By TAKASHI TAKIZAWA/ Staff Writer
August 27, 2024 at 08:00 JST
KITA-AKITA, Akita Prefecture--A capsule toy vending machine set up by Akita Nairiku Jukan Tetsudo Railway Co. based here offers items highly coveted by train buffs: old railway parts.
It dispenses seven or so items, such as an operation indicator lamp, switches installed in the driver’s cabin, a heating lamp and a pin used to adjust the height of a pneumatic spring.
A set of heavy paper train tickets that had been used until the introduction of automatic gates is also included.
The parts, once used in train services, were replaced after they wore out.
Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Akita Nairiku Line, the dispenser is set up at Kakunodate Station and costs 500 yen ($3.40) a spin.
“We hear that switches used in the driver’s cabin are highly popular among railway item collectors,” a company representative said.
The operator intends to add new items for the dispenser, which will remain until the end of March 2025.
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A capsule toy vending machine offering used train parts (Provided by Akita Nairiku Jukan Tetsudo Railway Co.)
