#Anime on Rails: Rail Romanesque Ep. 6

Welcome to another installment of Anime on Rails, where like an Amtrak intercity line, we continue to be behind schedule. This week, we meet Kiko’s short redhead partner, Beni! 

Dressed in a long orange-red coat, beige shirt with a blue collar, blue shorts, orange-red necktie with a mikan logo, and a conductor’s hat that incorporates all three aforementioned colors, Beni is the Railord paired with the Hisatsu Mikan Railway’s Kiha 07 101 Railcar. 

Kiha 07 101 is, unsurprisingly, a member of the Kiha 07 series of railcars. Originally called the Kiha 42000 series, the Kiha 07 series is a class of diesel-mechanical railcars and the largest class of mass produced pre-war railcars in Japan.  

Diesel-mechanical railcars have a diesel engine as their primary source of power. The mechanical energy produced by this engine is transferred to the drive wheels by a mechanical transmission. This makes diesel-mechanical railcars more closely related to the modern automobile than their diesel-electric cousins that use electric motors to move forward.  

Despite being a member of the largest mass produced pre-war class of railcars, Kiha 07 101 was actually built after World War 2. Initially named Kiha 42600, the 101 was constructed differently than it’s prewar siblings: the body of the car was welded instead of riveted together, and the headlight was embedded in the body of the car rather than mounted on top. 101 got further upgrades in the 1960s, when it’s mechanical transmission was replaced with a fluid transmission. This transmission upgrade reduced wear on the drive system, which allowed the driver better control over the railcar and reduced shaking. Along with the new transmission, 101 got a new name: Kiha 07 203.  

The Kiha 07 class was slowly phased out in the 1960’s as newer railcars became used throughout Japan, with the last active 07 class being retired in 1969. Many of them were scrapped, but a few managed to be preserved. Kiha 07 41, one of the pre-war models, is one of those preserved railcars and is on display at the Kyushu Railway History Museum. Visitors can get up close and personal with this piece of railroading history and can even step inside to look at the interior.  

Speaking of Kyushu, why don’t we discuss the railway that Beni belongs to? Once a part of Kyushu Railway company’s Kagoshima Main Line, the Hisastu Mikan Railway is a private railway that operates between Kumamoto and Kagoshima Prefectures on the island of Kyushu. The line transferred into private operation and ownership after the completion of the Kyushu Shinkansen. It now operates using HSOR 100 class diesel-electric railcars. The line is a winding way to travel, but in exchange, passengers get extended views of the scenic coastline. 

The railway also operates a special train service called the “Orange Restaurant.” This rolling cafe serves food made with ingredients from the towns and cities the train services. If you want to book a ticket though, better act quickly. Since this special train is only two-cars long and only operates on weekends, the seats can sell out up to a year in advance.