Sekihoku Line Documentary DD51 push/pull

[bikkuri bahn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu3bvtaHzik&feature=related

Superb NHK documentary on the winter season freight between Asahikawa and Kitami, using DD51 on both ends of the container train (round trip).

Part 1: start at Kita Asahikawa Freight Station, visiting the crew center, reason why the driver in the picture has the window open on the D51 is to listen to wheel slip on icy track, and adjust the throttle/add sand- this is a recurring theme in the remainder of the documentary.  4 am departure, we meet the crew- Shuichi Ogawa- a 47 year veteran, and Masaki Kusano, with only 2 months experience on this route.  Temp at departure is 2 degrees celsius.  A rare chance to ride in the cab.  At 7:07: checking the sandboxes. 7:32: foot operated switch to operate sand. 8:00: departure at 4:38am. After leaving Asahikawa and running for about an hour, snow is encountered- 2 minute delay. At 9:00, requesting the rear locomotive to push at Kamikawa (notch 7)- there are 14 notch settings on the Hitachi made throttle.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIJZJik6gZM&feature=related

Part 2: The first significant grade is encountered- Kitami Pass (857m), steep grades and curves for 8km. At 00:27, listening for wheel slip, wind chill -6C. Wheel slippage occurs- at 1:22, sanding applied. If slippage is too severe and results in train stoppage, the train has to reverse and return to a flat section of track, adversely affecting the working timetable. 2:28: arrival at the midway point of Engaru Station, where the train reverses direction (incorrectly described by some railfans as a switchback). Mr. Ogawa stresses the importance of passing on his railway  knowledge to the younger generation. Mr. Ogawa now is on the rear locomotive, with Kusano on the front. 4:04- traversing Jomon Pass (390m), 5km of grades and S curves.  The grade is traversed on-schedule.  5:33: arrival at Kitami Station at 9:32am (OT). The train is loaded for the return trip- a 385 ton load, consisting mainly of Kitami-grown onions. The crew has a 4 hour layover in Kitami, time is spent eating lunch. At 7:24: a glimpse of the route diagram, with notations on throttle settings and speeds. 7:42: departure from Kitami at 13:19. Mr. Ogawa is in the front loco.  The train is 3X heavier than the inbound trip. A blizzard is encountered at Kitami Pass, less than 10m visibility. At 8:37, Ogawa detects audible wheel slip. 8:44: wheel slip warning indicator. Power is reduced on the front loco, with the pusher adding more, to combat wheel slip, but slippage continues. Ogawa instructs Kusano to maintain his loco at notch 10 and apply sand, while the front will be at notch 11.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi0bMkTl7-8&feature=related

Part 3: 00:08 instructed to reduce to notch 9. Almost stopped, notch 7. Very slowly ascending the grade. Ogawa listens for wheel slip.  1:32: they reach the summit tunnel and are free from wheel slip. 15 minutes behind schedule, they take a siding for an unscheduled stop  to minimize disruption to the working timetable- Kusano states it was a close shave, was worried they might have had to back up. 2:27: arrival at Kita-Asahikawa Station at 19:25.

[westfalen]

Very good. I'm putting decoders in some DD51's and it's interesting to see the real thing in such intimate detail. As far away from head office as you could probably get a freight train crew still dresses like they are off to meet the emperor. No high visibility clothing though, our QR managers would be tearing their hair out if I showed them this. It's a pleasure watching old hands like Mr Ogawa at work no matter what railway they work for but they are getting few and far between these days.

[yakumo381]

Great documentary especially as covers my favorite loco and the area of Japan I am modelling. 

Keep looking for and posting these documentaries Bikkuri Bahn!

Are documentaries like this available in Japan on DVD? Would they work on a TV or Laptop in the UK?

[bikkuri bahn]

Great documentary especially as covers my favorite loco and the area of Japan I am modelling. 

Keep looking for and posting these documentaries Bikkuri Bahn!

Are documentaries like this available in Japan on DVD? Would they work on a TV or Laptop in the UK?

 

Some are available, but I think this one is a local production, so probably not on DVD.  DVDs produced here are NTSC, you may/may not be able to see it on your notebook PC, depending on the spec- i.e. UK uses PAL format. Nevertheless you can view them using VLC media player.

[cteno4]

Bikkuri Bahn,

 

Excellent, than much for finding all these! wonderful to watch.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Nick_Burman]

Wonderful documentary...I have a software which capture YouTube films and can "sew" them together, so I managed to download and see all three parts in one go. A couple of comments...first am I wrong or the DD51s seem to be rather feeble locos? Such a fuss for only 400tons... mind you, they only pulled off the crawl to the summit because the locos are diesel-hydraulics, were they diesel-electrics they would have either stalled or burnt a traction motor... Second, how are delays such as that the train got on its way back managed? The line is rural so I guess that any rescheduling is done manually, however given the fact that most trains have very definite paths how are the new paths determined?

