Trains moving fuel to Yokota AB

[gmat]

During the 80s, when I was stationed at Yokota AB, I noticed rail tracks going into the base and later followed them to the Tank Farm. I vaguely remember seeing one and feel that it might have been a JNR diesel pulling the tank cars. Does anyone know of photos of trains used to bring fuel to Yokota? I supposed they came from tankers off loading at Yokosuka.

Best wishes,

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

Those are the daily tank trains carrying jet fuel originating from the Fuel Terminal Tsurumi (jurisdiction of U.S. FISC Yokosuka, if that means anything to you), which is located adjacent to Anzen Station on the Tsurumi Line.  The daily except weekend trains are typically hauled by EF210 electric locos via the Nanbu and Ome Lines as far as Haijima, where a DE10 diesel takes over as far as the facility at Yokota. The fifteen car trains are nicknamed "Beitan" by railfans, and apparently are a favorite photo subject.

 

At Haijima Station

 

Aerial view of Tsurumi Fuel Terminal

 

both pics above taken from wikipedia

 

Website with lots of pics of this train:

http://popochan201.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/08/post-dd90.html

 

youtube:

 

flange squeal!:

[gmat]

Bikkuri bahn,

Thanks greatly. I'll have to plan a small trip to try and shoot them. Any idea of what would be the best time? The first time to pass through Fussa and Haijima on the way to visit Tokyo was in 1977. Had a four day TDY from a TDY to Guam. Was stationed at Yokota from 80-83. Back in 87 to marry my wife.

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

I checked my JRF timetable and there appear to be two trains on this routing, I don't know if they both run daily or alternate.

 

The first one #8173, leaves Anzen Station at 10:19, transits Fuchu Honmachi at 12:00, Tachikawa at 12:28, and arrives Haijima at 12:44.

 

The other one #8277 has timepoints at same stations as above at 14:13, 15:30, 15:49, and 16:06.

 

Return trains are #8172, timepoints in reverse order 10:26, 10:48, 10:59, and 12:43

                        #8286          "    "    "    "        11:32, 11:57, 12:09, and 13:42

 

Another website with pics, including the entrance into the Yokota AB (scroll down):

http://blog.livedoor.jp/koukendaisuki/archives/51607994.html

[gmat]

Thank you again,

Beitank is a shortened version of BEI (US) TANker, I guess. If I get to shoot any, I'll post them here.

Best wishes,

Grant

[gmat]

For a while on Tuesdays, I've been trying to shoot the Beitan fuel train transiting Hama-Kawasaki, but it never showed up in the morning. I've also visited that station on Wednesday afternoons but have never caught it until today. It passed by Shitte Station at 15:00 today. I noticed that it turned off to the freight bypass. So I guess that it re-enters the Nambu Line at Fuchu-Honnmachi.

 

It must be irregular, perhaps due to the sequestering.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

.

[Mudkip Orange]

[The] trains are typically hauled ... via the Nanbu and Ome Lines

 

What kind of lame, circuitous routing is that? They ought to just run the trains right through Shinjuku Station and out the Chuo Line. I can't imagine any problems that would arise from that.

[Nick_Burman]

What kind of lame, circuitous routing is that? They ought to just run the trains right through Shinjuku Station and out the Chuo Line. I can't imagine any problems that would arise from that.

 

Mudkip,

 

The "lame" routing is designed to avoid conflicts with the passenger service (the train uses the Musashino Freight Line for part of its trip) and also to avoid the risk of running a train of dangerous products through central Tokyo. JRF must be especially sensitive about the last part, especially after an tank car blew up in the middle of Tokyo in the 1960's...

 

 

Cheers NB

[katoftw]

Indeed I cannot see them running freight through Shinjuku either.  Just too busy.

[gmat]

JRF runs freight through Shinjuku before 7:00 AM and after 19:00 and during the day. There is a north bound run that passes through at about 11:00 and a south bound one that uses the Kintaro at 12:00 or so every day. You can often see a couple of fans waiting to shoot it regularly. Once, when Japan had shut down for either the holidays or something like the Tohoku Earthquake, just the Kintaro passed with no freight cars at the regular time. The run with the blue Toyota containers also pass through Shinjuku heading north before 7:00 or so, but the one going south at about an hour earlier must use the Musashino Line as it I've not seen it passing through Shinjuku. I've almost never shot that one as the earliest train leaving Shinjuku will have me arriving at Omiya just after it passed the station. 

I don't think that any freight train uses the Chuo Line until it connect with the Musashino Line. You see them passing through Tachikawa and parked at Hachioji.

 

From Anzen, the Nambu Line to Tachikawa and then on to the Ome Line to Haijima is the most direct route to Yokota. The freight bypass line the Beitan tank cars use from after Shitte runs sort of parallel to the Nambu Line until it reconnects to it. But I've seen tank cars running through Nobotito Station at night. So I was surprised to see the Beitan turn off the Nambu Line heading north after Shitte Station. 

BTW, I knew it was the Betan as the tank cars were labeled JP-8.

 

Bikkuri Bahn should know more. I really just know what I have observed and am making educated guesses. 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

Edited December 10, 2014 by gmat

[westfalen]

The empty jet fuel train, I think #8172, passing Hama-Kawasaki at 12:31pm on Friday 6th June this year

Edited December 11, 2014 by westfalen