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The history of rail freight in Nagoya is an interesting topic. The never-completed Nanpo Freight Line, the West Nagoya Port freight line which became the passenger Aonami Line, and the active, but not as big as it was, Nagoya Rinkai Railway which interchanges with JR at Kasadera. I have wanted to write this post for a long time. Only in the last several months have some very interesting videos been made by the cmesgx YouTube channel which illustrate what otherwise requires a lot of google mapping. Additionally, and unfortunately, JR Freight has announced that the Nagoya Port Line will be shutdown in 2024. Nagoya Port Line The Nagoya Port Line is I believe the earliest dedicated freight line, opening on May 1, 1911. Starting as a Japanese Government Railways line, it passed on to JNR and is now a JR Freight property from Sanno junction, just northwest of JR Central's Otobashi Station, down to what's left of the port infrastructure. Most available YouTube videos of activity on this line, made in the last 10 to 15 years, appear to be movement of new rails on flatcars or JR Central KIYA 97 rail carriers, which while basically DMUs, are usually behind a DE10 or DD200. Perhaps JR Central crews are not qualified on this line. https://plus.chunichi.co.jp/blog/ito/article/264/3870/ However, in an age before the ubiquitousness of 4k smartphones, this line had a lot going on. The Shirotori Line was a short spur that diverged southeast to a log pond (not sure the correct term here as it was man made, not natural) along the Hori River which had freight barges and floating timber. This was Shirotori Station, although there were no passenger operations. Whether these trees were for lumber or paper industries I don't know, but aerial photos of Nagoya up to the mid 1980s seem to show a lot of trees stored in the rivers and canals. This spur began operation in 1916. Immediately north of Shirotori Station, the Nagoya Wholesale Market opened in the mid 1940s and sidings were added to service it. These operations continued until 1978, and the spur itself was formally closed in 1982. The Nagoya Congress Center, a convention center not a government building, and Shirotori Gardens are now in place of the former station/yard. Further south, there would have been a connection to the Nanpo Freight Line, sidings to service the Toho Gas Works, and ultimately a sprawling port with numerous sidings, spurs, and a drawbridge. The excellent YouTube channel cmesgx has been animating old aerial map from the 1970s and 1980s to highlight rail infrastructure. These show Japan's rail network at its peak. First example: Aerial photography from October 1977. 0:46 Sanno Junction. Otobashi station would be built just southeast of this point in 1995. 1:08 Yawata Junction, beginning of Shirotori Line. Light blue lines are the Tokaido Shinkansen. 1:25 Although now filled with buildings, this right of way is still obvious on maps. 1:31 Hibino Station of Nagoya Municpal Subway Meiko Line opened in 1971 under this intersection. 1:40 Shirotori Station log ponds. 1:55 Nagoya Wholesale Market, which still exists but has no rail connection. 2:25 Crossing national route 1, the old Tokai-do (original path?) connecting Edo and Nagoya/Kyoto/Osaka, for which the mainline and shinkansen were named. 2:33 Crossing under the Nanpo Freight Line, with connector line following. I believe construction on this freight bypass would have been suspended by the time these aerial photos were taken. Unbelievable how much they built only to cancel it. 2:45 Toho Gas Works. This is gone now, with a large mall on the east side of the line, and the plot on the west side under development. 3:05 Nagoya Municipal Subway Meiko Yard. This and the immediately following JR Freight Nagoya-minato Station (nothing much to see) are now the end of the line. 3:51 Horikawa Drawbridge. All this track is gone but the bridge is still there and is a registered tangible cultural property of Japan. Continuing on from this point is Horikawa-guchi Freight Station. Additionally, there is a blog Tsushima Keibendo with photos of the port rail operations. 