Niseko to Otaru behind C62 3

[westfalen]

Here's my trip in June 1990 from Niseko to Otaru behind C62 3.

 

[bikkuri bahn]

Like the departure sequence at Kutchan, with the whistle and slow acceleration out of the station.  Come to think of it, 1990 may have been the year I first visited Hokkaido, though it was in August.  I rode this train round trip, and remember seeing the C62 3 being turned at Niseko, as well as the orange kiha 40s.

 

Looking forward to more Hokkaido footage (Sapporo??)

[Martijn Meerts]

Did the train every require an additional locomotive? I'm pretty sure that when it was in regular service, it required an additional 2 locomotives to get up a particularly steep section through the mountains. It might travel a different route altogether now though.

 

MicroAce released the full Niseko train:

A1574 - Set of 9 series 45 cars

A9807 - C62-15, which seems to have been the original main locomotive

A9810 - C62-2

A9811 - C62-3

 

The C62-2 and C62-3 were coupled in front of the C62-15 for the steep mountain section.

[bikkuri bahn]

Did the train every require an additional locomotive? I'm pretty sure that when it was in regular service, it required an additional 2 locomotives to get up a particularly steep section through the mountains. It might travel a different route altogether now though.

 

MicroAce released the full Niseko train:

A1574 - Set of 9 series 45 cars

A9807 - C62-15, which seems to have been the original main locomotive

A9810 - C62-2

A9811 - C62-3

 

The C62-2 and C62-3 were coupled in front of the C62-15 for the steep mountain section.

 

The original route using the C62's was from Oshamambe to Otaru(the train in the video utilizes the half of the route from Niseko to Otaru).  There was frequent double heading (triple-heading?) of trains to maintain schedules on the gradient-heavy, twisting single track Hakodate Main Line through the mountains of southern Hokkaido. Back in the 1960's and 70's, this route was much busier than now, with ltd. expresses, expresses, local freights, and the local passenger trains.

[Martijn Meerts]

Ah right, so I'm not entirely wrong then ;)

 

I've seen pictures of triple header C62's, and it looks very impressive. It looks a bit weird in model though, 3 C62's pulling 9 cars ;)

[westfalen]

Did the train every require an additional locomotive? I'm pretty sure that when it was in regular service, it required an additional 2 locomotives to get up a particularly steep section through the mountains. It might travel a different route altogether now though.

 

MicroAce released the full Niseko train:

A1574 - Set of 9 series 45 cars

A9807 - C62-15, which seems to have been the original main locomotive

A9810 - C62-2

A9811 - C62-3

 

The C62-2 and C62-3 were coupled in front of the C62-15 for the steep mountain section.

 

The original route using the C62's was from Oshamambe to Otaru(the train in the video utilizes the half of the route from Niseko to Otaru).  There was frequent double heading (triple-heading?) of trains to maintain schedules on the gradient-heavy, twisting single track Hakodate Main Line through the mountains of southern Hokkaido. Back in the 1960's and 70's, this route was much busier than now, with ltd. expresses, expresses, local freights, and the local passenger trains.

 

I can confirm we only had one loco.

[westfalen]

Like the departure sequence at Kutchan, with the whistle and slow acceleration out of the station.  Come to think of it, 1990 may have been the year I first visited Hokkaido, though it was in August.  I rode this train round trip, and remember seeing the C62 3 being turned at Niseko, as well as the orange kiha 40s.

 

Looking forward to more Hokkaido footage (Sapporo??)

 

 

We didn't spend much time in Hokkaido this trip as we caught the Hokutosei back to Tokyo that night, but we had time to ride the Sapporo subway and do a circuit of the tram line.