E5 Shinkansen model

The first media test run of the new E5 Shinkansen was on the 17th June, 2009. The Sankei Newspaper had some good photos you can see. Click on the arrow buttons to see the rest of the photos on their site.

The E5 Series Shinkansen will run on the Tōhoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori, commencing service in 2011. The top speed of the trains will be 320 km/h.

If you are wondering where the E5 series fits into the rest of the Shinkansen lineup here is a guide from last weeks pen magazine article.

photo taken from pen magazine, June 15 2009 edition

The starting point for the Shinkansen is in the top right hand corner, the 0 series brought into service in 1964.

Here is some YouTube footage of the E5 train arriving in Sendai

Once the train is in service I would like to get some good photos.

Romance Car 60000 Series
Another train which is worth checking out is the Romance Car 60000 Series. It won Japan Railfan Club’s Blue Ribbon Award for this year’s best train in Japan this year. Muza-chan has some really great photos from inside the Romance Car 50000 Series from a trip.

photo with permission from http://www.muza-chan.net

For more of these photos, visit Muza-chan’s blog. This train looks like its well worth traveling on.

Last Weeks Yamanote Line Quiz
Following up on last weeks quiz, there were some really good answers with a few people coming close to getting a perfect score. It looks like Meitantei Conan may be of assistance to some and it is good to see that anime can be a good way to learn interesting facts.

1. Which 2 stations on the Yamanote-line do not connect with any other line?
   Mejiro and Shin-Okubo
2. What do the numbers on the top left side of the front of the train mean?
   They identify the starting time of the train in the morning, usually from Osaki station.
3. What station was formally known as Karasumori station? The only station on the line to be renamed
   Shinbashi station used to be called Karasumori station until 1914
4. Based on the 2007 figures, what are the top 4 busiest stations for passenger usage? Can you name them in order, busiest first?
   Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Tokyo
5. How many minutes does is the fastest time a train can take to complete one loop?
   59 minutes to make the 34.5km journey
6. If you lined up all the E231 trains that are used on the Yamanote line (in 2007 figures) from Tokyo station going clockwise (soto-mawari), which station would they stretch to?
   They would stretch to Meguro station. (52 trains each 11 carriages each 20 metres makes 11.44km. Tokyo to Meguro is 10.9km
7. Which is the oldest station on the Yamanote line?
   Shinagawa is the oldest station on the line and in Japan, tied with Sakuragi-cho (Yokohoma) opening in 1872.

Does anyone have a link to some video on YouTube that shows the Meitantei Conan episode with some of the Yamanote Line quiz questions? I remember seeing them showing a diagram of the trains all lined up between Tokyo and Meguro to explain the distance, but can’t remember where.

Shinbashi Station
Here are some brilliant old photos of Shinbashi station (新橋駅).

We’ll take a look at some more interesting railways and rail facts in coming weeks and will try to organize a quiz with some giveaways.

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