International Railroad Discussion > Fuchu-Honmachi, EF66, and Revenge (Japan)

After chasing the "mixed" freight train as reported previously, I chose to railfan at Fuchu-Honmachi, a station that's served by both JR's Nanbu and Musashino Lines. It's also the location where the freight-only segment of the Musashino Line begins going south, as mentioned in my previous reports on the Musashino Line and its freight trains.

Freight trains to/from the Japan Alps area (west of Tokyo) along the Chuo Line travel on the Nanbu Line from Tachikawa, then go on the Musashino Line at Fuchu-Honmachi and eventually end up at Shin-Tsurumi Signal Point. Majority of freights from the Tohoku Region (northern Japan) as well as areas east of Tokyo (Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures, Joban Line, Sumidagawa-Tokyo Shuttle, and others) also come to Fuchu-Honmachi via the Musashino Line also ending up at Shin-Tsurumi. This location can be considered a railfan hot spot rivaling Shin-Tsurumi because of that.

I went to the south end of the Musashino Line platform, as that offered the most elevation and the best view of all the tracks, although the angle favors northbounds. Across the platform to my right (west), I saw one high school aged railfan and a serious railfan (expensive Nikon equipment) on the northbound Nanbu Line platform where the angle is best for afternoon light. Their presence hinted at a possible high value target coming soon. I stayed put where I was, gambling on the sun going down enough to give me neutral light.

First train that showed up was indeed a high value target, something I was trying to catch for almost two years - first generation EF66 leading a train! Not only that, the train was one of my favorites, #4073 carrying marine containers north to Utsunomiya. Score on the first clip!

I continue recording where a Musashino Line Type 205 EMU is heading into the staging tracks. Fuchu Honmachi is the line's southern/counter-clockwise terminus. Nanbu Line train (yellow/orange stripes) shows up on the bad visibility southbound platform to end the first clip. That's the train to take to go to Sitte, or with a transfer, Shin-Tsurumi.

By this time, I was joined by a small group of high schoolers - I could tell by the uniforms they wore. All but one had cameras, some fancier than others. Their arrival meant another potential high value target or an event soon, and second clip shows what that was, two tank trains meeting. The going away train is on the Nanbu Line, so it must have come from the Chuo Line. The routing for the approaching one is unknown (unless I check the JR Freight Timetable if anyone is interested) as the junction is behind me, but Blue Thunder leader meant Chuo Line or much farther north on the Joetsu Line. I continue rolling the camera to document the Musashino Line Type 205 EMUs coming and going.

For people listening closely, you might notice a girl's voice in the second clip. She's expressing amazement at the meet taking place in front of her. She's a cute "girl nextdoor" high schooler, and based on my observation and guess, she was interested in going out with one of the high school railfans standing next to me. She was the only person without a camera on that area of the platform. In Japan, anyway, railfanning is a mainstream activity in contrast to the U.S. where we might be considered a social outcast.

(More EF66 next)

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With the expansion of Japan's highway network (toll roads, no freeways), trucking became a serious competition to freight railroading back in the early 1960s. Government-run JNR countered with higher speed freight cars as well as MU'ing EF65 locomotives to haul ~1000 ton freight trains at 100 km/h (62 mph). However, the current draw of two locomotives presented an infrastructure challenge, so JNR wanted a new locomotive that could haul those ~1000 ton trains at the higher speed, with only one unit.

Sounds familiar? Recall Union Pacific's need for monster power, from the Challenger, Big Boy, Turbines, U50, and DDA40X. In Japan, this need for power led to the EF66. It went into revenue service in 1968 after 2 years of testing with 2 prototypes. EF66s were assigned to express freight and sleeper trains. Rated at ~5200 hp, it was considered the most powerful narrow gauge locomotive at the time.

FYI, highway network was no longer a serious threat to passenger rail, thanks to the Shinkansen.

Japanese railroad historians consider the EF66 to be so significant, that both The Railway Museum in Saitama (Tokyo area) and the Kyoto Railway Museum have preserved samples in their collections. There are other examples on display at various locations in Japan.

