The Railway Museum
Background to the introduction
A Railway Museum has been opened in the city of Saitama as the main project to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of JR East Japan. Visitors can study the history of railway technologies and systems by viewing actual railway cars as well as displays presenting the historical background of each period. There are also simulators for learning about the principles and mechanisms of train operation, which are very popular with children. The museum originally used rear projection TVs to operate its simulators in the same way as its predecessor, the Japan Transportation Museum, but it began a search for new equipment when the time came to replace the simulators.
Normally, when a projector is used, it is necessary to place the screen at a distant location or to use a large screen, requiring an extra amount of work. But because the museum decided on the CP-A100 Ultra-Short Throw LCD Projector, the same screen as used previously with the rear projection TVs can still be utilized.
Benefits of the introduction
The Hitachi CP-A100 is the world’s first* ultra short focal length projector with a free-form surface lens and free-form surface mirror. Its projection distance is only 63cm/25 inches (including projector) onto a large 80-inch screen. If it is installed vertically, it can project onto floor, ceiling or wall surfaces and can project onto a large screen in a small space, making it perfect as a display medium for amusement equipment. With a library-level quietness of 29dBA (Whisper mode) and easy maintenance, it provides a projection space with an entertaining feeling, even in the narrow confines of a railway train simulator.
At the Railway Museum, the 211 type simulator, which is used for driver training by JR East Japan, allows visitors to enjoy the feeling that they are actually operating a real train. Now by adding the 205 simulator used on the Yamanote Line, the 209 simulator used by the Kelhin Tohoku Line, and other simulators, the museum has created an extremely popular exhibit that averages 450 groups of museum visitors each day.
*Survey by Hitachi in January 2008