A picture book modeled on the railways of the Tohoku region, “Shuppattsu Shinko!” Let's follow the itinerary of

A picture book by Tadayoshi Yamamoto, published by Fukuinkan . I think many people have had the experience of reading ``

For me, this is one of my favorite picture books as a child, and now I sometimes read it aloud to my own children.

This time, I will explain the train journey depicted in this picture book, which is said to be set in the Tohoku region.

Shuppatsu Shinkou!

“Shuppatsu Shinkou! The plot is that ``Okaasan'' and ``Miyo-chan'' go from ``Okina-eki'' to ``Chiisai-eki'' to meet ``Old Man'' by taking three trains: a limited express train, an express train, and a local train. I am.

Although the text does not say anything about specifically where in Japan the two of them are traveling, we can make some inferences from the pictures.

In addition, before creating this picture book, the author rode a train with the editorial department in the Tohoku region to conduct interviews.
The content of the picture book is based on this interview, so I will explain it step by step.

Tokkyuresha Shuppatsu Shinko!

The first sentence of the picture book goes like this.

Mom and Miyo
climbed into the train from the big station.

is thought to be Sendai Station , the largest station in the Tohoku region

Hatsukari train, as clearly depicted in the picture .

``Hatsukari'' is a limited express train that connected Ueno Station and Aomori Station.

The vehicle depicted is the 485 series, a limited express train representative of Japan National Railways (predecessor of current JR). I have explained about the limited express Hatsukari in a separate article, so be sure to check that out as well.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

Related article

[Tohoku] The trajectory of the Tohoku region’s first limited express train “Hatsukari”

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/28372

When people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area use public transportation to visit the Tohoku region, they often use Shinkansen trains such as the Tohoku Shinkansen. However, the Tohoku Shinkansen opened in 1982, about 40 years ago. In earlier times, what did people ride to the Tohoku region? One option is Hatsukari, the first limited express train to run in the Tohoku region. Introducing the first limited express train in the Tohoku region In the pre-war and immediately post-war eras, the limited express trains of Japan National Railways (predecessor of today's JR) were truly special trains, as their official name "special express trains" suggests, capable of traveling long distances. The main character is the express line...

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There is a notice on the station platform that reads "12:50 bound for Aomori."

the "Hatsukari No. 3" bound for Aomori is scheduled to depart from Sendai Station at 12:50 It can be said that "Hatsukari No. 3" is confirmed.

The Tokkyuuresha
rapidly increases its speed.

On the next page, you can see a green train running towards the back of the 12-car train, Hatsukari.

This is definitely the 200 series train that was used when the Tohoku Shinkansen line opened

"Shuppattsu Shinkou!" was first published in August 1982.

Two months earlier, in June, the Tohoku Shinkansen had been ``tentatively opened'' between Omiya Station and Morioka Station. The author went to interview the previous year, and the Tohoku Shinkansen train on this page is probably a depiction of a test run

In November 1982, the Tohoku Shinkansen will be in full operation. After the full-scale opening, the service of the limited express Hatsukari between Ueno Station and Morioka Station will be canceled, and service will be changed to between Morioka Station and Aomori Station.

In other words, the time when "Hatsukari" and the Tohoku Shinkansen were seen running side by side, as in this picture book, was a short period from the start of the test run of the Tohoku Shinkansen until its full-scale opening in November 1982. Masu.

We pass each other on the top of the train

The red train that passed Hatsukari on the railway bridge is an ED75 electric locomotive. This vehicle was used to tow passenger cars for passengers and freight cars for transporting cargo in the Tohoku and Joban areas, Hokkaido, and Kyushu.

The pictures in this picture book do not show the rear of the electric locomotive, so it is unclear what kind of train it is pulling or whether the locomotive is running alone.

A town came into view at the foot of the mountain.

The express train eventually arrives at the town at the foot of the mountain. This is thought to be the city of Morioka

The distance from Sendai Station to Morioka Station is 183.5 km, and according to the timetable at the time, Hatsukari No. 3 arrived at Morioka Station at 2:54 p.m., so the journey time from Sendai Station was 2 hours and 4 minutes.

