International Railroad Discussion > Main Line Steam Double Departure (Japan)

On Sunday, 10/5, I was able to catch three different main line steam locomotives within 4 hours, two of them at JR Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture, which is located about 105 km (~65 miles) north of Tokyo. Due to unstable weather from Typhoon #18 approaching, it was a foul weather foaming day.

The two locomotives are JR East's 4-6-4 C61-20, and 2-8-2 D51-498. JR East and Gunma Prefecture promoted the event, where the main attraction was the simultaneous departures of these locomotives out of Takasaki Station.

You know there's a big event being held, when taiko drummers are in attendance. In the first clip of the video, taiko drummers (all but one are women) perform just before the first steam locomotive arrives, D51-498 pulling retro passenger cars into Takasaki Station Track 3. Note the nervous officials wearing uniforms or arm bands standing near the taiko drummers, unable to enjoy the festivities, especially the lady in the grey dress holding paperwork.

In the second clip, you get to witness the typical railfan overcrowding as D51-498 arrives.

I couldn't wait for the C61-20 to arrive since I had to exit the station to walk to an elevated view I found about 5 city blocks away. As I wait there, Shinkansen E7 set departs north, then both steam locomotives sound their departure whistles, third clip.

In the fourth clip, you see the D51-498 (near) and C61-20 (far) rumble past the railfans in sync, heading for Yokogawa and Minakami respectively. The trailing diesel (model DD51) behind the D51-498 is used for the return trip, since there are no turning facility at Yokogawa. No such need for the C61-20, since Minakami has a turntable. As the trains disappear into the smoke, Series 107 EMU appears.

- Taiko drummers and mascots at Takasaki.
- Daruma doll originated in the Takasaki area - yes, more mascots.
- Video as described.

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

I already chased the C61-20 to Minakami the day before in much better weather, so there was no need for me to do it again (I will post a report later). There was no timely chase train available to catch the D51-498 to Yokogawa, so I pondered my next foaming option. Shinkansen joyride in the rain?

I then remembered that Chichibu Railway ran the Paleo Express on weekends between Kumagaya and Mitsumineguchi, pulled by the ex-JNR 2-6-2 C58-363. It had departed Kumagaya Station 12 minutes after the C61-20 and D51-498 departed Takasaki, but unfortunately, Kumagaya is 40 km away from Takasaki, minimum of 15 minutes away on the Shinkansen.

There is a short cut from Takasaki to Yorii on the JR Hachiko Line to reach the Chichibu Railway for a transfer, but I had to wait about an hour for the next available DMU, so I hopped on the Shinkansen instead, went to Kumagaya, then rode the Chichibu Line local to catch up to the C58-363. This gave me a chance to chat with the Chichibu Railway station agent there, and he confirmed the Paleo Express was running, and that my plan would work.

In the fifth and final clip, I catch the C58-363 and the Paleo Express at the second crossing past the Ohanabatake Station. It was raining harder, as you can tell by the background sounds in the video.

- Freight locomotive at Kumagaya. Besides running steam and regular passenger services, Chichibu Railway also has a freight fleet that hauls rocks. The station agent at Ohanabatake told me no freights until Wednesday, so that took one foaming option away. Oh well.

- I hopped on the 5000 series EMU, shown to the left. That's an ex-Toei Mita Subway Line's 6000 series, which I used to ride to the Tokyo suburbs to visit a specific hobby shop, which is no longer in business. Parked to the right are Series 7500 and 7800 EMU sets, both based on the ex-Tokyu Railway 8090 series.

- I hopped on the JR Hachiko Line's Kiha 110 series DMU back to Takasaki for a little circle trip after catching the C58-363. Here it is arriving at Yorii.

Hopefully, I can do a full foaming day chasing EMUs, freights, and steam on the Chichibu Railway, if not during this trip, on a future trip to Japan.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/14 21:16 by cchan006.

---

---

---

Nice to see the diesel helper is on the rear where it belongs if needed. And matching passenger equipment.

On the subject of mascots...The mascot for Gunma Prefecture is dressed up in the JR uniform. The other mascot is a Daruma. Takasaki station has thousands of Daruma and many of the shops on Symphonic Avenue, the concourse between the Shinkansen and the regular trains sell them. Takasaki's Shorinzan Daruma Temple is the birthplace of daruma dolls as good luck charms. Pictures on "Symphonic Avenue" in Takasaki station.

---

---

---