Guest JRF-1935 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Me too. That's all I want to do is shunt! I'm ultimate goal is to convert my M250 to shunt link my domestic stuff. That to do/dream list just keeps growing. Inobu inobu - I'm collecting so much freight in N scale I had to build my own yard for our groups monthly work/play sessions so as not to infringe on the yard for Shinkansens and other passenger trains. When I started the guys thought I was "nuts" but now they really like all the freight. With my own yard I can make any consist I want, and also have the ability to park my M250 Super Rail Cargo, Tobiu - Ginrin fresh fish train, plus my 2 EH-10's with express mail and freight, and all the taki's and wamu's I have. I also will have room for all the MOW equipment, plus a service facility. I hope to be able to post pictures of my yard in progress next month.Rich C Link to comment
ShinCanadaSen Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Freight is starting to grow on me. What first attracted me to Japanese trains was a ride on a 0 series during a visit a few years ago. It was nothing like the passenger trains we have here in North America. I bought my self an EH500 and some Koki 106's for Christmas and as much as I love my 0 and 500 series, the EH500 is so cool ;) Link to comment
Guest JRF-1935 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Freight is starting to grow on me. What first attracted me to Japanese trains was a ride on a 0 series during a visit a few years ago. It was nothing like the passenger trains we have here in North America. I bought my self an EH500 and some Koki 106's for Christmas and as much as I love my 0 and 500 series, the EH500 is so cool ;) I envy you - I've always wanted the EH-500 - maybe some day Rich C Link to comment
marknewton Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 For the "few" freight fans (like me) I'm also a fan of freight trains, having spent a fair bit of my career on them. I think we might be a sizeable minority here. Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the videos! All the best, Mark. Link to comment
marknewton Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Oh nice, videos of the gravity shunts... or 'kicking' as some call it? It would be interesting to know what the Japanese term actually is. In Australia and the UK it's called "loose shunting". In NSW at least, "kicking" refers to a now-illegal method of shunting a facing-point siding. Cheers, Mark. Link to comment
bikkuri bahn Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 It would be interesting to know what the Japanese term actually is. It's called "toppou irekae" (突放入換), toppou referring to the "loose", and irekae to "shunting". Here is an example of toppou irekae on the Gakunan Rlwy, but this time using container flats, at Hina Station, I believe: 1 Link to comment
westfalen Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Oh nice, videos of the gravity shunts... or 'kicking' as some call it? It would be interesting to know what the Japanese term actually is. In Australia and the UK it's called "loose shunting". In NSW at least, "kicking" refers to a now-illegal method of shunting a facing-point siding. Cheers, Mark. Up here some wagons that were not to be loose shunted were lettered 'NO LOOSE SHUNTING' but you'd see the occasional one altered to read 'NO MOOSE HUNTING'. Kicking a wagon into a facing point siding was called a fly shunt on QR, also illegal as far back as anyone I know can remember but once no one cared how you did the job as long as it was done. 1 Link to comment
KenS Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 While my focus is urban passenger trains, I enjoy freight too. I'm curious about the blue boxcar operations. Are those both being done as unit trains, or are we just seeing switching at/near the factory/distributor siding? Where do the trains run between? Link to comment
David Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I'm curious about the blue boxcar operations. Are those both being done as unit trains, or are we just seeing switching at/near the factory/distributor siding? Where do the trains run between? The blue box cars, paper cars, seem to be run in unit trains from the photos I've seen. The wamu 380000 appears to be an improvement of the wamu 80000 series (brown boxcars) with better automatic braking. Tomix is very shortly coming out with a huge set of the 380000 variety - 34 individually numbered cars plus a locomotive in a 'limited edition' set. Kato also came out with the blue and the open topped maroon cars (also derived from the 80000) in December - the maroon cars run in a unit train to deliver wood chips to the paper factory, while the blue cars carry the paper out! What I don't know about them is the full list of operators. They seem to be used by JR West (has anyone ever noticed the Tomix=JR West, Kato=JR East bias?), but I can't find an indication of whether they are used by JR East or JR Freight, the companies that actually run on my 'layout'. Link to comment
Nick_Burman Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The WaMu380000 and 480000 cars were rebuilds of WaMu80000 boxcars. Other than improved brakes both the 380000 and 480000s have roller bearings added (the 80000 had friction bearings), permitting higher speeds. AFAIK most of the 480000s are allocated to Hokkaido. The 380000s are used in unit train or block service; again AFAIK those cars coming and going at Yoshiwara start/end their trips in the Tokyo area. I remember seeing that somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo there is a huge paper wharehouse at the end of an unelectrified spur which apparently feeds most of the big Tokyo newspapers - I'm not sure if trains originating at Yoshiwara end their runs here. I don't know about the destination of the Niigata "carton trains". Cheers NB Link to comment
stevenh Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 What's a unit train? :) After watching the loose shunting, I returned to Yoshiwara and an EF66 came in with more freight for the Gakunan railway. You can see the WAMUs in the consist. Link to comment
Nick_Burman Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I see what you mean, but I've seen pictures of solid trains of WaMu480000 and of WaMus + tank cars. This is the first time I see WaMu + container cars (which in Japan are essentially splittable multi-destination boxcars ). Cheers NB Link to comment
bikkuri bahn Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 stevenh, that looks like the train that originates in Shizuoka (or is it Shimizu?)- I don't have my freight timetable now so I can't be sure. I got a picture of it earlier this month. The train terminated at Yoshiwara, and the EF66, after shunting a bit, was stopped on a siding for quite a while, the driver placing wheel chocks before going off to the yard office. Link to comment
