This is a continuation of my recent trip to Miyazaki Prefecture. After enjoying the train inn and the spectacular gorge, I headed a shochu (a kind of Japanese liquors) brewery nearby Takachiho Gorge. For what? Do I like shochu? Of course I love it, but not only that. The answer is to observe a preserved DMU. You may remember when I posted about the preserved steam locomotive in a shochu brewery last year. At that time, the beautiful photos were provided by a Danish railfan, Nicolai Okkels. After looking his photos, I noticed that one more railway vehicle is preserved that site as well. It means I have to go.
Please look at the top photo. They’re Unit TR-301 and 302 of the DMU ex-Takachiho Railway TR-300 series. It was built by Niigata Engineering in 1991 and commissioned as a reserved seat sightseeing train, “Takachiho”. Each unit has a 183kW diesel engine with a fluid transmission system. It looks a fixed two-car trainset, but as a matter of fact, it was operated connecting with the TR-100 series. To be precise, the EMU TR-300 series was separated into individual unit and being connected with one unit of the TR-100 series.
After operating 12 years, the TR-300 series was retired from the track in 2003. It’s currently used as a rest area in the shochu brewery (see the photo below). I stopped by there after shopping. I couldn’t drink shochu as I had to drive a rent-a-car at that time but could relax for a while sitting on the comfortable seat.