While the second generation EF66s are not difficult to catch (but still relatively rare), the first generation EF66s with that classic angular look are much more difficult to catch. When I visited Shin-Tsurumi 2 years ago and saw one parked there, my determination to catch one in action was ignited.

I finally got one by luck at Fuchu-Honmachi, as mentioned above. During the most recent visit to Japan, I detoured to Nishi-Kokubunji in the morning to see if I could catch Train #4072 (marine container train) before I headed to Omiya for a JR maintenance facility open house event. I was joined by 3 seemingly serious railfans, one carrying something big in his backpack. I asked them if they were waiting for the #4072, and they said yes. Just a minute before ETA, the backpack guy took out his monster Canon L lens. A high value target was coming.

Enter the Musashino Line Type 205 EMU for the block! (beginning of the first clip)

I panned immediately to get the rear view of the EF66 and rest of the train. The serious railfans said "bummer" but since they lived nearby, they could afford to give up and fight another day. That was not an option for me. I was going to chase that sucker. And once again, my visit to Omiya was interrupted by revenge railfanning.

I rode the next Musashino Line train, transferred to a Nanbu Line train at Fuchu-Honmachi, transferred to a Yokosuka Line train at Musashi-Kosugi and arrived in Shin-Kawasaki (Shin-Tsurumi). I examined the yard closely, and spotted #4072, EF66 still coupled, waiting for a crew change.

At Shin-Kawasaki, I ran into 2 other railfans, a young guy, and a middle-aged man. I asked them if they were there for the EF66, and they were. The young guy was VERY knowledgeable, and he rattled off the day's special targets (Type 185 and 485 EMUs deadheading on the Musashino Line, one of which I spotted), he knew most of the locomotives on exhibit at the Omiya Facility open house, and he knew about the fly ash train I caught in Nagoya several days before. I wanted to impress him, so I showed my videos of the Super Rail Cargo, and he smiled in approval.

I had a different conversation with the middle-aged man. His knowledge wasn't as extensive, but when he asked me where I came from, I told him I just got blocked by a Type 205 EMU at Nishi-Kokunbunji, and chased the EF66 here.

"Here for revenge, eh?" (and he said revenge, "リベンジ" phonetically)

Ah ha! A person who understands revenge railfanning!

You see those folks in the second clip, taking photos in the foreground as EF66 and the train departs Shin-Tsurumi Signal Point for the Tokyo Freight Terminal. Note how I got the train between the Yokosuka Line E217 EMU and the Shonan-Shinjuku Line E231 EMU. I said a quick goodbye to the 2 railfans, then hopped on the E231 EMU to head directly to Omiya (then I got interrupted by a rail train).

That's all folks.

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Nice videos. When are you coming back to the Cheyenne area. I have more time to show you around the area now that I am pretty much retired.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

So it seems that in Japan there are only 2 kinds of freight trains: unit trains and intermodel, with all mixed freight using containers of various sizes and configurations. Is that correct?

jst3751 Wrote:
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> So it seems that in Japan there are only 2 kinds
> of freight trains: unit trains and intermodel,
> with all mixed freight using containers of various
> sizes and configurations. Is that correct?

That would be too simplifed, but it is correct to say that there are no manifest trains (true mixed freight) in Japan. No hump yards, no switching individual cars on a regular basis. That ended more than 30 years ago (in the mid-1980s), even before government JNR turned into private JR Groups of companies.

Japan's container trains have some variety (12', 31', 20' "domestic", tanktainers, reefers (various sizes), gondola or "open top" boxes, and others) but all of them sit on flat cars designed to carry containers. So that "mix" is all intermodal.

The 40' and 20' international marine boxes ("Umi-con") often go straight to trucks at the seaport, and very few make it onto trains. That's why it's a big deal to catch Trains #4072 and #4073 because those are the only Japanese freight to carry those boxes on a regular basis. Those trains offer one of the better "intermodal mixes" in Japan.

The Annaka-bound ore trains have two types of cars (tank-like cars, and covered gondolas). Then there's Trains #82 and #83 where there are also two types (crude oil and intermodal). Otherwise, non-intermodal trains are basically all unit trains, whether it's crude oil, coal, cement, and rocks. Don't know if rail trains should be categorized as unit trains? Currently, there's only one or two coal trains in Japan.