1969 and 1971: http://tsushima-keibendo.a.la9.jp/rinkou/rinkou1.html mostly 1982/3, including the drawbridge: http://tsushima-keibendo.a.la9.jp/rinkou/rinkou2.html. At the bottom of the page, older photos of the Shirotori Line level street/tram crossing in the vicinity of Hibino subway station. I actually lived along this street, north of this point, about 20 years ago. There are still signs designating it the Egawa-sen, which I believe was a nickname of the municipal 08 tram line. On September 19, 2023, JR Freight announced that the line's last day of operation will be March 31, 2024. West Nagoya Port Line and Nanpo Freight Line Planning for the West Nagoya Port Line began in 1947, and construction started a year later. In 1950, 12.6 kilometers of track opened between Sasajima and West Nagoya Port. There were steam operations on the line until 1971. Nagoya Freight Terminal opened October 1, 1980. From October 10th to the 12th 1986, in the twilight of JNR, a passenger excursion called the Omoshiro Ressha Katatsumuri-go (fun train snail service?) was operated on the line. With top-and-tail DD51s (engines 819 and 820), it started at Nagoya Station, went up to Gifu, and then came back down to Nagoya West Port Station. The route was then retraced in reverse. Sasajima Freight Station was closed on November 1st. With the dissolution of JNR, JR Central became the class 1 operator of this line, and JR Freight the class 2 operator. This is what Japanese Wikipedia says, I don't understand the detail or business/operational implications. Seems like an obvious JR Freight property to me. The Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit company was established in December 1997 (this is not the same as the Nagoya Rinkai Railway [Meirin] which operates industrial lines running west from Kasadera Station). The West Nagoya Port Line was only electrified in 1998, and only down to the Terminal. The line south of the Terminal ceased operation in 2001, while the construction of the elevated line proceeded. The passenger Aonami Line opened October 6, 2004. Aerial photography from December 1982 0:34 Sasajima Freight Station. This is the northern terminus of the Nagagawa Canal. The Aonami Line, the passengerization of the West Nagoya Port freight line, has Sasajima Raibu (Live) Station here. 0:50 The dark blue lines at the right of the video are the Meitetsu Main Line. The light blue lines are the Tokaido Shinkansen, and the red lines in between are the Tokaido and Chuo Main Lines. The dark blue lines northwest of the yard are the Kintetsu Nagoya Line an associated sidings. 0:57 Most of this yard is gone, but some still exists as a depot and shops for DMUs. 1:12 The West Nagoya Port Line diverges. To the west you can see what was going to be another connector, part of the Nanpo Freight Line plan. This is still visible in aerial maps. 1:20 On the west side of the track, Takabata yard for Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line. 1:35 Nagoya Freight Terminal. This still exists. 2:04. What a mess. The factory on the east side of the track is the Chubu Kohan, aka Chubu Steel Plate. They're still there. On the northwest side of their plant are viaducts that I guess were going to serve it when the rest of the elevated line was completed. There is YT video of these structures, they're still standing. The part running off to the right was the Nanpo Freight Line. More later. 2:25 At the right of the video, the Nagoya Horse Racetrack. Just recently closed in favor of a new track out in Yatomi. 3:25 West Nagoya Port 3:55 Back to Nagoya Freight Terminal for the tour of the Nanpo Freight Line. Something like 90% completed by 1975, it was canceled and never carried a single train. 4:29 Crossing over the Nakagawa Canal. 4:34 Passing the connector with and then crossing over the Nagoya Port Line 4:50 Running along side the Tokaido Shinkansen, which it mostly follows all the way to Kasadera Station. 5:08 Crossing the Meitetsu Tokoname Line 5:25 Converging with Tokaido Main Line north of Kasadera. 5:37 Kasadera Station with Nagoya Rinkai yard to its west. There is unused space on the west side of the Tokaido Main Line from Kasadera almost all the way down to Obu. This would have been part of the Nanpo Freight Line. Two more pages of photos on the Tsushima Keibendo blog, here showing the West Port Line. Again from 1969, 1971, and 1983. http://tsushima-keibendo.a.la9.jp/rinkou/rinkou3.html http://tsushima-keibendo.a.la9.jp/rinkou/rinkou4.html Katatsumuri passenger excursion photos: https://hekiden.web.fc2.com/arcives/3rd-spc/3rd-spc-22.htm At an 'open day' in November 2019 at Nagoya Freight Terminal, DE10 1597 wearing the headmark. Whoever has been in charge of the archives over the years, they did a great job. https://twitter.com/ecopower0157/status/1328701141027209217/photo/1 Five pictures at the bottom of the blog: http://b1hanabusa.