JRF EH200 Blue Thunder

[bill937ca]

 

Some pretty good video with varying short trains and good angles.

[David]

Those are some really short trains there, that just happen to be the type of freight I want to pull (container and oil cars). What area is this? Is this is a typical use of an EH200?

[bill937ca]

If you right click on the You Tube image you can view the video in You Tube.

 

David, this is the poster's notes translated with Google Translate.  

 

"Location of public information ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ this video

 

Direct-current electric locomotive EF64-1000 線区 gradient gradually being replaced by a type known as EH200 Blue Thunder (Blue Thunder).

I once Blue Thunder driven by freight train video is devoted to the central main line operation.

The Blue Thunder of the operation, so we also published Joetsu, please see fit.

Location (all Central Main Line)

1, Tachikawa - Hino

2, Toyota - Hachioji

3, Torisawa - Saruhashi

4, Hatsukari - Sasago"

 

The poster also gives a link to his web site, where there is a EH200 page (second link).

 

http://ogawa-kikaku.com/Documents/m_top.html

 

http://ogawa-kikaku.com/Documents/m_EH200Cyuou_top.html

 

http://www.excite-webtl.jp/world/english/web/?wb_url=http%3A%2F%2Fogawa-kikaku.com%2FDocuments%2Fm_EH200Cyuou_top.html&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=2&wb_submit=+%96%7C+%96%F3+

[Claude_Dreyfus]

The EH200s are also used on the Chuo line, mainly for oil trains, but some containers also. They are ideal for the steep gradients and sharp curvature of the line...

[Mudkip Orange]

I have to assume they must make a profit on these five-car tanker trains...

[westfalen]

Being Japan I assume the trains run to a pretty strict schedule compared to freight trains in other countries, rather than wait until enough cars have gathered to make up the maximum load the loco can drag out of the yard. Profit is not always the only motive either, some enlightened countries actually subsidise rail freight to keep trucks off the road, I'm not sure if this is the case in Japan, but they do tend to run some rather short freight trains.

 

Whatever the reason for the short trains, they make it easy for modellers.

[Mudkip Orange]

some enlightened countries actually subsidise rail freight to keep trucks off the road

 

I was actually doing quite a bit of reading this afternoon on the insane tunnel networks the Swiss are building. Apparently the primary purpose is *not* passenger travel time reduction between cities, but high-speed TOFC operation connecting Italy with the Continent. High-speed passenger trains are just a nice side effect.

 

I also found out the swiss use a synchronized timetable where all the trunk lines between the major cities leave at either :00 and :30 or :15 and :45, while local services radial to the major cities depart at the same time. This lets you make a timed transfer on the entire rail network.

[westfalen]

some enlightened countries actually subsidise rail freight to keep trucks off the road

 

I was actually doing quite a bit of reading this afternoon on the insane tunnel networks the Swiss are building. Apparently the primary purpose is *not* passenger travel time reduction between cities, but high-speed TOFC operation connecting Italy with the Continent. High-speed passenger trains are just a nice side effect.

 

I also found out the swiss use a synchronized timetable where all the trunk lines between the major cities leave at either :00 and :30 or :15 and :45, while local services radial to the major cities depart at the same time. This lets you make a timed transfer on the entire rail network.

 

 

I spent a week railfanning in Switzerland last year and saw a lot of short, fast freight trains like you see in Japan.

[bill937ca]

More Blue Thunder....