Baggage and Mail: JNR's KINI28, KIYUNI28, and KINI58

[miyakoji]

Ok prototypes is slow again (well was until Nick posted in the last few hours) , so deal with my obscure interest.  From wikipedia:

 

To replace the badly aging mail and baggage cars built from KIHA17s, KINI28s and KIYUNI28s were built from surplussed KIRO28s starting in 1978.  The work was done at Nagoya, Tadotsu, Hatabu (now Shimonoseki Depot), Kooriyama, and Takasuna (only KIYUNI28s were built at the last two).  In service for not even 10 years, they were taken out of service in 1986 and none were taken on by the new JR companies.  Six KINI28s and 28 KIYUNI28s were built.

 

Three KINI58s were built from KIRO58 units to have twin-engined baggage cars for the Joban Line.  All were assigned to Mito Depot to replace KINI55s.  Twin-engined cars were requested as the Joban Line is electricified and with a high proportion of electric rolling stock, the acceleration of single-engined cars would have been unsatisfactory.  KINI58 1 and 2 were built at Nagoya, 3 was built at Hatabu.  All were taken out of service in February 1987 with the end of baggage service.

 

KIYUNI28 27

 

 

KIYUNI28 19

 

inside KINI58 1

 

 

 

 

image sources:

http://www.jnr-photo.com/yubin-nimotsuDC/kiyuni28/kiyuni28.htm

http://www.jnr-photo.com/yubin-nimotsuDC/kini28/kini28.htm

http://www.jnrsite.net/weekly/htm/kiyuni281.htm

http://www.jnrsite.net/weekly/htm/kini582.htm

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:JNR-Kini58-1inside.JPG

[bikkuri bahn]

Thanks for the post.  I'm also quite interested in the mail and express (parcels) operations of JNR, which all went out the window with the birth of the JR group companies (as well as non-unit freight trains).  Sumidagawa Freight Terminal, as well as Shiodome (now a forest of skyscrapers in Shinbashi), were once the origin of parcels trains or 荷物列車(nimotsu ressha).

 

Train #33, an express parcels train from Sumidagawa to Aomori, in 1975:

[bikkuri bahn]

For Japanese-reading members, here is information on the schedules and consists of parcels trains on the Tohoku Main Line in 1980:

 

http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~jnr80s/55-10_tohoku-line_nimotsu.htm

 

*There was even a train on an Aomori-Nagoya routing (#1042 and 1032), that used the Yamanote Line for a portion of its journey.

[disturbman]

I love those units! They have such a special feeling to them. I didn't know they could be seen operating coupled to passenger units.

 

Time for MicroAce to rerelease those.

[westfalen]

I'd never seen these before. Now I want one.

[bikkuri bahn]

What's interesting about the kini 28 and kiyuni 28 types is that they use the bodies of the kiro 28 (kiha 58 type), but originally being cabless, are fitted with kiha 40 type cabs.  Now, the story of the kiha 40 is another good one, but this adds to it.

[Guest ___]

I love those units! They have such a special feeling to them. I didn't know they could be seen operating coupled to passenger units.

 

Time for MicroAce to rerelease those.

 

I'm kind of digging these myself. I'd run them if I could get a hold of one.