Passing through Kuwabara siding

A 383 series limited express train "Shinano" running downhill from Obasute and passing through Kuwabara siding. It's a siding with a double crossing point. When trains pass through it, they make a noisy sound which could be interesting to train fans!


A 115 series local train running uphill for Obasute

115 series train has a traditional face which began at 153 series. That face looks cozy to an old man like me.

Hayaokidori website

JR 383 series train going uphill

JR 383 series limited express train "Shinano" bounds for Nagoya going uphill before Obasute. 383 series train has a pendrium system which enables to run faster at curves. It looks like the train rushes to go there. It does not look so fast because it's a bit steep there - roughly I guess 2% uphill. After the train gets out of a tunnel, finally it gets closer and closer to Obasute.

Hayaokidori website

Is this also a "push-pull" train?

Usually we call it a "push-pull" train in Japan if a train has at least 2 locomotives ( 1 at the head, another 1 at the end ) here in Japan. But wonder if this below is also called a "push-pull" train or not :-)

A locomotive is located at the middle of a train!
Can never find this in Japan.
Basically I feel it's a bit vague which is a "locomotive", which is a "passenger car " and which is an "electric passenger car" there in Switzerland. For example an electric passenger car has 4 big motors and pulls other 9 passenger cars ( totally 10 passenger cars ). I think it must be an electric locomotive if it's in Japan. But things go different there.
Actually they don't need to replace the locomotive even when they need to do that if locomotives can be located at the middle of a train like that. My point is why we can not find this way in Japan? Maybe because some restrictions for safety or what?

　By the way, you can find a train for cars around 0mins 50 seconds of this clip above. I think that is a car train which takes cars, buses, trucks through the European Alps to the opposite side because in some points there are no tunnels for cars while there is a tunnel for railway. Maybe ancient people might have guessed someday in the future people need to control to exhaust CO2 :-)

Hayaokidori website

Obasute vol.2: EH200 pulling a freight train.

When I moved my car to Haneo direction from Obasute station, I heard an unique noise of some motors which were definately locomotive ones. I set my camera expecting some EF64 were coming.


EH200 super electrick locomotive going a 2.5 % uphill pulling 13 cement freight cars. Wonder how many cement freight cars can a EH200 pull on this steep uphill.

Hayaokidori website

Obasute switchback

Maybe some people noticed when they were keen enough to read the previous post about Shinonoi locomotive base, I visited Obasute as well. Obasute is a 2 next stop from Shinonoi, it was main 3 famous train scenery spot in Japan as well as Karikachi summit in Hokkaido, Okoba loop in Kyusyu.

Obasute is a dead-end station. Now local trains stop here are usually 3 trains car short with 115-1000 series. but the tracks are a lot longer perhaps because some longer freight trains needed to get in here to escape. Luckily local trains for both directions were meeting there when I arrived to escape from Shinano limited express train.



Obasute station house. Probably it was more interesting if I visited here earlier ( perhaps before it was renovated. )




Tracks are located like this. No double crossing is used here. There are other switchbacks in both side of Obasute station at which double crossings are used.


Time for a local train for Nagano to leave Obasute.

It slowly runs across the main track to get in an escaping track at the opposite side, then turn the direction forward Nagano and gets in the main track.
It's interesting that when the train gets in the escaping track, the tail lights are on at the front and the main lights are on at the back.


The main track and escaping tracks. You'll find how steep it is here.



Opposite side.



View of Zenkoji daira hollow from Obasute station. You can click it to see the thumbnail. Since it was a bit misty, the visibility was not so good. :( I would like to ride on a train here to see the scenery.

Hayaokidori website

EF64 at Shinonoi locomotive base

I went to Nagano city area today and found many locomotives so I sneaked up to them:)

EH200(left) and DE10? (right)




First time for me to see some real EH200. Very different from EH10. Feels as if I were living in a quite different age.





Lots of EF64!





