JR Tokai Taketoyo Line to be electrified

[bikkuri bahn]

Here's a line I wasn't aware of, the JR Taketoyo Line in Aichi Prefecture, near Nagoya.  Services on this 19.3km long line are currently handled by the kiha 75 type.  JR Tokai announced Thursday that it will electrify this line by the spring of 2015.  313 series emus will be used once the catenary is up.

 

Map of line:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Taketoyo_Line_Area_Map.png

 

At Higashiura Station, a meet between a Kinuura Rinkai Rlwy cement (flyash) train with an ex-JNR/JR DE10 at the lead, and a kiha 75:

 

 

 

 

Cab view from Obu (Tokaido Main Line junction) to Kamezaki:

 

[westfalen]

Interesting find. I've been looking for something to fill in a day or two at Hamamatsu next trip while the rest of the group go places I've already been. This looks like it might be a good possibility.

[miyakoji]

Time flies when you're having fun :)  :(.  Anywho, it appears that this work is complete, and revenue service with 313s is to begin March 1st.

 

Tetsudou News article: http://railf.jp/news/2015/01/10/195500.html

 

video by Yu Enomoto:

[Sacto1985]

I remember seeing a zenmen tenbou video of a JR Central commuter train going from Nagoya to Taketoyo Station taken a couple of years ago from a KiHa 25 DMU:

 

Note even in this older video, you can see the poles for the overhead wiring already installed, but the overhead wiring was not yet installed.

 

I believe JR Central is doing this because they want to assign their commuter train DMU's to other lines.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Sacto1985

[Densha]

Looking at the video, already half of the route of these services was already electrified, so it makes sense that they electrified the other half as well.

[miyakoji]

Yeah I suppose that's one way to look at it, the portion on the Tokaido Line (Nagoya down to Obu) is under wire and has been for ages, but still the entire Taketoyo Line proper was not electrified, all the wiring and supporting facilities like substations are new construction.

[Sacto1985]

This is a zenmen tenbou video taken by YouTube member AGUI NET of a trip from Taketoyo to Ōbu Stations in 5 April 2014, showing the now-completed overhead wiring (1500 V DC):

 

 

Hopefully, by late March 2015 we'll see the first zenmen tenbou videos of the 313 Series EMU running on the Taketoyo Line.

[kvp]

The line looks rather rural at some points and the partially dismantled 3 platform stations show that it had much larger traffic in the past. Looking at the videos it seems some of the track was replaced or at least repaired and some of the stations got renovated. The catenary is just tram grade (low speed dc type), so the conversion was probably cheaper in the long run than to keep running diesel trains. The thick feeder cable on top of the masts indicates the number of new substations are minimal. It would be interesting to know if the two freight branches are still in service and if yes what kind of locomotives and rolling stock are run over them.

[miyakoji]

The two branches make up the Kinuura Rinkai Railway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinuura_Rinkai_Railway .  Plenty of recent video on YT, seems to be fully active.  Locos are JRF DD51s, DE10s, and their own 5 KE65s.  Wikipedia says the KE65s are 1350hp, so I guess they're basically the same as DE10-1000s and later.  Interesting numbering, KE65 2 is out of service long term, but there's no mention of KE65 4 ever existing.

 

 

 

[Sacto1985]

kvp, you may be referring to the Kinuura Rinkai Railway (衣浦臨海鉄道), which has to short branch lines for freight operations from the JR Central Taketoyo Line. They're both active even today, transporting cement, fly ash and calcium carbonate.

[kvp]

Thanks! This means some diesel power will remain on the line even after electrification. They also have to do some shunting, since one of the branches are reachable only from the direction of the terminus and there is no run around there, so this should mean backing in to and out of the branch.

[westfalen]

Thanks! This means some diesel power will remain on the line even after electrification. They also have to do some shunting, since one of the branches are reachable only from the direction of the terminus and there is no run around there, so this should mean backing in to and out of the branch.

If this is the one you mean they run around the train in a small yard just south of Higashi-Inawara station and go down the branch loco leading, or at least they did in November 2011 when I got these shots and some video from the top floor of the shopping centre car park next to the station.

Edited January 11, 2015 by westfalen

[kvp]

Thanks, i think i understand it now.

[Guest ___]

where will the kiha75's go from here?

[bikkuri bahn]

where will the kiha75's go from here?

They will be cascaded to the Takayama and Taita Lines, replacing the kiha 40 and kiha 11 types used now.

 

Scroll down to p.10

http://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000025159.pdf

[Sacto1985]

And now, here is the actual zenmen tenbou video of the first operational run of the 313 Series EMU on the Taketoyo Line from Ōbu to Taketoyo Stations on March 1, 2015:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epU9Fp7IMvI

 

Please excuse the JR Central maintenance person standing in front and the rainy weather, though.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Sacto1985

[Nick_Burman]

They will be cascaded to the Takayama and Taita Lines, replacing the kiha 40 and kiha 11 types used now.

 

Scroll down to p.10

http://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000025159.pdf

 Seems that I rode the 40's on the Takayama line just in time...

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

This timetable revision is seeing many more rolling stock retirements and service changes than usual.  Strike a blow against diversity and interest in the railway scene.  Thankfully, there is still the Kansai region railways as well as Meitetsu with their ethos of keeping things in service as long as possible.

[Sacto1985]

This timetable revision is seeing many more rolling stock retirements and service changes than usual.  Strike a blow against diversity and interest in the railway scene.  Thankfully, there is still the Kansai region railways as well as Meitetsu with their ethos of keeping things in service as long as possible.

 

Well, those KiHa 40's and KiHa 11's in JR Central service are getting old and probably may be too expensive to refurbish. Now that they're re-assigning the KiHa 25 and 75 to other lines watch for the KiHa 40's and 11's to rapidly disappear from JR Central service.

[Mudkip Orange]

Please excuse the JR Central maintenance person standing in front and the rainy weather, though.

 

It's like raaayyy-ee-aaaaain, on train opening day.

[Sacto1985]

By the way, a YouTube member filmed this zenmen tenbou video of the 313 Series EMU going from Nagoya to Taketoyo and back in revenue service: