. We three were happy, because a driver of EF65-1065 going out of the depo sent us a smile. We were also impressed by the D51, with his heavy and slow motion with a lot of steam.

(3) EF65-1072♪, #2077, Shitte-Kurokawa Rd. on 20 September, 2010

Except for those belonging to JR East, there remain only 3 JR Freight EF65-10xx's with JNR's original color scheme. On 20 September, the 1072♪ passed through The Neighborhood.

(4) EF64-1016♪, #5692, #The Park" on 20 September, 2010

1016♪ was assigned to #3094 on the day, and we knew that it would come back by this #5692. It is usually with 1-2 "Ko-Ki" container carriers without containers, which we call "skate board", and it was without any wagons.

20100912: Two EF6x's under "Atama-Ashi Stn" Morning Sun

2010-09-21T13:47:00.007+01:00

Two nice EF6x's passed The Neighborhood in the morning on 12 September.

(1) EF64-1006♪, #2076, "Atama-Ashi Stn" on 12 September, 2010

(2) EF66-35, #2082, "Atama-Ashi Stn" on 12 September, 2010

20100911: EF65-1054 Last Run?

2010-09-21T13:10:00.004+01:00

I heard a rumor that today, on 11 Sept., we will have the last run for the EF65-1054. As the locomotive was assigned to #2095 and would go through The Neighborhood, I woke up at 04:45 and went to The Park.

The train passed at 05:54. I was afraid of opposite sun light and /or a lot of zebra shadows on the train, but the sun was still low enough, just above the horizon ( sun rise was at 05:21 ), and the sun was weak. How do you like this picture?

I do not know what will happen to the 1054, after this final run. Hope it will survive somewhere as a silent car, even if we are not able to expect extended operation at Okayama Depo.

20100905: Sumire September Love 2010

2010-09-06T16:15:00.012+01:00

Last weekend, I was released from heavy business task that lasted for a month without allowing my summer vacation, and I was happy to had 3 pictures of the EF66-0's. No "Jaws" ( = EF66-1xx's )!!;

(1) EF66-30 @ #3064 from Sapporo @ "The Station" on 4 Sept, 2010

A few months after its refreshing, the locomotive is getting dirty.

On the day, there was also a very nice train in The Neighborhood. EF65-1106 with 10 *14-Series sleeper coaches. Sleeper coaches usually do not run through The Neighborhood, but the chartered train conveyed the coaches to the port of Kawasaki, so that they will wait for loading to a ship. They will be carried over to the national railway of The Philippines.

This #3064 ran 3.5 hours earlier than the chartered train. However, nerds were starting to get together for camera positions; I was afraid of those unfriendly and strangely silent guys, so I put my camera back in my bag and came back home.

Actually, express color EL + coaches are what attracts me most. It reminds me of good old Ueno trains for north like "Kaga", "Hakkoda", "Noto", "Myoko", "Echizen" and others. But it was far from comfortable in staying in the "quiet gathering".

I set my alarm in my room to wake up 15 minutes before its passing. The alarm was not set correctly, but I was lucky to be awake about 30 seconds before. I could not set up my camera, but managed to picture it in my eyes from my own balcony.

(2) EF66-54 @ #3082 from Koshigaya @ "Atama-Ashi Stn" on 5 Sept, 2010

This EF66 has a decoration line that is bolder, colored white, not cream-yellow.

It threatens to rain at any moment, although we hadn't had any rain since the end of the rain season around 15 July - but it did not rain.

(3) EF66-52 @ #3075 to Nagoya @ "The River" on 5 Sept, 2010

I apologize for repeating similar scenery, but I like this picture also in the strong and clear summer sun light.

That's all.

Extremely and abnormally hot summer days are coming one after another in The Neighborhood. Hope we will have cool autumn season sooner.

20100808: Passing of Summer

2010-08-08T16:58:00.002+01:00

While we are having extremely warm days, the summer is silently passing us.

(1) MC250 @ #50 Sagawa-Kyubin Express, Haccho-Nawate Stn ( 05:06 on 25 July, 2010 )

A famous summer photo object in the Tokyo area. The train passes "Miso Stn" ( = "Soyabean Paste Stn" = Haccho-Nawate Stn ) at 05:06 every morning. We are able to take photo, usually from mid-April through the end of July. I took this on Sunday at ISO 1000, 1/800 sec, and F4.0. I again took it on 1 August, with Ayrton The Emperor, with the same camera setting but at 1/640, but the picture turned out darker.

It is an EMU cargo train, loaded with special containers that can be placed to Sagawa-Kyubin lorries directly.

(2) EF64-1006♪ @ #2092, Kawasaki-Shinmachi ( 12:47 on 8 August, 2010 )

Luckily, today's #2092 came with EF64 in original JNR color scheme. Machiume The Prince and I waited for this, having cans of strong "Explosive Fuel" ( = cocktail ) at "The Station".

It was cloudy, but it was bright, and the train was taken in a soft and flat light.

This train indicates that the #2093 in the evening of the day will be headed by the EF64-1006♪, the same locomotive.

(3) EF64-1006♪ @ #2093, Watarida-Park ( 18:32 on 8 August, 2010 )

Saying "This is the last photo of #2093 this year", I am repeatedly taking the same train. Nice to have this again, all the more for the JNR color locomotive.

Please compare this picture with others of mine from 6 July ( the locomotive was also 1006♪ on the day ). We can see that the sun is now sinking earlier.

(4) Twilight @ Rokugo-Bashi Bridge, Tama-Gawa River ( 18:50 on 8 August, 2010 )

After #2093, I happened to find a nice twilight at Tama-Gawa. I love to take nature photos in urban area like this;

I will have 4-day summer vacation in the latter half of this week. It is shorter than usual, as I have to prepare for acceptance of important business visitors in the end of this month. I will goof off in office, because there will be few colleagues around. How nice!

20100629-0701: Greetings from Polish Neighbourhood ( Europe "Black Rail Photographing" Travelogue E/3 )

2010-08-07T13:23:00.003+01:00

The "Black" rail trip of mine finally went on to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, running through the monotonous plains over 7 hours by train. Sometimes taking pictures of locomotive depo's and wagon yards from a window of a compartment for 6 people, without any other passengers than myself, I arrived at Warszawa-Centralna ( Warsaw Central ) Stn at 16:00. I got off the express from Vienna ( how wonderful it is to see those sign boards that carry such pan-European dream! ). As the train stopped in a dark narrow under-ground platform, I did not take a picture of it. I noticed that the train would go on for another several minutes to Warszawa-Wschodnia ( Warsaw East ) Stn.

When I checked in to the Holiday Inn hotel in front of the station, my business colleagues who joined from Japan were watching TV with bated breath, waiting for the kick off of Japan vs Uruguay world cup soccer game, without even one single word to welcome myself. I quickly had a glass of cold beer, and slowly went out ( with my camera in my bag, of course ), saying I would go for small shopping. I rushed back to the station.

There was a long long queue at a ticket counter ( I wrongly queued myself to a long-distance train counter ). I gave up to wait, and took a Mercedes taxi, despite limited amount of local cash. I did not have time to study local trains, buses and trams, so I had to at a risk of shortage. Roads were heavily backed up, and the meter continued to go up even in complete seizure. After all, I spend 60% of cash that I carried in my wallet; would I be able to use a taxi again to go back? I hoped that I would instead manage to find a train back to the Central Stn.

Contrary to the modern Central Stn, rebuilt after a severe Nazi destroy, there was a lot of arts with classic colors, shapes, sounds and atmosphere, left in the platforms of this East Station. As I was away from enthusiasm for railways in late 1970's and 80's, I enjoyed releasing the shutter of D80, overlapping the missed "old time" with the scenery of Poland that still exists.

Look at this locomotive. I like it all the more for its unstylishness.

And how do you like this local train with headlights, that look like huge eyes?

There were also some newer electric locomotives like this, resembling the Japanese EF200, but I prefer older ones;

Now, I must buy a ticket and find out how to travel with a local train. I went to a counter and shouted to a ticket lady "Centralna, Centralna!!", although I could not see "Centralna" in a map. She said something to me, maybe meaning "The trains from here do not arrive at the Central Stn, but if you get of at "Warszawa-Srodmiescle" Stn, it is quite close to the "Centralna" of the national railways". But there was no reason why I could understand what she said in the local language. The fare was very small, and I was relieved about it, though.

I got on the train, anyway. Got off at "Srodmiescle". What a nasty and stinky place! I wanted to run away ( but I took some pictures and recorded the station announcement by MD recorder, of course ). Going up the stairs, I finally got somewhere that is right next to the "Centralna" Stn. I returned safely.

When I was a younger bag-packer, I jumped into a lot of different places, looking for excitement like this, but now it is just a nuisance and source of fatigue for me. I am getting older.

I was so tired. Japan's failure toward Urguay did not matter at all any longer.

In the evening, we worked with our colleagues, with some from Poland. They were so energetic and eager for success, as our parent's generation should have been some 50 years ago in Japan. I was impressed.

As I did not know whether I would have future chance to come back to Poland, I exchanged only minimumly necessary amount of money. I did not have any for taxi to the airport, so I asked for a ride to my colleague. I managed to get to the airport.

A lot of nice people, nice trains and good experiences in Poland, about which I had known very little. But, without doubt, it was nice of me to come to the country.

Wondering where I shall go next, I conclude this travelogue of Europe. Thank you for reading.

20100801: How Are You Enjoying Your Summer?

2010-08-02T17:24:00.002+01:00

As predicted, Sunday's #3075 came with EF66-54. It is a refreshed car, but with a coloring close to EF66's original JNR scheme, and with unique white line that is bolder than the others. The sun was perfect at 13:37, differently from #3461 at 12:17 without enough light reaching the left flank. How do you like this picture, with a 35mm wide lens and RVP-like cool color? Should be a bit clearer? Sorry, the sky was a bit smoggy ( Kawasaki is famous for smog in summer ).

This morning, I expected #3082 with EF66-27, the last JNR color EF66 that is still alive, to pass The Neighborhood at 09:36. I adjusted my office arrival time to 10:50, the latest flex time, served the summons to The Gangs, and excitedly waited for the time of sally. A black crowd with thunder and lightening suddenly appeared in the west, and it threatened to rain at any moment, breaking my fantasy of "Black" art creating activity ( = sly rail photographing on business days ). I arrived at my office at 08:50, the regular hour, and the day's work was very exciting. Thanks god!!

20100725: Scenery in My Mind

2010-07-25T02:15:00.005+01:00

Rail spotter's web bulletin this morning said that the EF64-1006♪ was driving train #2074 from Kanazawa to Yokohama-Hazawa. Although recent operations by Takasaki Depo do not necessarily tend to follow what it says in official locomotive assignment sequence, a #2074 locomotive does not go back to the base depo before it next passes The Neighborhood; it became highly likely that the EF64-1006♪ would come back by train #2096, except for emergencies such as mechanical disorders. And It happened.

This is the art I have challenged for the past one year, at this location, with this sun light and weather, and with a EF64-10xx in JNR-color scheme♪. After a series of failures, I finally put this scene on canvas this morning. How nice!!

Now that I have got this, I will next try the same picture in winter, in a perfectly clear light with snow on the ground.

20100627-29 : Greetings from Czech Neighbourhood ( Europe "Black Rail Photographing" Travelogue 2/3 )

2010-07-18T03:04:00.007+01:00

Very fine days came one after another. Go anywhere, I hear that it had kept raining in the previous week, so I cannot help grinning. My trip went on to Czech Republic.

(1) Prague ( Sunday, 27 June, 2010 )

British Air flight landed at Prague Airport. Travelling another 40 minutes by local bus and underground, I finally arrived at Prague Central Station, the most favorite station of mine in Europe, and maybe in the world.

Coming back here after 1 year and half, I was impressed by the station's hall totally modernized; it used to be a dirty and risky place where I felt uneasy. The dark toilet, succeeded from the communism age, was also refreshed, allowing us to use it without hesitation. Time has passed.

All that became missing was the nice train arrival and departure announcement and chimes ( the famous first rhythm of "Moldau" from "Ma last" of Smetana ), that had nicely echoed in the dome. It was wise of myself to have recorded the sounds in my prior travel. Where has the lonely feeling in a travel commencement gone? Are you interested in how it was a few years ago? Please access the following file with Real Audio, to hear how it heard on 12 September, 2007;

ttp://isweb19.infoseek.co.jp/motor/htakahas/rail_sound/ram/20070912_Prague-Central-Stn.ram

Note: Please manually add "h" in the beginning of the URL.

Talking of trains, there were still a lot of coaches, but the unstylish and humorous type-242 electric locomotive could no longer be found in my eyes.

i) Type-111 EL Switcher and Type-363.

ii) Type-714 DL and Car Carrier

Besides transportation of newly-produced cars, I saw the wagon attached in the tail of a passenger train, maybe carrying private cars. For vacation season?

iii) Type-150 EL Driving a Passenger Train

The first and last picture of trains in motion in Prague this time.

I also walked around the city in the Sunday's perfect weather. At the Charles Bridge, I saw an usual begger laying his face down, with his sad-looking shepherd dog beside him.

(2) Brno ( Sunday, 27 through Tuesday, 29 June, 2010 )

At 19:30, my train started from Prague. There was nobody else in the 2nd class compartment, which is better than the open seat in 1st class cars. The sun sunk around 20:15 over the meadow of the hill, and I fell into a doze. When I woke up, it was completely dark around, and the electric locomotive was struggling on the steep slope of the winding track, going slowly with heavy low motor noise. I saw some lights of town. Gazing into the windows, at the entrance of station area, I finally found the old-image sign board of "Brno Hlavni Nadrazi"( = Brno Central Stn ), spelled with classy fonts backlighted by incandescent lamps. Here is Brno, a nice country town with Star Brno beer, MotoGP racing and shy but nice and kind people. I was relieved to be back.

As usual, I checked in at Parkhotel. The buildings were renewed from an old rich house. I enjoyed staying again in this classy hotel, and I would like to come back in future, of course.

On the next day, I had several business meetings and dinner. In the evening, I enjoyed some tea at a café on the roof of an old building in the center of Brno, where I could see around the old town with a lot of steeples, and into the sky to find summer constellations, milky way and crescent moon and venus. The tea tasted good with cool and fresh evening breeze.

Having had a breakfast at Parkhotel's terrace full of flowers, I took a taxi, and arrived at Brno Central Stn no later than 1 hour before departure of my train to Breclav and Warsaw!!

i) Illuminated Sign Board of Brno Central Stn

Warm light from incandescent lamps, which I like.

ii) Local Train

Look at this unstylish but nice train!! In the sun-shading curtain see the Camel logo and "THE DOCTOR", symbol mark of Valentino Rossi. Brno is, needless to say, a town of MotoGP racing.

In Prague area, this train is called "City Elephant". How apt the nickname is!

iii) Type-242 EL!!

I finally came across with a 242 locomotive, an EL with 4 axes. It may have disappeared from Prague area, and there still seem to be some stationed in Brno Depo. With orange-cream color scheme, compared with green-cream of Prague. Nice to observe this plump locomotive again.

And the trip goes on to Poland.

20100716: Weekday Rail Art at "White" Mode

2010-07-16T15:10:00.005+01:00

It seems that the rain season has gone in Tokyo area. Since yesterday, the weather has been very fine, and TV forecasts say that we will just have sunny days all through this weekend and next week. Wonderful!!

What was better still, I was free from work for our company's foundation day today. So, I went out to "The Neighbourhood" with my camera; we have some attractive trains on Fridays, too.

#8998, Kawasaki Railroad Construction Supply Train, that often appears on Mondays and Fridays, passed by "The Station" at 11:56, configured by EF65-1102♪ ( ex-Blue Train Locomotive from JR-East Tabata Depo ) and 2 "Ho-Ki" Hoppers loaded with ballast. Unfortunately, the cloud shaded the sun at the very moment of shutter release ( but only the exact moment!! ), and I was disappointed. There were another "Black" photographer in business attire, and he was even more disappointed. I need a revenge effort.

After a huge bowl of Chinese ramen noodle at a famous house near "The Station", I moved to "The River" by my "CB750 Four K0" ( = my wife's bicycle ). As I expected from yesterday's assignment, EF66-27♪ may head the #3461, a paper cargo train with match box wagons. It really appeared, but the sun is just in the middle of the southern sky at 12:15, and the light reached neither side of the train. I need a revenge effort.

I was not aware that the next oil tanker train #3094 would come with EF64-1040 ♪ at 13:28, and went home for a rest. Actually, I missed the same locomotive♪ in #2093 at 18:36 @ "Miso Stn" ( = Haccho Nawate Stn ) on 8 July, when I came back from Singapore through Narita Airport. No sooner had I reached home than I saw it pass by from my balcony, having no time to look at the web bulletin for rail information sharing ( otherwise I would have taken a quicker train ). I need a revenge effort.

As revenge for the #8998 this morning, I went to "The Bridge" ( = Ogura Rikkyo Bridge ) for #8997, the return train of #8998. Just around this season last year, I did the same thing, and the picture was not perfect with the EF65's pantograph overlapping a pole. I set my camera on tripod carefully, wait for the train, released the shutter, and the result was that, this time, shadow from another pole spread over the handsome and beautiful EF65-1102♪. Not having even one good picture from today's efforts in the temperature far over 30 degrees, I cannot help using "brush for oil on canvas" ( = Adobe Photoshop's retouch functions ) to "create an artful picture from a base photo". How do you like my masterpiece?

Note: This is not a photograph, but an art creation based on a digital photo;

Today's Saying : "It's So Hard to Be A Saint in The City, oh, no, A Good Photographer on Business Days" ( (c) Bruce Springsteen ).

After the art creation activity, I went back to a motorcycle shop near my home. Last week, when I went there for annual insurance renewal, I happened to find something I should rather not; a 1969 HONDA CB750 Four K0, the first 750cc from Japan, that turned out to be a huge seller all over the world. Now we seldom see this bike. As I have longed for this bike since my high school days, and it is my most favourite one, I am now seriously thinking about buying it, being neurotic time after time, day after day. The K0 is attracting myself to spend more, for better economy of Japan. What will happen in a week or two? I do not know. Probably a lot of dispute with my wife over this unnecessary spending, before becoming a K0 owner? Anyway, I will not be a rich person, with a lot of temptations from the world coming one after another. But this may mean that the world is wonderful and I am enjoying life at least. How do you think?

Note: More to come at "Greetings from Kawasaki Neighborhood" at ;
http://ef65.blogspot.co
( Please add the letter "m" in the end of the URL above )

20100626: Greetings from London Neighborhood ( Europe "Black Rail Photographing" Travelogue 1/3 )

2010-07-16T01:59:00.006+01:00

I was traveling in UK, Czech and Poland for business, from 24 June through 4 July. I spoke to lastarial-san, an UK local photographer, and enjoyed taking pictures together on Saturday, 26 June. Thanks to his guidance, I could take a lot of nice photos. How do you like these?

(1) A Gatwick Shuttle Express @ Clapham Junction ( 12:16 )

(2) Local Train @ Clapham Junction w/ Horns Looking Like Crab's Eyes ( 12:27 )

(3) EWSR Type-66 Logo from Paper Cargo Train @ Clapham Junction ( 12:45 )

(4) Paper Cargo Train @ Wandsworth Common ( 13:08 )

(5) Passenger Train Transfer @ Kensington Olympia ( 14:54 )

(6) Virgin Train Express @ South Kenton ( 17:40 )

Thank you, lastarial-san, for your kindness. By the way, here are some notes on what I noticed in the UK photo expedition, comparing with how we do in Japan. Please skim, if it is of any interest to you;

(1) Populartity : Saw rail photographers at the edge of stations and at line sides, as many as in Japan; rail photographing seems to be a popular hobby in UK. The demography was a bit different, though; I saw many aged veterans among young people in their teens, twenties and middle-ages ( like myself ), who carry old Japanese film SLRs like Pentax LX, etc. What were common with us in Japan were; the fact that they look a bit nerdy and geeky, and that there were few women. Differently from Japanese, they start conversation without too much shyness and hesitation, saying hello straight away as soon as they come across each other. This is a wonderful thing.

(2) Equipment & Manner : There are some ( but less ) photographers with tripods. However, I did not see anybody who uses it at stations.

(3) "Ko-Shu Train" : As a matter of course, there are rail car transfer operations, equivalent to those in Japan "Ko-Shu" ( 甲種 ). At Kensington Olympia Stn, seemingly "The Station" in The London Neighborhood, we happened to see an irregular train as attached. With our spiritual fortune drawing power, lastarial-san and myself were very happy. As you see, this train is transferring EMUs that have just come through maintenance. lastarial-san told me that the box cars right next to the EMUs were to convert different types of joints, and the open wagons for braking.

(4) "The Neighbourhood" : By the way, Kensington Olympia Stn is located a few kilometers from downtown London. In a silent residential neighborhood, I heard some soccer balls bounding, poor but nice electric guitar exercise, and small boys and girls shouting; an environment quite close to "The Neighborhood" in Kawasaki.

(5) Spotter's Guide : I was surprised to know that there are some manuals for freight train fans, naturally in the country with a lot of enthusiasts. Location by location, up and down stream, passing time, sorts of locomotives and wagons, operation days are shown, like the "red book" from Rail Magazine, SFL-san's "holy book" for The Neighborhood, etc. However, lastarial-san says that the diagram is just for reference, and discrepancy of 15 - 60 minutes are quite ordinary. Frequent delay. Oppositely, if the loading gets ready and a diagram is available, freight trains start earlier. Surprising!

(6) Chartered Train : Chartered trains attracts attention of the fans. I saw a special train for sea resort at Stratford Stn, after 10:00 on Saturday, 26 June, with some other photographers. Its locomotive and coaches were comparatively old, which is same as those chartered trains in Japan.

(7) Good Old Days : Freight Trains and yards are diminishing, with trucks gaining popularity as mode of transportation. lastarial-san said with nostalgia, and maybe with small regret, that there used to be a huge and buy freight yard with numerous wagons around Stratford Stn, where an Olympic stadium is now being built.

(8) Long-Distance Train Fare Adjustment : Fares of long distance trains may be adjusted by seat occupation rate. It is by far the more expensive to travel in the rush hour, than to travel in off-peak hours. Sometimes, if the 1st class is empty, its fare may be lower than the 2nd class. It is recommended that we speak to ticket counters. In my case, a ticket to go from Paddington to Taunton was GBP 130 to start at 07:30, and it was only GBP 35 to come back at 13:30.

(9) Passenger Train Diagram : If trains services are interrupted, trains may be cancelled, rather than being run at delayed time. Thus, a lot of passengers may rush to remaining trains. I experienced this with the train from Taunton above, just standing at the corridor of café car for 140 minutes.

(10) Paparazzing : "Which track will the next train come along?", "Since the train is scheduled to pass by the next station at xx:xx, it will reach here about xx minutes later", "Ah, I failed to photo the train. Let us get on the local stopping train, pass the train, and wait for it at the xx stn"; typical conversations among the rail photographers do not differ at all here.

I had a very good time in "The London Neighborhood". Looking forward to the next chance.

20100619: EF65♪'s Fading Away

2010-06-19T16:51:00.004+01:00

It was cloudy today, only occasionally fine. As there seemed to be no trains with nice locomotives, I stayed at home, just goofing off. However, the 3 consecutive EF65 trains included #76 with -1078♪, I went out to "The Station", only for the hour;

#72 16:45 EF65-1076 ( gray & white renewed color ) + Ko-Ki * 5 cars
#98 16:52 EF65-1065 ( gray & white renewed color ) + Ko-Ki's ( number of cars unknown )
#76 17:12 EF65-1078♪ + Ko-Ki * 13 cars

With the 1041♪ that has left the group of active EF65's in April, there are less and less EF65's, especially those with the original JNR color♪. I took the precious chance to photo the -1078♪, as I have no idea how longer this locomotive will stay active. I do not like its red number plate so much, but it is one of the limited EF65♪'s that are still active.

The picture was taken in opposite light, but the sun was weak behind a cloud at the moment, and looks better than usual scene;

By the way, talking about opposite light, I also had a photo of #951 with EF200-901 ( 901 identifies a prototype ) on 17 June at "Miso" ( = Soya Bean Paste = Haccho-Nawate Stn ). I took this with Machiume The Prince on a business day ( ! ), but early in the morning, of course. This is also a bit better than usual pieces with some cloud weakening the sun light. Please ignore the pantograph overlapped with a noisy cable pole;

Tomorrow morning, we predict a meteor rain of JNR color locomotives in The Neighborhood. At "The Station", there will be;

#8084 06:30 EF65-?
#3084 06:47 EF65-?
#5764 06:52 EF64-? ( 1016♪ )
#951 07:22 EF200-?
#73 07:32 EF65-1078♪ ( Return of Today's #76 from Tokyo )
#2096 08:11 EF64-? ( 1006♪? )
#2076 08:37 EF65-1019♪

Let us enjoy nice Sunday!!

20100618: EF64-10xx's in Summer Solstice

2010-06-19T02:06:00.005+01:00

We are in the rainy season. In Tokyo, it usually start around 10 June, to last until 20 July or so. In lulls in the rain and the gloomy humid weather, I had some pictures of EF64-10xx's;

(1) #89♫ by EF64-1016♪ + EF64-1006♪ from 12 June, Shin-Akitsu Stn

#89, used to be known as #2459, from Sumida-Gawa to Kita-Nagano, with 13 Ko-Ki ( = container carrier ) 50000's, double-headed by EF64-1000♪'s in JNR original color. Since there remains only 5 or 6 original-color EF64♪'s now, it is quite rare to see this combination.

No sooner had I read the news on a web bulletin than I left my room, to arrive at this location 2 hours in advance. I started so early, because a lot of nerds and geeks might rush for limited camera position. To my relief, however, there was nobody else; only 2 joined just 10 minutes before. Which means that I am a crazy nerd.

The sun had been very good, but when the train came and passed at 17:52, the sun hid itself behind the crowds near the horizon. The picture turned out somber like this.

But anyway, this is my first picture with double-headed EF64-1000♫'s. When I started rail photographing in The Neighborhood in late 2004, the EF64's were being repainted one after another into the GP ( = tetra pack ) color. Also, there were few trains remaining with double-headed engines. I am happy with this picture.

(2) #5764 by EF64-1040♪ + from 16 June, "The Station"

Thanks to an e-mail from Machiume The Prince, I new about this combination. I rushed to The Station, to find that The Prince was also there for this. It was Thursday! How "black" we are!

The wagons are empty Ho-Ki ( = hopper carrier ) 10000's to the port of Kawasaki, to load Australian coals for a cement factory in Chichibu, Saitama.

(3) #2093 by EF64-1025GP + from 16 June, "Miso"

The sky with the sinking sun was still clear. I went to "Miso" ( = Soyabean Paste = Haccho-Nawate Stn ) for this summer-inspiring picture. Exposure was only 1/320 sec at F5 and ISO 800, with a 200mm lens extended by DX format to be 300mm, so the picture got blurred.

That's all. I long for clearer pictures in a better sun light.

20100608: Three Years Ago

2010-06-08T16:43:00.004+01:00

When summer sets in every year, I always remember what I saw; train #2093 in sun set, headed by the EF65-535♪, at "Miso Stn" ( = Haccho Nawate Stn ), on 20 June, 2007, that is, just 3 years ago. Having just a few days more to the solstice, the sun sets at 19:00 sharp, while it is not so easy to see this train in such clear sunlight like this, passing at 18:35. I have taken more than 60 pictures of the 535♪, and this is my most favorite scene among them. How do you like this?

In the end of March, 2008, the 535♪, the second last EF65 without front door and with perfectly authentic JNR original color scheme, finally retired. Now it is parked in Takasaki Depo with an unstylish cover sheet, to prevent photographers dangerously coming in into the premise. The locomotive appeared in front of us several weeks ago at a rail exhibition of Omiya, but in its complete silence, of course. We often hear rumor that says the engine will be scrapped. How sad!

20100606: Twilight Blue Note

2010-06-06T13:11:00.007+01:00

I overslept after a good drink last night. My wife and I saw college mates at a Noto district restaurant in The Ginza, and had a nice time. Giving up my plan of today to go out early in the morning for photographing, I looked for good trains for the rest of the day.

(1) EF64-1006♪, #2092, "The Station", 12:46 on 06 June, 2010

Several minutes after 09:30, I found a web bulleting information that the EF64-1006♪ leads the train #2092 today. I left my room and arrived at The Station at 10:00, that is, about 160 min. before the train's passing. Since the locomotive is just fresh from overhaul and repainting, the JNR original color locomotive would attract a lot of nerds and geeks, rushing for camera positions. However, there was nobody else at The Station. There were only 2 other people, joining me just about 10 minutes before #2092's passing. Why are they so inactive? None of the usual gangs of The Neighborhood did not appear, either.

Unfortunately, the sun hid behind a slight cloud when the train approached us. So this is what I could take;

(2) EF64-1006♪, #2093, "The Park", 18:35 on 06 June, 2010

In the evening, I went back to The Park, close to The Station, to wait for the train #2093. It is the return operation of #2092 to Akita, headed by the same locomotive.

Blue Note of Sunset - I was deeply impressed by the blower sound of the beautiful blue EF64, that came closer in the cool evening breeze, that went far away into the twilight of the west. It was a concert that was dedicated for myself. Summer is setting in again. What a wonderful season.

20100602: Blue Sky of Early Summer

2010-06-02T15:57:00.003+01:00

I had a web bulletin information that EF64-1006♪ lead the train #6054 to Sumidagawa, Tokyo last night. As there would be no operation for the engine to go back to Takasaki Depo, it should come to The Neighborhood with train #2076 around 08:30 this morning.

I put off my office arrival time by 30 min, went to "Atama-Ashi" ( = Shitte Stn ), and to see what locomotive would head the train. And it was the 1006♪ It told myself that my poor fortune telling sometimes predicts true things.

The locomotive, just fresh from overhaul, looked perfectly clean and beautiful under the sun. It has got a pair of AC radiators on the roof, making its outlook a bit unstylish, but I had a nice picture like this, anyway. I was happy, because, recently, I have just had cloudy weather for photographing.

Having finished this "black" art creation activity, I arrived at office, had a seat at a scheduled meeting table, and started to work as usual. My "black" activity was successful.

20100601: Tokaido Mammoth

2010-06-01T17:03:00.007+01:00

The EF64-10xx family now has only 6 or 7 engines remaining in its original JNR color, and none of them is staying with the white rubber shields, with the 1006 that is just fresh from overhaul with black packing; the engine finally got equipped with a pair of AC radiators at its head. It is now more difficult to see the EF65-1xxx's in original express color; the only one that has non-red number plate is the 1054♪, because 1041♫ has been suspended from any operations since early April.

So what now is our more practical target of pictures? The EF66s. Last weekend, my friends and I saw a lot of EF66s in The Neighborhood. There were some attacks from "Jaws" ( = EF66-1xx's = new generation engines with corner-cutting shape ) as well, but we drove them away and enjoyed the 0's ( however, we understand that even the jaws should also be pictured carefully, because they may also disappear from Tokaido soon );

(1) EF66-35, #3075 ( Tokyo to Nagoya ),
"The River", 29 May, 2010

(2) EF66-30 ( Just Refreshed ), #3075 ( Tokyo to Nagoya ),
"The River", 30 May, 2010

(3) EF66-23, #3075 ( Tokyo to Nagoya ),
"Miso" ( = soya bean paste = Haccho-Nawate Stn ), 30 May, 2010

Forgive my dull pictures under the cloudy sky, with an unaccustomed 17-50mm wide lens making the objects so warped.

Anyway, let us take more pictures, before the EF210 Momotaros replace these old creatures.

20100515: Cockroach Buster

2010-05-15T17:23:00.007+01:00

Another limelight the diminishing EF81s stand in is #5388, so called "Annaka Freight Train". The daily train, usually consisting of Ta-Ki 15600s and To-Ki 25000s, travels between Izumi, Fukushima and Annaka, Gunma ( the town next to Takasaki along the Shin'etsu Line ). With these weird private wagons owned by Toho Zinc, the train attracts us a lot on the Joban Line and the Takasaki Line.

Today, I saw some upper stream information from web bulletins that the train is operated by the full configuration, headed by EF81-58. In his e-mail to the Kawasaki Neighborhood gangs, Sebastian The Duke suggested that EF81-58 is one of several EF81s that are red and without the gray shooting star mark of "Hokutosei". I went for 80 minutes all the way to Abiko Stn to take this photo. There were 7 or 8 nerds who were there for the same thing.

(1) #5388, EF81-58, Abiko Stn on 15 May, 2010

How nice these dirty cockroach wagons are! A lot of rust, maybe for strong sulfuric acid.

After this, I rushed to a local train, surpassed #5388 in 5 to 6 minutes, and waited for the cockroaches to approach me again at Kita-Kogane Stn, some 20 min away from Abiko.

(2) #5388, EF81-84, Abiko Stn on 8 November, 2008

I found another photo of #5388, headed by an EF81 without the comet mark, in its full configuration. The cockroaches look nicer in the gray cold sky like zinc;

Nice trains are not necessarily clean and beautiful trains. Do you agree?

20100509: Cassiopeia with EF81

2010-05-14T15:12:00.005+01:00

Test run of EF510-5xx's has been under way. Eventually increasing the model to count 15 units, JR-East is replacing the EF81s with this brand new locomotives for Hokkaido sleeper trains.

I hear that the replacement will first target the "Cassiopeia", currently operated by the EF81s with special color, and it will even be carried out in June. The combination with the stainless passenger cars will pretty shortly be a past history.

Accordingly, the "Hokutosei" will more frequently than now be headed by the Cassiopeia color EF81s, instead of red ones, because the EF81s in better condition tend to wear the special color.

(1) With EF81-99 on 9 May, 2010 ( @ "Higa-Hasu" )

(2) With EF81-92 on 5 May, 2010 ( @ "Higa-Hasu" )

(3) With EF81-92 on 5 April, 2009 ( @ Nippori )

20100503: GOLDEN WEEK HOLIDAYS

2010-05-04T07:00:00.004+01:00

We are now enjoying golden week holidays in Japan. This year, I have 7-consecutive off days from work. As the mourning days have gone for our family, I now have some more time to go out for whatever I like.

Yesterday, on 3 May, I took the 04:30 first train from Kawasaki, to go to Nippori for long distance night trains. Arriving Ueno shortly, they come along the last part of the rail from north.

I could finally picture "Noto" ( from Kanazawa ), after the March diagram revision. The car was replaced from bonnet-shaped 489-Series to its newer version. I saw it for the first time. I was happy to find that the head mark is still there at its top, although it was replaced from outer signboard to a rolled screen in a case. JNR's boomerang express symbol is still gleaming gold. What is regrettable is that the train has became shorter, now consisting only of 6 cars, instead of 8 cars. As you may know, the service was degraded from daily to chartered operation. But it is nice that Noto is still running quite frequently. It is not easy to have beautiful pictures of this train, with weak light and a lot of shadow from buildings around 06:00 in the morning, but how do you like it?

For you to compare, I also present another picture of Noto from 11/04/2009. How nice the bonnet car with the outer head mark and the golden boomerang is! The trains was a bit longer with 8 cars.

After Noto and "Akebono" from Aomori ( by EF64-1052; please find my older photo from 19/08/2009 in my flicr photo stream that you can move from the photo collection in the bottom of this page ), I moved over to "Higa-Hasu" ( = Hasuda & Higashi-Omiya ) for "Cassiopeia" and "Hokutosei". There two goes through Nippori as well, but the landscape is better in Higa-Hasu.

