Limited Express/Express trains that run only under the overhead line despite a diesel car (Joban Line edition)

This time, we will introduce
trains that operated by diesel vehicles (diesel vehicles) from the express trains and express trains that ran on the Joban Line, even though the entire section from the first to the final stop is electrified Furthermore, there are many cases where diesel cars have been introduced into special trains (※), and it is difficult to investigate all the details, so we will only introduce regular trains.

*The special train operated to transport spectators at the 1985 Tsukuba Science Expo is a great example.

for information on what "dietic cars" and "electrification" are, as we have explained in Tohoku Main Line Edition

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Limited Express/Express trains that run only under the overhead line despite a diesel car (Tohoku Main Line edition)

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/42115

In Japan, vehicles that run on tracks are often called "trains," but many "diesel vehicles" run using diesel fuel are also operated, mainly on local local lines in the countryside. Diesel cars can run on non-electrified routes without equipment for trains (such as overhead lines that are stretched above), but of course, they can run on electrified routes without any problems. Diesel trains operating directly on non-electrified and electrified routes exist all over the country. Some trains operate by diesel rather than by train, even though all sections from the first and last stops are electrified. Not only that...

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Joban Line

The Joban Line is a route that connects from Nippori Station in Tokyo to Iwanuma Station in Miyagi Prefecture via stations such as Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Iwaki (until 1994), Haranomachi, and Soma in Fukushima Prefecture.
However, there are generally no trains that start or end at Nippori Station or Iwanuma Station.
Trains on the Joban Line run directly from Ueno Station and Shinagawa Station on the Tokyo side (spinning to Shinagawa Station began in March 2015), and from the Miyagi Prefecture side, they run directly from the Tohoku Main Line to Sendai Station.
Previously, there were trains that operated beyond Sendai Station to Morioka and Aomori.

In this article, we will generally treat the Ueno Station and Nippori Station and the Iwanuma Station and Sendai Station as the Joban Line.

The Joban Line was electrified south of Toride Station (Ibaraki Prefecture) by June 1949.
It was electrified to Katsuta Station in June 1961 and Takahagi Station in October 1962.
In May 1963, the area was electrified to Hira Station, reaching the Tohoku region.
Since then, electrified to Kusano Station in September 1963, and electrified to its final stop, Iwanuma Station, was completed in August 1967.

As of August 1967, the Tohoku Main Line had been electrified to Morioka Station, so trains can now operate via either the Tohoku Main Line or the Joban Line to Morioka Station.
In August 1968, electrification was completed to Aomori Station, the final destination of the Tohoku Main Line.

Express "Tokiwa" (die-cars operated as express trains are Ueno Station to Mito Station, Hira Station, and Haranomachi Station)

" Tokiwa " was set up as a rapid train between Ueno Station and Mito Station in 1955.
a semi-express train in 1958 , and the operating section has been extended to Taira (now Iwaki) Station.

Electrification of the Joban Line began to advance to Hira Station in 1963, and most of the Tokiwa trains were changed to train service.

However, since the two round trips of the day, Tokiwa remained a diesel train, a diesel semi-express train that runs only under the overhead line, from Ueno Station to Mito Station, or Ueno Station to Hira Station, was born .
The 211.6km from Ueno Station to Hira Station took about 3 hours and 10 minutes by train, and 3 hours and 20 minutes by diesel vehicle.
It's not that big compared to the Tokiwa train, so it could be said that it was faster for a diesel train.

The reason why only some "Tokiwa" operated with diesel vehicles that they operate in conjunction with diesel trains .
The connection between diesel cars and trains is not carried out with a few exceptions.

In the case of "Tokiwa", it was operated connected between Ueno Station and Mito Station with "Okukuji" and "Kujigawa", which run on the non-electrified route called the Mizugun Line from Mito Station.
As for the Tokiwa, which operates in conjunction with diesel vehicles, even though it is a train that runs on the electrified Joban Line, it was necessary to operate it by diesel vehicles.
In addition, "Kujigawa" was renamed and merged to "Okukuji" in October 1968.

In March 1966, Tokiwa an express train .
Looking at the timetable for October 1967, you can see that one round trip of the Tokiwa service, which was operated by diesel car, was operated from Soma Station on the descent (but the distance between Haranomachi Station and Soma Station is treated as a local train) and from Haranomachi Station on the uphill.
Therefore, the longest section where Tokiwa operated under the overhead line "by a diesel vehicle, as an express train" is
between Ueno Station and Haranomachi Station However, the Tokiwa, which runs to Haranomachi Station, has been replaced by train service, according to the timetable for October 1968.

In October 1978, another Joban Line express train, "Soma," was integrated into "Tokiwa."
As a result, there were also down trains that run from Mito Station to Sendai Station, and up trains that run from Sendai Station to Ueno Station (all of which operate by train).
Although the Tokiwa Express was active for a long time, it was abolished in March 1985, with the timetable revision being upgraded to the Hitachi Express.
The diesel express "Okukuji", which was connected to the diesel vehicle "Tokiwa", has also been abolished at the same time.

