Freight Operations

[bill937ca]

I'm not a freight modeler, but when I come across a Japanese freight web site I often bookmark as sooner or later someone will be interested.

 

 

Koshigawa Freight Terminal in Tokyo (Japanese text with photos)

 

This is now the normal design for JR container depots.  Just a single or couple of tracks, a very large front end loader and some paved space.  Trains pull in, front end loader lifts containers on or off and train pulls out.

 

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/kosigaya.htm

 

 

JR Freight's E & S Container Handling System

 

http://www.jrfreight.co.jp/english/business/ontime.html

 

http://www.jrfreight.co.jp/english/business/img/ontime_img04.jpg

 

 

Tokyo freight map  (Japanese text with photos)

 

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eg6f-tkhs/tetu/kamoturosen.htm

 

I believe red is the main freight routes, blue is probably drop off routes and black is the normal passenger lines.

 

Remember JR freight is a Class 2 railway, aka a tenant.  JR East and the other passenger lines are Class 1 and own the lines.

 

 

Freight timetables

 

A Japanese language web site with freight train timetables.

 

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Ocean/1036/ugokan/kamotsu.htm

 

 

 

Translation:

 

Google 

 

http://translate.google.com/translate_t

 

Excite

 

Excite is used by many Japanese web sites.  To translate copy the url into the long box, click on the lower button to the right underneath and click on the yellow icon.  (The default button is for English to Japanese.)

 

http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english/web/

[CaptOblivious]

Oh, and that someone is me. :D This is great stuff, thanks! At the freight depots, the tracks that don't have frontage on the loading areas are often storage tracks for empties, something you don't often see in North America.

[bill937ca]

Oh, and that someone is me. :D This is great stuff, thanks!

 

You're welcome, Don. 

[Guest ___]

Oh, and that someone is me. :D This is great stuff, thanks!

 

You're welcome, Don. 

 

Reminds me of the old TOFB Piggybacks PRR use to have and the new innermodal stuff we have.

[kashirigi]

Thanks for the link. I was hoping to add some container operation to my mini layout. Probably the scale won't be quite as grand. . .

[CaptOblivious]

Thanks for the link. I was hoping to add some container operation to my mini layout. Probably the scale won't be quite as grand. . .

 

I've been thinking about this a bit, too; I've been trying to work out a waybill-like system that might (or might not!) be interesting and fun for operations. Any interest in helping me hash a system out?

[bill937ca]

This page is from a small private railway that has some freight service.  The Mizushima Rinkai Tetsudo has a page on it's web site that gives container dimensions and shows the front end loaders used to load containers in Japan.

 

http://www.mizurin.co.jp/kamotsu/kamotsu.html

[bill937ca]

Here's a production record for a Japanese modeler's container terminal. Japanese text with photos.

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu3.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu3.html

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu4.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu4.html

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu5.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu5.html

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu6.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu6.html

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu7.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu7.html

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu8.html'>http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/kensetu8.html

 

 

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/hamamatu-tetu/

 

 

This is a second model container yard, this time  on a layout called the Tsuda Railway Company, layout with DCC (in Japan).    :o

 

http://www.ncn-t.net/tsuda-railway/yard.htm

 

http://www.ncn-t.net/tsuda-railway/layout2.htm

 

http://www.ncn-t.net/tsuda-railway/index.htm

[bill937ca]

I have found some more information on JR Freight operations.  There are 17 down high speed freight trains and 17 up high speed freight trains a day through Koshigaya freight terminal station. Koshigaya is one of three freight terminals on the JR Musahino Line and there is a freight only portion of the Musahino Line.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashino_Line

 

There's additional information these Japanese language Wikipedia pages which will require a machine translator.

 

Koshigaya freight terminal station

 

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%8A%E8%B0%B7%E8%B2%A8%E7%89%A9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E9%A7%85

 

Niiza freight terminal station

 

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E5%BA%A7%E8%B2%A8%E7%89%A9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E9%A7%85

 

Kajigaya freight terminal station

 

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A2%B6%E3%83%B6%E8%B0%B7%E8%B2%A8%E7%89%A9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E9%A7%85

[Guest ___]

You know FireFox 3 users can get an integrated add-on that translates Japanese pages by clicking on the lower right hand corner. It's pretty well.