Water was beginning to be filled into the rice field, making the path wet and muddy. I liked this photo of Hokutosei with EF81-82; it will become important as the test run for three brand-new EF510's has began, replacing this EF81 soon. I also took a photo of "Spacia", mirroring itself into the rice field. These pictures would have been better if the sky were clearer, so I will repeat this expedition.

I had a nice time over New Narita Express cars and old 113-Series at "Monosac Provence" ( = "Mono-Saku" = Monoi & Sakura ), another beautiful location near the Narita Airport. I had a nice time with my Kawasaki-Neighborhood friends, rather enjoying chatting than photographing, in the brighter light, slower time, relaxing splendid view and pleasant breeze as usual.

20100423: EF♪s That Comes Back & Goes

2010-04-22T18:21:00.010+01:00

I am having busy days. For business, I traveled overseas twice in this 2 weeks, to Singapore and to Guangzhou, China respectively. During weekends, I have series of compassionate ceremonies for my father. So how I enjoy railway photographing now is to go out to The Neighborhood very early in the morning on weekdays.

Please have a look at some recent pictures of mine. What is missing is perfect sun light, but in the morning in The Neighborhood, we have against light if the weather clears up;

(1) EF64-1016♪ in #5764 ( April 2, 2010 @ "The Station" = Kawasaki Shin-Machi Stn )

In the new diagram effective from March, engine for the #5764 was replaced from the EF65s to the EF64s. I had already pictured this new combination, but it was for the first time that I took it with the original-color EF64♪. The car does not have an AC radiator on the roof, and looks nice.

This train carries Australian imported coals from the Port of Kawasaki to a cement factory in Chichibu, Saitama.

(2) EF65-1041♪ in #8074 ( April 3, 2010 @ "Atama-Ashi" = Shitte Stn )

For a week or two, this locomotive had been looping in this train's operation, appearing in The Neighborhood every morning. And this scene from April 3 was the last day.

On the following day, it ran for a short operation for other train, came back to "The Old Kame-Kiki Depo" ( = Shin-Tsurumi Depo ), and got parked in a track for suspended engines. We believed that it would be transferred to Okayama Depo, but they say it still stays there in The Old Kame-Kiki Depo. Will it be abolished, and then disassembled? It's a shame, if it happens.

Please also have a look again at my post "The Beautful Blue EF65" from 4 October, 2009, the first post in this blog, where you can find 3 other pictures of EF65-1041♪.

(3) EF64-1040♪ in #5582 ( April 3, 2010 @ "The Station" )

This original-color locomotive was transferred from Takasaki to Aichi Depo in the diagram revision in March, 2009, disappearing from The Neighborhood. However, in this year's revision, operation of Takasaki's EF64s were merged with Aichi's, and the EF64s once transferred to Aichi now re-appears in The Neighborhood.

Beside these, I went to the hills of Isawa-Onsen, Yamanashi, to see the avalanche of peach blossoms in full blooms. It is a nice place to go in early April. Please enjoy some pictures;

Nice to see you again here, anyway. I will be active again onwards. Thank you.

20100327: Gift from My Father

2010-03-26T15:53:00.004Z

My father in Takasaki suddenly passed away on the 13th from aorta exfoliation. My family and I were very much astonished, shocked and embarrassed, because he was just so well. I realized that we cannot be too dutiful for parents, while they are all right, but it was too late...

Since he was young, my father was a Minolta SLR camera enthusiast, recently taking a lot of nice pictures of mountains, lakes and rivers with various plants. I have believed that he uses only film cameras, mainly α-9. To my surprise, I found a SONY α-900 in his dry box. I had it as his keepsake, now becoming a full-size digital SLR user.

For a change of air, I took the α-900 out to Shin'etsu Line and Kawasaki neighborhood, and took some photos for testing.

Here is #3461 by EF66-27♪ at "The River" ( = Tsurumi-Gawa Bridge, Tsurumi, Yokohama ) from 22 March. With the α-900, I also had some lenses, including an AF 17-35mm F3.5G, that I took this photo with. With my D80, the shortest lens available was Ai-S 35mm F1.4, and it works being equivalent to no shorter than 52.5mm. I like the "air" drawn with a good wide-angle lens.

I also have an AF 85mm F1.4G, a famous lens for nice portraits with beautifully-blurred background ( this is not from my father - I bought it for myself for the α-7xi, but kept unused for a few years ). Will it work for locomotives as well, as it does for beautiful girls?

As you may notice, the α-900 produces good pictures with dark and quiet color. I will find out value of its full-size CMOS with 24.6 mega pixels.

20100312: One Day before Annual Diagram Revision

2010-03-12T12:56:00.007Z

I got a bit tired of work, and had a leave today to relax myself. Today was the last day before the revision, and I went to The Station. It was a long-waited sunny day; I killed my time sleeping on the bench, and speaking with a senior photographer who has retired. #8998, and its return train #8997, did not come, although they appear on most Mondays and Fridays with blue-train express-colored EF65-11xx"; I saw no "♪" locomotives today.

11:55 #8998 EF65-11xx Kawasaki Rail Maintenance Supply Train: Off
12:08 #2090 EH200-17 "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
12:13 #3064 EF210-121 "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
12:45 #2092 EF64-1044GP "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
12:50 #8286 EF65 US Air Force Fuel Train: Off
13:19 #5584 EF210-155 "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers + "Ta-Ki" Tankers
13:46 #4074 EF64-1037GP "Ta-Ki" Tankers
14:10 #8997 EF65-11xx Kawasaki Rail Maintenance Supply Train: Off
14:13 #1097 EF66-25 "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
14:20 #6794 EF210-130 Wagon Transfer 3 Empty Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
14:49 #8277 EF65 US Air Force Fuel Train: Off

Let me present the photo of #2090 first;

#2092 came with "GP". However, even a GP seems precious now. I have been hearing some rumor that, in the revision becoming effective tomorrow, many EF64 operations will be replaced by EH200 Blue Thunders and EF210 Momotaros. They say it would not be long before all these EF64s from Takasaki Depo will be transferred to Aichi Depo. I usually get discouraged to see GP's, but not now.

US Air Force fuel trains were off also.

I saw another GP, EF64-1037 heading #4074. The photo was not very successful, because I fell asleep in the sun, and when I heard the blower sound, the train was too close and my camera was not ready.

What impressed me most today was #5584. On weekdays, a lot of "Ta-Ki" tankers are attached to the regular "Ko-Ki" container carriers, making the thread very very long. I liked this shot;

I returned home without seeing #2079 at 15:40, because I saw #2076, the former operation, headed by EF64-10xxGP this morning.

Tonight, the very last "Hokuriku" sleeper express, and "Noto" JNR-color 489-Series bonnet-shaped EMU express, will leave Ueno for Kanazawa ( but I will not go out, because there will be a lot of crazy nerds too much excited without etiquette and manner ). "Akebono" will survive this revision, but the EF64-37 & 38 will withdraw from the train, stepping aside for EF64-10xx's. Also, will we still have regular EF65 and ED75 freight operations? I will rush to a book store tomorrow morning, to buy a JR-Freight timetable.

20100228: TSUNAMI BREAK

2010-02-28T09:30:00.006Z

First of all, I would like to express my concern for our friends in Chile, where a big earthquake occurred. I hope things are all right for everybody.

We had a tsunami warning, even on the opposite side of the globe, here in Japan today. A lot of trains, including long distance freight trains were off. Without Tokaido Line passenger trains that run along the Pacific shore, the track just beside my condominium was very quiet in the afternoon. It was raining in the morning, and the weather was still cold, although the temperature will start to rise in March.

I spent my time in the room, reviewing old albums. I found a photo of #4070 by EF65-535♪♪ ( the most authentic EF65 that survived until March, 2008 ) from 1 Dec., 2007. In that month, about 3 months to go before the 535♪♪ had its final run, the the engine went out of regular rolling operation, and came up to the Neighborhood almost every weekend, during day time. Without doubt, it was a fan service by Takasaki Depo. How nice it was to see this engine so often!!

I retouched the unclearly-colored and blurred photo from an ISO400 negative film, to have this picture. Nice memory now revives.

Besides this, I also found a beautiful scenery of Kawasaki Jetty, in a subtle purple color of day break. I took this from the platform of Umi-Shibaura Station. How do you like the color that a roll of RDP3 and FM2 produced?

20100219: "♪" Shortage!!

2010-02-20T00:22:00.005Z

It was our second last monthly lay-off day. The weather was cloudy, and I still had to do some work at home, because our customers were active. Vancouver Olympic broadcasts attracted me to stay at home, with some Japanese figure skaters doing good job. #8995, the upward operation of Monday and Friday Kawasaki rail construction supply transportation, appeared with EF65-11xx♪ from JR-East ( I saw it from my room in the distance, but I could not identify the locomotive number ), but without any wagons ( usually with a few "Ho-Ki 800" ballast hoppers ). I felt reclined to go out for photographing.

Early in the afternoon, I noticed that today's #4074 would possibly come with EF64-1014♪. Suddenly turning motivated, I ignited by CB1000SF, and rushed to The Station;

13:49 #4074 EF64-1042GP "Ta-Ki" Tankers
14:00 #8997 EF65-1104 + 2 "Ho-Ki" 800 Hoppers
14:09 #1097 EF66-34 + "Ko-Ki" Container Carriers
14:20 #6795 EF210-102 + Wagons including "Shi-Ki" 850C

To my surprise and disappointment, #4074's locomotive was replaced to a GP, may be at Takasaki Depo.

#8997, Kawasaki construction supply train, downward, came 8 minutes earlier than expected. With my Ai-S 50mm F1.4 MF lens, the picture became very tight, without enough time for consideration of framing. The weather became perfect clear, and it was suffered from opposite light.

#1097 also came with a nice locomotive, but it also came 3 minutes earlier, and my camera was not ready.

#6795, a daily wagon transfer train, came with a boring EF210 Momotaro. But the kind driver gave me a short whistle, and set the head light beam lower. I was happy to find a "Shi-Ki" 850C in the train, a heavy item carrier. So this may be yesterday's shot of the day.

I still have to work today on Saturday, but will go out briefly for trains. What will happen? Will "♪" come?

20100214: Two Formally Dressed Commuter Trains

2010-02-14T13:13:00.004Z

I stayed up until 05:30 this morning for work at home. During a wink of sleep, #73 had gone, headed by EF65-1079♪… And after that, there were no good locomotives that passed through The Neighborhood today. So, following last Sunday, I went to "Furu-Oyataka Stn" ( = Shin-Koyasu Stn ) for day-to-day Tokaido commuter trains.

The weather cleared up for the first time in this 4 to 5 days. Unfortunately, 251-Series EC Express Super View Odoriko passed by Keihin-Tohoku local trains at "Kamekiki Stn" ( = Tsurumi Stn ), one stop before "Furu-Oyataka". Having arrived the location, however, I saw many 211-series, E233-Series with a head mark commemorating 120th anniversary of Tokaido Line, and others. I even saw E217-Series with the same head mark, going up to Tokyo Terminal; E217-Series is quite common on the neighboring Yokosuka Line, but it is rare on Tokaido. The train should return here in 60 minutes. I called my wife for 1 hour extension of my free time ( she got angry because our lunch would be postponed accordingly ), waited for this, and successfully take a nice picture. There were 8 other photographers there.

This station was famous for Blue Trains, the last one of which, "Fuji Hayabusa", finally disappeared in March last year, and I had stubbornly thought that coming here just for commuter trains is boring. However, it is not bad, to kill time, at least. If 189-Series chartered trains come from Omiya or Tamachi, it would be even nicer. Let us come back, maybe in a sunny weekend day like this.

20100207: Longing for Trains in Perfect Light

2010-02-07T14:45:00.005Z

Today, there was no web information of "♪" locomotives passing The Neighborhood. Having nothing special to photo, I went to "Furu-Oyataka Station" ( = Shin-Koyasu Stn ) at 11:00 for local passenger trains. However, the light was perfect, and I enjoyed photographing these ordinary trains. They included the 211-Series that is to disappear in a few years. I also saw the 251-Series cars for "Odoriko", an express between Tokyo and Shimoda, Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka.

