The legendary Rikuchu express train and its complicated operation [Iwate Prefecture]

There are hardly any
"trains that run on strange routes" on Japan's railways today For example, among trains that run in the Tohoku region, the rapid "Rias" that runs on the Yamada Line in Iwate Prefecture has a simple route between Morioka Station and Miyako Station, and its operating section is limited to the Yamada Line.
There is nothing particularly strange about it.

However, during the time of Japan National Railways, the predecessor of JR, trains with complex routes operated all over the country.
The express "Rikuchu" that we will introduce today is a representative example of such trains .

---

The first "Rikuchu" line connected Ueno Station with Morioka Station and Miyako Station

The express "Rikuchu" train first appeared in 1961. It was a train that ran between
Ueno Station and Hanamaki Station, with a carriage heading from Ueno Station in Tokyo via the Joban Line to Morioka Station, and a carriage that traveled from Hanamaki Station in Iwate Prefecture onto the Kamaishi Line toward the Pacific Ocean, and then from Kamaishi Station onto the Yamada Line* to Miyako Station.
Currently, the Tohoku Shinkansen's "Hayabusa" and the Akita Shinkansen's "Komachi" run coupled together between Tokyo Station and Morioka Station, and this train ran in a similar fashion.

*The section between Kamaishi Station and Miyako Station has now been transferred to Sanriku Railway, but until 2019 it was part of the Yamada Line of the Japanese National Railways and JR

The journey time between Ueno Station and Morioka Station was approximately 8 hours, and between Ueno Station and Miyako Station (the train was downgraded from express to semi-express between Hanamaki Station and Miyako Station) it was approximately 11 hours. The
current journey time between Ueno Station and Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen is just over 2 hours, so this time seems like a completely different era.

With the timetable revision in October 1966, just five years after its introduction, the "Rikuchu" service departing and arriving at Ueno Station ceased operation.
The name "Rikuchu" was then given to a train that could be considered a completely different thing.
For this reason, in this article, we will refer to the "Rikuchu" up until September 1966 as the first generation, and the "Rikuchu" from October onwards as the second generation, to distinguish between the two.

---

The second generation "Rikuchu" began operating on a circuitous route

The second generation "Rikuchu" a train that ran between Sendai Station and Akita Station, passing through Miyako Station and other stations .
Just like the first generation "Rikuchu," it traveled from Sendai Station to Hanamaki Station, Kamaishi Station, and Miyako Station.
To get from Miyako Station to Akita Station, the train first traveled on the Yamada Line to Morioka Station, then traveled north on the Tohoku Main Line (now the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line), and entered the Hanawa Line at Komagatake Station.
After traveling on the Hanawa Line to Odate Station in Akita Prefecture, it continued on the Ou Main Line to Akita Station.

This second-generation "Rikuchu" took
a very long detour between Sendai Station and Morioka Station, and between Morioka Station and Akita Station It took about 13.5 to 14 hours to ride the entire distance from Sendai Station to Akita Station.
In comparison, the express "Kitakami" that ran between Sendai Station and Aomori Station via the Kitakami Line took about 4.5 hours between Sendai Station and Akita Station.
Therefore, with the exception of railway enthusiasts whose only purpose was to ride the train, there were probably very few people who rode the entire distance of the "Rikuchu.

---

The second-generation "Rikuchu" was complicated to connect and disconnect

The second generation "Rikuchu" was not only complicated and strange in its route.
There were many trains that were coupled to and detached from the "Rikuchu" along the way.

This story is based on the timetable for a train from Sendai to Akita in October 1968.
When the train departs Sendai Station, it is coupled
Kurikoma 1 bound Murone 1 bound for Sakari Traveling north on the Tohoku Main Line, Murone 1 is detached at Ichinoseki Station in Iwate Prefecture, entering the Ofunato Line and heading to Sakari Station (*).
the Sakari , departing Sakari and bound for Aomori on the Ofunato Line, is coupled to the Kurikoma 1 and Rikuchu trains.
Continuing north on the Tohoku Main Line, the Rikuchu train separates from the Kurikoma 1 and Sakari trains at Hanamaki Station and enters the Kamaishi Line.
Incidentally, the Kurikoma 1 and Sakari trains are coupled to the Hayachine 1 bound for Morioka, departing Kamaishi, in place of the Rikuchu train.

