Gakunan Railway Festival- 1 week before end of freight services

[bikkuri bahn]

A visit to the Gakunan March 10, one week before the end of freight service and its blue wamuhachis on March 17.  Appropriately, it was raining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agBX406MBIc

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Very interesting. I rather like the 'performance' at about 7'...only in Japan!

[stevenh]

How did I miss this? I can't believe the hook and pull is over for Yoshiwara!?

[westfalen]

How did I miss this? I can't believe the hook and pull is over for Yoshiwara!?

Me too. I was thinking of trying to work the Gakunan into my itinerary for November.

[bikkuri bahn]

Alot of these closures and discontinuations sneak up on you.  They are announced and disseminated in the railfan press, but often get pushed into the background by the new rolling stock news or retirements of shinkansen stock, etc.  I'm going to the Nagaden later this month, to ride and photograph the Yashiro Line, which will close April 1.

[westfalen]

Will this be the end of freight in boxcars on Japanese railways?

[bikkuri bahn]

Will this be the end of freight in boxcars on Japanese railways?

 

Sadly, it appears to be so.  According to this newspaper article (published just 5 hours ago), there are only 2 scheduled trains left that use the wamuhachis (the Fuji/Yoshiwara-Umeda train, and the Kasugai (Aichi)-Kumagaya train).  They will cease service tomorrow.

http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news/20120316k0000e040243000c.html

 

Some videos. First, at Kyoto Station:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOJQBPum5E

 

On the Tokaido Line, a short train:

 

*I'm glad I visited the Gakunan last year, before it was too late.

[Nick_Burman]

Will this be the end of freight in boxcars on Japanese railways?

 

Sadly, it appears to be so.  According to this newspaper article (published just 5 hours ago), there are only 2 scheduled trains left that use the wamuhachis (the Fuji/Yoshiwara-Umeda train, and the Kasugai (Aichi)-Kumagaya train).  They will cease service tomorrow.

http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news/20120316k0000e040243000c.html

 

*I'm glad I visited the Gakunan last year, before it was too late.

 

What about the Niigata train?

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

What about the Niigata train?

 

Containerized with the fall timetable revision in 2010.