It's a bit of a long journey for the child, Miyo-chan. However, their journey continues.

Kyukouresha Shuppatsu Shinkou!

When the mother and Miyo arrived at the foot of the mountain,
they climbed down from the tokkyuresha and
changed to the tokyuuresha.

When the two arrive at a station at the foot of the mountain, believed to be Morioka Station, they get off the express train and transfer to an express train

The platform where the express train is stopped and where the track is a dead end is thought to be the current Platform 0 of Morioka Station, the platform where Iwate Galaxy Tetsudo Line trains and JR Hanawa Line trains arrive and depart. .

Based on the description on a later page, it is assumed that the express train the two of them are boarding is
a Yamada Line express train bound for Miyako The vehicle is a Kiha 58 type diesel car, which was familiar from the express trains of the Japanese National Railways era (it runs on diesel fuel, and is not a train).

By the way, what is the name of this express train? The only information that can be gleaned from the picture is that this train is an express train and that it has a four-car train. According to the timetable at the time, the express train running from Morioka Station on the Yamada Line towards Miyako Station was

• 8:58 departure Sotoyama (departing from Morioka, via Miyako - Kamaishi - Hanamaki, bound for Morioka)
• 12:34 departure Yoneshiro 2 (from Akita, via Hanawa Line, bound for Miyako)
• 17:15 departure Rias (from Morioka, via Miyako, bound for Kamaishi)

Three trains were in operation.

Since the express train in the picture stops at a dead-end platform, it is thought to be an express train starting from Morioka Station. "Yoneshiro 2" coming from Akita Station is excluded from the list.

the ``Rias'' train that departs at 5:15 p.m. , even during the summer solstice, the sun sets while the train is running, and you will not be able to make it in time for the last local train that will appear later. , does not match the description in the picture book.

So, if you ask me if "Sotoyama" the limited express Hatsukari No. 3 will arrive at Morioka Station at 2:54 p.m. "Sotoyama" which leaves Morioka Station at 8:58 also "Yoneshiro 2" which leaves at 12:34 This would be the same even if the first limited express train in the morning Hatsukari No. 1 (arriving at Morioka at 1:57 p.m.).

In other words, it is impossible to transfer between Hatsukari and the Yamada Line express train and arrive at your destination, Chiisai-eki, on the same day How should we interpret this?

In fact, the author says, ``This picture book is about an imaginary journey of a train running through the scenery and time that I imagined during I assume that the author was also aware that the journey described in this picture book would be impossible.

The dragonfly landed on the edge of the mountain.
This time he changes to normal position.

The model station in the mountains for transferring from express trains to local trains is thought to be Moichi Station

However, there are some things that have changed from the picture book, such as track number 1, where local trains stop, is gone, and the overpass that used to span the tracks has been dismantled. Also, although the picture clearly depicts multiple station staff, as of April 2018, the station has become unmanned with no station staff present all day.

Also, the fact that freight cars used to transport cargo are parked at local line stations like this also gives a sense of the times.

In November 1982, shortly after this picture book was published, freight handling at Shigeichi Station ended, and in November 1986, freight trains running on the Yamada Line were discontinued.

The journey from Morioka Station to Shigeichi Station is 87.0km, and takes about 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours by express train. It was another long journey for the children.

Futsuuressha Shuppatsu Shinkou!

was modeled after the Iwaizumi , which has already been discontinued

The Iwaizumi Line was a 38.4km line that started at Shigeichi Station and ended at Iwaizumi Station in Iwaizumi Town.

The number of users of the Iwaizumi Line has been small for a long time, and there have been many discussions about abolishing the line, but this was avoided because the roads were not in place to accommodate replacement buses. However, although it was saved from being abolished, the number of users continued to decline, and by the 2000s, it had become the most heavily used route in Japan.

was discontinued on April 1, 2014 without a single train running

The local train in the picture book is depicted as a two-car train of the Kiha 52 type diesel car (which is also not a train). The number of passengers depicted also appears to be fewer than on the two trains I have ridden so far.

Was the Iwaizumi Line used like this at the time?

