This weekend Emma and I spent the weekend in York which included a trip to the National Railway Museum for a look at one very awesome train. Read on for a look inside and out of a classic 0-Series Shinkansen plus a rare look around the drivers cab!
The 0-Series are the original bullet trains, entering service in 1964 these engines continued to transport people across Japan at speeds of up to 220kph until as late as 2008. This particular Shinkansen is engine 22-141 which ran from 1976 – 2000, and is the only 0-Series on display outside of Japan.
Donated to the National Railway Museum in 2001, 22-141 made an epic journey via ship to the UK and then rode up the M1 on the back of a truck to get to its new home. Although it uses the same gauge track as UK trains it’s too wide for our lines otherwise it would’ve made it up under its own power which would’ve been a good deal faster!
Inside the carraige, reminds me alot of the trains that we caught from Kansai International to Kyoto – old but still quite comfortable.
After a look around the carraige, it was time to meet a member of museum staff and head into the drivers cab!
The cab is very cramped, consisting of a small walkway at the back which contains a bank of computers and allows access to external doors on either side, and an upper level with the driver and auxiliary seats.
I really could’ve spent all day in here nosing around the controls…
Drivers view, imagine seeing that speedo hit 220! must’ve been amazing. Stopwatch holder clearly visible on the right of the main speedometer.
Believe this is the directional control(forward/reverse) – please correct me if I’m wrong!
View from the drivers seat, looking across to the auxilary seat on the right.
The right hand side of the dashboard with a bank of assorted switches and a second stopwatch holder
Closeup of the drivers controls including a voltage meter and big red emergency stop switch
A shot from the door into the cab, looking up at the drivers seat. The control on the far left is to adjust speed, the ‘deadman system’ on the 0-series is a pedal on the floor
And this is Bob, who showed me around, thanks again Bob!
Many thanks to the National Railway Museum for giving me access to the drivers cab of the Shinkansen, being a bit of a train nerd it was an awesome experience for me 
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James|June 1st, 2011 at 8:00 am
Thanks Kirk! Glad you like the pics, knowing it’d be cramped in there I only took a point and click camera in. Initially I was a little disappointed but they seem to have come out ok
You will experience the shiny new Shinkansen soon enough! Can’t wait to see what you think!
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