This is a continuation of my recent trip to Miyazaki Prefecture. After enjoying the train inn and the spectacular gorge, I headed to a shochu brewery near Takachiho Gorge. Why? Do I like shochu? Of course I do, but that wasn’t the only reason. I went there to see a preserved DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit). You may remember when I posted about the preserved steam locomotive at a shochu brewery last year. At that time, the beautiful photos were provided by Danish railfan Nicolai Okkels. After looking at his photos, I realized that another railway vehicle was preserved at the same site. That meant I had to go.
Please look at the top photo. These are units TR-301 and TR-302 of the former Takachiho Railway TR-300 series DMU. They were built by Niigata Engineering in 1991 and introduced as the reserved-seat sightseeing train Takachiho. Each unit was equipped with a 183 kW diesel engine and a fluid transmission system. At first glance, it looks like a fixed two-car trainset, but in fact it often operated coupled with the TR-100 series. To be precise, each TR-300 car could run independently and was usually connected to a TR-100 series car.
After only 12 years in service, the TR-300 series was retired in 2003. Today, it is preserved at the shochu brewery and used as a rest area (see the photo below). I stopped by there after shopping. I couldn’t drink shochu since I had to drive a rental car, but I was able to relax for a while sitting on the comfortable seats.
