Spotting freight trains around Tokyo/Kanto area

[Yamanote-sen]

Hello together,

 

due to my next coming trip to Japan I wanna take some time for "freight train spotting" exspecially tank cars powered by diesel engine. For me, diesel engines are very cool, at least when they are accelerating and big black smoke is exhausted.

 

Last two times in Japan I couldn't manage to find some spots...

 

This time I will have JR-Pass as well for 2 weeks, so spots can be a bit far too. Vacation will be in Tokyo for all time, so that's gonna be the starting point for each tour.

 

Thank you guys,

 

Yamanote-sen

[gmat]

Omiya Station generally has the most traffic during the weekdays and often is busy on Saturdays and Sundays. If you take the earliest train from Ueno but get off at Saitama-Shintoshin, you should be able to shoot the Toyota freight train with blue freight cars with the White Toyota names going south. There is another one heading north passing thru Omiya Station about an hour later. Freight trains often park next to the passenger platforms. Omiya possibly has the most freight trains running through a station in the Tokyo area. If you are lucky, you can catch the Miu inspection train passing through or trains making test runs after scheduled maintenance from the Omiya Maintenance Facility. I would schedule a day there from very early morning to early evening. Look for the rail fans as a clue to when something interesting might be passing thru. The EH500 'Kintaro' diesels attract a small crowd. So people would show up for that locomotive then disperse. Sometimes the diesels will stop at Omiya St. to change drivers. They stop at the north end of platform 11 and south end of platform 4. 

Hachioji Station often seems to have a string of tank cars parked on the siding parallel to the passenger platforms, especially before and after working hours. There is  a DE-10 that seems to be parked there for switching duties. You can get freight trains passing on the Chuo Line here. 

You might think about visiting a station on the Musashino Line such as Fuchu-Hommachi or a station next to the two freight terminals on that line. I've never done this, so I don't know how productive it might be. 

If you can, I would spend one week day at Kuroiso Station. It's in the middle of nowhere, but the freight trains change diesels at this station. You can stand right next to the freight train and shoot the change over and also shoot the freight or tank cars to your heart's delight. I seem to remember that the early morning and late afternoon had more trains passing through. Noon time, less so. 

 

That's all for now,

Hope that this is useful.

Grant

[westfalen]

For a bit of tank car shunting take the Keikyu Daishi Line from Kawasaki to the end of the line at Kojimashinden and walk over the over pass that faces you as you exit the station. This is the view from the top, unfortunately we only had about twenty minutes so we couldn't do any exploring to see if we could get a closer view.

 

[bikkuri bahn]

If you want to see mainline haulage of tank cars behind diesel locomotives (dd51), make tracks for the Kansai Main Line between Nagoya and Yokkaichi on a weekday.  You'll see doubleheaders as well as dd51+de10 combos.  Doable as a day trip from Tokyo if you use shinkansen.  As an aside, there are only five dd51 units on active duty hauling freight in Hokkaido as of this month, when at one time this was the kingdom of that type.  Kansai Main Line is where the action is now. 

Edited February 25, 2014 by bikkuri bahn

[bikkuri bahn]

Not diesel locomotive haulage on the mainline, but this is a popular and singular movement:

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/3375-trains-moving-fuel-to-yokota-ab/?hl=yokota

Edited February 25, 2014 by bikkuri bahn

[Sacto1985]

Unfortunately, if you really want to see a LOT of freight train action you have to leave the Tokyo area, in my humble opinion. Go to Okayama and start taking pictures from Okayama to Kurashiki Stations--you get a huge amount of freight traffic, especially given the huge freight yard just west of Okayama Station.

[bikkuri bahn]

Actually, you can stay in Tokyo and see lots of freight, just not on the Tokaido Line.  The Musashino Line has decent action during the daylight hours.  The schedule on weekdays at Fuchu-Honmachi. You can take a train to stations further on if you need better photo locations.

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/so_san5016/11358464.html

*down trains, then up trains

 

*also, check out Kannai Sta. in Yokohama on the Keihin Tohoku Line between 10am and 11:30am or so on weekdays.  Good for several freights including tankers shoehorned between the frequent passenger trains. Even without a freight schedule handy, just by looking at the pax schedule, any gaps between trains more than 3~5 minutes is a good chance to see a freight.

Edited March 2, 2014 by bikkuri bahn