JNR steam in broadcast quality: C57 pacific on a local

[bikkuri bahn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjCIGeBKlwM

 

NHK Hokkaido program from 1975.  Gentlemen (and ladies), this is not preserved steam, nor a tourist train or excursion, but truly the real thing-working steam on a Muroran-Iwamizawa local. The local is hauled by C57 135, which you can now see in stuffed condition on a turntable at the railway museum at Saitama (see also the post w/video about Hayabusa last week).

1:55- cleaning the smokebox and dropping the contents of the ashpan at Iwamizawa Depot, coaling by crane

3:34- OT 11:04 departure from Muroran, departure bell sounding (so nostalgic- I remember them well, before the arrival of melody based departure warnings)

8:18- Interior scenes of a passenger coach (oha 61 type?).  The little boy was about the same age as me at the time, maybe a tad younger...

10:18- I love this lingering vignette of a stop at a small station- back then even small places as these were fully staffed.  Note the railway worker hauling away the parcel or two brought by the train

13:40- adjusting the cutoff

13:53- D51 hauled general merchandise freight passes, including a number of flats with green JNR containers

14:17- a view on Eniwa Dake, I can see the opposite side of this mountain from the top floor of my workplace, on a fine weather day.

[bikkuri bahn]

part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJNps2E1yBE&NR=1

 

1:35- on the pilot beam, a dd51 hauled container train passes

2:13- arrival at Tomakomai Station at 12:42. D51's and DD51's can be seen in the background

3:41- enough time for passengers to have a quick lunch of soba noodles at the platfrom tachigui soba stand

4:03- watering, and shoveling of the coal forward

4:18- departure!

4:55- after leaving Tomakomai, unto the portion of the Mururan Main Line through marshy land and dairy country- this stretch is the longest dead straight portion of railway in Japan

7:25- nice aerial views of C57 135

7:50- Yubari River bridge

8:39- nice segment of pacing the train, we can see the complete consist of the train and some nice action of no. 135

12:34- after a journey of 3 hours 29 minutes, we arrive at Iwamizawa Station at 14:33.  We can see a southbound freight on track 1, adjacent to the station headhouse (which burned down a few years back).

[miyakoji]

Great find, Bikkuri.  I'm subscribed to many youtube contributors and sifting through their new vids takes up most of the time I'm willing to spend on that site.  I should dig a little bit more.  More comments after I watch these...

[marknewton]

BB, haven't had a chance to look at this program in full, but a quick glance suggests it's a very impressive film. Thanks heaps!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Nick_Burman]

I've tried downloading them but blankety-blank "broadband" internet connection collepsed almost at the end...

 

 

Cheers NB