International Railroad Discussion > Random JR Freight Trains in 2024 (Japan)

I visited Japan several times in 2024, and checked off a few more "railfan missions" off the list. Hope to report on some of those later on. The trains I caught in this report were on a whim, while on my way to/from one of those "railfan missions."

Thanks to the Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line (new extension), which started service in Spring of 2023, I was now able to catch the first Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari Super Express in the morning, Hikari #533 departing Shin-Yokohama at 6:00 am sharp. This train beats every Nozomi train to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka in the morning*, and its final destination is Hiroshima, where it arrives at 9:56 am.

This is one of the most useful Shinkansen train for JR Rail Pass users, and especially for railfanning territories hundreds of miles away from Tokyo to Western Japan. But beware that many Japanese travellers know about #533, too - trying to get a seat reservation, even the day before is difficult. As it makes a stop at Shizuoka at 6:42 am to pick up morning commuters to Nagoya and beyond, non-reserved seats fill up quickly, too.

While Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line is non-JR and JR Rail Pass is not valid, it costs only 360 yen (less than $2.50) to go from Shibuya to Shin-Yokohama, little more than 12 miles in distance. Before the new extension opened, it was difficult to get a one seat or one transfer ride from central Tokyo to Shin-Yokohama to catch the #533, especially with the cumbersome transfer to JR East's Yokohama Line.

Somewhat off topic from the video, but hope people planning to visit Japan in the near future keep this info in mind, especially when you wake up early in your first jet-lagged day in Japan, and wonder what you can do to have a productive day.

* Seasonal extras Nozomi #497 and #97 beat Hikari #533 to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka by 7 minutes, but they ALSO depart from Shin-Yokohama, 3 minutes behind #533. So using the Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line is still required.

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I've reported on JR Freight's #3086 before, the only daytime running freight train through the busiest station in the world, Shinjuku. There are other freight trains that run through Shinjuku, but in the very early morning hours. 2 of the 3 run when Shinjuku station is closed, but #4083 runs through Shinjuku in the 5 am hour when some platforms are accessible to the public. That's the first train in the video, around 5:18 am.

I was on the Narita Express platform (Tracks #5 and #6) which is usually closed at that hour, but I got lucky as a station agent decided to open it early. I suspect footage of #4083 (Nagoya to Hachinohe) from this angle is rare, since people (and railfans) don't get access normally. Anyway, I took a detour to get this clip - I was on my way to Tokyo Station to ride the first Joetsu Shinkansen in the morning for a railfan mission to the Japan Sea side.

I caught #4083 at Shibuya on a different morning, 2nd or 3rd busiest station in the world, depending on when and how the data is sampled - Shibuya and Ikebukuro "compete" for the #2 ranking. Shibuya is in the middle of major redevelopment/makeover, which I touched on briefly in previous reports.

On my first ride of Shinkansen Hikari #533 to Hiroshima in 2023, I stumbled upon #4083 rumbling above me as I was making a transfer to a Tokyu Line train (toward Shin-Yokohama) from JR East's Yamanote Line at Shibuya. That inspired me to nab the #4083 in 2024, which I did here, second clip. The massive "temporary" pillars with cross members in the foreground support the ROW for Tokyo Metro's Ginza Line subway above. I documented them as that will change as redevelopment progresses. FYI, I was there early in the morning to document a Ginza Line train coming out of the nearby yard, and I grabbed this "on my way."

In the 3rd clip, I caught JR Freight #4072 again on my way to another railfan mission to the north. #4072 (Utsunomiya to Tokyo) sometimes carry "ONE" 40' reefer containers to/from the U.S. carrying meat products, so I often detour to catch this train in the morning on my way to somewhere else, 7 am hour. This clip will have nostalgic value, as the locomotive pulling the train, boxcab-ish EF65 is being retired now. JR Freight has changed the locomotive type assigned to #4072 from EF65 to more modern EF210.

My brother joined me in Japan in late spring 2024. I snuck in some JR Freight foaming while we explored the Toyama area separately. Thanks to real PSR (trains running on precise schedules), we were able to travel together on the Shinkansen, then go our own ways in between, then meet up again before taking the Shinkansen to the next area - no need to argue.

I was going to return to Toyama before he was, so I was assigned bento-buying duties for both us, and I got the famous Masuno-sushi (similar to salmon) and Yaki-saba (grilled mackerel), then headed up the platform to catch #4060, Sapporo to Osaka freight pulled by EF510 locomotive, 4th clip. There's an Ainokaze-Toyama Railway DMU set departing while #4060 rumbles by.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/25 00:50 by cchan006.

One of the better ways to make a railfan trip from Tokyo to Western Japan is to use the Sunrise Limited Express sleeper trains between Tokyo and Okayama. Reservations can be difficult, as the trains are often sold out in both directions. And while the sleep-on-the-floor open compartment has no additional cost for JR Rail Pass users, more comfortable single rooms (with bed, blanket, pillow, and privacy) cost additional berth and limited express fees.

I caught JR Freight #66 at Okayama 5th clip, while waiting to ride the Sunrise Limited Express back to Tokyo. This clip is unusual in at least 2 ways. In the background is either a Class 113 or 115 EMU departing east right before #66 shows up. Class 113/115, dating back to the 1970s will be retired soon, as they are gone from Tokyo Metropolitan area already.

Normally, #66 (Higashi-Fukuyama to Tokyo) stops at Okyama Station to wait for a signal, but I got lucky and the train ran through at track speed with a green indication already.

6th and last clip is along JR East's Nanbu Line, in Tokyo's western suburbs near Tachikawa. This location is well-known to railfans. I was returning to Tokyo "early" (daylight left) from another railfan mission, and decided to scout this location, which requires some walking through a maze of streets. The tank train should be #84, Hachioji to Negishi (near Yokohama) pulled by EF210 locomotive carrying empties. I plan to use this location again in the future for another report focusing on another locomotive type.

Apologies for the wordy report, but for those interested in Japanese railroading, there's plenty of foreshadowing for reports I'm readying, and future railfan missions on my list.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/25 00:48 by cchan006.