International Railroad Discussion > Rail Trains, Fly Ash Hoppers, DE10 (Japan)

If people are sick and tired of just another Japanese container train, this thread is for you.

After nabbing Train #3086 in Shinjuku, I went back to Tokyo Station and hopped on a Shinkansen Hikari Super Express and headed west toward Nagoya, with the ultimate destination being Takatsuki, which is almost in the middle of Kyoto and Shin-Osaka.

I was lazily watching the scenery at ~170 mph, when I noticed an unusual freight train on the adjacent Tokaido Line near Hamamatsu, traveling the same direction I was. As the Shinkansen passed it, I recognized it as a rail train (empties).

This, I gotta chase.

I had planned a lazy meal stop in Nagoya (for the famous miso-katsu), but now, I was looking at both JR Freight Timetable and JR system schedule (passenger trains) and started to scribble calculations to interpolate an intercept plan. It looked like I had enough time to head east and backtrack to Obu with time to scout around, so I rushed to board an eastbound Tokaido Line Rapid train at Nagoya, and detrained at Obu.

What's this? I noticed another non-container train parked there at Obu, what looked like a unit train of covered hoppers.

Quick look at the JR Freight Timetable said this unit train carries fly ash (from coal) for cement manufacturing, and the westbound train carries empties. The second generation EF66 locomotive attached to this fly ash train had its headlights on, so I had a potential two-for-one.

The Obu Station platform was behind the fly ash train, and it looked like I couldn't get a clean shot of the incoming rail train, so I immediately tried to hop on a westbound Tokaido train, but missed it by about 5 seconds. Darn it!

That cost me some valuable scouting time at the next station stop, Kyowa, so I had to go inside the bicycle parking lot to nab the westbound rail train, first clip in the video. The fly ash train was next, after a couple of passenger trains, second clip.

- Fly ash train at Obu, ready to go with headlights on, viewed from the Tokaido Line train.
- Video as described, with more descriptions to follow.

---

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

The JR Freight Timetable is quite comprehensive, as it lists the rail train's schedule, even though it's categorized as an extra. That allowed me to figure out how to catch this train again without using the Shinkansen.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,4122640

The link above is a post from bakersfielddave, where he went to Inazawa Yard west of Nagoya to document a Schnabel car being switched. The chase train I was riding, a Tokaido Line Rapid, did not stop at Inazawa, but at the next stop, Owari-Ichinomiya. Before I got there, I got a good look at Inazawa Yard and spotted the rail train, parked for a crew change east of Inazawa Station platform. That meant I could detrain at Owari-Ichinomiya, then backtrack east to Inazawa to nab the rail train again.

At Owari-Ichinomiya, a westbound container train greets me in the third clip, powered by EF210 "Momotaro" locomotive, which has become common on the Tokaido Line. Soon after it disappears, an eastbound Limited Express DMU (Type 85) passes the station.

While waiting for the rail train at Inazawa, 5 axle diesel-hydraulic DE10 switcher comes by the platform to change tracks in the yard, fourth clip.

A deadheading eastbound Tokaido Line (Type 313 EMU) meets the rail train in the distance in the fifth clip, and I finish the chase with the rail train passing the Inazawa Station platform, sixth clip.

Several days later, while on my way to Omiya, I stumbled onto another rail train (empties again), stopped at Omiya Station. Railfans were desperately trying to take a picture of the whole train from the front, but couldn't, because the repainted EF65 locomotive was parked past the south end of all the platforms. I knew right away what to do, so I wasted no time and hopped on a southbound Keihin-Tohoku Line local in attempt to get ahead of it. The rail train departed earlier than I wanted, but I caught up to it just past Yono, before the train ducked underground to take the connector tracks (and the wye) to go on the Musashino Line. That's the seventh and final clip.

- Rear view of the fly ash train at Obu Station.
- Closer look at the Hoki 1000 covered hopper, with a DE10 switcher in the background.

That's all folks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/17 23:59 by cchan006.

---

---

Outstanding video work and post. Thanks.