Some interesting trains passing thru Omiya Station 13 Jul 2013

[gmat]

Shot these trains yesterday.

 

185 Dantai. There were lots of 185s passing thru Omiya station all day long. Many were out of service train sets. They used every track, tracks 3-11, except the Keihin-Tohoku tracks. I've recently seen on several occasions, one that parks on track 5, the southbound middle track between the two platform tracks. But after stopping, it reverses direction and heads North. 

 

B2 9552M Passing thru Akabane Station going South, taken before I headed up to Omiya.

 

 

Returning North thru Omiya Station.

B2 9553M, platform 9.

 

Going North again. 

B2 9555M. I apparently missed 9554M heading South.

 

 

 

 

More to come,

Grant

[gmat]

Maybe it's because of the three day holiday weekend, but there were an unusually high number of single freight diesel locomotives passing thru Omiya yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to come.

Grant

 

Moderators, I must be doing something wrong as when I try to post links to Photobucket, I get this error message.

'You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.'

 

Help me, please.

Edited July 13, 2013 by gmat

[miyakoji]

Nice photos, gmat.  EF66 103 looks a little rough!

[gmat]

How about this one? Also taken yesterday.

 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[bronzeonion]

I've always wondered what services passed through Omiya that are operated by 185 series' but turn out all the ones I've seen along that line have been out of service!

[gmat]

More.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More, to come,

Grant

 

 

[gmat]

The Akebono was running very late. I had earlier shot the Hokutosei at Akabane Station. Apparently the Cassiopeia didn't run today.

 

 

 

The holiday denizens were in full force to shoot it. Lots of kids with point and shoot cameras.

 

 

More later.

Best wishes,

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

Akebono- the last "true Blue Train".

Edited July 14, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[gmat]

An unexpected pleasant surprise. 113 Holiday Special Minami-Koshigaya to Kamakurs.

 

 

 

 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[gmat]

I saw a notice for this train on the upper concourse, but by the time I got down the stairs, it had passed by. 

 

 

 

It was 183 series, K2.

 

 

Returning North.

 

 

I've seen a few transiting Omiya but was always caught on the wrong platform. I was shooting on the other side when I noticed people behind me focusing their cameras. I barely managed to snap a few shots of this one. Heading South.

 

DE11 1043.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

Edited July 14, 2013 by gmat

[gmat]

Finally, the bane of taking photos.

 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[miyakoji]

Yeah, EH500-5 is looking rough too!  Any idea why the Akebono was so late?

[bikkuri bahn]

Yeah, EH500-5 is looking rough too!  Any idea why the Akebono was so late?

There was heavy rain in Akita Prefecture on the 12th through the morning of the 13th.  Could have been the cause.  On another note, The Twilight Express seemingly has been late often recently (actually it's poor at keeping on time quite regularly) arriving in Sapporo.

[gmat]

185 series going thru Omiya include the most common Kusatsu going to Manza-Kawaguchi and returning to Ueno.

The Akagi running from Ueno to Shin-Maebashi. One week day Akagi goes to Shinjuku. It returns at night, I believe.

I think that the Minakami goes from Ueno to Minakami and back. 

There are a number of Homeliner Konosu that passes thru Omiya, but it only to let off passengers. There is a Homeliner Koga, but I can't remember if I've seen it. The latter two run at night. 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[miyakoji]

There was heavy rain in Akita Prefecture on the 12th through the morning of the 13th.  Could have been the cause.  On another note, The Twilight Express seemingly has been late often recently (actually it's poor at keeping on time quite regularly) arriving in Sapporo.

When this is nearing Sapporo, for example, and the rest of the system is on-time and this one train is late, does it just have to wait for a opening in the schedule?

[gmat]

The signboard for the arrival of the Akebono would suggest this. The red script reports that it was very late.

If trains are running late, the signboard would report this, but it isn't shown continuously. You have to watch for it to reappear.

Each cycle has four parts, two in English. The late information in red would appear in one Japanese and one English part.

