So, I thought, just to get the ball rolling, that it might be fun to put together a handful of very small dioramas. I wanted to do something rural, and because I found the appearance of the KIHA 110 so striking, I settled on the Suigun Line. Below is discussion of the prototype; in the next post I’ll say something about my progress on my first module.
The Prototype
The Suigun Line is a 147.7km (91.8 miles) non-electrified single-track railway that connects Mito (on the Joban Line) in the south, to Koriyama in the north. It is primarily a passenger line: The only freight operation is run by JR East, and it’s entire purpose is to transport ballast from a gravel pit on the line to wherever JR East is currently constructing new lines.
Suigun Line is primarily served by the new generation of KIHA E130 diesel multiple units. These are new hybrid diesel units with battery-powered electric assist, and are supposed to be rather fuel efficient. These have now completely replaced the KIHA 110—the subject of the last post to this site. The KIHA 110’s have all been assigned to quaternary lines (if Suigun Line is a tertiary line) as a result. More information on the rolling stock can be had (with a little help from a translation engine) here.
The scenery the line runs through ranges from the delightfully mundane farmland to dramatic mountainside passes. Photos of the entire line, dumpy podunk whistle-stops and all can be seen here: Just ignore the Japanese and scroll down.
Of particular interest (to me) is this shot. It’s just a bit of farmland—rice in early spring it appears. It’s very simple. The simplicity of the scene has led me to choose this photo as the prototype to follow for my first diorama—that, and the challenge of modeling rice paddies. More on the diorama tomorrow.