A local train for Nagano just passed by the locomotive base. I met someone in the same hobby and talked about this and that. I thought this Shinonoi locomotive base was for trains went up and down the Ubasute but he told me this was a sub-base of Shiojiri main base. I guess perhaps Shiojiri was the base for trains went steep up/down hill at Chuo line. If I remember right, there used to be loco bases at Kamisuwa and Kiso-Fukushima as well. Probably there were more loco bases around a steep up/down hills lines than flat lines. Now Shiojiri locomotive base does not exist any more, so this Shinonoi locomotive base is an independent one. I found only one that had a yellow door at the front.




This yellow door at the front is unique enough to express that it was renewed in Hiroshima factory. The dark blue line at the bottom is also drawn lower than others. I even didn't notice that until when he told it to me. He also told me this loco belonged to Aichi base and only one that regularly pulls freight trains all the way here to Nagano.





Some of EF64 locomotives were just there doing nothing. Maybe their destiny is to be scrapped as the guy said?




EF64-55




Do electric locomotives also need some sand to avoid slipping at uphills? What is the stuff like a hose just beside the wheel and rail.





A EF64 holds 3 boggies, so wheels are located like B-B-B ( 2-2-2)
The side boggies have 2 springs each.




One thick and bigger spring at the middle boggie.





EF64-22





EF64-62




Says "built in 1973" 35 years old! It's in one's prime if they were human beings!







EF64-58




EF64-52.
It's how it goes old stuff retire when newbies show up. EF64 was born in more than 40 years ago in J.N.R (Japan National Railways) era to push/pull trains at the Itaya summit of Ouu main line before it was switched from Direct current to Alternate current. But now life is cruel, the last time gets close to them.........

Hayaokidori website

Still active #3 - 115 series 1000

A 115-1000 series EMU train ready for Matsumoto at Shinano-Oomachi station.

Most Ooito line local train services are now by E127 series, but a few of 115-1000 series are still in charge for some especially trains that get out of Ooito line. When they get in Shinonoi line from Matsumoto, the ATS (Auto Train Stop ) system there in Shinonoi line seems different from the ones in Ooito line, so E127 series can not get out of Ooito line due to their system.

Hayaokidori website

Local train going up Hakuba Sanosaka.

I needed to go to Oomachi city today to get one of my van. I got on a local train and took some clips. This above is at Sanosaka ( Located between Minami-kamishiro and Yanaba ski jo mae ). It's a continuous uphill of 2.5% after the snow shade throughout the Lake Aoki. Must have been tough in the old steam locomotive days.

This below is from Yanaba to Uminokuchi, a continuous downhill. Lake Aoki area is a summit of this valley.


Hayaokidori website

Bonnet express "Hibari (Skylark)" arrived at Fukushima station.

I took this picture at Fukushima station when I traveled around Tohoku region with friends in 1977. Platform roof, overbridge etc show us some railroad structures of the good old days :-)

Hayaokidori website

Minami Oomachi station

A tiny station called "Minami Oomachi" located just 1 next of Shinano Oomachi. I know some people say train stations have to be a lot bigger, not like this. But in Japan train stations are often like this especially in countryside.

This is Matsumoto direction.


Shinano Oomachi direction.


Some broad steps. Actually there is a factory of a company at the opposite side of a main route just infront of the station. I guess probably a lot of people commuted there by train before.


400 yen for Kamishiro where we are located.


You have to reach a station enough earlier than the train arrives there in Nagano prefecture because not so many services available here. Otherwise you have to wait for next train for a long time!!

Hayaokidori website

Kiha 81 retiring day

The pioneer of DMU limited express train kiha81. Debut for "Hatsukari" which connected Ueno terminal in Tokyo to Aomori in 1960. After "Hatsukari" got EMU in 1968, this DMU was transfered as "Inaho" and "Hitachi" then finally "Kuroshio". Less than 20 years life.



Probably this design was affected by EMU 151 series control car at that time which connected Tokyo and Osaka before Shinkansen (bullet train) started providing their service.