stevenh Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 ...I don't have my freight timetable now so I can't be sure... I would've looked it up too, but can't from work. I also only recoded the Gakunan movements in the timetable on my blog. It came from the west, but that doesn't help. The train terminated at Yoshiwara, and the EF66, after shunting a bit, was stopped on a siding for quite a while, the driver placing wheel chocks before going off to the yard office. Sounds like the same style as the Minoakasaka Yard/Seino Railway where JR leave the engine for the return journey. Link to comment
bikkuri bahn Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 FYI, publisher Shuwa System, has just released yet another railway book, this time about freight railways: http://www.shuwasystem.co.jp/products/7980html/2814.html Got a look at it at the bookstore yesterday, not bad, but not great. A lot of descriptions of locomotives and rolling stock, which I don't need as I already have sources for that. More interested in descriptions of operations and timetables, which is in the latter half of the book. There is also a section on freight watching hotspots, but can't vouch for "railfanability". May be a good book for those who don't own any other resources. Two authors, one is (was?) a railwayman, which is important for these types of books, as it lends credibility, and as Shuwa System has in the past relied on a technical writer (Microsoft hack) to author their railway offerings, content/writing read like a users manual or a rehash from other sources. Japanese language. A recommended book is "Shutoken Kamotsu Ressha Satsuei Gaido", which describes shooting locations for freight trains in the greater Kanto region. Hasn't been reviewed well, with complaints that too many of the spots are on station platforms, but you can't expect them to describe the endless number of trackside locations, and anyway, a lot of fans would like to keep those places secret...A good guide for the beginning freight railway photographer, and as a pointer to other possible shoot locations in the areas described. https://secure.ikaros.jp/sales/mook-detail2.asp?CD=I-197 Link to comment
Guest JRF-1935 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 WOW ! Thanks Guys - The information, pictures, and videos are fabulous. I'm happy to know there are others who enjoy Japanese freight operations as much as I do. This is "by far" the Best site I've ever joined. Looking forward to learning more. Rich C Link to comment
bikkuri bahn Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would've looked it up too, but can't from work. I also only recoded the Gakunan movements in the timetable on my blog. It came from the west, but that doesn't help. Checked my timetable, it's train 560, daily except Sundays, originates at Shizuoka Freight Terminal at 1101, arrives Yoshiwara at 1210 (on the dot the day I was there- no need for scanners here!) The return working, train 561, departs Yoshiwara 1727, arrives Shizuoka FT 1843. Nick B. mentioned the paper warehouse in the Tokyo outskirts, well there is a daily exc. Sun paper train (3461) that originates at Koshigaya FT departing 1145, arriving Yoshiwara 1441, dep. 1655, continuing on the Tokaido Line to Nagoya, arriving Inazawa 2221. This sometimes only has containers, like the day I saw it, but some days has a complete string of wamuhachis. Train 3461 crossing the Ishibashi Viaduct on the Tokaido Line: Just today, or perhaps yesterday, due to maintenance on the Tokaido freight line, train 3461 used the passenger line. At Ofuna: Link to comment
Nick_Burman Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would've looked it up too, but can't from work. I also only recoded the Gakunan movements in the timetable on my blog. It came from the west, but that doesn't help. Nick B. mentioned the paper warehouse in the Tokyo outskirts, well there is a daily exc. Sun paper train (3461) that originates at Koshigaya FT departing 1145, arriving Yoshiwara 1441, dep. 1655, continuing on the Tokaido Line to Nagoya, arriving Inazawa 2221. This sometimes only has containers, like the day I saw it, but some days has a complete string of wamuhachis. Bless my memory...not bad for someone who has yet to visit Japan, does not know the language and depends on the web for info... Cheers NB Link to comment
marknewton Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 It's called "toppou irekae" (突放入換), toppou referring to the "loose", and irekae to "shunting". Great stuff! Thanks for that, BB. Just goes to show how much similarity there is between railway systems with a British heritage. I'd feel right at home working here! Cheers, Mark. Link to comment
marknewton Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Up here some wagons that were not to be loose shunted were lettered 'NO LOOSE SHUNTING' but you'd see the occasional one altered to read 'NO MOOSE HUNTING'. Kicking a wagon into a facing point siding was called a fly shunt on QR, also illegal as far back as anyone I know can remember but once no one cared how you did the job as long as it was done. LOL! I remember seeing a camp wagon at Yeppoon that had been altered like that. I'd forgotten about the term "fly shunt", you reminded me of one of the old blokes I worked with at Yeerongpilly who was ex-QR, he called it that. Cheers, Mark. Link to comment
westfalen Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I've posted this video before but in case any newcomers haven't seen it I caught this eastbound blue Wamu train on 3rd Sept last year between Araimachi and Bentenjima. Link to comment
Guest JRF-1935 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hi Westfalen As a newbie I hadn't seen it before - Thanks Rich C Link to comment
Darklighter Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 A short question regarding tank car freight trains: Are there no such trains running on the Biwako Line? Link to comment
bill937ca Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Gakunan Gakunan operates the last blue boxcar operation in Japan. Am new to forum - hope to learn more about Japan and freight operations, especially 1935 to present. Rich C Gakunan ceased blue box car operations in March 2012. Most have been scrapped. http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/5868-gakunan-railway-festival-1-week-before-end-of-freight-services/?hl=gakunan http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/5879-the-last-wamu-train-20120317/?hl=gakunan&do=findComment&comment=66009 http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/6665-wamu-80000-freight-cars-deadhead/?hl=gakunan&do=findComment&comment=77440 Link to comment
bikkuri bahn Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 A short question regarding tank car freight trains: Are there no such trains running on the Biwako Line? If you mean the Kosei Line, AFAIK it's only container trains: Link to comment
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