JR Tabitachi-go: the more things change, the more they change

[miyakoji]

JNR became the various JR companies at 00:00:01 or whatever on April 1, 1987.  Well, there are trains to run, and the very reliable Japanese railways that we know and love didn't change their plans just because of some administrative formality  .  Actually these were classified as dantai/rinji ressha, group/special trains.  Starting at Tokyo or Ueno, they were 6-car trains of 12-series 800-subseries passenger carriages (with two exceptions, the JR West-go and JR Shikoku-go services, see below).  The consists were a SUROFU car, 4 ORO cars, and another SUROFU.

 

The following trains, one for each of the new JR companies, were enroute at the time of the reorganization:

 

-JR Kyushu-go: bound for Hakata, led by various locos over the trip: Tokyo to Shimonoseki, EF65 1129; Shimonoseki to Moji, EF81 414; and Moji to Hakata, ED76 94.  It left Tokyo at 16:43 and arrived at Hakata at 9:16.

 

-JR Shikoku-go: a consist of 12-series 700-subseries cars bound for Takamatsu, they went to Uno south of Okayama City with loco EF65 123.  Keep in mind that the Great Seto Bridge was not open yet, so these used a ferry to get to Takamatsu.  These are now the Yuu-Yuu (or You-You) Salon Okayama charter cars.  This departed Tokyo at 20:00 and arrived in Takamatsu at 9:38.

 

-JR Nishi Nihon-go (JR West): bound for Osaka, the train led by EF58 122 was: SUROFU 12 701, OHA 12 15, OHA 12 14, OHA 12 13, SUHAFU 12 36, and MAITE 49 2.  This train was scheduled to leave Tokyo at 23:13 but was delayed 1 minute for an actual departure of 23:14.  It arrived at Osaka at 7:34.

 

I had to lookup the MAITE series, which is an observation car.  MAITE 49 2's history is long.  It started life in 1938 at the Railway Ministry's Oi Works, now part of JRE's Tokyo General Railcar Center(*), as class SUITE 37040--I write class here as it was not -kei (系), but -kata (形).  If I'm reading correctly, it was used by SCAP from November 1945 until 1949 when it was returned and put on Hato limited express services.  It was reclassified as MAITE 49 2 in 1953 and retired from regular service in 1961.  Upon the creation of the JR Group companies, it became JRW property.

 

The interior of MAITE 49 2: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:JRWest_PC_maite492_inside.jpg

 

-JR Tokai-go: departing Tokyo at 23:00 and arriving in Nagoya at 7:27, it was pulled by EF58 122.

 

-JR Higashi Nihon-go (JR East): departing Ueno at 23:50 for an arrival in Sendai at 8:30, it was pulled by EF65 1016 to Kuroiso, then on to Sendai by ED75 740.  This set of passenger cars was also used for the Nagoyaka charter train.

 

-JR Hokkaido-go: this train departed Ueno with loco EF58 89, and changed to ED75 1036 at Kuroiso to continue on to Aomori.  Like the Shikoku train, this was before the direct rail connection to the destination, so it used a train ferry to get to Hakodate where passengers continued on to Sapporo on 59-series DMUs usually used for Kutsurogi services.  This train departed Ueno at 13:30(!) and arrived in Sapporo at 9:02.

 

Here are some images of Hokkaido-go: http://www.geocities.jp/tasii01/toJR.html

 

 

A explanation of the name: tabitachi means to start or set out on a trip.  The -go suffix is a sort of label given to train/plane/ship/bus services.  Most commonly it comes after the name and number of a service, for example the first outbound Nozomi of the morning, leaving Tokyo at 6AM, is the Nozomi 1-go.  For special trains it can come immediately after the name, like the SL Kita Biwako-go, a steam excursion that JR West runs on the Kosei Line on the northwest side of Lake Biwa.

 

*Sogo Sharyo Center - really I have no idea what to call this in English, so General Railcar Center it is  

 

(most of) the source: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%85%E7%AB%8B%E3%81%A1JR%E5%8F%B7

[bikkuri bahn]

Sapporo Station before it was elevated.  Never saw it in person, alas.

[The_Ghan]

miyakoji,

 

An auspicious moment in Japan's rail history, that's for sure.  Thanks for enlightening us.

 

It could actually be a theme for a model railway, couldn't it? 

 

Cheers

 

The_ghan

[miyakoji]

miyakoji,

 

An auspicious moment in Japan's rail history, that's for sure.  Thanks for enlightening us.

 

It could actually be a theme for a model railway, couldn't it? 

 

Cheers

 

The_ghan

 

You can find various bits of info around the net about the privatization.  I get the feeling that some believed it to be necessary, others thought that reform could have saved JNR.  Not sure which is really the truth.

 

There are some books in English about the privatization of JNR.  Two are:

- The Privatisation of Japanese National Railways: Railway Management, Market and Policy - by Tatsujiro Ishikawa and Mitsuhide Imashiro

- Japanese National Railways: Its Break-up and Privatization - by Yoshiyuki Kasai (current chairman of JR Central)