The last run of Kitaguni

[bill937ca]

[The_Ghan]

Another one of my favourite EMUs gone ...

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

i have a feeling that in the next 15 years all rolling stock is going to be very boring.

 

I wonder what kind of affect this will have on the railfan and model railway industry.

 

They are killing off too many classics too fast and getting nothing that appealing out.

[westfalen]

There has been a lot of posts lately starting off with "The last run of...." but JR has to make money, a train can't be kept running just because it's popular with railfans. What have passenger numbers on the Kitaguni and Nihonkai been like in recent years, that's what counts, not how many people are on the platform taking photos of the last run.

[Mudkip Orange]

There has been a lot of posts lately starting off with "The last run of...." but JR has to make money, a train can't be kept running just because it's popular with railfans. What have passenger numbers on the Kitaguni and Nihonkai been like in recent years, that's what counts, not how many people are on the platform taking photos of the last run.

 

So refurb the trains and put them on a more profitable schedule. It's not the trainsets losing money, it's the services...

[keitaro]

just saying those new sets lately have been a bit booring.

 

While i get what you are saying i'm just speaking how i feel about alot of stock being chopped for a newer more borring look.

 

 

also as a point of topic, i was having a conversation about rural areas with the wife and she says that a large number of services in rural area are dying out becasue of passenger numbers dropping due to a laregely dominated older generation who cannot travel as much as they used to and/or can no longer afford too sue to not having sufficient savings prepared for their retirement and the govt unable to afford support for them.

 

Not only that but this as most of us are already probably aware is a massive problem for japan in general at the moment.

[KenS]

There has been a lot of posts lately starting off with "The last run of...." but JR has to make money, a train can't be kept running just because it's popular with railfans. What have passenger numbers on the Kitaguni and Nihonkai been like in recent years, that's what counts, not how many people are on the platform taking photos of the last run.

 

So refurb the trains and put them on a more profitable schedule. It's not the trainsets losing money, it's the services...

 

In some cases it is the trainsets, or at least it could be.  Older trains are heavier and have less effiicient motors, and cost more to run.  Plus painting the steel trains is a significant recurring expense. Newer train designs also cost less to maintain due to modular electronics and other improvements. JR East estimated a 50% savings from the old 103 to the 209, which wasn't the most modern of their designs.

 

On a marginal line, the combination of more-expensive-to-operate trains (that there's no money to replace) and lowering revenues could well be a combination the company just can't afford.

[bikkuri bahn]

Unfortunately, night trains are too expensive to operate and lost passengers to the airlines (high end) and cheap long distance buses (low end).  Expect the blue trains to completely dissappear within the next five years, if not sooner.  All that will be left will be the cruise trains and the 2 EMU sleeper trains.

[disturbman]

Bikkuri, are you saying that the Cassiopeia, the Hokutto and the Twillight Express are going to disappear?

[westfalen]

Wouldn't be the most surprising news I would expect to hear. The EF510-500's could easily be assimilated into freight service with their JRF sisters, in fact spare ones already do when they are not hauling the sleepers.

[miyakoji]

I think Bikkuri is referring to the Cassopeia (JRE), the Twilight Express (JRW) and the Sunrise Izumo/Takamatsu (group effort, JRC/JRW).  The first two use specific rolling stock, they're deluxe, not just transportation, the ride is part of the trip (as it should be!).  The Sunrise trains are the 285 series EMUs.  There are some seasonal night trains, the Moonlight trains, but they use 12 series passenger cars with regular seats.

 

Interesting comment about the EF510-500s; there are loads of videos on YT of them on freight trains.  I guess JRE rents them out to JRF, unless JRE is doing some of its own freight service.

[keitaro]

for those interested kitaguni is coming out from tomix. check hs site for preorder

[bikkuri bahn]

Interesting comment about the EF510-500s; there are loads of videos on YT of them on freight trains.  I guess JRE rents them out to JRF, unless JRE is doing some of its own freight service.

 

Just saw one of those EF510's in Cassiopeia colors at the head of a freight going through Omiya last Friday.  Missed getting a pic of it, as I was concentrating on a Kintaro hauled freight on the near side of me- gmat managed to get a shot though

[miyakoji]

Interesting comment about the EF510-500s; there are loads of videos on YT of them on freight trains.  I guess JRE rents them out to JRF, unless JRE is doing some of its own freight service.

 

Just saw one of those EF510's in Cassiopeia colors at the head of a freight going through Omiya last Friday.  Missed getting a pic of it, as I was concentrating on a Kintaro hauled freight on the near side of me- gmat managed to get a shot though

Yeah, and if any of the -500s are going to do freight, it really shouldn't be those in the Cassiopeia colors, iirc there are only two, -509 and -510.  Do you know what the arrangement is here with JRE equipment on freight?  Is it their freight service, or is JRF using them?  I'm looking forward to both your and Gmat's photos!

[bikkuri bahn]

The EF510's owned by JR East are borrowed by JRF for freight service.  EF510's in both Hokutosei and Cassiopeia colors are used interchangeably on Cassiopeia services, so when unit 509 or 510 is not in the passenger service diagram, rather than let it sit around at Tabata, JR East has it earning revenue working for JRF.

[gmat]

Here is a poor pic of the EF510 running the other way. They timed it just right so that one was heading south as the other was going north. The whine of another diesel had caused me to look behind but was only able to snap this shot.

 

 

On the other hand, I shot this one running thru Shinjuku at about 5:00 AM the next Sunday. Perhaps there are three freight trains running north between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning. With summer coming up you should get better lighting to shoot them.

 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[linkey]

And already TOMIX is manufacturing the Series 583 Kitaguni and is available for pre-orders on HS:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10181968

Basic Set

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10181969

Two car add-on (with motor)

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10181970

Two car add-on (trailer)

[Martijn Meerts]

Tomix fairly recently did a re-run (re-tooling?) of the Kitaguna (and spur/resort express), so it makes sense for them to do another run now.

 

I managed to get the original release of the Kitaguni quite a while ago, fell in love with the colors on it the moment I saw it :)