The Japanese train, KiHa 183, dates from the 1980s; it was operated by JR Hokkaido and JR Kyushu before recently being phased out. The idea of the slant-nosed design was to prevent snow sticking to the cabs at the front and back. In September 2021, seventeen KiHa 183s were donated to Thailand for free (with Thailand paying for transport and refurbishment). The trains are now used for tourist excursions within a return-range of 300 kms. Trips to destinations such as Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Chacheongsao are often linked to festivals. The train’s appearance is both that of an ugly duckling and a thing of strange beauty (like a pat of butter with a Spitfire cockpit stuck on top). It certainly scores highly on the charisma scale, especially so in Thailand, where folks become highly animated, cameras and phones held aloft, as it approaches.