Longing for locomotives, I went out again to The River ( = Tsurumi-Gawa River Bridge ) after lunch. It was Sunday today, there were less freight train services. #3075 daily container liner did not appear ( I heard that it was delayed by 45 min ). #3094 tunker was off. #3461 between them appeared without any wagons, because it was Sunday ( usually with 10 - 30 "Wa-Mu" boxes and 4 "Ko-Ki" container carries ), and the engine was EF66-130J ( ! ). I got tired…

But I had some other pictures today; Mt. Fuji from my room's window, and plum blossom from Ikegami-Baien Plum Garden. Please enjoy them, instead.

This week, we will have our National Foundation Day on Thursday. I will be busy for business during the rest of the week, but let us enjoy. See you next weekend!!

20100206: Chilly!! ( Weather & Trains )

2010-02-07T14:08:00.005Z

Bridge-K The King came back from his long business trip. We went to The River ( = Tsurumi-Gawa River Bridge ) for usual after-lunch-hour trains, staying some 60 minutes;

#5269 by EH200-20 "Ta-Ki" Tankers
#3075 by EF65-1139 ( on behalf of EF66 ) "Ko-Ki" Containers
#3461 by EF66-130J ( = Jaws ) "Wa-Mu" Boxes & "Ko-Ki" Containers
#3094 by EF64-1008GP ( = Tetra Pack ) "Ta-Ki" Tankers

As you see, there were no ♪ ( = JNR original-color ) locomotives. The weather was fine but we had some snow crowds in the northern sky ( typical winter weather in Tokyo area ), that came more south-bound than usual with the chilly north wind. And to my surprise and disappointment, the sun shades when the trains come. The only one exception was #3461, but with a dangerous Jaws.

I once went back home for lunch with my wife, and came out again, this time to The Park for trains between 15:00 and 16:00. Look at this desperate result;

#4070 by EF64 - delayed or cancelled
#2091 by EH200 - delayed due to snow in Niigata ( ? )
#2079 by EF64-1036GP* "Ko-Ki" Containers - GP in opposite light!!
#5463 by EF200-18 - no wagons!!

* Notice the yellow paint ♪ coming out from beneath the 64GP wear.

I am so disappointed for train photos, but instead, I really enjoyed talking with the gangs including Ayrton The Emperor, Scion Machiume from Noble Family and Bridge-K The King; bad jokes and even some sexual jokes from day time. So it was a nice holiday, anyway.

As I do not have good train photos from today, please have a look at another picture from a window of our room, showing smokes from factories in The Neighborhood, in a back light at day break.

20100131: EF66-10 As Expected

2010-01-31T13:20:00.004Z

Today at 12:50, I went to The River for #3075. It came with the EF66-10 as expected. It is the second oldest EF66 that is still active, following the 9. These old EF66s do not have air conditioner's radiators on top of the roof above the cockpits on the both ends. I enjoyed photographing this with Scion Machiume, wondering how longer these engines will survive.

After this, I went out for walking to Ikegami-Baien, a famous plum blossom garden. It is about 70-minute walk from my condominium, and good for exercise to stay in shape. The flowers will fully come out in the middle of February every year, and it was still in its 30% bloom today, but the garden was all the more quiet for its early stage.

I had a nice weekend.

20100130: Saigan-Ji, A Forgotten Photographing Spot ( Jan. 30, 2010 )

2010-01-31T02:34:00.007Z

Yesterday on Jan. 30, we enjoyed 3 EF64♪s that passed one after another through The Neighborhood. There remains only 5 EF64♪s now from Takasaki Depo, so we were very lucky. The weather was also perfect. Ayrton the Emperor, Scion Machiume from Noble Family, Mr. Dormitory and I got together. Sebastian the Duke was absent, for an expedition around his home area;

#5582 by EF64-1014♪
#4074 by EF64-1012♪
#4070 by EF64-1019♪

I went out alone for #5582 to "Ogura Bridge", because The Station may be crowded, and there I saw exactly the same #5582 by EF64-1014♪ on 17 Jan ( please see my past post ). To my surprise, there was some construction work going on at Ogura, in the space between the rails of Yokosuka Line and the Shinagawa Freight Line. It is a nice location like this, so I really hope that there will not be any fixed objects in future ( this picture is from 21 Dec., 2008, and is not from today ).

This reminded me of Saigan-Ji Railway Crossing. It is a small and quiet place, that only the local people know. It does not command a splendid view like Ogura does, but how do you like it?

After meeting the gangs and having a bowl of Ramen Chinese Noodle together for lunch, we all moved to The River to photo #3075 by EF66-26 ( luckily it was by a the EF66-0 ) and #3461 by EF66-124J ( somebody founded a Jaws club in Japan recently - end of the world? ), then back to The Station for the remaining 2 EF64♪s. Please also have a look at another photo of mine, #4074. I retouched to photo to erase noisy houses with laundries and blankets drying in the background, so it is a created computer graphics, not a picture;

By the way, don't you think that this 1012♪ is so clean? I have learnt that it is fresh from overhaul, and had its first operation in the evening of 27 Jan., just 3 days ago.

Tomorrow on 31 Jan., the #3075 will come by EF66-10♪, one of the oldest EF66s still alive, without AC radiator on the roof. Following #3094 will come by EF64-1019♪ again. Let's go out with a camera!!

2010/01/17: Chilly Days after Coming Back from Summer Lands of Southern Cross

2010-01-17T15:04:00.005Z

(1) No Masterpiece Yesterday on Saturday, 16 Jan

I traveled to Bangkok and Singapore for business earlier this week, and flew back by a night flight to Narita. Around 03:30 when the aircraft was going somewhere between Luzon Island of The Philippines and Taiwan, I watched the western sky from the window, to find the Orion sinking into the ocean. On the other side, in the eastern sky, the Southern Cross was just rising ( both of them are situated very low in the sky, while visibility of them becomes exceptionally fine at flight altitude ). It was high in the sky above the tropical area of latitude 22 degrees North, and these stars are an usual scenery of this place, at this time, and in this season of the year, telling that the spring is coming soon up in Japan, our homeland.

The flight arrived at 06:50 yesterday, sun rise time, and I reached home by Keisei and Keikyu Line local trains at 09:30. I had had no response from the Neighborhood gangs to accompany me to photographing today. I had, as usual, only a wink of sleep in the flight, now being very sleepy. After checking actual locomotive assignment records while out of Japan, I found that the day's #3082, 3072, 3064, 3075 and 3461 would all be by EF66-1xxJ ( J = Jaws ), and #5582, 3094, 4070 and 2079 by EF64-10xxGP ( GP = Milk Pack ), scum locomotives, anyway. So I decided to rather take a nap.

It had got 16:00 when I woke up. Having nothing to do, I accessed locomotive witness bulletin board, to find that EF66-27♪♪, the last JNR-color EF66 of JR-Freight, had irregularly been assigned to #3075!! But it was too late, anyway. I wonder why the particular engine's operation has been so unpredictable for a couple of days…

I had no masterpiece on Saturday, yesterday. One expectation is that Sunday's fuel tank train #5582 may come by EF64-1014♪ ( ♪ = JNR original color ), if it appears on Sunday against its regular suspension. However, it still may, because fuel demand is high in the chilly weather.

(2) #5582 by EF64-1014 Today on Sunday, 17 Jan

And on Sunday, today, I found an upper stream information on a web bulletin that #5582 was observed in "Higahasu" ( = Hasuda & Higashi-Omiya ). Let's go for this to "The Station" ( = Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn ).

I Arrived 1 hour earlier for a good camera position, but it was a letdown to find nobody there. A bit Maybe the nerds does not know that #5582 would still come on Sunday, and/or the weather is too chilly. At 11:07, I took this beautiful picture in the perfect clear sun. Revenge became successful, didn't it?

Tomorrow, I will probably have a substitute leave, if our customer does not have emergency requests ( but it will happen at 50% probability ). What art will I create?

2010/01/11: Thank God of Yamato

2010-01-11T12:21:00.004Z

We were off for coming-of-age day in Japan, enjoying a 3-consecutive-day vacation. I wonder how many years ago it was when our generation were celebrated for this, because I still feel it to be an event that happened just 5 or 6 years ago - well, let us stop talking about such vain issue...

Early in the afternoon, I went out to "The River" for the usual series of freight trains. My friends in The Neighborhood, Scion Machiume from Noble Family and Sebastian The Duke, were there as well, while Emperor Ayrton was absent.

We pictured 4 trains there;

#3075 by EF210-123 ( on behalf of EF66 ) + " Ko-Ki" container carriers
#3461 by EF66-23 + "Wa-Mu" box wagons + "Ko-Ki's"
#3094 by EF64-1044GP ( "Milk Pack" ) + "Ta-Ki" fuel tankers
#87 by EF200-17 + "Ta-Ki's"

All the trains were quite ordinary ones, however, we liked the #3461 with the old EF66-34. I had to take this camera position, in order to avoid overlapping of the pantograph and mast, but doesn't this skewed sketching make the train look powerful and swift? The gray winter sky makes the picture even unique, and it is not bad. If I am allowed to indulge in luxury, how wonderful would it be, were it just with the EF66-27♪, the last JR-Freight EF66 in JNR-original color?

Thank God of Yamato for showing this train for us three. I am ready to work harder for the rest of the week ( Confidential: It's going to be an easy week with only 4 working days that remains. Also, I am flying to Bangkok, Thailand and Singapore for a 3-day business ( really? ) trip, away from my office, bosses, subordinates and customers, recharging my buttery in a nicer weather ).

2010/01/05: Nanbu Line 205-Series in Sunset

2010-01-10T14:15:00.005Z

Very fine days are lasting since the end of 2009. We are enjoying beautiful scenery like this, with objects colored in yellow, red and gold, that are contrasted with the dark blue clear sky.

We are afraid that this 205-series, still active and represents about half of the trains on the Nanbu Line, will disappear in a year or two. So how many more times will we encounter them in such wonderful atmosphere; here, the air and sky will not be so transparent except in winter.

A bit disappointed with the result of prior pictures of freight trains on the day, due to bad focusing, I did my best for this to achieve something instead. Don't you think the magician in the winter sunset so nicely and subtly repaints even the ordinary daily trains like this? How romantic!

Taken at the Yanagi-Machi Crossing, the first rail cross from Kawasaki terminal on the Nanbu Line, at 16:14 our time, that is, 28 minutes before the sunset. Sorry for my recent pictures that are not from freight train locomotives.

2010/01/04: Days of Neighborhood Photographing & Naps

2010-01-04T18:05:00.008Z

I still have one more day to go before this new year vacation finishes. In this worst depression, I have chosen to save money by staying at home, taking a nap, drinking and bathing from day time, and enjoying some photographing in The Neighborhood, rather than to spend much money to stimulate the stagnant economy.

(1) Keikyu 1000-Series Again Yesterday

I took the car again on Jan. 3 from my most favorite angle, this time using Ai-S 50mm F1.4 * 1.5 = 75mm, with the new year Kawasaki Daishi Temple head mark. On January 1, there were a lot of geeks in the location, and I could not take this place.

(2) To "The River" Today

Web locomotive information bulletins say that many fuel tanker trains have resumed their regular operations. As the dark cloud cleared up in the early afternoon, I went out to "The River".

2-1) #3094 by EF64-1009GP

With my 35mm single focus length lens, this vertical framing seems to be one of the limited options at "The River", to draw its splendid view. If the water is quiet, the surface will become a mirror to reflect a train. Let me try again in the better morning sun light.

2-2) #87 by EF200-6

It came by the EF200 today, regular locomotive, not by the EF210 on behalf. The sun is just for the face of the locomotive, allowing good exposure from neither side of the train. Also, with my 35mm lens, the frame becomes very tight like this, but I have no other choice, to avoid the pantographs not placed on the cable arms and masts. But I like this picture.

The EF200 was first built in 1990, but production was terminated after 20 units were delivered from Hitachi. Its 6,000 kW motor consumes too much power, and when it accelerates at its maximum, other trains nearby may slow down, and/or it gives excessive load to the power supply system. Finally the motor was so set as to be driven at 2/3 of its full power, giving the locomotive no differentiation from the EF210, a newer and smaller 3,390kW/hr model.

