DF200 in Tokyo area?

[yakumo381]

DF200's were I thought were all confined to Hokkaido (apart from the one off DF200-100 lurking around Kyushu), so anyone know why this one was being pulled through Omiya just north of Tokyo?

 

Edited January 19, 2016 by yakumo381

[kvp]

Judging from the tail lights it could be a maintenance trip to the factory in Kawasaki. (unit 123 is the youngest in its series)

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

The title says "転属回送", which means that this DF200 was probably moved to another depot...

[miyakoji]

The video description does say it's on its way to Kawasaki, but it also says tenzoku 転属, which means it's being assigned to a different home yard. The description identifies its current/previous depot as Goryokaku (the freight station of which was renamed to Hakodate Freight Terminal in 2011, according to Wikipedia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gory%C5%8Dkaku_Station

[Sacto1985]

I wonder was the DF200 shown in that video not running its diesel prime mover, and powered from the EH500 pulling it?

[katoftw]

It is not powered at all.  Hence the auxiliary tail lights.  It is being towed like a trailer.

[katoftw]

Might be getting towed to Kawasaki for a refurbishment.  The new DF200-7001?

[yakumo381]

Presumably now in Kawasaki works in Kobe going by this You-Tube clip of it going through Shin-Osaka:

 

 

Will be interesting to see when it emerges again if any changes have been made - suspect only a refurb or engine change but possibly rebuilt as a rail cruise hauler like that for Kyushu's Seven Stars?

 

Just bought another one for my Niihama layout and a bit of a favorite despite only having seen a couple on a brief business trip to Hokkaido years ago and only have a distant photo of one hauling a freight so a bit of a unicorn for me... :)

[yakumo381]

From another You-tube channel:

 

北海道から兵庫の川崎重工に向かうDF200-123号機が5085レで回送されまし­た。改造後、愛知機関区に転属するようですが、愛知機関区はDD51の牙城であるだけ­に、DD51の今後が心配です。

 

Could DF200-123 end up on the oil trains from Inazawa to Yokkachi in Aichi district? Could this signal the beginning of the end for the DD51's?

[miyakoji]

From another You-tube channel:

 

北海道から兵庫の川崎重工に向かうDF200-123号機が5085レで回送されまし­た。改造後、愛知機関区に転属するようですが、愛知機関区はDD51の牙城であるだけ­に、DD51の今後が心配です。

 

Could DF200-123 end up on the oil trains from Inazawa to Yokkachi in Aichi district? Could this signal the beginning of the end for the DD51's?

 

When the HD300 prototype appeared, I thought it would be the end of the DE10s, until someone here pointed out that the HD300's capabilities aren't really the same as those of the DE10.  But it got me thinking, what will replace the DE10s and DD51s?  They're already old and obviously won't run forever.

 

According to Japanese Wikipedia, as of March 1 2015 JRF had 151 DE10s, and as of Feb 15 2014 they had 27 DD51s--22 of which were assigned to Aichi Depot.  That's a lot more DE10s, and a lot fewer DD51s, than I would have guessed.

 

As I understand that Japanese sentence above, DF200-123 is definitely going to Aichi after work is done at the Kawasaki factory.  We can then watch for some DD51 retirements, orders of more DF200s, etc.  Or neither.  It will be interesting to see :)

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

From another You-tube channel:

 

北海道から兵庫の川崎重工に向かうDF200-123号機が5085レで回送されまし­た。改造後、愛知機関区に転属するようですが、愛知機関区はDD51の牙城であるだけ­に、DD51の今後が心配です。

 

Could DF200-123 end up on the oil trains from Inazawa to Yokkachi in Aichi district? Could this signal the beginning of the end for the DD51's?

Possibly DF200-123 would replace one of Aichi's DD51s (which as we already know that DD51 has been lasted for over 20 years), but JR Freight haven't made a press release about the order for new locomotives (another DF200 with different subseries group number, or those with new classification number?)...

[katoftw]

Thanks

[yakumo381]

Another new DF200 use that I have not come across before - hauling the Hokutsei set in place of the usual DD51 pair.

 frim this blog: http://ef5861.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/cat35522578/

 

 

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

It seems that the DF200 was deployed to haul the coaches toward scrapping site (as all of JR Hokkaido's 24 series coaches that used by Hokutosei have been completely scrapped)...

[Densha]

If so, why did they put the Hokutosei headmark on front of the DF200? It may also actually be an older picture, because the blog post is talking about the revival of the Cassiopeia while the photo is of the Hokutosei.

[yakumo381]

Anyone spotted any references to what has been happening with DF200-123 in Kawasaki?  Not seen anything on the intraweb generally or on any densha sites... :dontknow:

[miyakoji]

Just to be clear, it's at Kawasaki's (the company) factory in Kobe, not in Kawasaki the city.  After whatever work is completed, it'll be assigned to Aichi Locomotive Depot, which is along the Tokaido line north of Nagoya between Kiyosu and Inazawa.

[yakumo381]

A recent trawl through the interweb came up with what appears to be DF200-123 inside the Kawasaki works, in Kobe, in Japan ....

 

 

 

 

[yakumo381]

DF200-123 now DF200-223...

 

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/superhakuto7000hot/14563842.html

[miyakoji]

Just as the blogger wrote, I wonder what's different in this new 200 subseries.  Neither Japanese nor English wikipedia have anything yet...

[yakumo381]

Rather than use them in Honshu, surplus blue DD51 are being sold off to Myanmar hence this remarkable sight of a train of 8 heading for the harbour:

 

 

Bit of a waste as Myanmar Railways butcher them to fit their loading gauge by crudely lowering the cab and putting on what looks like a shed roof. Doubt they'll last long out there either with minimal maintenance going by the videos I have seen of what happened to previous DD51 sales.

 

Personally I would have thought that using up their remaining life in the Nagoya area on oil trains would be more cost effective than JRF looking at converting more DF200s.

[yakumo381]

Previously sold DD51 being converted in Myanmar:

 

[miyakoji]

Is that for tunnel clearance? If so, it must be suffocating to be in there with the exhaust. Not that the original size provided that much space for it to disperse...

[Sacto1985]

I think JR Freight doesn't want those ex-JR Hokkaido DD51's because JR Freight probably has a substantial DD 51 fleet of its own working oil trains in the Tokai region.

[yakumo381]

As of March this year, JRF had only the following 17 DD51 still active in Aichi:

 

825 853 857 875 889 890 891 892 1028 1146 1147 1156 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805

 

I suspect that since then one, two or more of these DD51 will have been withdrawn so overall not a substantial fleet and explains why DF200 231 is being readied as a replacement. Given this and the rapid reduction in EF64 and EF65 ranks, it still surprises me as to why the better JR Hokkaido units were not sent south.