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2012/01/post-9b06.html Nagoya Rinkai Railway (Meirin) The Nagoya Rinkai Railway operates a freight network that interchanges with JR at Kasadera, and also has a physical connection with the Nagoya Railway (Meitetsu) via their Chikko Line. The current Meirin company only dates from January 1965, but parts of the system were prefectural lines dating back to the 1930s. Some parts of their network do not currently see active service, but the company designates these as suspended, not abandoned. The company provides service in the large industrial area of southern Nagoya City, which stretches down through the cities of Tokai and Chita. Additionally, they are involved with switching operations at Nagoya Port, West Nagoya Port, Tajimi, Kasugai, and Yokkaichi. They also own some automobile parking (some of the suspended lines are paved over), have scrapped retired railcars and locomotives for JNR, and grew kiwis at one point. Another cmesgx video tracing the Meirin network: Aerial photography from October 1977. 0:00 - the Toko Line, starting at JR Kasadera 0:45 - cross the Meitetsu Tokoname Line 1:07 - Toko Freight Station 1:25 - Showa-machi Line 2:20 - Shiomi-cho Line 2:47 - Funami-cho Freight Station 3:20 - Shiomi-cho Freight Station 4:45 - Tochiku Line 5:13 - diamond crossing with Meitetsu 5:30 - Nanko Line 6:58 - sidings for what is now Nippon Steel Nagoya Works. Immediately after this, the video shows blue lines which are the plant's industrial lines 7:55 - Nagoya Minami Freight Station 9:00 - Chita Freight Station and sidings for Toa Chemical and Nisshin Flour Former Plans Lastly, I have read a few times about a sort of freight outer loop for Nagoya. In the 1960s, JNR's freight trains were made up of 2-axle cars which were limited to speeds lower than that of passenger trains. The Tokaido and Sanyo Lines in Kanto and Kansai had been quadruple tracked prior to the Second World War, but the Tokaido Line through greater Nagoya was still double track. It was concieved that there should be a way to bypass this busy, exclusively double track section of the line. The Seto Line, now the Aichi Loop Railway, diverges from the Tokaido Main Line at Okazaki Station. Imagining it from the direction of Tokyo, it runs roughly north to Kozoji on the Chuo Line, merging with it heading west. JR Kachigawa is only 3 stations ahead, and just northwest of the station is the physical end of the Tokai Transport Johoku Line and their Kachigawa Staton. Well, if you look at JR Kachigawa, it has two island platforms but only the outer tracks exist. The inner track paths are empty, and you can see how this aligns with the end of the Johoku Line. Had this connection been completed, a west bound train would come off the Johoku Line and merge with the Tokaido Main Line just north of Biwajima, heading south. A freight train from Tokyo would proceed south through Nagoya Station, follow the Kansai Main Line west for a short distance, then turn south on the West Nagoya Port Line to go down to Nagoya Freight Terminal. There would have been a delta where the West Nagoya Port Line diverges, so a train coming from the west (Osaka) could enter the West Nagoya Port Line without a reverse movement. There was also a consideration for a line paralell to the Tokaido to its west, but as this was all developed land, construction costs would have been too great. Links of interest and map references Nanpo Freight Line Wikipedia article (English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanpō_Freight_Line Nagoya Rinkai Wikipedia article (English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagoya_Rinkai_Railway Port of Nagoya Wikipedia article (English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Nagoya Google map centered between JR Central Kachigawa and TKT Kachigawa: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2286956,136.9541445,642m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu Google map centered on planned delta junction of Kansai Main Line and West Nagoya Port LIne: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1502254,136.8598929,17.68z?hl=en&entry=ttu Google map centered on Nagoya Port Line where Nanpo Freight Line crossed. Freight Line structure is visible to the east; no trace of connector in the southwest corner of the junction, it's now a Konan home DIY store: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1181888,136.8828309,97m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu Corrections and additions welcome!