At the time the picture book was published, there were only five round trips a day on the Iwaizumi Line (just before the line was discontinued, there were three round trips a day). Additionally, the train leaving Shigeichi Station at 18:10 is the last train bound for Iwaizumi.

As mentioned in the topic of express trains, the express train "Rias" that arrives at Shigeichi Station at 7:16 p.m. will miss the last train on the Iwaizumi Line, and the sun has already set.

After all, it seems that the journey in this picture book should be considered fictitious.

I arrived at Chisai Eki in Yama no Oku.

Mom and Miyo finally arrived at the small station that was the destination of their journey.

is Asanai , which was two stations before Iwaizumi Station, the last stop on the Iwaizumi Line It was a 31.0 km journey from Shigeichi Station, and the journey time was about 40 to 50 minutes.

The author said that he got off at this station based on ``hunch from the editorial department,'' but he commented that ``it was the perfect station to use as the final stop for a picture book.''

In the picture, the local train driver and station staff are handing over a tablet which is believed to be necessary to ensure the safety of train operations. The rule is that only trains that have this are allowed to run to the next station, which prevents collisions between trains. Asanai Station also became an unmanned station in 1986.

On the last page of the picture book, where the mother and Miyo meet their grandfather and friends, the station clock shows the time 6:07. Since it is impossible for it to be 6 a.m., it is considered to be 6:07 p.m.

However, according to the timetable at the time, there were no trains that arrived at Asanai Station around 6pm, so it seems safe to assume that this is a completely fictitious time setting.

We left the big station at 12:50, so it took us over 5 hours to get to the small station. The total time required in real life for the three trains I have ridden so far is approximately 5 hours, so the clock on the last page may have been set to such a time.

The Asanai Station building still remains today, even though the Iwaizumi Line has been discontinued. The bus that replaces the discontinued Iwaizumi Line (Iwaizumi Shigeruichi Line) passes through the nearby bus stop about three times a day, so it is possible to visit by public transportation.

Information

• Name Asanai Station Station Building
• Location: Asanai Kamitotsubo, Iwaizumi-cho, Shimohei-gun, Iwate Prefecture

Google MAP

Was it possible to travel from Sendai Station to Asanai Station during the day?

Again, as depicted in the picture book,

Limited express “Hatsukari” → Yamada Line express train → Iwaizumi Line local train

In reality, it would be impossible to transfer from Sendai Station to Asanai Station in one day.

So how could we move within one day? To do so, you will need to change the train you are boarding, either the limited express Hatsukari or the Yamada Line express train.

For example, if you take Hatsukari No. 3, which departs from Sendai Station at 12:50, and arrive at Morioka Station at 14:54, then transfer to the local train bound for Kamaishi that departs from Morioka at 14:58, the train will arrive at 17:17. Arrive at Shigeichi Station. If you then transfer to the last train on the Iwaizumi Line that leaves Shigeichi Station at 18:10, you will arrive at Asanai Station at 18:58.

Alternatively, if you take the Kurikoma 3 express train bound for Aomori, which departs from Sendai Station at exactly 10:00, you will arrive at Morioka Station at 12:28.
Then, the express train "Yoneshiro 2" departing from Morioka Station at 12:34 will arrive at Shigeichi Station at 14:25, and if you transfer to the local train on the Iwaizumi Line departing at 15:08, you will arrive at 15:00. It will arrive at Asanai Station in 56 minutes.

Would this be a realistic itinerary?

Regardless of the itinerary, it will be quite a long journey from Sendai Station to Asanai Station, covering 301.5km and taking about 6 hours I admire Miyo-chan and her mother for somehow surviving this long journey.

summary

The train journey depicted in ` `Shuppattsu Shinko!''

However, the pictures drawn based on interviews with the author are realistic and lack sweetness. If you ever get a chance to pick up this picture book in the future, please pay attention not only to the story but also to the details of the pictures.

Since this is the last part, I would like to make a side note.
``Departure progress'' is a word uttered by the train driver to confirm that the ``departure signal'' indicates that the train is proceeding, that is , the ``departure signal'' indicating whether or not the train can depart is green.

It is by no means a word that expresses something like "Let's go!" with enthusiasm. I hope you will remember this as trivia.