[bill937ca]

Another container terminal page. This is Shizuoka freight station.  Some good detail shots here.

 

http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~tec300/5PhotoLocal/freight.htm

[Railmind]

The container operations are quite interesting. There are a couple of chic photos of container platforms in consists pulled by D51 steamers.  I'm curious if someone is interested in historic freight operations, including moving the cute two-axle black boxcars. I've read quite a few articles about railway operation (mostly in the US since this gets covered in press more often) and am quite willing to replicate some. However I don't seem to find much information on (small) freight station layouts and types of freight services in Japan.

[bill937ca]

However I don't seem to find much information on (small) freight station layouts and types of freight services in Japan.

 

Less than carload freight has been gone  from JR since about 1983- (I can't find the exact date right now.) That's enough time for many traces of freight stations to vanish.

 

Here's 3 examples of former freight stations from the mainly single track Enshu Railroad.  In many cases the freight station site is now occupied by a new passenger station. Freight service on this line was abolished March 31, 1976.

 

http://homepage3.nifty.com/mp5pdw/entetsu/06-2_komatsu.htm

 

http://homepage3.nifty.com/mp5pdw/entetsu/07-1_sekishi.htm

 

http://homepage3.nifty.com/mp5pdw/entetsu/04-1kobayashi.htm

[Railmind]

Thanks for the link, Bill, and for your JTrains blog which I think is the best reference for track-related questions.

As far as I get from the layouts, the freight was handled at a single track along which several facilities were situated.

However, inspired by this photo above I think there used to be more than just LCL operation, including moving blocks of boxcars, hoppers, etc. between stations, and this of course would imply a number of freight yards, sorting jobs, local freights and so on.

[bill937ca]

At one time there were 85,000 four wheel goods vans on the JNR system.  For the most part, the old JNR system did not pay its own way. JNR discontinued less than car load parcel service on February 1, 1984.  In November 1982 2789 stations handled parcels, after the change only 1082 handled parcels.

 

But Japan was never  like North America. Most major industries are usually along the coast and most goods movements are short.  During the steam age there was significant coal traffic, but then the mines became mined out and that ended.  An effective intercity road system did not appear until the 1960s.

 

Container traffic started in 1959 when green 5-ton containers were introduced. In the 70s single car load movements requiring repeated shunting were declining more rapidly than all other traffic. Trainload shipments of bulk commodities (oil, limestone, cement, coal) and container traffic were showing less decline and could be moved more efficiently.  The result was that JNR decided to concentrate on three types of goods traffic: bulk commodity trainloads, containers, and ordinary carloads that could go from one major center to another in direct trains without shunting.

 

Information from Japan By Rail, 1985.

 

More info in these articles:

 

http://www.japaneserailwaysociety.com/jrs/freight/jpfrght1.htm

 

http://www.japaneserailwaysociety.com/jrs/freight/jpfrght2.htm

 

http://www.japaneserailwaysociety.com/jrs/freight/jpfrght3.htm

 

http://homepage1.nifty.com/horibe/eng/switch.htm

[marknewton]

Oh, and that someone is me. :D This is great stuff, thanks!

 

Don, I'm also interested in freight operations. I've really enjoyed looking at the links that Bill has posted, they're very useful. (Thanks, Bill!)

 

If you can get hold of a copy, the Autumn 2008 issue of J-train has a number of articles featuring JNR, JRF and private freight trains, heavily illustrated with historic and modern photos, well worth having I think.

 

The book "A History Of Japanese Railways 1872-1999", published by the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation also covers freight operations in some detail, and gives a good explanation of how they ran trains, and why the freight business eventually went "pear-shaped". As Bill has noted, they used a relay system of running individual wagons between major marshalling yards, another carryover from UK practice. By 1960, the average speed of a wagon from origin to destination was calculated at 8.3km/h!

 

If anyone's interested, I can copy this material and send it on.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Railmind]

Bill, thank you for the brief info and for the links. The articles explain the recent developments pretty well, as for the pre-1970 era, well, the hints indicate that there was indeed quite a volume of freight operation at some point.

