Hello Everyone, Here’s my Octraintober entry: 

Enoshima Electric Railway 300 series

The Story:

The project all started when I knew that I was going on my first much awaited trip to Japan. Naturally, I wanted to build a train that I could take on the trip and take a picture with the real train. Out of the three day-trips that we planned, the excursion with the most enchanting train ride was in Kamakura. The Enoshima Electric Railway 300 series train was by far the most unique train that was still in service on the Enoden line in Kamakura. Five days before leaving on the trip, I completed a rough prototype of the Enoshima train in LDD after quickly ordering the parts. While I waited for the parts to arrive, I began working on the technic chassis in order to verify its rigidity. Once I had completed the first prototype IRL, I realized that the roof was simply too tall, and I was forced to remove the curved portion of the roof to decrease the overall height. Left with only a day until I departed for Japan, I hastily filled in the large gaps. 

Due to the limited time frame and large crowds, I was unable to get a picture with the real train at Kamakura Station, but got a few shots of the train at Hase Station, which is just three stops away on the Enoden line. In fact, Hase Station is one of the primary tourist sites because it is the stop to visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura, which happens to be the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. I was able to ride the 300 series Enoshima train for the entire Enoden line roundtrip to enjoy the spectacular scenic coastal ride from Kamakura to Fujisawa. Riding the 300 series Enoshima train was a magical experience. The train was preserved and maintained in its original style, giving me the feeling of travelling back in time. 

When I returned from the trip, I took about a month off from building as school began. In the middle of October, I was able to build again with a fresh mind. I improved the electrical equipment underneath the main deck of the train, added a step below the driver’s door, improved the bogies, and added more detail to the roof. 

The Build:

Before starting this build, I had a couple of goals in mind:

1. Build a rigid frame out of technic 
2. Must be powered
3. Battery box must be placed as low as possible to improve balance.
4. Curved cab ends.
5. Recessed doors < 1/2 stud

I was actually able to accomplish all of these, but was most impressed with the technic frame; I may have to start using this technique in other models. For me, the most difficult part of the entire project was researching and trying to find pictures from various angles of the prototype. I was able to take pictures of my own when I saw the real train, but I was unable to take any pictures from the top of the train, so I just did my best to fill in the details. 

As a resident of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, I could have simply finished my Swiss TRAXX; however, I felt too comfortable with that model and wanted to try something completely different. Ironically, trains from the East coast of the United States [ex: my PRR B1] feel more foreign to me than the European models that I have been building for years. So, the Enoden train was something completely different for me. 
 

The Album [including a video]:
www.flickr.com/photos/152818020@N02/albums/72157701691458791

PS:
During my trip, I was also able to Visit the Kyoto Railway Museum, which I highly recommend for anyone due to the variety of trains and railway equipment. 


References:
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/江ノ島鎌倉観光300形電車
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxbLokQ20MY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NouOvAZi--I
www.ambassadors-japan.com/en/railtrip/355/
www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B1%9F%E3%83%8E%E5%B3%B6%E9%8E... Thanks!