Bitter Decision of JR Hokkaido

DMU JR Hokkaido KiHa 281 series, limited express "Super-Hokuto" stands at Hakodate Station

 

JR Hokkaido made an announcement that the maximum speed of their limited express trains will decrease from 130 to 110km/hour from November this year. They have also decided to reduce the operations of the limited express trains on their three routes.

JR Hokkaido is one of the JR group railway companies operating in the northernmost island (Hokkaido) of Japan. It was established in 1987 after the breakup and privatization of Japanese National Railways. Just like the other companies, JR Hokkaido has been facing fierce competition from airlines and bus companies especially in the field of intercity transportation.

Since JR Hokkaido doesn't have a Shinkansen (super-express train) tracks, the only thing they could do was to increase the train speed on their conventional lines to attract passengers. But it had come back to haunt this company. Within the last couple of years, JR Hokkaido was accident-filled with derailments and vehicle fires. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the accident rate of JR Hokkaido is said to be twice as much as the other railway companies.

What has actually been causing the high accident rate? It is said that the large load on the vehicles was the reason. Most of the vehicles that caused accidents were diesel multiple units (DMUs) for limited express trains equipped with a body tilting device to pass through tight curves at high speed. The equipments of these DMUs seems to be very complex and difficult to maintain in good condition.

As a rail fan, I hope for a resurgence of JR Hokkaido soon.
 

Side view of Type KiRo 280 of the DMU KiHa 281 series

Pinch Runner on the Chichibu Railway

Passenger train pulled by the electric locomotive type 100 leaves Nagatoro Station

As I introduced early this week, the C58 363 is a precious steam locomotive (SL) on the Chichibu Railway in Saitama Prefecture. It is a 1-C-1 type large SL coupled with a coal tender. The diameter of the driving wheel is 1,520mm.

On August 6th in 2012, this SL derailed in Hirosegawara Rail Yard while shunting. Fortunately, there were no injuries but the body of the SL leaned, and the front wheels were severely damaged. It was just before the autumn sightseeing season. Chichibu Railway didn't have a spare SL, so this local company suffered big losses. It took seven months for repairs to be carried out and resume SL operation.

When I visited the Chichibu Railway last autumn, an electric locomotive (EL), type DeKi 100 was operated as a "pinch runner" of the SL. It was manufactured in 1956 for freight train operations. Pulling the unfamiliar passenger coaches, the EL was performing its job well; however, I missed the SL, which was loved by rail fans, children and local people.

Getting on the EL-pulling train, I visited a Dahlia garden near Chichibu Station. Dahlia is an autumn flower originally from Mexico in 1842. Showing vivid colors, large flowers are popular among flower lovers. We can see many kinds of Dahlia flowers in this garden. They are pink, purple, orange colored and so on.

I couldn't get on the reputable SL train, but fully enjoyed the "pinch runner" train and the beautiful Dahlia garden on that day.

 

Dahlia garden near Chichibu Station on the Chichibu Railway

Nostalgic Tram in Surfer's Paradise

A surfer (left) and the EMU Enoden 1000 series (right) near Enoshima Station

As I introduced before, Kamakura is a historic city where the bakufu (shogunate government) was located from 1185 to 1333. This city is located on the Pacific Ocean to the south. Meanwhile, there are steep mountains to the north, east and west as a natural fortification in the Samurai (warrior) era.

This city has another face. It is also famous for marine sports such as surfing and yachting. Do you love surfing? To be honest, I love skiing, but I never got into surfing. Probably, I have a prejudice against marine sports. In Kamakura, there are plenty of surfing addicts. For instance, the Inamuragasaki area is well-known as a surfer's paradise in the Tokyo metropolitan area. You can see many kahunas (or shark biscuits?) on the sea on the weekend.

The main transporter in this surfer's paradise zone is Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden). Enoden, connecting Kamakura and Fujisawa (10km), was opened in 1902. The track is single, and its electric system is 600V DC overhead. Look at the top photo. It is an EMU 1000 series, which has been operating since 1979. It is fun for me that the small-sized lovely train snakes on a curve near Enoshima Station.

To the left of the EMU 1000 series (see again the top photo), you can see a surfer, who is heading to his favorite spot. His beloved surfboard is perfectly installed on the right side of the bicycle. It is well thought out, isn't it?
 

EMU Enoden 1000 series arrives at Hase Station

Stadium of Stars on the Akasawa Forest Railway

Unit number 136 of the diesel locomotive type F4 is preserved in Akasawa Forest Railway Museum

 

When I visited the Kiso area last month, one of my purposes was to see the star-filled night sky. It is said that Kiso is one of the most beautiful night sky areas in Japan, as it is located in a sparsely populated countryside which is high above sea level. A lot of space enthusiasts visit this area throughout the year.

Unfortunately, it was slightly overcast when I stayed at a hotel nearby Akasawa Forest Railway station. It was far from perfect, but I could see the beautiful Milky Way backed by southern constellations. It was a memorable night.

In the meantime, I am going to show you the other locomotive, which used to be operated on the Akasawa Forest Railway. It is a diesel locomotive (DL), unit number 136 of the Type F4 (F4-136). This DL was manufactured in 1956 by Sakai Seisakusho. After being operated on Hokkaido Island, it was moved to the Kiso area in 1962. A magnificent full-scale DL with B-B type bogies and dual-cab is attractive for rail fans.

The F4-136 had been operated until 1976 on the forest railways in the Kiso area; but it didn't have many lines because of its complex mechanism. Maintenance and inspection seemed to be difficult for engineers on the small forest railway.

Currently, the F4-136 is exhibited in the Forest Railway Museum adjacent to the track of Akasawa Forest Railway. I hope that it will be revived and operated again someday.
 

The Milky Way backed by southern constellations

Rush of Cool Air on the Chichibu Railway

"Paleo-express" pulled by the steam locomotive C58 363 on the Chichibu Railway

I just celebrated New Year, but I can't believe that it is September already. Before introducing the topics of autumn, I would like to keep to the subject of summer a bit more.

We witnessed record heat this summer. The maximum temperature was 41 degrees Celsius, which was the record-high in Japan. The only thing I could do was escape the city at the weekends to go to cool places. Oku-Chichibu is one of the famous recreation areas in the western suburb of Tokyo. By taking the Chichibu Railway, we can reach a deep and cool forest easily from downtown Tokyo.

Fudotaki Waterfall is located in the forest of the Oku-Chichibu area near Mitsumine-guchi Station on the Chichibu Railway. The height of the fall is only 50m, but it is a paradise in summer, as visitors can feel a rush of cool air there.

To get to this cool waterfall, you should ride on the "Paleo-express" train pulled by a steam locomotive (SL), the C58. A total of 431 Type C58 units had been manufactured since 1938; but, currently, only one unit, number 363 is operated. The 363 was manufactured by Kawasaki Sharyo in 1944, and had been operated on the Japanese National Railways. It was once retired in 1972, but came back to the track in 1988 to pull a sightseeing train, the "Paleo-express".

The cool waterfall and the nostalgic SL, the Chichibu Railway is full of attractions.

 

Fudotaki Waterfall near Mitsumine-guchi Station on the Chichibu Railway

 

More information about "Paleo-express" on the Chichibu Railway (in Japanese):

http://www.chichibu-railway.co.jp/paleo/c58363/index.html