Freight consist question

[velotrain]

I was looking at this photo and noticed something that seems odd to me - there's a caboose-like wagon behind the engine, and another at the end of the train. 

 

Do they each have separate functions?

 

 

 

 

 

[HantuBlauLOL]

Brake van, maybe?

[velotrain]

Which?  

 

And what's the other one?

[Fenway Park]

They are both brake vans. The nearest appears to be a type 29500 while the rear is a member of the last class of brake van to be introduced by JNR. 

 

Both available in N from Kato. 

 

Not sure why the consist is made up this way but the train may reverse or split on route.

[ToniBabelony]

I have the feeling the brake van on the end of the locomotive is either an empty dispatch haul or either there to save the runaround/switching time when the consist makes a switchback or turnaround move.

[ozman2009]

Did the JNR usually put the brake van at the end of the train, or immediately behind the loco?

[kvp]

Originally at the back, then behind the loco to protect the crew. Double brake vans are good if you want to reverse and don't want to run around the train and the van separately or just plan to back into a spur and need a place for the shunter to ride on. The van also doubles as a good end of train marker.

[katoftw]

Wafu 35000 and Yo 8000.

[stevenh]

Shot taken between Sannomiya and Motomachi in Kobe near the "Tor" (I want to write "Tooa") Road intersection.

Seems that it can be written many ways:

http://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/information/public/online/photo/number13/english/small_features/index2.html

 

 

The sign on the viaduct is still there :)

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@34.690802,135.189954,3a,45.1y,9.37h,98.45t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s65LB6eRh0fnK-QrobXNSTw!2e0

 

It's just blue and has a JR sign instead of the JNR Kanji.

Edited March 11, 2015 by stevenh

[velotrain]

I was wondering if those are business offices or apartments above the stores?

 

If the latter, how do people sleep with the trains rumbling through?

[ToniBabelony]

I was wondering if those are business offices or apartments above the stores?

 

Yes.

 

If the latter, how do people sleep with the trains rumbling through?

 

You get used to it, just like the obnoxious F15Js blaring over our town when one of Japan's neighbours is being a little child again.

[al camino]

O.K. I try to place the question here.

How many YOs and *FUs were usually in a JNR consist (Freight train). I remember some pictures with YOs in between the train.

Reading above makes me understand: one - early times at the end, later between loco and train - but sometime also 2 of them front and rear.

(waiting for 2 WAFU shipment from Hobby Search).

Edited November 20, 2018 by al camino

[kvp]

The guard vans were usually located at the back of the train as eot markers, then got relocated behind the loco for crew safety reasons before getting abolished.

 

For trains that had to be run around or propelled into a longer siding, it could have been easier to add one to each end, similar to modern american shunting crew platform cars.

 

Some special loads also used them as buffer cars on both ends or as coupler converters for emu sets.

 

Also some older, steam era photos show them as mail or parcel cars in freight or mixed sets, especially the dual use half boxcar variants.

 

[al camino]

kvp

thanks for reply.

The "mixed freight" sounds interesting. I assume the German GmP (Güter mit Personenbeförderung / Freight with passenger servie) is a similar one.

In case of - which passenger cars were used for mixed freight? My collection could offer スハフ35, スハ33, スハ43,  スハフ42, ナハ10 or ナハフ10(11) in blue or grape (brown).

Would one or two of these be suitable?

[Kiha66]

All of those could work, I've seen pictures of both 35 and 43 series cars used this way.  Haven't seen any pictures yet of the 10 series cars used in a mixed train but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[al camino]

I think one passenger car would be good for a mixed freight.

Which freight cars and YOs or *FUs  would make a somewhat realistic mixed of the 60ies?

 

I just realized that a *FU of the passenger coach should not double the YO or WAFU.

Am I right?

Edited November 21, 2018 by al camino

[Kiha66]

Looking a the image results for く混合列車 (lit. mixed train) it seems that if the passenger cars were at the end of the train the *fu would account for the crew and a caboose was not used.  When they were at the front of the train a caboose would be necessary to protect the train.  It seems sometimes the passenger cars were added later in the train so a caboose would be present after the freight cars, then the passenger cars after that.

[Kiha66]

Nice short mixed train, *fu at the end protecting it with taillights so no caboose required

 

 

[al camino]

Thanks!!

く混合列車 was the keyword for searching.

Now I've got a good impression of JNR mixed trains.

[marknewton]

One of my magazines has a photo feature on the Hisatsu line during the 60s and 70s, which shows mixed trains hauled by D51s. A lot of those photos show clerestory roof Suhafu32s in the consists. As most of these trains are being banked by another D51 at the rear, the Suhafu’s are marshalled at the front of the train.

 

The function of the brake van/caboose or carriage with a guards compartment goes beyond simply providing tail lights at the end of the train. It gives the guard a brake pipe tap and brake pipe gauge so they can conduct a brake pipe continuity test whenever the train has been remarshalled after shunting, or when the locos have been detached to run around the train at a zig zag or switchback. I’ve been translating another article which discusses JNR-era train operations, and found that their procedures were very similar to those I’m familiar with from my own days working on freight trains.

 

This blog is worth a look:

 

http://railmind.blogspot.com/

 

All the best,

 

Mark.