Japanese Intermodal Containers

[underworld]

I have never seen this type of shipping container before.....

 

 

 

 

the cartoon artwork is cool too!!! What I think is really interesting is that they have doors

on the sides....making them useful for local or shorter runs. No need to remove the container

for access!!! I have seen 1/24 and 1/32 "normal" containers....do any of you know if

there is a company that makes these side door type?

 

Thanks!

underworld

[Metro Red Line]

 JRF is Japan Rail's freight subsidiary...maybe the container holds several boxes of manga :)

[tomikawaTT]

That's a late-model Japanese standard container.  They are for domestic use only, since they are of non-standard length (slightly under four meters) and lack the hard points needed to lock them to standard intermodal containers.  As far as content, could be just about anything that doesn;t require refrigeration.  They're designed for unloading with a standard fork lift.

While the design is about the same as the ones I saw in the early 60s, the fancy (and fanciful) paint job may have been part of a promotional campaign for some product or service.  In recent times, the Japanese railroad scene has seen some really outre examples of cartoon art, especially on passenger stock that carries a lot of schoolkids.  (Think kindergarten wall art, only more so.)  The more serious equipment sometimes carries such aberrations as the locomotive type emblazoned across the side in meter-high yellow characters (on a solid blue background) or the EMU set with ends that look like the facial view of Darth Vader's helmet...

That's why I froze my modeling in 1964 - when those containers were pastel green and most freight equipment was flat black...

Edit:  Just took a second look.  Note the young lady's flying microskirt.  Could you imagine the reaction of the professional feminists/child welfare wonks if someone painted that on a billboard in the US???

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - indoors, in 1:80 scale)

[underworld]

Metro Red Line

Ha ha! Yeah...maybe cases of Manga books or figurines!!! 

Chuck

I figured they were for domestic use....odd size and all. Really do think the side door set up is interesting for short runs. Interesting that they are set up for standard fork lift loading and unloading...leaves that open to most businesses. I have seen some EMUs that are decorated like cartoon characters. One was as a dog and another as a bear. Oops! Hadn't noticed the skirt!!! Do you know of anyone making these containers in any scale???

Thanks,

underworld

 

 

 

[tomikawaTT]

I have a couple of carloads of the green ones, and one carload of white refrigerated/insulated ones, that came with the cars (five to a car) when I bought them 40 or so years ago.  They are all end-door type in 1:80 scale, HOj, which is closer to OO than to American HO.

I occasionally see container cars in Nj (1:150 scale) advertised in Tetsudo Mokei Shumi (the Japanese-language model railroad magazine.)  Since I haven't needed more, I haven't really been paying attention to whether Tenshodo or KTM have offered any recently in HOj.  If I decide I need more, I'll make them from sheet styrene or whatever.  One of my prototype data books includes a page each on tank and hopper containers, but I personally never saw any.

Containers became very popular because US-style industrial rail service (a spur to the factory's shipping door) was all but impossible to provide, with little 'six men and a dog' factories imbedded in residential areas like nuts in a fruitcake.  Some of those areas were, literally, centuries old - and buying right of way for a spur would have rivalled paying off the national debt of Pakistan.  When the containers came in, the massive handling of small shipments at railroad-staffed freight stations began to go away - the railroad having transferred the manpower expense of stuffing and unstuffing the container to the originator and receiver.

IIRC, at about the same time, Germany experimented with rolling four-wheel wagons onto special trailers for road delivery to customers without spurs.  Don't know what became of that idea.

I rather suspect that the tie-downs across the doors in that photo are there to prevent them from being opened while on the car, either deliberately or accidentally.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in 1:80 scale, aka HOj)

[underworld]

 Ok cool, so now I know what HOj is! I have seen reference to it before but never knew it was 1:80. I figure I would have to build them also. Do you have measurements for the containers? Interesting about the German roll away ones. I'll have to see if I can find any info on them as I know a few railroaders in Germany. I updated the photo as well!!!

Thanks

underworld

 

 

 

 

[tomikawaTT]

Underworld,

FWIW, I refer to my complex of hidden staging tracks and thoroughfares (representing 'the rest of Japan') as the Netherworld.

Standard JRF (former JNR) containers are (external dimensions) 3240mm long, 2300mm wide and 2350 mm tall (measured from the bottom of the shoes to the top of the box.)

hope this helps.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[underworld]

Chuck,

 Your Netherworld sounds cool!!! Yes, those dimensions are very helpful!!! So far I've only been able to do a bit of reverse engineering from photos of the real thing and models....and I was off a bit!

Thanks!!!

underworld

[underworld]

 Have found some other photos, so now I'll try to build up a few of these in large scale. Probably cardboard to see how well I can put one together first!!!

 

 underworld