 

Mark, I would be delighted to read the material that you have referenced. I really enjoy online publications of Japan Railway and Transport Review, and they published a series on JNR history, which later became the book that you mentioned. The freight operations are unfortunately not covered in the online version.

 

I wonder if the new book on early Japanese Railways (Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan) has anything on the subject. I haven't found neither reader reviews nor headings of chapters, so I wonder if anyone here can tell whether the book is really as interesting as it seems.

[bill937ca]

How about a couple of videos of current day operations?

 

 

[bill937ca]

Thanks for the link, Bill, and for your JTrains blog which I think is the best reference for track-related questions.

 

 

Thanks Railmind.

[marknewton]

 

 

Gakunan Railway ED 501, built 1928, shunts Hina yard.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

 

Mark, I would be delighted to read the material that you have referenced. I really enjoy online publications of Japan Railway and Transport Review, and they published a series on JNR history, which later became the book that you mentioned. The freight operations are unfortunately not covered in the online version.

 

I wonder if the new book on early Japanese Railways (Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan) has anything on the subject. I haven't found neither reader reviews nor headings of chapters, so I wonder if anyone here can tell whether the book is really as interesting as it seems.

 

Railmind, I'll be scanning and posting that material for you shortly after the 23rd of December, which is when I move into my new house. Things are a bit hectic at the moment, as you can imagine! Most of my library is already packed up and ready for the move.

 

I haven't seen Dan Free's new book, in fact I didn't know about it until you mentioned it, but I've just ordered it from Amazon, so I can review it for you once it arrives. It sounds good to me!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[bill937ca]

The Gakunan Tetsudo is a short private railway just off a main JR line.  The box cars in those photos are probably newsprint cars.

 

This web site by the creator of the Gakunan videos.  He seems to be into all kinds of railways.

 

http://karechi.sakura.ne.jp/

 

I'll post some references on the Gakunan Tetsudo soon.

[marknewton]

He does, doesn't he?  :)

 

That's a good site, Bill, thanks for posting. I like the sections on the Ueda Kotsu and Sangi Hokusei line!

 

I have a few Gakunan sites bookmarked, it's one of the lines I find very interesting.

 

http://de.geocities.com/torstensan/gakunan_e.html

 

http://www.tawatawa.com/densha5r/page014.html

 

(IIRC, that first link was posted by you in another forum?)

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[bill937ca]

Gakunan Tetsudo is one example of shunting in on present day Japanese railroads. But note that the freight cars originating from the JR system are not shunted on the JR but on an adjacent private railway with generally old equipment.

 

This line also has passenger service with EMUs dating from the early 1950s which have vanished just about every where else.  These are available from MIcro Ace in red or green.

 

 

 

TCRP Report 52 has a profile of Gakunan Tetsudo with a farily decent track map (for a government document) on page 33.  The profile of the Gakunan Tetsudo is on pages 31-32. It's 1067mm gauge,  has an  inter-change with JRF before heading out on it's six mile line.

 

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_52-h.pdf

 

 

The link below was created by a student living in Japan around 2000.  Some of the other pages on this web site are unmaintained, so be advised.  If you want to keep the info it might not hurt to print it.  There is a good profile of the Gakunan Tetsudo along with a bit of history and photos of various types of rolling stock.

 

http://de.geocities.com/torstensan/gakunan_e.html

 

The Gakunan Tetsudo  could make a good addition to a JR layout giving you a manageable shunting yard along with a couple of industries.

[bill937ca]

He does, doesn't he?  :)

 

That's a good site, Bill, thanks for posting. I like the sections on the Ueda Kotsu and Sangi Hokusei line!

 

I have a few Gakunan sites bookmarked, it's one of the lines I find very interesting.

 

http://de.geocities.com/torstensan/gakunan_e.html

 

http://www.tawatawa.com/densha5r/page014.html

 

(IIRC, that first link was posted by you in another forum?)

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

 

 

I probably did.  Good sources are hard to find, so we should share them.  At least someone is enjoying my efforts!

 

You Tube tends to hide the posters ID in these forums.  Because there is so much on this person's account I'll post the direct link to his You Tube Channel. To find the Gakunan Tetsudo videos you have to go back to pages 33 and 34.

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/JNRKARECHI