#tilting

We've covered the Anpanman Trains previously, specifically the one operating from Okayama. Above is its counterpart starting at Takamatsu - the Shiokaze and Ishizuchi expresses join together at Utazu before running together to Matsuyama.

The whole train is decorated, mostly rather moderately, and everyone gets a themed welcome announcement (link to YouTube video, not my recording). Like the Hello Kitty train, there is one carriage where things get crazy: this is a reserved seat carriage, which I didn't visit as I was using a non-reserved rail pass. But I did see through the windows at a terminus station, and it's full rainbow inside! The seats used in that carriage were also on display at the Shikoku Railway Cultural Center in Saijô.

The museum had a whole exhibit on Anpanman trains, including boards showing all the decorations used since the scheme's inception in October 2000. Last time we checked, JR Shikoku were celebrating 1 million passengers, now we're on the 25th anniversary!

The very first Anpanman train was a 2000 series tilting Diesel multiple unit, JR Shikoku's first tilting train, introduced in 1990. This comes full circle with our previous post, where I noted that the two 2600 series DMUs are the next trains to join the Anpanman fleet. This has been done, I've seen some pictures doing the rounds.

One 2000 series Anpanman train still runs between Matsuyama and Uwajima, on the Uwakai express service running in tandem with the Shiokaze/Ishizuchi trains from Okayama and Takamatsu, and "tandem" is the correct term: the trains, in very similar livery, connect with each other at Matsuyama. I wasn't aware of this particular train when I arrived off the ferry from Kyûshû, but nothing says "welcome to Shikoku" like an Anpanman Train coming to pick you up!