Chunichi Newspaper video on the station train announcer perched above the platform at Meitetsu Nagoya station. Train headways and volume of information required to be conveyed are such that automated announcements are not practible.

Wasn't there a Hakone Tozan conductor who got some fame for his singing? Fine though he may have been, this Nagoya Rinkai employee is a true artist. Ignore the computer anime girl voice in the first few minutes (worse than nails on chalkboard), you are in for a treat. This is the Showa-machi Line, which unfortunately saw its last train around 2009. Somewhere else I read that Meirin classifies their out-of-service lines as suspended, not discontinued or abandoned. I inferred that this emphasizes possible reopening. Here's hoping. This is an interesting operation which at its peak had a lot of track. I'm not sure how many customers they're switching here, but one is Toagosei, apparently the owner of Krazy Glue. Highlights: 2:15 smoking cyclist 3:30 crew observes videographer observing them 7:45 his highest artistic expression 12:35 foot brake 18:30 uyoku sound truck, of course 22:00 then and now Google Map centered on the track: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0779122,136.8940081,245m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

So In march 2023 I went through japan for the 1st time since my American trip in 2018/19, and Loved every second of it. went Tokyo -> Kyoto -> Hiroshima -> Osaka -> Mount fuji/Nagoya -> tokyo in about 3 weeks and several extra days. Here are a couple of photos I took that I think were the best

A couple of new TV cms from Meitetsu, commemorating its 120th anniversary with the slogan "connecting hearts, heading to tomorrow". First cm is a short 1 minute spot emphasizing service and safety, the second an admittedly tropey animated feature emphasizing family, with the railway as the ever-present facilitator/setting (the private [mintetsu 民鉄] railway being the familiar local means of transport). Songs as always by Kazumasa Oda.

Produced by TV Aichi, this is a tour of JR Tokai's Nagoya repair facility, just a few kilometers southwest of Nagoya Station itself. Video 1 starts with a front view video of the out-of-service run from just north of Nagoya Station, through Nagoya Depot, and on to the shop gate. Other interesting scenes in this video include inspection of a car interior, how they mark problems that they find, and a few shots of Aonami and Aichi Loop Railway rolling stock which JR Tokai works on under contract. In video 2, paint shops and wheel/axle/truck work. Video 3, very interesting. In particular, around 5:15 a mock driver's stand used for testing DMUs, in this case a KIHA 85. Not only do I want to hook this up to Densha de GO, notice the blur over some kind of read outs or controls. Later, around 9:00, a nighttime run on their conventional line Dr. Yellow. Again, starting around 12:10, lots of blurred out displays. Hmm. Although I'm curious about what they're obscuring, I'm more interested in who they're hiding it from. Who cares? It really baffles me in the case of the driver's stand. With all due respect it doesn't look like cutting edge hardware. Although still it would be absolutely sick to connect it to Densha de GO. Google map centered on the shop: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1536699,136.8685014,476m Previous TV Aichi special here:

Today JR Tokai invited the press/media outlets to examine the new 315 series EMU, which will begin service next March on the Chuo Line between Nagoya and Nakatsugawa. These are slated to replace the 211 series, at least on this section. These are, for JR Tokai, the first new commuter EMU rolling stock introduced in 23 years, since the 313 series introduction in 1999. test run in the Shiojiri area:

I'm new to the group and just rode the Shinkansen the "Nozomi" last month (June 2018). It was my first bullet train and rode similar trains in Europe but think the Japanese trains are the best - smoothest and fastest. Very impressed and a huge fan and hope to go back to Japan next year to explore more. I also went to the Shinkansen museum in Nagoya and highly recommend for everyone here. Even if you are not a train fan you will become one as you see and learn about the wonderful trains and get to board and explore most. I took a lot of pictures and even made some videos that I'll work to post to share. Look forward to learning and interacting here and glad to find this great group. In the United States we don't have many impressive trains so it's always exciting to leave the country to see incredible trains. Thank you for this forum and to everyone for sharing! I attached a YouTube link of my first ride from Nagoya to Osaka with a brief stop in Kyoto.

Encouraging sign, and something that helps preserve traditional carpentry and building techniques. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201606280051.html *my first ride on the shinkansen was to see this castle, back in 1980 or thereabouts.