Hayaokidori website

Railroad crossing

A railroad crossing close to our place. No crossing gate at all while there are a couple of alarms.


Continuous uphill to Minami-Kamishiro. A kind of steep one.

Hayaokidori website

Lusitania Express reserved seat ticket

It's a reserved seat ticket for Lusitania Express ( Lisbon --> Madrid ) when I traveled around Europe by myself in 1982. Lusitania is an old name for Portugal. Lusitania Express was a night train.
We were able to reserve seats for Lusitania Express as well as others. As is often the case with trains in Europe at that time, it was not so strict to sit somewhere even if it's a reserved seat or no reserved seat. This reserved seat ticket told that the reserved seat for me was in a 6 person compartment. Compartment type seats were very popular at that time in Europe especially in long distance trains. Sadly I hear compartment type seats have been decreasing little by litte though.
When I traveled there, I always pull all the seats in a compartment to make there flat like a tatami mat room to sleep by lying down when it was not full. That time we had 3 people in the compartment so we did that to sleep. Other 2 were females, so they *commanded* me to sleep at the passage side as a bodyguard lol.... I thought they were enough strong! shhhhhhhhh!!!!
The designed "CP" letters at the upper left is the CP for Portuguese national railways. Lisbon is a capital, but the Santa Apolonia station where most international trains for Spain leave and arrive was not big. There were 3 train tracks if I remember right.

Hayaokidori website

Couplers

See this YouTube below.

At the time around 18-20 seconds from the begining, you see a couple of couplers. Couplers for European trains are very different from them for Japanese trains. I hear couplers for Japanese trains used to be the same with European trains but there were many accidents by being pinched by buffers when engineers connected the couplers. Also it needed much more time to connect than American type couplers so Japan decided to replace all couplers into their own couplers only in a couple of days.
Trains in Europe were very comfortable when I travelled there in early '80s. But European couplers look just like hooks. Now I wonder the couplers are never gotten apart if they are like that!?!?

Hayakidori website

The final stage for old train cars.

Found some when I rearranged stuff.

I don't remember what this serioes was. Maybe one of Kumoha 32 , 41, 51, 61 something like that. Anyway old JNR EMU train cars were unique each. It was also fun to learn which was which and what was different.

Local trains on Keihanshin-kanko line (Nishi-akashi <--> Kyoto) at the Yodogawa river railroad bridge.


At that time, Keihanshin-kanko line local trains were already 7 train cars ones. With this type of old train cars, usually they made it 4+3. 4 at Nishi-Akashi side and 3 at Kyoto side to make 7. Sometimes I found all the 7 had control rooms at either side. In short, I guess they cared the control room of the 4th train car was forwarded Kyoto side and one of the 5th train cars was forwarded Nishi-Akashi side but didn't care others lol... It was fun to see for a kid. Old train cars at that time were all unique. Some had toilet, some had benches for people to be face to face in a limited space along window side. (We call it "box" sheet here in Japan) And some older ones showed a lot of rivets at their surfaces. Some had 4 doors on their side and others had 3. So wonder how they showed where the doors would be at the platform at that time. Can not check it as time has passed so long :o
As some short run train which ran from Koshienguchi <--> Suita were only 4 train cars, I guess they needed to make 7 with 4 + 3 to adapt it.
In both pics above, a Kuha79 is at the head. Depends on when they were made, their exterior and interior were slightly different as you see. I guess following cars were Moha72 etc. They didn't hang signboards to show their destination, did they?
This kind of old train cars had been replaced into 103 series commutor cars since 1969. If I remember right, they were completely replaced around 1977-1978.
I think these 2 pictures above were taken at the same date with the one of 481 series red skirt "Shioji" limited express train I showed while long ago, probably it was around 1972-73. Because 481 series was not in charge for "Shioji" limited express train in 1971 or before when 181 series train stayed in Mukomachi train cneter.

Diesel cars for express train. Kiha 65


Thought this one below would be a kiha 58 Diesel car but...

