The preserved train retires

Japanese National Railways KiHa 58 series was once the most numerous diesel train in Japanese history, as 1,823 carriages were delivered in 1961-69. There were also two more series derived from the KiHa 58 series: KiHa 56 series for Hokkaido and KiHa 57 series for Usui Pass on Shin'etsu Main Line. The total number of "KiHa 58 series family" was 2,117 carriages in total, accounting for 30% of the entire diesel trains in the country.

JR group had used them even after the privatisation of JNR in 1987, but the number dramatically dropped in the 1990s and 2000s. HERE for more information about the series. The series was withdrawn from all regular JR services in 2011, but Isumi Railway in Chiba Prefecture bought one and they has used it at weekends. However, its demise is now imminent.

The only operational carriage is KiHa 28 2346 (hereinafter referred to as "the carriage"), which worked as the last regular service of the series on Takayama Main Line in western Japan. The carriage, which was originally KiHa 28 346, was built in 1964. It had mostly been used in San'in region, but it was temporarily allocated to Chiba Prefecture in July 1964 as there were significant number of tourists going to beaches during summer holidays. Though the carriage was returned to Yonago Depot in Tottori Prefecture, it did run in Chiba and possibly in Tokyo.

In 2012, a year after the retirement, the then-president of Isumi Railway, Akira Torizuka, decided to reintroduce the carriage to mainline. Isumi Railway is a rural line in Chiba Prefecture, and it has been on the verge of permanent closure. Torizuka considered that the carriage will attract railway enthusiasts with cameras, just like what he did when he was young. Then, the carriage became the de facto preserved train.

The carriage mostly ran at weekends and holidays together with another de facto preserved train, KiHa 52 125. Were they profitable? Obviously not, as maintaining these old trains cost considerably. Was the (re)introduction of those diesel trains successful? To some extent, yes. Torizuka has been reiterating that rural lines can bring tourists to the area so that local economy might benefit from the railway. Even if railway enthusiasts visit the towns and villages by car, they surely go to restaurants and convenience stores to have lunch, and perhaps also petrol stations. Some of them might visit small shops that deal in local food, sake and other souvenirs. Torizuka realised that it is more appropriate to consider the overall benefit of the railway in the area, rather than just focusing on an income statement.

However, such business is durable only when local residents agree with the policy and cooperate with all parties concerned, as Torizuka acknowledges. If local governments of Otaki Town and other nearby cities/towns and local residents thereof had opposed Torizuka's ambitious plan, no preserved train would have ran, and even Isumi Railway itself would have been closed. It could have happened just like local residents and politicians in Samani Town, who opposed reopening Hidaka Main Line and preferred road transport, as this blog mentioned before.

KiHa 28 2346 entered service in 2013. Since the carriage is not double-ended, it always runs with another old train, KiHa 52 125. The preserved trains usually run on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays as "Express" services. The carriage has been the only operational KiHa 58 series train except very few "Joyful Train" units (which were dramatically refurbished as if a different train). As Torizuka said, preserved trains often break down even with great efforts of maintenance staff. He repeatedly warned railway enthusiasts that these trains would not run forever, and might suddenly retire. Fortunately, both preserved trains remained on mainline longer than he anticipated.

In May 2022, Isumi Railway announced that KiHa 28 2346 would be withdrawn from weekend services in November. According to the company, this was due to a tremendous cost that is essential to keep the carriage running, and technical difficulties to maintain engines and generators.

It is rumoured that Torizuka's successor is not interested in attracting railway enthusiasts and the idea that they contribute to local economy so that the incumbent president decided to simply stop using such shabby trains. Whatever the true reason is, the company apparently concluded that it could not afford it. The last "Express" service by KiHa 28 2346 will run on Sunday 27 November 2022, and it will be used for a few rail tours until February 2023. The other preserved train, KiHa 52 125, is also likely to retire in the near future.

Not a few railway enthusiasts tend to think that preserved trains are preserved forever, but it is simply not true. Owners might change their mind just like this present case. Changes to safety rules and upgrading signalling systems could affect them, like old tube trains in central London (1938 stock and steam trains). What we should hope now is that KiHa 28 2346 will be statically displayed somewhere, not be demolished.

The Queen and Trains in Japan

The demise of the Queen Elizabeth II was a shock in Japan as well, as TVs and newspapers organised special report about her devotion to duties that lasted for more than 70 years. Since the Imperial Family has had a special relationship with the Royal Family since 1869 (with an interruption caused by the Second World War), not a few Japanese people know her and interested in the Royal Family.

Her Majesty has been to Japan in 1975 with Duke of Edinburgh, and she was the very first British monarch to visit the country. During her six-day visit, she got on some trains including Shinkansen high-speed train.

On 10th May, when the Queen was supposed to go from Tokyo to Osaka, then-Transport Minister deeply apologised that she could not use a bullet train due to industrial action, and she had to be on an aeroplane instead. The Queen reportedly said with a smile that she was used to strikes so that there was no need to worry.

Two days later, she could get on a bullet train from Nagoya to Tokyo. The Queen expected that the journey would be as punctual as a clock. With profound regret, the train left Nagoya station with a two-minute delay due to heavy rain, but a well-experienced driver successfully made it. The train arrived at Tokyo station on time. JR Central later quoted her phrase in its advertisement in 1994, "as punctual as a a clock".