*The Ofunato Line currently runs between Ichinoseki Station and Kesennuma Station, but at the time it extended all the way to Mori Station

The Rikuchu runs on the Kamaishi Line and Yamada Line, and at Morioka Station is coupled with
Michinoku , which departs from Ueno and heads for Hirosaki. The Michinoku travels all the way from Ueno Station down the Joban Line and Tohoku Main Line, but departs Ueno Station at 7:45 in the morning.
The Rikuchu departs Sendai Station at 7:40, meaning the Michinoku departed Ueno Station five minutes later. The Michinoku
arrives at Morioka Station at 4:12 p.m., and the Rikuchu arrives eight minutes later.
In other words , it takes the Rikuchu longer to travel from Sendai Station to Morioka Station than it does the Michinoku to travel from Ueno Station to Morioka Station .

The Michinoku and Rikuchu trains run via the Hanawa Line to Odate Station in Akita Prefecture, where they are separated and the Michinoku heads to Hirosaki Station in Aomori Prefecture.
is coupled with Mutsu train which departs from Aomori and heads to Akita,

So, there are five trains coupled to the "Rikuchu" and although I won't introduce them all, there are other trains coupled to it besides the "Rikuchu" .
I'm impressed that they were able to make such a complex operation possible.

---

"Rikuchu" returns to Miyako

It is unclear whether the route, which involved many circuitous routes, was deemed wasteful, or whether the coupling and uncoupling operations were too complicated to maintain punctual operation, but in a timetable revision in March 1972, just five and a half years after its introduction, the second-generation "Rikuchu" train 's operating area was shortened to between Sendai Station and Miyako Station .
Miyako Station was once again the starting and ending point for the train.

Ten years later, in 1982, the Tohoku Shinkansen opened, and in a November timetable revision, the service was shortened to between Kitakami Station and Miyako Station, and the train now only runs within Iwate Prefecture. There
was no longer anything to couple or uncouple the train from.

In March 1985, the was changed
to run between Morioka Station and Miyako Station As before, the train did not take the shortest route between Morioka Station and Miyako Station, but instead took a longer route via Hanamaki Station and Kamaishi Station .

In 1987, the Japanese National Railways was dissolved and the Tohoku region lines were taken over by JR East.
In 1990, the Kiha 58 series diesel railcars that had been in use since the JNR era were replaced by the new Kiha 110 series diesel railcars.
This is one of the few cases where railcars introduced after the launch of JR were used on JR express trains.

As an aside, these diesel railcars are vehicles that run on diesel engines fueled by diesel oil, not electric trains.
In November 1990, an unusual incident occurred when the "Rikuchu No. 3" train from Morioka to Kamaishi ran out of fuel and was unable to move (a.k.a. ran out of gas) .

---

Downgraded to rapid "Hamayuri" and discontinued

Unlike rapid trains, express trains on the JNR and JR lines required an express fare, but were slower and less comfortable than limited express trains, making them an incomplete existence. As a result, they were gradually phased out from the end of the JNR era to the beginning of the JR era.
The Rikuchu was no exception.
In the 2000s, the express Rikuchu was downgraded to the rapid Hamayuri.
with the timetable revision in December 2002, and the Rikuchu disappeared .

As of March 2024, the downgraded Hamayuri is a straightforward train, with all trains connecting Morioka Station and Kamaishi Station via the Tohoku Main Line and Kamaishi Line.
Previously, there was only one Hamayuri per day that followed the Rikuchu route, departing from Miyako and passing through Kamaishi to Morioka (there was no train from Morioka to Miyako). However, after the Yamada Line was damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, trains departing from and arriving at Miyako Station ceased
(note that the damaged Yamada Line section between Miyako Station and Kamaishi Station was transferred from JR East to Sanriku Railway in 2019).
There are no trains that run alongside it.
It's hard to imagine that this train is the successor to the once-complex, bizarre second-generation Rikuchu.

---

summary

The second-generation express "Rikuchu" took a detour around the Tohoku region, repeatedly meeting and parting with various express trains, a train operation that would be hard to imagine today .
Because of its complex and bizarre history, it is still spoken of as a legend among railway enthusiasts. I
hope that you have felt that you have been able to get a glimpse of the fascinating history of railways in the Tohoku region.

---