If anyone wants, I could post an example.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

Edited July 14, 2013 by gmat

[JR 500系]

Thanks gmat for the wonderful pictures! Great to be staying in Japan!

 

The 185 Dantai is a classic! Any ideas why is it called Dantai? I remembered the livery belonging to the 'Odoriko' or ''踊り子' style if i'm not wrong...

 

HHmm just an off target question, but i was wondering how does one get into the station without taking the trains? I mean i'm guessing you need to buy a ticket at least to be on the platform, right?

[cteno4]

Great pict as usual grant! Thanks

 

Is that a rail train?

 

Jeff

[Sacto1985]

If I remember correctly, aren't there limited express trains that go from Ueno to Minakami during certain busy seasons? That might explain a large number of 185 Series trains running around Omiya Station.

[gmat]

cteno4, yes they are cars for transporting rails. I often see one passing thru and they usually stop on track 7 before heading south.

 

JR500, Dantai means chartered. I think that the 185s might be picking up the slack as the 183/189s are retired. 

OM-03 in the Shonan green/orange might be in the process of being refurbished and the cars split up. 

 

 

 

 

That four set of cars, one in the green/orange Shonan paint, have been parked at Omiya for over a month and are now on the south side of the station.

 

Omiya recently picked up the Tamachi based 185s so that may explain why so many sets are seen passing thru the station. 

 

There is a 130 yen special 'platform' ticket to enter the station and see someone off. It is good for about 3 hours, I think. Not all machines have them. When I used it to take pictures at Shinjuku Station, I usually show my camera and say 'shashin o torimashita.' 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[miyakoji]

Grant,

 

Here's a Tetsudo Fan news item about those four cars, I guess the railfans don't know what they're sitting there for either: http://railf.jp/news/2013/06/09/213000.html . Also, another 185 green car, 185-7, was taken to Nagano a few months ago: http://railf.jp/news/2013/03/14/180000.html . In a Tetsudo Journal (I think) article a year or two ago, I read that all 185 cars were still in service at that time. Maybe 185-7 was the first to be scrapped.

Edited July 14, 2013 by miyakoji

[bikkuri bahn]

When this is nearing Sapporo, for example, and the rest of the system is on-time and this one train is late, does it just have to wait for a opening in the schedule?

I figure they improvise a path in the diagram (the old ruler and pencil handy), so as not to disturb the other schedules.  Those overnight trains are not a priority (being tourist trains) so I think they have low priority (unlike commuter trains and the regular tokkyu which carry business travelers)

Edited July 14, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[JR 500系]

JR500, Dantai means chartered. I think that the 185s might be picking up the slack as the 183/189s are retired. 

 

There is a 130 yen special 'platform' ticket to enter the station and see someone off. It is good for about 3 hours, I think. Not all machines have them. When I used it to take pictures at Shinjuku Station, I usually show my camera and say 'shashin o torimashita.' 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

Thanks Grant!

 

I was smiling to myself as i got the 'Dantai' meaning correct in an instant. You know, Japanese is really quite similar to Chinese in Kranji especially, so i guessed using Chinese that Dantai meant chartered as the kranji suggested in chinese meaning 'group'. Several Kranji are very identical to chinese, if not, the same, but they do carry different meanings at times, but not too far off...

 

Shashin o torimashita? To take photos? Would you still need to buy the 130yen ticket then? It's nice that Japanese trust people to do what they are 'allowed' to do.. If so happens here, alot of 'cheaters' will buy the 130yen tickets and take the train to their destination, and abuse the 'Shashin o torimashita'. In Sillypore, we are so controlled by the garment that we are brought up with the mind-set: "cheat whatever and whenever you can, so long don't get caught doing it', which is really bad...

 

Thanks for the pictures Grant!  

[bikkuri bahn]

Yes, you still need to pay 130 yen for the platform ticket.  If you ride using the platform ticket (printed on the ticket is the warning "not valid for carriage") you have a lot of explaining to do when you get off at the destination station.