Set G6+G7 of the EMU JR East 485 series, "Hana", stands at Haijima StationI recently came across one of the "Joyful Trains" at Haijima station on the Ome line. It was "Hana (flower)" currently belonging to Takasaki Railyard. This post will explain about Joyful Train and Hana.
What's Joyful Train? It's rolling stock operated by JR group companies for charters, special events and tourist excursions. Hana, Resort Yamadori, Resort Shirakami Aoike, Pokemon with You and Hanayome Noren are good examples. Irodori, Utage, Yuu, New Nanohana and Resort Shirakami Buna were also Joyful Trains, but they had already been retired.
What's Hana? Its formal name is set G6+G7 of the EMU JR East 485 series. Hana is an AC-DC (Alternate Current - Direct Current) dual system train consisting of 6 cars. Along with Utage and Yuu, Hana is an ozashiki train. The interior of Hana is arranged as a Japanese-type living room namely ozashki. Its floor is straw-matted with Japanese-style low tables so that the passengers are relaxed taking off their shoes as if they are at home.
Hana was launched in 1997 to replace an old ozashiki train "Nagoyaka (harmonious)". Nagoyaka was a passenger coach train pulled by a locomotive. It was inconvenient to operate when the locomotive was required to change by switchback at the terminal station. To make matters worse, the passenger coach train pulled by a locomotive had poor acceleration performance. Hence, it was a bottleneck of a timetable. A new Joyful Train, Hana, was built as an EMU to get good acceleration performance. Hana... long time no see. How are things?
