I Promised More Impressive Views From The Hills Above Toba, And Here They Are. They're Not Very Hard

An alternative to Diesel: the Baureihe 563

More and more of these trains have appeared in the Offenburg area recently. Technically, I could be talking about both of the trains above because I'd never seen a Baureihe 218 locomotive (right) before, though over 400 were built in the 70s, but I am talking about the train on the left: the Baureihe 563.

5 is an unusual first digit for a German train type. Locomotives start with a 1 or a 2, for electric and Diesel power respectively, while passenger-carrying multiple units start with a 4 or a 6, again for electric and Diesel power respectively. Evidently, as seen above, these trains can run on non-electrified lines, but they are not Diesel multiple units - they are battery-electric multiple units.

Part of the Siemens Mireo family, the Mireo Plus B can run on electric power either from the overhead cable, or from the onboard batteries. The manufacturer states that the train can run between 80 and 120 km on battery power before needing a recharge from overhead cable, typically at a terminal station. This makes this train ideal for relatively short runs, such as those seen around Offenburg, the central station of the Ortenau area. As such, they are becoming more common, running local services for regional operator SWEG, indifferently on non-electrified lines like the one to Oberkirch, or electrified lines such as the picturesque Schwarzwaldbahn.

I know that Japan and the UK (link to Jago Hazzard's review of the GWR Class 230 and a quick overview of the BEMU topic) have also recently (re)introduced BEMUs. France hasn't really got on-board with this yet, as far as I know. Instead, they have built lots of bi-mode trains (mentioned at the end of the post), which have electric motors which can be powered by overhead cables or by an on-board Diesel engine.

Sangaku Sunday #11

We're almost there! We have three relations between our unknowns, the radii p, q and r. Actually, let's write them in the general setting, with any height.

Set SO = h and ON = k (so the number b in the problem so far has been equal to k/h). Repeating what we've done in previous steps, and substituting q and r in the final equation so that we get an equation with just p (I've done it so you don't have to), this is what we're solving:

The plan is simple: get p with the last equation, deduce q then r with the first two. The execution of the plan... not so simple. That last equation is messy. Let's tidy it up a bit by noting that it is actually a polynomial equation of the variable x=squareroot(2p):

There are formulas for the solutions to an equation like this, but if we can avoid using them, we'll be happy.

Here's what I did - and you can do too: a numerical test. Let's take the simplest dimensions for a right triangle, h = 4 and k = 3. Replace in the last equation and notice an obvious solution. Deduce p, then q, then r. Jubilate - until you realise something is very, very wrong...

Augusta Raurica

Founded in the 1st century by Lucius Munatius Plancus (which sounds a bit like a joke name but he also founded what is now Lyon), the Roman city of Augusta Raurica had all the amenities you'd expect: a drama theatre, temples, a gladiatorial amphitheatre, baths by the Rhine, and, in the 4th century, a Christian church.

And like all Roman cities, it largely fell into disrepair, the stones reused for other constructions. Restoration was carried out in the last century or two, and... maybe "reconstruction" is a more accurate term?

As such, the theatre is now used for outdoor shows. Along with the foundations of the temple opposite, it's basically become the town park. Same goes for the amphitheatre on the outskirts of the town, now equipped with barbecues and benches, and was hosting an event on the afternoon I went there (I can't find what).

Some underground remains are also open, consisting of basement levels of the baths and 4th-century church, where the heating and water systems were located. The least touched outdoor ruin seems to be this temple, of which little is known.

All in all, the reconstructions and atmosphere make Augusta Raurica less of a geeky history spot and more of a park with a backstory. Not my favourite Roman site, but a leisurely visit, particularly suited for families I'd say.

A few details from Singen Stadtpark

This bridge is not particularly big or special, but it cost YES Marks in the early 1920s, as post-WWI Germany went through a phase of hyperinflation.

