Yahata Steel Works Industrial Railway Freight Train

[bill937ca]

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Yahata Steel Works Industrial Railway Kurogane Line push-pull train runs at Yahata district to Tobata district, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

 

Video by nek0mask55.

 

 

[Sacto1985]

I think I found the location of this shoot, too. It may have been geographically northeast of Space World Station on the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line.

[katoftw]

I think I found the location of this shoot, too. It may have been geographically northeast of Space World Station on the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line.

Yeah pretty close.

 

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@33.8788658,130.8156066,161m/data=!3m1!1e3

[stevenh]

Front loco electric and rear diesel?

Or am I going blind and did I miss the panto on the second locomotive?

 

Otherwise, I assume it runs to a non-electrified area?

[Kiha66]

Great find, what a cool prototype.  I like the flashing lights on the head loco, wonder what the second loco is.  Thanks for sharing! 

[Socimi]

Front loco electric and rear diesel?

Or am I going blind and did I miss the panto on the second locomotive?

 

Otherwise, I assume it runs to a non-electrified area?

 

 

Great find, what a cool prototype.  I like the flashing lights on the head loco, wonder what the second loco is.  Thanks for sharing! 

 

The front electric loco is a Mitsubishi-built 85ED (factory designation) or E8501-E8504 (company designation) made in 1976.

The rear loco is in fact a diesel-electric Nippon-Sharyo built 70DD-3 (factory designation) or D704-D705 made in 1975.

 

From what i got online, the actual fleet of the steel works line (nicknamed "The Kurogane Line") consists of 4 electric locos (2 on freight trains, one for maintainance and personnel shuttles and one for spare parts) and 2 diesel locos palced at the back of the steel train.

 

Usually freight train consists of a front electric loco, 18-10 freight cars (either covered boxcars or flatcars for coils) and a diesel loco at the back wich works as a "self-powered support/replacement cab car" (i mean, a veichle wich generates electricity for the electric loco when there is no powerline, can move independently but it's not enough powerful to haul freight and controls the electric locos like a cab car during reverse movements).

 

They also have a more "traditional" diesel loco used for shunting at the small yard where the industrial railway connects with the mainline.

Designation is "D442", but due to scarse information neither the manufacturer (mitsubishi?) nor the year it was bult (mid 1970s ?) are known.

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/0903110321_nishiyahata_NS.jpg

 

Now a couple of words about the line itslef.

It's a 6 Km long, 1067mm gauge railway that branches off at Kurosaki Station (JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line) and it's electrified at 600V DC.

It opened in 1930 as a double-track line, but in 1972, with the decline of traffic, the line was converted to single track.

Since the whole railway passes trough a residential area, all the locomotives are fitted with skirts to reduce noise.

 

This railway may be a very good subject for modelling, 

 

If someone wants to make it, starting of an EF65:

https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/houraiksr/54353688.html

 

Here is the final result:

https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/houraiksr/54561359.html

 

A couple of photos that show both diesel and electric close-up:

https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/fbkhkybsy2009/13378602.html

 

http://hokutose3goo.blog38.fc2.com/blog-entry-1010.html

 

Another more comprehensive look near the spot of the video, you can clearly see the space where the second track was placed.

http://puppuku.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2014-02-08

 

Also take a look at the bent flatcar loaded on top of another!

 

Further info:

 

Wikipedia page:

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E6%97%A5%E9%90%B5%E4%BD%8F%E9%87%91%E5%85%AB%E5%B9%A1%E8%A3%BD%E9%90%B5%E6%89%80%E3%81%8F%E3%82%8D%E3%81%8C%E3%81%AD%E7%B7%9A

 

Bonus:

 

Here is a nice illustration that shows an 85ED pulling three covered boxcars and a flatcar with coils

 

https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=57703103