She enjoyed the journey on Shinkansen, the then fastest train in the world. NHK uploaded a video taken at that time. A year later, British Rail launched High Speed Train, whose maximum speed was almost equivalent to the Shinkansen.

近鉄特急に乗車したエリザベス女王　運転士への心こもった贈り物とは https://t.co/5KXvgpjmQo

英国のエリザベス女王は、1975年に初めて来日した際、近鉄特急を利用しました。当時の記録によると、運転士らへのこまやかな心遣いがうかがえます。 運転士への贈り物とは何だったのでしょうか。 pic.twitter.com/wviueOB3gt

— 朝日新聞デジタル (@asahicom) September 9, 2022

On 11th and 12th May, she also used Kintetsu to visit Ise Grand Shrine, the holiest and the most important religious site in Japan. The train was Kintetsu 12200 series New Snack Car, which was the newest rolling stock at that time. The Queen gave drivers a "decent present" with words of gratitude.

The 12200 series was operational until 2021. The carriage which the Queen and Prince Philip boarded still remains on the mainline, and it was converted to a sightseeing train Aoniyoshi and re-entered service in 2022. Though the company has not used her name for advertisement, a few local newspapers reported about it earlier this year.

The Queen visited Japan only once, but as a Japanese citizen, I hope that she and her husband enjoyed our country. There are mixed views about the Royal Family, but whatsoever the opinion is, her devotion to duties for over 70 years, which no one could discharge instead of her, should not be underestimated.

Rest in peace, your Majesty.

The end of "trains with so many doors" in Japan

Sanjo (Keihan), 26 Oct 2020

On Saturday 4th September, the last unit of Keihan 5000 series on mainline was taken out of regular service, more than 50 years after the introduction. Keihan initially planned to withdraw it in June, but deferred for three months. The series had been well known for having five sets of door per carriage, while most commuter trains in Japan have three or four.

In the late-1960s, Keihan had been struggling to deal with delays triggered by extreme congestion. Since it was not possible for the company to run more services or make existing trains longer, it decided to introduce trains with more doors. The 5000 series contributed to smooth boarding and alighting, minimising delays and thus easing congestion.

The most unique feature of the 5000 series was the seating. Second and fourth doors were used only during peak hours, and at off-peak hours the train was used as if an ordinary three-door train. As the video shows, seating could be stored when all doors were in use. To avoid troubles and accidents, the seats were stored or extracted when no passenger is on board.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started when the Keihan 5000 series was introduced. In the 1990s, railway companies in Tokyo followed Keihan. However, those in the capital did not adopt all ambitious features: only one or a few carriages per unit had five or six sets of doors, and there was no machine that stores or extracts additional seating.

Satte - Sugito-takanodai, 15 Oct 2016

In 1990, Teito Rapid Transit Authority (now Tokyo Metro) introduced 03 series with five sets of door. Tobu Railway later introduced a similar type of commuter train (20000 series). However, they were said to be infamous for being too cold in winter, as there were simply too many doors.

Keio introduced 6000 series with five sets of door as well, which was not successful.

Yokohama, 4 Feb 2014

In 1991, JR East introduced intermediate carriages of 205 series that have six sets of door. They were inserted to existing units on Yamanote Line, and later on Saikyo and Yokohama Lines. In addition, many 209 and E231 series units had six-door carriage as well from the very beginning.

Takadanobaba, 3 Feb 2014

In Tokyo, five or six-door carriages were usually inserted to the most crowded part of the unit. In other words, companies took account of location of staircases and ticket gates at major stations. The above photo is the 205 series on Saikyo Line, the second and third coaches of which are six-door carriages.

Unsurprisingly, not a few passengers disliked them because there were fewer seating than ordinary carriages. Some described it a de facto parcel train delivering workers to the office.

Tokyo, 1 Jul 2010

Those five and six-door carriages rapidly dwindled in the 2010s. The biggest reason for the decline was platform edge doors. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been encouraging railway companies to install platform edge doors, to prevent accidents and make platforms safer especially for disabled people, but those five and six-door carriages did not fit the safety measure.

Moreover, since trains in these days are less crowded than before, thanks to railway companies' great efforts to ease congestion, such carriages with so many doors were no longer in need. Some foreigners claim that the population decline is the main cause, but it is not true, as it is still a gradual change and not applicable to major cities like Tokyo.

Obukuro - Kita-koshigaya, 29 Apr 2016

The newest one among them was Tokyu 5000 series, with three out of ten carriages per unit (the third, sixth and seventh coaches) had six sets of door. They were introduced in 2005-10 to Den-en-toshi Line, one of the most crowded line in the country. Even so, Tokyu replaced all of them with four-door coaches by 2017, in advance of installing platform edge doors. Some of them were demolished less than six years after being built.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started and ended with the Keihan 5000 series. Those trains were not necessarily great, as there were often fewer seats, but surely worth noting. They are now all gone, but it does not mean the decline of Japanese railway, as the withdrawals are aimed for better, safer rail transport in the 21st century.