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

I'm not an expert on diesel traction, but as far as the DD51 goes, it's an old model (basically a late 50's/early 60's design-equivalent to a first generation diesel loco in the U.S.- i.e. steam replacement), so it lacks the sophistication/power of modern types.  Perhaps it is compromised by its high route availability factor- the center bogie is to reduce axle loading so as to be usable on secondary lines.

Good question on the scheduling- you're right the Sekihoku Line isn't exactly a high traffic route and the run was made in the early hours, so I reckon the disruption was not great.  My understanding is all main lines in Hokkaido are under Programmed Traffic Control (PTC), so any disruptions to the operating diagram are dealt with using software.  Of course this used to be done manually, by hand, by the so-called "sujiya".  Though, according to an ex-JNR man a friend of mine works with, even now a good "sujiya" can get the job done quicker than any software.

[Nick_Burman]

I'm not an expert on diesel traction, but as far as the DD51 goes, it's an old model (basically a late 50's/early 60's design-equivalent to a first generation diesel loco in the U.S.- i.e. steam replacement), so it lacks the sophistication/power of modern types.  Perhaps it is compromised by its high route availability factor- the center bogie is to reduce axle loading so as to be usable on secondary lines.

Good question on the scheduling- you're right the Sekihoku Line isn't exactly a high traffic route and the run was made in the early hours, so I reckon the disruption was not great.  My understanding is all main lines in Hokkaido are under Programmed Traffic Control (PTC), so any disruptions to the operating diagram are dealt with using software.  Of course this used to be done manually, by hand, by the so-called "sujiya".  Though, according to an ex-JNR man a friend of mine works with, even now a good "sujiya" can get the job done quicker than any software.

 

So essentially the DS for the line has a computer where he feeds the delay into and it will provide a new path and graph for the train's onward movement, right?

 

Cheers NB

[utrainia]

The original videos have gone missing, but there appears to be a shorter version of the same video still on YouTube. I was lucky enough to find that Bikkuri Bahn has already done a fantastic job explaining what is happening. I've copy and pasted his notes and adjusted for the new times on the video.
 

 
0:00: Start at Kita Asahikawa Freight Station, visiting the crew center, reason why the driver in the picture has the window open on the D51 is to listen to wheel slip on icy track, and adjust the throttle/add sand- this is a recurring theme in the remainder of the documentary.  4 am departure, we meet the crew- Shuichi Ogawa- a 47 year veteran, and Masaki Kusano, with only 2 months experience on this route.  Temp at departure is 2 degrees celsius.  A rare chance to ride in the cab.
1:50: checking the sandboxes.
2:15: foot operated switch to operate sand.
2:48: departure at 4:38am. After leaving Asahikawa and running for about an hour, snow is encountered- 2 minute delay.
3:40: requesting the rear locomotive to push at Kamikawa (notch 7)- there are 14 notch settings on the Hitachi made throttle.
 
4:30: The first significant grade is encountered- Kitami Pass (857m), steep grades and curves for 8km.
4:50: listening for wheel slip, wind chill -6C.
6:07: Wheel slippage occurs, sanding applied. If slippage is too severe and results in train stoppage, the train has to reverse and return to a flat section of track, adversely affecting the working timetable.
6:28: arrival at the midway point of Engaru Station, where the train reverses direction (incorrectly described by some railfans as a switchback). Mr. Ogawa stresses the importance of passing on his railway  knowledge to the younger generation. Mr. Ogawa now is on the rear locomotive, with Kusano on the front.
7:19: traversing Jomon Pass (390m), 5km of grades and S curves.  The grade is traversed on-schedule.
8:51: arrival at Kitami Station at 9:32am (OT). The train is loaded for the return trip- a 385 ton load, consisting mainly of Kitami-grown onions. The crew has a 4 hour layover in Kitami, time is spent eating lunch.
10:24: a glimpse of the route diagram, with notations on throttle settings and speeds.
10:42: departure from Kitami at 13:19. Mr. Ogawa is in the front loco.  The train is 3X heavier than the inbound trip. A blizzard is encountered at Kitami Pass, less than 10m visibility.
11:37: Ogawa detects audible wheel slip.
11:44: wheel slip warning indicator. Power is reduced on the front loco, with the pusher adding more, to combat wheel slip, but slippage continues. Ogawa instructs Kusano to maintain his loco at notch 10 and apply sand, while the front will be at notch 11.
 
13:08 instructed to reduce to notch 9. Almost stopped, notch 7. Very slowly ascending the grade. Ogawa listens for wheel slip.
14:32: they reach the summit tunnel and are free from wheel slip. 15 minutes behind schedule, they take a siding for an unscheduled stop  to minimize disruption to the working timetable- Kusano states it was a close shave, was worried they might have had to back up.
15:27: arrival at Kita-Asahikawa Station at 19:25. 
 
A great video of an aspect not often seen on video. Here is the same process during daying on Kitami Pass:

[utrainia]

And the same pass with a stunning Autumn landscape; listen carefully and you'll hear the excited call of the Canon and Nikon birds :)