C'est avec grand plaisir que je présenterai le mardi 16 avril à la Maison Universitaire France-Japon de Strasbourg une conférence sur la géométrie pendant la période d'Edo, avec en support le sangaku de Kashihara. Entre grande Histoire et petits calculs. Lien vers les détails 4月16日(火)、ストラスブール市の日仏大学会館に江戸時代の算額についてコンファレンスをします。楽しみにしています！ Looking forward to giving a conference on Edo-period geometry on 16 April at Strasbourg's French-Japanese Institute. Expect a few posts about Kashihara around then. Has it really been 6 years?...

Views from Ôwakudani

As the volcano's activity isn't explosive, and there's a whole hot spring business around it, humans have been trying to tame Mount Hakone, as evidenced by the many consolidation structures seen at Ôwakudani.

These continue down the valley to contain landslides which could happen if things get more intense. Nonetheless, occasionally, a gas vent juts out, placing a distinctly natural form amongst the organised, man-made network of walls.

The yellow deposits are typically sulphur from a very pungent gas. Depending on the direction of the wind, the smell in some locations on the summit can be quite literally breathtaking.

The views, meanwhile, are figuratively breathtaking, from the striking contrasts in vegetation in the foreground to Lake Ashi and the outer mountain range of the Hakone caldera in the background.

And, of course, it is possible to see Mount Fuji from Ôwakudani. Terms and conditions apply, as always, but what little I could see on that morning gives a sense of scale to the great mountain. However, later that day, we would be treated to a much clearer view of Fuji-san.

Hikawa Maru at sunset

Moored permanently at Yokohama as part of a park and seafront promenade, is the ocean liner Hikawa Maru, built in 1928-1930. After life as a passenger ship and a hospital ship during World War II, it survives in impeccable condition - the paint is vibrant and there's hardly any rust to notice.

It is a museum ship and a protected monument, as evidenced by the banners:

(happy captain face) 船内を見学できます: you can take a tour inside the ship

重要文化財 日本郵船 「氷川丸」: Important Cultural Property, Nippon Yûsen ship Hikawa Maru

Obviously, I was too late to be able to visit the ship. I had arrived at Shinagawa late afternoon and was hopping over to Yokohama for a sunset walk-around and dinner.

I'm bringing it up because Mike Brady featured the Hikawa Maru on a recent episode of Oceanliner Designs about ships that avoided destruction and that still survive.

Ryôgoku Kokugikan

It's sumo season in Tokyo! Though, to be fair, it's sumo season three months per year, as this arena, the Kokugikan in Ryôgoku, on the East bank of the Sumida-gawa two stops from Akihabara on the Chûô-Sôbu line, hosts half of the year's six major tournaments.

It wasn't open when I visited Tokyo, so I didn't see inside, but even then, there are apparently, and unsurprisingly, a lot of sumo-related places to visit in Ryôgoku, like Ekô-in temple... and I missed them all! Well, apart from the odd statue.

I went to Ryôgoku area without a real plan, I wandered around and found some interesting places I'll get to another time, but one thing I think I planned was to try the "lunch of champions", the classic stew for sumo wrestlers: chankonabe, or chanko for short. It was rich and copious, as you'd expect, and, as I remember, I didn't quite finish it.

I can't remember riding a steam train before, though deep inside, I feel I probably had. Anyway, now I'm sure! This is the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Rhin, a short line near Colmar which runs steam engines and a set of old Austrian carriages, of which I'll say more in another post. Meanwhile, it's been a busy time for me recently, so this is just a few photos from the ride while I wind down.

Hikone Sawayama: base

Walking North along the railway from Hikone station, one reaches the base of the hiking trail up Sawayama. After passing Nagabayashi Inari-jinja, a typical shrine dedicated to the shintô deity of prosperity with its succession of red torii gates, several temples appear, featuring monuments to two historical figures of Hikone, Ishida Mitsunari and Ii Naomasa. More on them when we reach the top.

This is Ryôtan-ji Sanmon, the "gate to the mountain" which leads us to the grounds of Ryôtan temple and starting the short, sharp climb. As we begin, we are met with more popular Japanese deities: the Shichi-Fukujin, or Seven Lucky Gods.

Apparently Ryôtan-ji has a fantastic zen garden, but we missed it.