On July 21st, Meitetsu's four DEKI 600 electric locomotives were moved to Meiden-Chikkō Station for scrapping. Interesting facts from the English Wikipedia article: Built between 1943 and 1945 by Toshiba 603 and 604 were not originally for Meitetsu; they were intended to go to Hainan Island, but couldn't be shipped there. 601 and 602 were based at Inuyama, 603 and 604 at Shinkawa they weighed 40 tons and were rated at 440kW (about 590hp) These were basically surplus after the arrival of the new EL120s. Meitetsu's other old locos, the two DEKI 400s, will also be retired. http://railf.jp/news/2015/07/24/130000.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meitetsu_DeKi_600 a year ago, still in service, by kanazawa10026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djm6NOyKMik end of the line, literally and figuratively, also by kanazawa10026:

Did anyone post this yet? http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/09/07/the-most-crowded-train-lines-during-rush-hour-in-tokyo-osaka-and-nagoya-are/ Pretty interesting, data is apparently from MLIT, so I think it's trustworthy. I never lived in Kanto, so the figures for those lines don't mean a lot to me, other than explaining why JR East buys so many new trains . The figures for Osaka and Nagoya, however, help me picture train interiors, platforms, and seas of people at the gates :). The private railways really take the prize in Osaka, and in Nagoya, the municipal subway system appears the most in the list. Also interesting to see how Meitetsu places. JR Central only appears once, at number 5, further reinforcing my impression that they probably don't want to worry about the zairai lines too much :).

Well I hear crickets, so I'm going to try to make some noise today . First up, a video by dbz586601. He's one of the best uploaders I've found for coverage of JR Central and Tokai-area private railways, and he's been quite prolific over the past week or so with dozens of uploads of run-bys as well as a few zenmen tenbou videos. Here we have JR Central's Nakasendo Train, a new special service apparently classified as a kyuko (non-limited express, with a lower surcharge) on the Chuo West Line run with the former Asagiri 371 Series rolling stock. This two-part video is a ride departing Narai at 3:42 PM, which is over halfway to Nagano from Nagoya. The Shinano limited express uses the same route. Plenty of footage of rural scenery in the first video, and in the second, a cool night view, particularly towards the end. The departure at Tajimi, the last stop before Nagoya, is at 28:15, and by this point the sun has set. I think at 39:00 they're passing Jinryo Station and Depot. The approach to Nagoya starts around 46:50, passing under the #2 Nagoya Loop Highway, and crossing the Shonai River just after that. This river is the northeastern border of the city, and past that is Shin-Moriyama, the first station in the city limits. Have a look at the link below about the Nakasendo, very interesting. It appears that the modern Chuo West Line is roughly parallel, just as the Tokaido Main Line and Shinkansen are parallel to the historical Tokaido. Narai to Ena Ena to Nagoya map of the five historical routes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JP_-Gokaido.png the Nakasendo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakasend%C5%8D Ena Station: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ena_Station the train's schedule on ekikara.jp: http://ekikara.jp/newdata/detail/2301021/68553.htm

Here's a very good zenmen tenbou video of JR Central's Central Liner by YT uploader aomonoya. The rolling stock is JRC 313 series, although it's the 8000 subseries which has a different livery and interior. There are 6 3-car sets of these, all based at Jinryo Depot, between Kasugai and Jinryo on the Chuo Line. This is set B206 as you can see in the lower corner of the windshield. Presumably aomonoya decided to document this because JRC will replace the Central Liner services with regular rapid services with the March 16 2013 timetable revision. I haven't seen anything about the fate of this 8000 subseries rolling stock, obviously it's very new so it won't be scrapped but whether it will be modified to match the other variants, it will be interesting to see. There are liner services with each of the JR companies except Shikoku, and also with several private railways, although they have other names. The surcharge structure used for these liner trains seems to be very similar to non-limited express (kyuko) services which are now almost all gone. This is also a good look at the Chuo West Line, which are fairly rare on YT as compared to the eastern portion, particularly Tokyo to Takao/Otsuki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/313_series#313-8000_series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Liner 8000 subseries interior images: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/mlnagara373/40934565.html, http://www.uraken.net/rail/alltrain/uratetsu313.html