I guess there's a description which says "Kiha 57 4" at its side. Kiha 57 series was made to pass the Usui summit, this kiha 57 series DMU were phantoms and had air-suspensions at their boggies while their "buddy" series kiha 58 / 28 series didn't. If thr green car ( 1st class passenger car ) in the pic of kiha 65 were kiha 27, this DMU was an incredibly high percentage air-suspensioned one.

Trans Alps Express

I found some beautiful clips at YouTube, just would like to share some with everyone.
When I hear "Trans Alps Express", always these below pop up in my mind.

Glacier Express

Bernina Express



Glacier express runs via BVZ railway Brig station. It looks more like a stop of a tram rather than a normal railway station which confused me a bit when I traveled there.

Brig is an important location for transportation because we can go to Italy, also go to Interlaken direction and Lausanne, Geneve.

Scene from a train for Interlaken direction from Brig
Tracks go left direction at the first part of this clip above are the one for Lausanne, Geneve.
　Trains for Interlaken direction start earning the height from here to go across the Europe Alps. When I traveled there, it was just a single track around the tunnel. Maybe their budget to construct the tunnel across the Europe Alps might have not been enough to make plural tracks.
　Anyway, I feel it very comfortable to see this clip because the train runs in a very comfortable speed. As we are now used to Shinkansen ( bullet train ) and some super-express train in Japan, when I find this kind of speed, I can not help mentioning it.

　You'll find some cars keep getting on a freight train at the end of this clip. They bring cars by trains. I am not sure there are tunnels for cars across the Europe Alps or not, but this kind of service is available there. Not in Japan.

Chur A locomotive pulls some passenger cars on a track in a paved road. Looks as if it runs in a tram track. Could not be in Japan....

Hayaokidori website

Bonnet "Aizu"

Picture taken at Aizu-Wakamatsu station somewhen around 1981 when I travelled around Tohoku region by myself. Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) was not in service yet at that time, a lot of express and limited express trains were in service for many directions from Ueno terminal at that time. Most of limited express trains at Tohoku main line were constituted by 12-13 passengers cars but due to the restriction at Ban'etsu-saisen line, Aizu had to be 9 or shorter. The shortest regular limted express train at Tohoku line at that time. This control car in the picture was the green car ( 1st class passenger car ) called "Kuro 481", but not sure if it was an original one or 50+ or 100+. Because of the slight difference up to when one is made, soemtimes JNR distinguished some from others by their number like Kuro 481-1, 481-2 etc (Original ), Kuro 481-51, 481-52 etc(reconstructed from Saro : a 1st class passenger car without a control room ) and Kuro 481-101, 481-102 etc( ones with bigger MG (Moter Generator). As it had a couple of whistle covers at its waists, it might be one of 100's but could be original or 50's because its main lights at its waists do not seem to be sealed beams, also it does not seem to have some "cover" at some holes at the side bottom to take air inside to cool the MG.

Hayaokidori website

JNR/JR 205 series?

Took this picture somewhere along the JR Sagami line. I think these passnger cars are JR 205 series judging from their side views but the front design looks a bit different from the 205 series in service at Saikyo line and Yokohama line.
Maybe a special one only for Sagami line? Not sure.

Hayaokidori website

Switchbacks

Found some switchback clips at Youtube, as I don't think I can visit some of them soon...

Ubasute (JR Shinonoi line : Nagano prefecture)
Close to my location but have never ridden on any trains there after I moved into Hakuba. The joint sound when the train going across the cross point is cool.

Tateno (JR Houhi honsen line : Kumamoto prefecture)
Trains go uphill by changing the direction to climb the Aso mountain. This train abouve goes strongly uphill, but when I rid on one in '76, it seemed too tough for the train to go up there.

Tsubojiri (JR Dosan honsen line : Tokushima prefecture)
I sometimes passed there but only with express trains, have never experienced the local trains there yet.

Hayaokidori website

Even local trains don't stop now :(

Now ski season is over. Even local trains don't stop at Yanaba skijo mae station. You just can see a tiny platform there.

Hayaokidori website