The Furano Express was a charter-only higher-speed service run by a converted KiHa 80 series diesel multiple unit operated initially by the Japanese National Railways, and later the Hokkaido Railway Company from December 1986 to November 1998. The set was one of six purpose-built diesel railcars for JR Hokkaido at Naebo Works.
History[]
The Furano Express was conceived in 1986 after the success of the Alpha Continental Express, touted as a European-style train. The Furano Express was thus designed to improve ride quality and feature facilities which surpassed that of the Alpha Continental Express, and was a tie-in with the Furano Prince Hotel. To do this, three cars, KiHa 80 164, 82 209 and 80 165, were converted at JNR Naebo's Works and renumbered KiHa 84 1, KiHa 83 1 and KiHa 84 2 respectively. The set entered service on 20 December 1986. For a brief time from January to April 1987, the car was decked out as the ANA Big Sneaker Express. Due to it being regarded as the best design of the previous year, the Furano Express was the recipient of the 1987 Blue Ribbon Award; this was the last JNR train to receive the award.
A fourth car, KiHa 82 110, was then converted into KiHa 80 501 and added to the set after that time. In January 1990, KiHa 184-11 was painted in the same colors as the set incorporated into the set to make it a 5-car set; it was subsequently removed and the set became a 4-car set again. The set was operated until 1 November 1998 when it was retired from service with a final Last Run service. The set was subsequently towed to Naebo Works, where three of the cars were scrapped in 2004. KiHa 84 1 was stored at Naebo Works for many years after retirement but it too was scrapped in 2015, leaving none for preservation.
Design[]
The Furano Express featured a unique streamlined design with a heavily raked front end. The cars featured a "high decker" design with a lowered driver's cab so passengers can see the tracks ahead. The train was painted with a white base coat with pink, lavender and blue accents to give a "clear" and "sporty" image; the white base coat was intended to evoke snow, the lavender and pink the Furano environment and the blue the sky. The train's logo featured two mascots, named Mr. Who and Mademoiselle Pecker; both were mascots for the Furano edition of the FIS Snowboard World Cup.
Construction is of steel. Performance statistics are largely identical to that of the KiHa 80 series cars these were converted from; this article will still detail some additional statistics about the cars.
The cars feature dynamic braking. While the front features largely the same design as the Alpha Continental Express which preceded it, the front windshield is built of curved glass with a significant rake, as opposed to flat glass panels. To reproduce the look of aerodynamic body parts on a car's body kit, the set features a protruding block from the underframe where a front coupler would be as well as a front pilot.
As the intended nature of the trains was to head to a ski resort, JNR felt that a highly luxurious cabin would not fit the set's image. As such, to reproduce a simply but "intellectual" image, the general design of the interior of the cars was done up in monochromatic colors, particularly black, white and warm gray. The reclining seats were also painted in these same colors to enhance this "warm and gentle" atmosphere. To prioritize enjoyment of the vast landscapes, no curtains were installed; heat-absorbing glass was used instead. No other service equipment was installed other than speakers. For the lead KiHa 84 series cars, a calm environment was more important than views, with indirect lighting being used to light up the area. Large baggage racks were also installed, as was a video screen.