I am afraid that the EF200 will be abolished at shorter life. So I am motivated to picture this, although it is far from a beautiful and elegant engine.

That's all for today.

What shall I see tomorrow, the last day of this vacation?

2010/01/01: Light of Wishes

2010-01-01T06:54:00.005Z

I hope you are having a wonderful new year's day. In Americas, it is still before day break, and people in California must be excited, waiting for their count down. In Europe, you may be enjoying beautiful sun rise.

In Japan, where the sun rises first in the world ( ? ), I have already been to the initial photographing of the year, and also to the Shinto shrine with my wife to pray for luck. In the early afternoon, I had a hot bath while the sun is still high, and I have started to drink at home; having some sweet potato shochu sprit from Kagoshima, diluted with boiling water and flavored with a piece of spicy chilli and Japanese basil leaves "shiso". The cocktail called "Kingyo" ( = gold fish ), looking like a real gold fish in a pot with clear water and green weed, is a strong one, and it makes me mellowly drunk, especially after a hot bath. It's like heaven on earth.

Would you have a glance at my photo from Daishi Line, Keihin Kyuko ( or "Keikyu" ). The 1000-Series EMU was captured around 11:45, with its new year celebration head board for "Kawasaki Daishi", a famous Buddhist temple in The Neighborhood. Hundreds and Thousands of people are rushing to the place today, so the train comes every 5 minutes or so, roughly twice as frequent as usual.

The illustration of tiger comes from the year 2010, being a tiger year in the Chinese zodiac.

At this famous S-shaped corner, there were about 15 nerds ( I am not included, though ) with cameras. They were so quiet, and I did not enjoy being there with them.

Well, let us wish for a wonderful and happy time in this year 2010. Thank you.

20091231: Last Shot of The Year

2009-12-31T14:51:00.007Z

We have almost gone through the entire year, and we are in its last day, which has come much quicker than we thought. It leaves only a few more minutes to the new year 2010 in our country.

There seems to be few container liners going today; actually I did not see it at all. However, fuel tankers are active. I went out to The Station for #5582 by EF64-1023GP. It is quite an ordinary locomotive, but I could take it in a perfect sun light. And this is exactly the last shot of the year.

Thank you all very much for your friendship, assistance and guidance you have extended to me. I hope all of you have a wonderful new year.

20091229: Country Road

2009-12-28T16:35:00.009Z

I am now enjoying an 11-consecutive-day vacation for the year end and the coming new year, that is longer than usual. Despite the bad business, I have worked in weekends and on some holidays, so I could add 4 substitute leaves on our regular 5-day vacation, glueing a Saturday and a Sunday, to make it an 11-day long vacation.

At this season of the year, we have freight trains coming with few wagons and containers, or often have the trains suspended. The daily "Fuji Hayabusa" disappeared from The Neighborhood last March, so we have few trains to photo. The air is chilly, so I would rather stay at home, start to drink in daytime, and take a nap.

Today, I will have an one-day trip back to Takasaki, my home town. I will see my parents and relatives, and will drink with my star gazing mates from high school ( they were rather "motorcycle mates", asking parents to buy a bike on the pretext of our going to mountains for better star view ).

Last year, on 31 December, on my way back home, I happened to come across with the EF65-1062♪, waiting for blue signal for the train #8780 at Kuragano Station. My wife got irritated after getting off the train in the freezing north wind of Gunma, but as you see it was just in a perfect sun light. How wonderful!!

The locomotive in the original JNR color had a blue number plate and white rubber front window shield. Maybe the plates in the front and in the flank were traded some time. It was the last EF65s that remained with such characteristics, along with the -1056♪. In a few months after this, maybe around March, this year, they were abolished and were sent to the junk yard at the corner of the Takasaki Depot.

Will I see some nice locomotives like this on the Takasaki Line, on my way home today?

Please take care and enjoy a nice holiday. Thank you for your communication with myself this year.

20091220: Le Verdurier

2009-12-20T13:26:00.009Z

(1) Morning Creation at "The River"

> I would like a nice picture with the mirrored image of the
> train on the surface of the water. I will try it tomorrow,
> getting up very early.

I went back to "The River" ( = Tsurumigawa Bridge ) at day break. I took photographs of #5075 by EF210-130 and #1097 by EF66-116J ( J = Jaws = EF66-1xx = generation II that looks like a shark ). I framed the picture as I had planned yesterday, to include milky red sky, frozen winter morning air, and locomotive's headlight reflected on the surface of water. I finally discovered the excellent photo perspective, where the Nikkor Ai-S 35mm F1.4, a single focal length lens that gives a lot of challenge to picture the atmosphere of "The River", effectively and creatively work. It is also wonderful to see that the day break light changes even the Momotaros ( = EF210s ) and the Jaws very attractive ones.

After 07:00, the sun rose, and we had direct light toward the train. However, #2074 from Kanazawa, supposed to come by at 07:14, was delayed and did not appear, maybe due to the continued snow storm around the border between Nigata and Gunma. The next train #2053 "Toyota Long Path Express" was off, because it is Sunday today. Unfortunately I could not enjoy the perfect light.

I will go back next Saturday, if the weather is fine.

(2) Keikyu EMU 1000-Series

After breakfast at home, and shopping at special sales of eggs and other goods at a neighborhood supermarket on behalf of my wife ( a lot of competition with very aggressive buyers who are over 70 or even 80! ), I went out again to make full use of another 60 minutes available. I went for 10 minutes by bicycle, to get to a small photo location of the Daishi Line, Keihin-Kyuko. It is a short branch line, but I like it because 1000-Series EMU are still major. How do you like this charming round face?

During the new year vacation season, Daishi Line trains will have a 2010 cerebration head mark, as they do every year. It was nice to enjoy photographing here by myself peacefully, therefore, without any other nerds in panic.

(3) Le Verdurier

My wife and I went out for lunch at "Le Verdurier", a cozy French restaurant near the Neighborhood.

The uniqueness and originality of the foods here are fusion of Japanese taste into conventional French dishes. As the Chef is from Kyoto, a lot of hors d'oevres are fine-tuned with local seasoning, vegetable and sea foods. For main course, I selected sole meuniere, not with too much butter, lemon source, almond and vanilla seasoning, but adding some Japanese sources and vegetables. May such "unauthentic" French cuisine be accepted in cafes of Paris? I believe so.

Writing this, I felt like going back to Paris for wines and meals. I now remember a restaurant in Montparnasse called "Le Vendome". I was staying in a cheap hotel nearby, and I went into the restaurant for brunch from a back entrance that gave a reasonable place impression. But once I entered, I found that it was a 6-star very prestigious house, full of rich ladies and noble gentlement with Coleman mustache, getting there by chauffeur-driven Merces. I had some wine, oysters and sole meuniere, served by very kind garcons. And I was then astonished to see the bill!! It is now a nice memory of mine from Paris.

20091219: Rêve et Vérité en Surréalisme ( Fantasy and Reality in Surrealisme )

2009-12-19T09:16:00.006Z

I woke up before the day break and stood by "The River" ( = Tsurumigawa Bridge ) at 06:45 this morning. The first train I encountered was #1786, headed by EF65-1079♪ ( ♪ = JNR original color ). Since there remains only 7-8 EF65♪s from Shin-Tsurumi Depot, I was lucky. The sun was still too low, giving light to the frame only partially, but I had no complaint.

I observed some disorder of night train's diagram, due to heavy snow in the northern and mountainous areas. A train headed by EF66-36 unexpectedly came at 07:26, train # of which I failed to identify. I paste its photo here, in a very nice RDP3-image color. No, its "painted picture". What does that mean??

We have been so much helped by computers, so are photographers like us by picture process and retouch software such as Adobe Photoshop and Nikon NX2. However, are you aware that it sometimes do more harm than good to us? Let me show you the dangerous effect of these tools. Compare the original "photo" below with the creative art above. Not only the light and objects, but also the green-blurred color all over, have been modified. By showing this, I have to be ready to lose all the trust I have established from you..

But what shall I create next? #5764 by D51-498? #5582 by EF65-501♪ & EF65-535♪ double-headed? Would you like the Nozomi Super Express by 0-Series old Shinkansen cars?

I would like a nice picture with the mirrored image of the train on the surface of the river's water. I will try it tomorrow, getting up very early. But do I really have to go to "The River" in the chilly weather?

Well, nobody else knows.

20091218: In The Golden Late Afternoon Sun Light

2009-12-18T11:40:00.006Z

It was Friday today and our company had a monthly layoff for bad business. Having hectic days in the worst economy, though, I have longed for free weekday with beautiful weather. And it was it today!

As I drunk much at a Chinese restaurant with my colleagues last night, I could not wake up for Hokutosei by EF81. As you may know, the brand new EF510s are shortly replacing the EF81s, so it is convenient to go to "Higa-Hasu" ( Higashi-Omiya & Hasuda, about 90-minute train ride from home ) to abide the last moment nerds in panic ( there would still be 20 - 30 there, however; are they OK with their school and business…? ), but naturally I could not wake up at all. I was releaved, or more precisely, happy, to hear that today's locomotive was the EF81-79, a repainted one for Cassiopair, not in the EF81's regular red original color ( how spiteful I am for those nerds who traveled all the way ).

I had elegant breakfast with my wife with hung over, and started for "The Station" for #8998, a Monday & Friday semi-regular service for rail road maintenance. The EF65-1115♪, once used to be a driver for Tokaido blue trains from Tabata Depot and still in its original JNR color, headed 7 Ho-Ki 800 ballast wagons, which was longer than usual. Unfortunately, my focus point was not proper ( I never use AF, because I have a lot of MF lenses, and my D80's continuous releasing is dull ), and the picture did not turned out a good one. What a shame, for the perfect sun light!!

Around 12:20, I started Kawasaki Station ( "The Central Station" ) by the Keihin-Tohoku Line for the Musashino Line freight trains. After travelling 65 minutes, I arrived at a photo spot near Higashi-Urawa Station, to find surprisingly 15 nerds ( hey, you all go back to school and office now! ). Three trains will come one after another in 40 minutes from 13:50.

The first one, #3091, luckily appeared with the EF65-1072♪, original JNR color with the Shin-Tsurumi Depot red number plates. I was lucky!

The second one, #98, was off or delayed, and I could not see it.

And the last one, #2459 approached with double-headed EF64-1006♪ ( the last original JNR color with white rubber shields ) and the EF64-1003GP ( Gyunyu Pack = Tetra Pack repainted ) as expected. For some reason, for a week or two, the combination is looping for #2459, and it comes every other day. This train is headed by double-headed EF64s only in late autumn and winter for snow, ice and leaves, but we are afraid that it will be replaced with the EH200 Blue Thunders in the next diagram revise in March. How do you like my photo, anyway?

I got on the Musashino Line local train, passed #2459 at Shin-Akitsu Station, and waited for the second shot at Toyoda Station. The train stops at the next Hachioji Station for 40 minutes, so I enjoyed third photographing of the train.

I was lucky today, meeting 3 JNR-colored EFs productively. Will this happen again tomorrow and on Sunday? I hope so.

20091206: Early Morning Dew at "The River"

2009-12-06T14:09:00.008Z

I fortunately woke up before 06:00 this morning, and went out by my Honda motorcycle. With its battery working less effectively in the weather getting colder, the CB1000 was in a bad mood; it refused to go with a blasting backfire from imperfectly-combusted fuel in the muffler, that roared in the silent parking space of my condminium early in the morning. I kept the starter going for 10 - 15 seconds to force the engine to start to roll over. He finally gave up, and woke up. I need to recharge the battery for the next weekend, anyway.

At "The River", I pictured 3 trains, including #2074 by EF64-1045. It was a GP EF64-10xx, but the picture turned out a very refreshing one, surrounded by the bracing air. How do you like it? It was with the Nikkor Ai-S 35mm F1.4, but if I had a 24mm lens, the picture would have had a more splendid view.

