JR Central "Hida" limited express, Takayama to Osaka

[Sacto1985]

YouTube user tejy Train filmed a zenmen tenbou video of the once-per-day trip on the Hida limited express from Takayama all the way to Osaka Station on a JR Central KiHa 85 DMU trainset:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utP6a4Y4BSw

 

Note that the train ends its trip early at night. I believe JR Central has an agreement with JR West to run the Hida and Shinano limited express trains west of Maibara (the west end of operational territory on the Tokaidō Main Line for JR Central trains) once per day all the way to Osaka Station.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Sacto1985

[bikkuri bahn]

Yes, it's standard operating procedure. Crew changes between railway operators occur at Maibara:

On services that continue to Toyama, crew changes occur at Inotani:

Edited July 13, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[JR 500系]

Hey I like the 'Train approaching' song on Inotani. So sweet!

 

The crew, or rather the conductor, were changed at Inotani? And it's only 4 stations away (Inotani ---- Etchu-Yatsuo ----- Hayahoshi ----- Toyama) to Toyama the terminal... Also they said JR Nishi Nihon... Isn't the Hida under JR Central? Wonder why..  

[Sacto1985]

The crew, or rather the conductor, were changed at Inotani? And it's only 4 stations away (Inotani ---- Etchu-Yatsuo ----- Hayahoshi ----- Toyama) to Toyama the terminal... Also they said JR Nishi Nihon... Isn't the Hida under JR Central? Wonder why..  

 

Inotani Station on the Takayama Main Line is the division point between JR Central and JR West operations. That's why if you're riding a local train, you have to change trains at Inotani Station (KiHa 120's north of Inotani with JR West crews, KiHa 25's (and formerly KiHa 40's) south of Inotani with JR Central crews). That's why they change crews at Inotani on the Hida limited express train. When the Hida and Shinano train head west to Osaka from Nagoya (or east from Osaka towards Nagoya), both trains have crew changes at Maibara Station, the division point between JR West and JR Central on the Tokaidō Main Line (one of the reasons why Maibara is quite outsized for a station given the population that surrounds it, a legacy of it being the western terminus of the Hokuriku Main Line).

 

By the way, I wonder how many crew changes it requires on the Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo train between Tokyo and Okayama Stations? 

Edited July 13, 2015 by Sacto1985

[miyakoji]

By the way, I wonder how many crew changes it requires on the Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo train between Tokyo and Okayama Stations?

That's a good question. There are only the two company borders, Atami and Maibara. But, is there only one crew per territory?

[velotrain]

Hey I like the 'Train approaching' song on Inotani. So sweet!

 

Clearly a take-off on I've been working on the Railroad.

 

 

[Sacto1985]

That's a good question. There are only the two company borders, Atami and Maibara. But, is there only one crew per territory?

 

If I were to take a guess for the Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo going west from Tokyo, the likely crew change points would be:

 

Atami (division point between JR East and JR Central)

Hamamatsu

Maibara (division point between JR Central and JR West)

Himeji

Okayama (one crew takes the Sunrise Seto to Takamatsu, second crew takes the Sunrise Izumo to Izumoshi).

[bikkuri bahn]

Sunrise Seto crew change points are Atami/Maibara/Kojima.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%80%AC%E6%88%B8_(%E5%88%97%E8%BB%8A)#.E6.8B.85.E5.BD.93.E4.B9.97.E5.8B.99.E5.93.A1

[Sacto1985]

Sunrise Seto crew change points are Atami/Maibara/Kojima.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%80%AC%E6%88%B8_(%E5%88%97%E8%BB%8A)#.E6.8B.85.E5.BD.93.E4.B9.97.E5.8B.99.E5.93.A1

 

I think the article is referring to crew change points based on going from one JR Group operational territory to another. In the case of Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo, that would be Atami (switch between JR East and JR Central crews), Maibara (switch between JR Central and JR West crews), and Kojima (switch between JR West and JR Shikoku crews for Sunrise Seto). But given it's a long way from Atami to Maibara and Maibara to Okayama travelling on the Tokaidō and San'yō Main Lines, not to mention the train split at Okayama Station, I think there may be additional crew change points.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Sacto1985