1980s Miyazaki and Nishi-Kagoshima

[miyakoji]

Two interesting videos here, no English subtitles sadly.

 

August 9th, 1980 at Miyazaki station.  This station no longer exists; according to Japanese Wikipedia, work on grade separation of this line began in October 1988, and service on the elevated line began in March 1993.  Completion of the new station is stated as October 1993.  I love the palm trees outside the station; I thought Japan would have way more palm trees 🙂 Google map centered on Miyazaki station: https://www.google.com/maps/@31.9162673,131.4348502,293a,35y,257.6h,44.89t  YT channel is 508-go.

 

 

 

May 3rd, 1986 at Nishi-Kagoshima.  JNR has less than one year left.  This station became Kagoshima-Chuo in March 2004 with the opening of the first part of the Kyushu Shinkansen.  Google map centered on station: https://www.google.com/maps/@31.5779568,130.5423553,746a,35y,39.25t  YT channel is mm012.  

 

Edited February 22 by miyakoji

[Kamome]

Nice to see the variety of trains coming in and out when blue trains were still in use. The Kaimon and Nichinan in later years looked such a mish mash of carriages with 20 series, 12 series and a mani 50 of something else at the front. The 24 series still looked quite spendid whereas most other trains looked ready for retirement. 

 

Only 6 years prior you could still see the final remanence of steam south of Miyazaki.   

[bikkuri bahn]

That first video/slide show caught my eye the other day.  A nice snapshot of JNR operations in a regional city station.  The layout of the then Miyazaki Station is the classic "JNR type" track layout of two platforms and three tracks. (kokutetsugata haisen), which was common on many trunk lines, especially those which were upgraded from single track to double track during the Taisho era.  Of course lots of freight traffic in evidence and I assume parcels traffic ("chiki").

 

At 5:30 in the first video is a nice shot of the departures board, in this case in the "up" direction (towards Kokura/Mojiko).  Three Blue Trains a day- Fuji to Tokyo, and 2 services to Shin Osaka (Suisei).  But also a reflection of those times, is the relative low frequency of services, only 24 trains a day.  JNR was still operating as if people had no other choice for transport than the train.  In contrast now there are 42 trains a day in the same direction.  If you look at current down direction timetable towards Nishi Kagoshima, there are even more trains, including trains to Miyazaki Airport station, which is likely where most of those who formerly took the blue train now go to.

 

track layout of the former Miyazaki Station:

http://senrohaisenzu.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2024/06/post-99b344.html

Edited February 25 by bikkuri bahn