Nearby the rail, I found some yellow and red leaves of ivy. Any ordinary object can become an attractive one, with a magic of a macro lense. I pictured it, and went home.

In the noon time, I went out again to "The Station" for #2092 by EF64-1019♪. Thanks to the clear and beautiful winter sun light, I could take another nice picture.

Well, "my" battery ( not the one for the CB ) has been recharged enough for the next week. Expecting another nice weekend, I will do my best.

20091129: Last Authentic EF64

2009-11-29T10:03:00.009Z

Tetra Packs ( = EF64-10xx with renewed JR-F color ) are dominating in the Neighbourhood. In the past summer this year, there remained only 5 JNR-color EF64-10xx♪ that passed by the Neighbourhood. And there were only -1006♫, -1012♫ and -1014♫ that still had white rubber front window shielding. However, 1014 went through a overhauling, and the shield was replaced with a black one. The 1014♫ finally went into the dock for inspection earlier this month, which may preserve the JNR color but the rubber will be a black one. Therefore, the 1006♫.has finally became the last single unit with its authentic and true original appearance. How longer will it look like this, and how longer will it survive anyway?

From its actual operation record earlier this week, I expected that the 1006♫ would come this morning in the train #2076. So to photo this, I went over to Shitte Stn, quite close to me but a good location in the morning for trains towards Tokyo Freight Terminal. How do you like it?

At 15:30 in the afternoon, I went back to "The Park" for #2079, a return service from Tokyo F. T. The weather had turned out cloudy, and I did not have sufficient exposure. So rather than showing this picture, what would you say to other pictures of autumn trees that I took in The Park?

So, have you recharged your battery during this weekend? I have. Let us have exciting time this week, too.

20091128: Sakura in Autumn

2009-11-29T09:03:00.009Z

Friday evening, Sebastian The Duke shared his information that EF66-27♪ would be assigned to #3072 → #2073 on Saturday. I came home and noticed the message after midnight, certainly after a lot of drink. Being unsure of waking up next morning, I set the alarm and went to bed at 03:30.

The EF66-27♪ is now admired even more♫, because it temporarily displays a head mark on each of its ends. They commemorate 50th anniversary of rail container freight transportation. Can I wake up?

I overslept by 2 hours. But if I accept to take photo at Shitte Stn, just 15-minute walk away from home, perfect sun, but often crowded with a lot of rail spotting nerds, it was still OK. I went there, to find only a few geeks. I was relieved.

Train #3072 approached me at 10:12. Under the blue sky, I took the dark-red sign board successfully;

After a "necessary" 120-minute walking exercise, shopping and lunch with my wife, I left my room again, this time to "The Park". Train #2073, returning from Tokyo Freight Terminal, was headed by the other end of the EF66-27♪. The board was a revival copy from "Takara", an old container freight express in 1960s and 70s. How do you like it? It was still 14:44, but the light was already like sunset time;

What drew my attention more, though, was those falling leaves of the trees in the park nearby. I especially like those amber leaves from Sakura trees. The avalanche of cherry blossoms are so wonderful in the end of March, but this lonely leaves are as good as that, isn't it?

Nice old locomotives are running away and disappearing year by year. But the yellow and red leaves of the autumn trees will come back to see us every year, even forever.

20091123: Luck Happened from A 1/60,000 Possibility

2009-11-29T08:34:00.011Z

On Saturday, 21 November, one of my friend from the Neighbourhood reported on our web bulletin that EF65-1064♪ headed the train #2096, on behalf of regular EF64s. The daily train passes by "Miso Stn" ( = Haccho-Nawate Stn, named by the gang after a faous Haccho Miso soybean paste from Nagoya ) at 08:10. It is often very difficult for me to wake up early on Saturdays, because I usually drink and sing much with my business colleagues or the Neighbourhood gangs in the prior evening. I missed the valuable 1064♪, one of the last authentic EF65s with JNR original color, white rubber front shield packing, and no air conditioning unit on the roof. How disappointing!!

And time proceeded to 24 November, Japan's labour day holiday. I had a busy time, because at 16:25, I have to leave home for Taiwan for a 4-day business trip. Without locomotive information and predictions, I just went to "The Station" ( = Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn, our home base ), to fully utilize my 60 minutes I had reserved for a short rail photographing. I came across with Sebastian The Duke by accident.

We photographed several trains, it got 12:40. Since it was a weekday, a jet fuel tank train for the US Air Force ( "Bei Tan" ) may appear in a few minutes; it is an irregular service that runs some 10 times a month. While there was no web information from witnesses, we decided to wait for this. Usually, we do not hesitate to wait, but Sebastian had planned to move to "The River" ( = Tsurumi-Gawa Bridge ) to take #3094 surely by EF64-1006♪ ( the last EF64-10xx in JNR original color with white rubber front shield framing ), but not myself running out of time. He finally decided to stay with myself at "The Station", cancelling his confirmed chance for a nice locomotive. I said, "Thanks Sebastian. You bet on the least chance for the nice train. Lately, it sometimes comes with EF65, on behalf of regular EH200 Blue Thunder, and today the EF65 may be JNR original-colored for your brave decision. There's no reason to make myself certain on this, but I feel it will happen today. The probability is [ the train really comes 33% ] * [ it alternatively comes with EF65 33% ] * [ the EF65 is in JNR color 25% ] = 3%. But you must have made a very right judgement, Sebastian".

At 12:52, the train really appeared and approached us. To our astonishment, it was really headed by an original-colored EF65!! We were even more hit by the fact that the number plate reads "EF65-1064♫". It is the locomotive both of us had missed just last Saturday. So more accurately, the probability should be 3% above * [ specifically by 1064♫ 10% ] = 0.3%. And [ perfect weather with blue sky 10% ] * [ accidentally with Sebastian The Duke without Appointment 5% ] would make it 0.0015%, or some 1/60,000. How lucky we are to break through such an astronomically low chance!!

Things were just so lucky during the rest of the week. Thank you, Sebastian The Duke!!

20091121: QUIET AUTUMN AFTERNOON IN THE CLEAR SUN

2009-11-29T02:01:00.003Z

Went to "Tsurumi-Gawa Bridge" ( or "The River" ) after lunch, as is always the case with my Saturdays.

1) Train #3075: Driven by a EF210 "Momotaro", while its regular dirver is a EF66. It sometimes happens that a EF65 heads on behalf, but I saw EF210 for this for the first time.

2) Train #3461: By EF66-29. I wondered if I should photo this from here, or rather from the other side of the bridge, because the sun was almost straightly toward the face of the locomotive. I got satisfied with my decision and this picture. Do you like these blue "Wa-Mu" match box wagons?

3) Train #3063: EF64-1003GP ( = "Gyunyu Pack = "Tetra Pack" = JR-F Renewed Color ).

In front of us, there were some goby fishers. I hear that the fish lives only for a year, and those that are alive at this season is bigger. I saw some 20cm class fish, that may be good for Japanese tempura fries. It was a quiet, beautiful and nice autumn afternoon under blue sky.

20091102: FIRST SNOW FELL IN TOKYO

2009-11-03T16:22:00.008Z

Last night, I was drinking in Ginza with my bosses and colleagues until 02:00 in the morning. The town is popular among senior businessmen in Japan, with a lot of cabarets ( they go there not with their pocket money, but with company's entertainment budget, often with customers ). In the chilly weather with the fist snow ( actually it was just some sleet ), we drove by taxi for 20 minutes from our office, to drink a lot, talk a lot, laugh a lot and sing a lot; they are good for frustration. However, I did not see any beautiful companions in the place; how come are the older people attracted by those old… ( stop!! )

It was quite natural that I could wake up no earlier than 08:30, although I had set my alarm at 04:00. I had intended to accompany Sebastian The Duke and Bridge-K to "Higa-Hasu". The express "Cassiopair" and "Hokutosei", that pass one after another in 10 minutes, are the last two passenger trains in the Tokyo area driven by the EF81s. The locomotive will be replaced with the EF510s in half-year time or so, so we are rushing to photo them in the last stages.

It was the coldest day at this season of the year, and I was still tired, so I stayed at home without having even a step towards outside.

I reviewed my photos, and selected some pieces to rework. I now like this color-retouched picture of the train #5764 at "The Station" ( = Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn ) from 26 November, 2006.

In this three years, the EF65-535♪, the most authentic EF65 remaining back then, disappeared, with all other colleagues without the passing door in the front. The yellow symbol of Chichibu Cement, shown in the flank of wagons, is no longer used. There are now eyesore objects such as colorful signboards and houses that spoil the frame. Things have changed so much, just in this three years; but fortunately or unfortunately, maybe not myself.

20091027: The 27 Is Back in The Neighborhood

2009-10-27T15:31:00.013Z

Typhoon #20 passed earlier and quicker than expected, and the weather turned out to be perfectly beautiful in the morning, even without a small cloud.

Since a few days ago, I had expected the train #2076 this morning with the EF64-1006♪. Looking from a window of my room, earlier trains were coming without delay despite the storm. I also found in web bulletin boards that #3082 was today coming up with EF66-27♪, the last EF66 with JNR original color owned by JR Freight. It did not take so much time before I was fascinated by the black devil. I shifted my work 2 hours behind.

Went out of the room and hurried up to the Shin-Tsurumi yard, to see both of those locomotives. It takes 15 minutes from my room by CB750 bicycle, which is a bit troublesome than to go to Shitte or Kawasaki-Shinmachi by train; but at Shitte, we are afraid of other passenger trains that overlaps. At Kawasaki-Shinmachi, there may be a lot of nerds. At Shin-Tsurumi yard, #3082 rests for no shorter than 86 minutes.

Approaching the yard, I saw the #2076, but with the EF64-1044GP ( GP stands for "Gyunyu Pack" or Tetra Pack, to sarcastically indicate EF64s with renewal color ). Maybe, the locomotive was irregularly replaced at Takasaki Depot. However, #3082 was really headed by EF66-27♪!! The place and the locomotive were only for myself. Also, right after the #2076 left, #8050 arrived, and its engine EF65-1076 stopped right beside the EF66-27♪! It is not with JNR original color, but EF65s are becoming rarer day by day now. How wonderful it was to take these locomotives under the blue sky, without interruptions from other geeks!

Please ignore the grass. Also I have to save and buy shorter zoom lens to enjoy better framing; I just carried a Nikkor AF 80-200mm F2.8D today. But this magnificent view is eloquent enough to have noisy photo commentators like myself just shut up, isn't it?

Ayrton coincidentlly ( suspicious! ) appeared to join my photographing, in his business suits with tie, but with a heavy SLR and some lenses in his hand. He was also drawn there, with the bewitching magnetic power broadcast by the black devil on the rail. What are these business managers doing in the business hour??

It is going to be a very lucky day, I believed from the bottom of my heart.

20091024: MISERABLE OVERLAPPING

2009-10-24T15:19:00.005+01:00

Stayed up late drinking last night and some hung over in the morning. I came out of bed late at 09:30, and laid myself again in the sofa for a few hours.

I left my home with heavy steps for Shitte Stn, to wait for the train #2092 at 12:42, today expected with the EF64-1006♪. It actually came, but another passenger train of Nanbu Line came in parallel and it totally totally eclipsed the locomotive… How unlucky! What a shame!!

My Neighbourhood friends Mr. Machiume and Sebastian The Duke were at Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn. I avoided the place, because many railway nerds might gather there. I hear that the two plus another fan were all the people; I should rather have chosen to be there also…

I also failed to have a good photo of train #2097 at 16:12 at Haccho Nawate Stn. with the EF64-1014♪, refreshed just recently; what I enjoyed today is just a bowl of "Ramen" Chinese Noodle I had with them at "Taisho Ken" near Kawasaki Shinmachi Stn. It started raining on the way back home. Yes, it is a very unlucky day.

