JR East rolling stock lost during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

[Densha]

JR East's 651 series K202 composition and 415 series K534 composition have been trapped at Haranomachi station on the Joban Line ever since the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake. At the time of the disaster these trains, but also E721 series P9+P27 compositions and 701 series F2-510 composition, were running near Haranomachi. The section south of Haranomachi to Tatsuta was damaged and is now partly in the nuclear evacuation zone. Going north is only possible up to Sōma, because the section between Sōma and Hamayoshida was also damaged.
 
The E721 series and 701 series were transported back to the national rail network over land. The 651 series and 415 series weren't lucky enough to get that treatment and have been sitting at a siding at Haranomachi ever since.

The local train service between Sōma and Haranomachi is currently maintained by three 701 series 2-car EMUs that were transported over land to this remote section of the Joban Line.

[HantuBlauLOL]

So that station is dead?

[katoftw]

Was it the earthquake that did the damage, or the flooding that did the damage?  Tomika Station for example is just a few platforms, ticket barriers, but the building was swept away.  Clearly near Ono is a no go zone.  But curious of the other areas.

[Densha]

So that station is dead?

What station is dead?

 

Was it the earthquake that did the damage, or the flooding that did the damage?  Tomika Station for example is just a few platforms, ticket barriers, but the building was swept away.  Clearly near Ono is a no go zone.  But curious of the other areas.

I don't know the exact details, but whether it was the earthquake or the tsunami that did the damage doesn't change the fact that these sections of the Joban Line are damaged/destroyed. After a search, however, I did find a Japanese website with maps that show how far exactly the tsunami reached. The red areas are those that were flooded, blue lines are railway lines. It's this website: http://www.gsi.go.jp/kikaku/kikaku60003.html

[JR 500系]

Such a pity 2 nice looking train sets have to be dismantled at site....

[HantuBlauLOL]

Haranomachi.. Where that E651 on first video was idling

[kvp]

I the problem might be that there are no plans to restore the northen, tsunami damaged part of the line, especially that the middle is a radioactive no go zone. If there is still some financial value or need for the sets, they will be shipped out. However it's very likely that the remaining middle portion will be replaced by bus too as they are much cheaper to operate when there are almost no passengers.

[Densha]

Haranomachi.. Where that E651 on first video was idling

I don't exactly understand what you mean by "dead", but as the map kvp posted shows Haranomachi - Sōma is an isolated section now.

 

I the problem might be that there are no plans to restore the northen, tsunami damaged part of the line, especially that the middle is a radioactive no go zone. If there is still some financial value or need for the sets, they will be shipped out. However it's very likely that the remaining middle portion will be replaced by bus too as they are much cheaper to operate when there are almost no passengers.

According to Wikipedia, Haranomachi-Tatsuta is where the radioactive zone is, now replaced by a bus service. The section Sōma - Hamayoshida is also replaced by a bus now, but this section of the Joban Line will be put back in service in 2017.

 

Maybe this will clear up more:

As of August 2014, two segments of the Joban Line are closed in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The segment between Tatsuta and Haranomachi, which runs through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, is closed indefinitely, while the segment between Hamayoshida and Sōma is under reconstruction and served by an interim bus service. JR East is currently inspecting the segments between Hirono and Tomioka and between Namie and Haranomachi in preparation for the surrounding areas being cleared for re-settlement, and plans to reconstruct the track and stations between Hamayoshida and Komagamine in new positions located farther inland, targeting completion by 2017. As of January 31, 2015, sections between Tatsuta and Haranomachi are replaced by a bus service.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jōban_Line

[kvp]

So in two years they might be able to move the trains by rail. That's good news if this happens.

[Densha]

I doubt these two train sets will ever go back into service. The 651 series K202 was delivered in 1989 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/651_series) and the 415 series probably somewhere between 1986 and 1991. Even if Haranomachi is connected to the main network again in 2017, these sets would be at least 26 years old by then and would have been sitting idle for 6 years. If JR East needed them I think they would have transported these over land already years ago. I think when the connection is restored they'll just pull them to a scrapping site to be dismantled. I think that's cheaper than dismantling them at Haranomachi.

[katoftw]

They'll rebuild the line in time.  The Japanese government will want people to resettle in the future, so they have to offer public services.  I'd say JRE will get a good amount funding from the government to rebuild.

[Guest ___]

Scrapping sounds like a PITA, better use for them would be to slap them down in the middle of a field, plop a few trees and call it a railpark.

[MechaDen]

I was looking at this when a co-worker saw it. He said it was super hitachi and then I just kind of wanted a model of it.... too bad the 651 is so rare and expensive now.

[JR 500系]

I was looking at this when a co-worker saw it. He said it was super hitachi and then I just kind of wanted a model of it.... too bad the 651 is so rare and expensive now.

 

Yeh now that you mention it:

 

http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=651%E7%B3%BB&auccat=2084259591&f=0x2&tab_ex=commerce&ei=UTF-8&b=1

 

While I wouldn't say it is really rare or expensive, the price did increase from when I got it (also through Yahoo Auctions) and about a year ago, we could see Kato 10-173 or the older 10-164 (<--I have this) 7-car basic set going around 6000-8000 yen... Now they raise beyond the 10,000 mark... 

[MechaDen]

I forgot yahoo was the thing out here, I've never actually bought anything from it... I only used amazon Japan.

Now that I've been shown the light, my wallet will suffer the consequences.

[katoftw]

I've been tempted on the 651s for a while now.  Nice looking trains.

[ToniBabelony]

The 415-1500 and 651 Series are being phased out as we speak (415-1500 are even becoming rare on the Mito Line, which usually gets the hand-me-downs from the Jōban line), so retrieving these sets for an overhaul or whatever is out of the question. These sets will indeed be scrapped by the looks of it.

[katoftw]

I guess in 2011 when they (JR East) decided to leave them there.  They probably didn't think they'd still be stuck years later.  It would be too costly to do anything with them in the current state.  They are not in the way.  So easier and less costly to leave them be.  So until some access can be had, they'll live there until they go to the scrapers.

[ToniBabelony]

The 415-1500 Series is being scrapped since 2009, starting with the K526 and K626 formations. This in favour of the incoming 5-car E531 Series. Until about 2014 there was no phasing out (probably because of production delays of the E531s, but don't quote me on that), the 415-1500 is now being done away with quite rapidly.

 

The 651 Series however has three formations in 'resting' in Aomori (K204, K207 and K102).

 

Data in the provided links are however from the Koriyama depot, so I'm not sure how it is elsewhere. Some 651 have been moved to Ōmiya depot and some 415-1500s have been sold to JR Kyūshū in the past as well. All I can say is that the 415-1500 will disappear in 2017 from JR East tracks...

[Takahama Trainwatcher]

I was looking at this when a co-worker saw it. He said it was super hitachi and then I just kind of wanted a model of it.... too bad the 651 is so rare and expensive now.

Too bad they didn't make it DCC friendly. That's one of my filters, and on this model it particularly hurts.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Takahama Trainwatcher

[Welshbloke]

Looks as though this might be your best chance to preserve one of these sets, if the main thing keeping them from scrapping is their inaccessibility. By the sounds of it you have two years to raise the funds and find a permanent home!

[Densha]

I don't have time to get a better look at this article right now, but it has now been almost five years since this train set was trapped at Haranomachi station: http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASJ333RSTJ33UQIP00B.html

[railsquid]

今月中旬から、ＪＲ東日本はこの車両の撤去を始める。同社によると、同型車両の多くが運用を外れ、再び走るのは難しいという。

 

From the middle of this month, JR will start removing the cars. According to JR, other members of the class have been withdrawn and it's unlikely they'll run again.

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

Since 415-1500 has been already largely replaced by the E531, and 651 series trains were displaced by E657, it is likely that these trapped trains would be dismantled...

[kvp]

It's sad like when they cut up that ed75 that stayed on the rails while the rest of the line and the town around it was swept away. They could have just left it there as a monument.