what will be the last JNR rolling stock in service?

[miyakoji]

I was just watching 200系's post about the retirement of the 200 series shinkansen, and I got to thinking that it outlasted the 300 series and some 500 and 700 series trains. So I ask you:

 

- what will be the last JNR-era rolling stock in regular service with a JR group railway, which JR company will it be, and when will it be retired?

- what will be the last JNR-era rolling stock in regular service with a private railway, what railway will it be, and when will it be retired?

 

With "regular service" I'm trying to avoid an instance of a single car being kept at one of the museums; that doesn't count. Feel free to add any other details you like such as line, final station, number of cars, exactness of retirement date, whatever :). I don't have my own answers yet, I'll post below, but just off the top of my head I'm thinking some private railway will still be running a JNR car in 2050.

[bikkuri bahn]

I would think it would be a diesel railcar, such as the kiha 40 or kiha 54 series- older emus are more and more subject to being replaced with new or cascaded stock, while diesel railcar develpment is more deliberate and low volume.

 

As for private railways, who knows? There may still be some 205 series destined for some rural railway.

Edited March 16, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[Sacto1985]

We'll still see 115 and 381 Series EMU's and KiHa 40/47 DMU's in JR West service for many years to come--many were overhauled and modernized in recent years with features like LED external signs and air conditioning. 

[Densha]

Don't forget that JR Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido have tons of old stock too. Of course the mentioned KiHa 40 series (including the 47 and 48 of course), KiHa 54, but also JR Shikoku's KiHa 32 and 185, and 121 series (EMU). I think there are quite a lot of EMU's with the '113 series exterior' (113/115/413/415/etc. series), 211/213 series, '485 series exterior' in service. And I'm probably forgetting some other trains.

I also wonder what trains will be in service for how long, but usually the smaller series will get retired sooner or later but series like the Kiha 40 and 115 series probably won't see retirement soon considering the amount of them that are still active.

Then there's also a lot of old ex-JNR trains at private companies, but I don't know much about that. Either way I know that at the moment there are still Kiha 52's and other Kiha's from the '50s and '60s in service at private railways so I'm sure that JNR trains will be in service for many years coming.

[Sacto1985]

Given the sheer number of 113/115/211/213 Series EMU's built, they won't be going away anytime soon. Many of them have been modernized in the last 15 years, and will likely continue in service on lines like JR West's San'yō Main Line from Aioi Station west to Kokura Station on Kyushu and anywhere in western Japan where there are electrified lines.

[bronzeonion]

JR East in the Tokyo Area still have 205 series running around on suburban lines and the Musashino line so as Tokyo still has a few fleets left I think the rest of the country still has a long time left.

[Kabutoni]

Near where I live, only 205 and 185 Series are the only remnants of the JNR era in regular service. JR East have been very rigorous with replacing the old JNR era trains with modern units in the Kanto area. When I travel to visit the parents of my girlfriend in Ibaraki, we're able to ride 211 and 415-1500 Series, but the 211s are becoming very rare. Occasionally, you can see a 115 Series on the Ryōmō line or on the Chūō Main line from the Nagano area, but that is extremely rare. At least, I haven't seen any 115 Series so far.

 

The 205 Series are also being rebuilt and are replacing older types, like the 107 Series on the Nikkō line: http://railf.jp/news/2013/03/17/163000.html

Next to that, the last single-car EMU from JR East went out of service a week or so ago: http://railf.jp/news/2013/03/10/063000.html

From time to time, a 583 Series can be seen on special runs, but not in regular service any more.

 

More frequent, older electric locomotives from the JNR era can be seen running freight trains.

[miyakoji]

Regarding the 185s, the first one went (presumably) for scrap last week. Up to that point, all were still in service. It's definitely a series I'd like to see live on with a private railway, they even seem like a decent candidate to replace the 169s that Shinano is retiring. But I'm not aware of JR East having any plans to retire them yet, although I just found the link below about 185s on the Tokaido, I wonder if those are now basically surplus.

 

SAHA 185-7 goes to Nagano: http://railf.jp/news/2013/03/14/180000.html

185s withdrawn from services on Tokaido Main Line: http://railf.jp/news/2013/03/17/121200.html

[Sacto1985]

I actually expect more E231 variants to replace most of the older EMU's in the Kanto Plain. After all, E231 and E233 Series EMU's are running most of the longer-distance commuter trains, like to Takao on Chūō Main Line, to Utsunomiya on the Tohoku Main Line, to Atami (and sometimes Numazu) on the Tokaido Main Line, and so on.