Let me introduce some pictures of EF64-1006♪ from the past;

Train #2092( ? ) @ Shitte Stn on 7 December, 2008

Train #4096 @ Hasuda & Higashi-Omiya ( "Higa-Hasu" ) on 20 March, 2009

20091018: RARE GUEST ON BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY

2009-10-18T13:55:00.009+01:00

(1) Irregular #3461 on Sunday

Train #5760, usually consisting of empty oil tankers from Kuragano, Takasaki to Negishi, Yokohama, but off on Saturdays and Sundays, today took 30 Wa-Mu 2-axle vans, and arrived at Shin-Tsurumi Yard. I heard this unexpected news from Sebastian The Duke, so I stopped taking Shinkansen photos at Magome in 5 minutes, after a single shot of the disappearing 500-Series, and ignited my Honda motorcycle again.

As I also heard that the #5760 ( for Negishi Line ) operation would terminate at Shin Tsurumi Yard, and be relayed to run on the #3461 diagram instead for Tokaido Line, usually off on Sundays, though, I waited the train at Tsurumi-Gawa River Bridge, the regular place for this train.

After #3075 by EF66-117J ( "J" means "Jaws" among the Gang ), #3461 appeared exactly at 13:08. The locomotive was EF66-23; we were delighted that it was not a Jaws.

How do you like my picture? Unfortunately, I did not carry a 35mm lens today, so the frame made by AF 80 - 200mm F2.8D ( @ 80mm ) looks a bit tighter without the stream, and with the pantograph placed on the mast. If it were taken 30 minutes later, sun would have reached the flank of the train. However, F could be set at 9, with 1/800 second and ISO 320, so the focus became very sharp.

The #3461 was operated by EF65 up until March-2009 annual diagram revision. Please also have a look at another shot from 12 May, 2007. Thanks to a nice weather, EF65-1085 looks beautiful, even in its JR-Freight gray renewal color without vividness;

Also, I remember when I took this on 19 March, 2005, in a quiet spring afternoon. EF65-1059 ( the unique experimental caution color was called "Tropical Fish" by us gang ) looks even more colorful in the sun ( although it did not attract myself ). As you may know, the 1059 retired in March, earlier this year, and may have already been sent to a junk yard. Many Wa-Mu's in brown are uncommon nowadays;

(2) And Earlier Today

My wife would go out alone in the afternoon to take an exam outside, and was to be busy in the morning for final preparation as well, so I maneuvered to leave my home very early in the morning to accompany Sebastian The Duke going to Higashi-Omiya & Hasuda. It was an ideal day for Cassiopair and Hokutosei, both headed by the EF81s, to be replaced by EF510 soon.

However, god is always against dark thinkers. I have not fully recovered from cold yet. What was worse still, my wife began to cry because she was too nervous before the exam, but illogically condemning that I transferred her my cold and she could not concentrate on study. To look at this, I immediately had to give up my dark trip to the bright photo spot, even accepting her request of queuing at a supermarket just to get a package of 10 eggs; it was on sale today for JPY 100 ( about US$ 1 ). What a nuisance!!

The story goes on. I understand that we always have to respect and be kind to old people. There are many old people in the queue every Sunday, because the egg sale for the first 300 people is carried out, and a small bouquet of flower is presented by the shop. They are the ones who should get this offer first. So, before, I always yield the sequence, and stood very carefully not to block their way and touch their weak bodies. However, what are happening there actually? Those oldies, especially the grand-ma's, suddenly turn out so aggressive in the shop!! They cut-in the queue whenever I give a very small chink in front of myself, and to securely grab the goods, the "ladies" even bangs into myself full force with their bent body. They never yield the way, of course. (Hide), the slow move man, is the weakest person in the supermarket!! I got tired in the Sunday morning, as always…

So what will happen next weekend?

20091017: THE 1012♪ COMES BACK TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

2009-10-17T15:21:00.007+01:00

I have not totally recovered from the cold and fatigue, but I woke up early, because the train #2076, to rest at Shin-Tsurumi Yard between 07:30 and 08:20, was expected with EF64-1012♪. Right after I have packed my camera, however, I found a web "witness" information that the train actually came with EF64-1020 in Gyunyu Pack ( = Tetra Pack, or JR-Freight renewal ) color. Believing that the 1012♪ was replaced at Takasaki Depot ( unlucky ), I had an excuse to refrain from going out suffering cold ( lucky ). I decided to see the train in the distance from my room at 08:37, when it passes through Shitte Stn.

It astonished me very much, when the train appeared, still headed by an original JNR-color EF64. It must be the 1012♪. What happened?

A few hours later, the author of the web information posted a correction message, saying the train he saw was correctly #2074, but not #2076. I also had an e-mail saying "train #2076 by EF64-1012♪, as expected" from my friend waiting for the train at Shin-Tsurumi Depot. I should have gone out…

In the afternoon, Sebastian The Duke and myself met at "The Park", to photo the train #2079, because it is a return run from Tokyo Freight Terminal. At 15:30, we were happy to finally see the 1012♪, one of the last two EF64s in Tokyo area with white rubber front-shield frame. As reported on 11 October, the 1014♪ had a black one after its overhaul.

While we waited, #950 came with EF200-901, the initial prototype of the model. At 16:27, we saw EF65-1054♪ dead-heading from Shin-Tsurumi toward Tokyo Terminal. We tried to photo #98 with EF65-1079♪, assigned to #5764 this morning, but it was too dark, and at 1/400 - F2.8 Wide Open - ISO 800, the picture did not become a masterpiece.

1012♪ is a regular visitor to the Neighbourhood, but recently, the weather tends to be cloudy when it appears. Why?

[ EF64-1012 @ Train #2096, "The Park", 14 June, 2009 ]

[ EF64-1012 @ Train #3094, Nishi-Urawa, 30 April, 2009 ]

So, where shall I go tomorrow? An atmospheric pressure trough is going away, and a fine autumn day is forecasted. My wife will be out for several hours, so how about going to Nippori or somewhere for Akebono, then to "Higa-Hasu" for Cassiopair and Hokutosei? But can I wake up early enough? Well, who knows…

20091016: MEETING AN OLD FRIEND

2009-10-16T13:31:00.011+01:00

I caught cold later last week, and it became severer during my stay in Singapore earlier this week, where they abuse air conditioners. I was allowed to have a paid leave on Thursday, and planned to go out for photographing with Ayrton, who coincidentally ( ? ) had a leave on the same day for 2 rolling-stock trains, but I had to give up the plan to accompany him for my deteriorating condition. The "dark" but enjoyable leave turned out to be a "emergency" leave. I eventually kept staying in bed all day on Thursday.

The cold became a bit slighter this morning. I had my camera, tripod, and stepladder, and went out by bicycle to Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn. to arrive at 11:30. It is Friday, but there has already been 5 other railway nerds, just silently standing-by ( I wonder what they are doing during week days ). I came for a Monday and Friday extraordinary construction train to pass at 11:55, but I found those people had been here from the train #5582 at 11:04, a tanker train today headed by EF64-1014♪ ( just refreshed through overhaul; see my post dated on 20091011 ). Oh, I miss it. But anyway.

Train #8998 appeared. It was EF65-1115♪, followed by 2 Ho-Ki 850 ( ballast wagon ). The body in its JNR blue express color gleamed in the perfect autumn sky.

Since the summer this year, I have met this EF65-1115♪ three times including today, all in the same train. But there had been a long blank for me. I traced my record, to find that the last picture before these was on 19 September, 2005, in the abolished night express "Izumo".

Let me introduce some pictures of EF65-1115♪ from 2005. Look at his glory days with the express head mark, leading a long sleeper cars!!

[ EF65-1115 @ Izumo, Shin-Koyasu Stn., 3 July, 2005 ]

[ EF65-1115 @ Izumo, Kawasaki Stn., 19 Septermber, 2005 ]

It is a shame that these EF65s now head only some cargo and construction trains, and they are even disappearing one after another day by day. The picture in the top shows a very beautiful appearance of EF65-1115♪ after repainting and addition of an AC unit, but is it only myself who feels that he looks more honourable and shining at the top of the long-distance express, even if it is muddy and weary? Time goes, and it will never happen again.

20091011: ANOTHER PAGE OF TIME TURNED OVER

2009-10-11T02:54:00.007+01:00

Perfect autumn sky and clear sun light. I went over to Shitte Station to see train #2076, a long-distance container liner from Sumidagawa, Tokyo to Kita-Kyushu. I expected it with EF64-1014, fresh from overhaul.

There are a lot of local passenger trains coming and going. The #2076 appeared in between these services. If it had passed Shitte 15 seconds later, it would have overlapped, because there was a EMU standing-by just behind myself. As expected, it was headed by the EF64-1014, that was refreshed and totally repainted from top to the bottom. Carefully avoiding dark shadows of masts and cable stretching in the frame, I released the shutter in a very limited moment. It must be a nice picture. To emphasize this blue sky, let us color it, like the Fujichrome Velvia 50 did;

I noticed the EF64-1014 with a bit different and cool expression, however. I instantly found that the shield framing rubber was replaced from the old white ones to a new black ones.

It's a shame. It was one of the last 3 remaining EF64s with white rubber shields and with the original JNR blue color body, along with 1006 and 1012. While thanking that the locomotive remained in its JNR coloring, I cannot but feel disappointed over this.

Today, another JNR-color EF64, the 1019, will come with the train #2092, and pass Shitte at 12:40 this afternoon. It is in the original color, but with black frames…

Compare the appearance of EF64-1014 with the train #2093 at 18:32 on 25 July, this year, with today's. The #2093 was taken at "The Park" near Kawasaki-Shinmachi Station, with my friend Domi-Yan and with another new member of Kawasaki Neighborhood gang from Great Britain. We were happy over beer in the hot and humid weather;

20091004: THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE EF65

2009-10-08T12:17:00.004+01:00

Note) This post was originally created on 4 October, 2009

Train #73 this morning was expected to pass by the Neighbourhood, headed by EF65-1041. It is usually difficult to photo this train under sunny sky, because our camera position becomes against the sun, but there were some clouds and the sun was hidden. I went out to frame the EF65 in its beautiful blue original color.

At the spot nearby the small park in Kawasaki-Shinmachi, there were already 3 nerdy photographers waiting for the 1041. I was the fourth person, followed by Sebastian The Duke, my friend.

Unfortunately, the clouds suddenly broke, and the meddlesome good sun light poured the place. The frame perfectly turned out against the sun, and the picture became miserable.

Meeting again Sebastian The Duke and Mr. Machiume, another friend of mine at Tsurumi-Gawa River Bridge, I prepared for a revenge shot with the train #3075. We are always excited about this train, because the train has its locomotive replaced from EF65 to EF66, and leaves Shin-Tsurumi Depot just 5 minutes before; without "witness information" on the web, it is difficult to predict which EF66 will head this train. And as you know, half of the EF66s are Jaws. So what will happen today?

The EF66 was #116, a Jaws. We three were disappointed. We talked about how JR-F can raise its popularity; one of the idea was to have a head mark for JR-F Hiroshima Depot open event every October. This year, it is given to EF66-24.

Anything alternative to goof off time this afternoon? To review my albums, looking for nice pictures of EF65-1041. How do you like these?

[1] Train #5582 from 4 October, 2008

At Kawasaki-Shinmachi Stn., with my Kawasaki Neighbourhood friends, on the same date just one year ago. Looks beautiful in the perfect sun light, doesn't it?

[2] From 29 November, 2008

At Shin-Tsurumi Depot, with Ayrton. Stands side by side with the EF81-81, once headed a royal train. The two in blue and red look like "Generation Kikaida", a special-effects movie hero from early 1970's. I was so addicted to this TV drama.

[3] Train #5582 from 21 December, 2008

From the top of the Ogura Road Bridge, my favourite place.

So, what else can I do today? It is to eat. I bought 6 saury fish on the way back; 3 to cook carpaccio Italian taste tonight, with my original source from virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper, lemon, garlic, and powdered parmesan cheese ( is it my original? ). It will taste good with fine juliennes-cut cabbage, also with my original source, from sesame oil, Japanese white vinegar, ground apple, ground pear, natural sea salt and pepper. Another 3 to grill Japanese taste, after giving salt, to have with Japanese white vinegar, soy source, lemon and ground white radish.

Let us wait together for the lucky next weekend.