Joyful Train

From JNSwiki

Joyful Trains (ジョイフルトレイン, jyoifuru torein^?) are rolling stock or train sets mainly run by JR Group solely for organization use, time-limited engagements, special events, tourist excursion and other similar purposes. Such trains are also referred to as “interesting/amusing trains.” (面白列車, omoshiro ressha^?)

Joyful Train Rolling Stock Definition

485 Series Utage interior

485 Series Yamanami interior

485 Series New Nanohana seats

Generally used as chartered trains, their formation are usually pointed out for the rolling stock whose appearance and interior are made uniquely unusual.

Below lists the characteristics usually found in the interior

Tatami mats are laid out (Japanese Style Trains)
Areas where a gathering or a party can be held
Arrangement of seats, etc., face outward toward the windows or any other special arrangement

Green car (1st class) level service often present on Japanese style, salon, and similar type trains

JR East gives a slightly more wider definition to a Joyful Train: as long as the appearance and interior are a large enough difference to other general, regular rolling stock, then, even trains that are not chartered, are still considered a Joyful Train. ^[1]

Present Condition

After the Bubble Economy Collapse, the new mainstream that followed showed that fewer people were travelling and, among those that were, more people travelled by bus. In light of this, the opportunities for charter trains being used fell, and JR Passenger Railway saw a declining trend in the use of its Japanese, European, and other styled Joyful Trains that usually accommodated to large groups.

The first to act was JR Kyushu. [Diesel Multiple Unit|[Diesel multiple units]] and passenger rolling stock existed in large numbers, but, accompanied with upgrades to limited express trains and improvements in operation from the closing days of JNR until the 1990’s, by July of 1994, all charter Joyful Trains had been discontinued in this region. During the time above, some extremes include the KIHA 58 Series Shiranui, a service introduced in August of 1993, but was discontinued before the service reached its first year of operation.

Entering the current decade (“2000’s”), JR East, while trying to economize the labor spent on replacing the deteriorating passenger rolling stock and locomotives, remodeled the surplus JR East 485 Series into electric multiple unit Joyful Trains, and replaced the passenger car Joyful Trains in operations. In quick succession, passenger car Joyful Trains were being discontinued till the very last Yutori service was discontinued in March of 2008 and all passenger car Joyful Train formations were eliminated from JR East. Regarding JR West, Joyful Train set appearance and interior colors were renewed, and the services have continued operation without break. Despite this, similar circumstances of deteriorating rolling stock and falling numbers of customers have, in recent years, forced services to discontinue one after another.

Joyful Trains At a Glance

JR Hokkaido

DMU

NISEKO Express (ニセコエクスプレス, niseko ekusupuresu^?)
Crystal Express TOMAMU and SAHORO (クリスタルエクスプレストマム & サホロ, kurisutaru ekusupuresu tomamu to sahoro^?)
North Rainbow Express (ノースレインボーエクスプレス, noosu reinboo ekusupuresu^?)
Tatami Room Rolling Stock (JNR KIHA 183 Series Passenger Train) (お座敷車（キハ183系）, ozashikisha KIHA hyakkuhachijuusan kei^?)
Tatami Room Train Set (JNR KIHA 400 Type) (お座敷列車（キハ400形）, ozashiki ressha KIHA yonhyakku katachi^?)

NISEKO Express	Crystal Express TOMAMU and SAHORO	North Rainbow Express
Kutsurogi Rolling Stock, Tatami Room Car	Kutsurogi Rolling Stock, Tatami Room Train set

JR East

JR東日本が「ジョイフルトレイン」と呼称する車両について記載するため、団体専用列車用以外にも一般の臨時列車に充てられる特殊な外観や内装の車両を含む。

Japanese Style Trains

EMU

基本的には全国のJRの電化区間なら走行できるが、信号などの制約がある津軽海峡線は走行できない。
Resort Express Yuu (リゾートエクスプレスゆう, rizooto ekusupuresu yuu^?)
Utage (宴, utage^?)
Hana (華, hana^?)
New Nanohana (ニューなのはな, nyuu nanohana^?)
Yamanami (やまなみ, yamanami^?)
Seseragi (せせらぎ, seseragi^?)

DMU

Furusato (formerly Manyuu) (ふるさと (漫遊), furusato (manyuu)^?)

Resort Express Yuu	Utage	Hana	New Nanohana	Yamanami
Seseragi	Furusato

Carpeted Cars

EMU

No.Do.Ka. (NO.DO.KA/のどか, nodoka^?)

NO.DO.KA

Passenger Cars

外観などが大きく変化したにもかかわらず、改造後も車両番号が変わっていないものが多い。

電車

Kirakira Uetsu (きらきらうえつ^?, kirakira uetsu)
Ayano (彩野, ayano^?)
Irodori (彩, irodori^?)

気動車

Resort Shirakami (リゾートしらかみ, rizooto shirameki^?)
View Coaster Kazekko (びゅうコースター風っこ, byuu coosutaa kazekko^?)
Kirakira Michinoku (き・ら・き・らみちのく, kirakira michinoku^?)
Seagull (うみねこ, umineko^?)
Kenji (formerly Salon Expresss Arcadia) (Kenji^?)
JR East Kogane Passenger Car (こがね, kogane^?)
Minori (みのり, minori^?)

客車

Banetsu Legend (ばんえつ物語, ban'etsu monogatari^?)

Kirakira Uetsu	Ayano, Original livery	Ayano, Livery since 2006	Irodori	Irodori Logo
Kenji	Kogane (Formerly Gracia)	Minori	Banetsu Legend, Observation car

JR Central

2005年4月以降在籍なし。（後述）

JR West

EMU

Super Saloon Yumeji (「スーパーサルーンゆめじ」, suupaa saruun yumeji^?)

DMU

Honobono Sun-in (ほのぼのSUN-IN, honobono sun in^?)
Seto Uchi Marine View (瀬戸内マリンビュー, seto uchi marin byuu^?)
Misuzu Shiosai (みすゞ潮彩, misuzu shiosai^?)

Passenger Cars

JR West Saloon Car Naniwa Passenger Car (サロンカーなにわ, saronkaa naniwa^?)
JR West YUUYUU Salon Okayama Passenger Car (ゆうゆうサロン岡山→ユウユウサロン岡山, yuuyuu saron okayama^?)
JR West Asuka Passenger Car (あすか, asuka^?)
JR West Okuizumo Orochi Passenger Car (奥出雲おろち号, okuizumo orochi gou^?)
JR West Steam Locomotive Yamaguchi Passenger Car (SLやまぐち号, esu eru yamaguchi^?)

Super Saloon Yumeji	Honobono Sun-in	Seto Uchi Marine View	Misuzu Shiosai	Salon Car Naniwa
Yuuyuu Saron Okayama	Asuka	Okuizumo Orochi	Steam Locomotive Yamachi Passenger Car

JR Shikoku

DMU

Island Express Shikoku II (「アイランドエクスプレス四国II」, airando ekusupuresu tsuu^?)

Island Express Shikoku II

客車

名称なし

JR Kyushu

1994年7月以降、在籍なし（後述）。ただし2004年に肥薩線観光列車用として「いさぶろう・しんぺい」「はやとの風」がキハ40系、あそ1962がキハ58系の改造により登場している。

Retired Joyful Trains