The former Tokiwa Express was abolished, but since 2015, a train called Tokiwa has been running as a limited express train on the Joban Line.
As of March 2025, there are 18 round trips per day.

However, the current sections for Tokiwa operate from Shinagawa Station or Ueno Station to stations in Ibaraki Prefecture such as Tsuchiura, Katsuta and Takahagi.
"Tokiwa" comes from the name "Joban, Tokiwa," taken one letter from the old country names Iwaki the trains do not go all the way to Fukushima Prefecture , making it a bit strange.
In addition, the former rapid, semi-express, and express trains, Tokiwa, have similar comments about trains that stop at Mito Station, saying, "Even though it's "Tokiwa", it doesn't go to Fukushima Prefecture."

Express "Soma" (Mito Station → Sendai Station, Sendai Station → Ueno Station)

The " Soma " was a little later than the "Tokiwa" and began operating as a semi-express train between Mito Station and Sendai Station in June 1960.
It takes about 4 hours, 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
In March 1966, both Tokiwa were promoted to
express trains The name can only be derived from its name because it passes through Soma City, northern Hamadori in Fukushima Prefecture.
Of course, the train stops at Soma Station.

The Joban Line was electrified in August 1967, but as it continued to operate with diesel vehicles, it became
a diesel express train that traveled under the overhead line on all sections At the latest in October 1967 (we did not get any solid information about the timing), the up train service section that started from Sendai and to Mito was extended to Ueno Station, making it a train that would run through all sections of the Joban Line.
The journey from Sendai Station to Ueno Station is 6 hours 18 minutes.

why the "Soma" remained a diesel car because it is connected to a diesel train .
The "Soma" descent from Mito and to Sendai was connected to the diesel express "Iwaki No. 1" between Mito Station and Hira Station.

When the "Iwaki No. 1" was separated from "Soma" at Hira Station, it boarded the Banetsu East Line, and when it arrived at Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture, it was connected to the express "Aizu" (renamed "Inawashiro" from October 1968) and went to Sendai Station.

The Inawashiro Express was a peculiar train that was typical of the JNR era (predecessor of JR).
Please also take a look at the explanatory article for "Inawashiro".

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Introducing a difficult train that even staff members of Inawashiro express trains with three destinations [Fukushima Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/36181

On today's railways, medium- and long-distance trains usually have a simple destination. I'm not saying that as a result of getting on a train, you'll be taken to an unexpected place, but it's rare. In addition, trains where passengers may be taken to unintended stations, such as trains such as Hayabusa, Komachi, Yamabiko and Tsubasa, which operate in conjunction with two trains, are generally provided with sufficient guidance to passengers at stations or inside the trains. However, although the name is one train, there are three destinations, so not only passengers use it, but also staff members who guide them...

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By the way, the only one connecting with Iwaki was the downhill Souma.
The uphill "Soma" was not connected to other diesel trains, but was running on its own, from Sendai Station to Ueno Station, burning diesel oil over and over again .
It's a bit of a waste.

In October 1968, the "Soma" operated by train was also established, but due to the timetable revision in March 1972, the operating section was extended between Ueno Station and Morioka Station and was renamed the express "Morioka", so the "Soma" train has disappeared.

The remaining diesel car, "Soma," disappeared in October 1978 when it was renamed the express train "Tokiwa" and turned into a train.
As mentioned above, "Tokiwa" was also abolished in March 1985.

Limited Express "Hitachi" (die-cars operated by Ueno Station → Hira Station, Hira Station → Tokyo Station)

The train named Hitachi appeared even later than the Souma, in October 1963.
It began operating as a semi-express train that runs between Ueno Station and Hira Station, and from the beginning it was operated by train.

The name comes from Hitachi, the former country name of Ibaraki Prefecture .
The train has stopped at Hitachi Station in Ibaraki Prefecture since its inception as "Hitachi", but it does not seem to be the origin of the name.

In March 1966, it was promoted to an express train along with Tokiwa and Souma, but in October 1967 it was merged with Tokiwa and therefore the nickname "Hitachi" has disappeared.

About three and a half years later, in October 1969, the limited express train " Hitachi " was born as a train that operated between Ueno Station and Hira Station.
It takes about 3 hours.
Initially, the trains operated in limited seasons, but the following year, in October 1970, it became a regular train operated daily.

All sections of the Joban Line had already been electrified, but the original Hitachi was
operated by the Kiha 81 series diesel because the Hitachi was reused using the Kiha 81 series diesel vehicles used for the Inaho express train that connects Ueno Station and Akita Station via the Sea of Japan side .
In October 1969, the Uetsu Main Line (Nitsu Station to Akita Station) was not electrified, so the Inaho had to operate by diesel vehicle.

the express train " Inaho ", please see the article below.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The Inaho express train has been connecting the Sea of ​​Japan side of the Tohoku region with the metropolitan area and Niigata prefectures [Aomori, Akita, Yamagata prefectures]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/43260

JR East's limited express train "Inaho" connects from Niigata Station in Niigata Prefecture to Sakata Station in Yamagata Prefecture, or Akita Station in Akita Prefecture, via the Shirashin Line and Uetsu Main Line on the Sea of Japan coast. There are only two round trips per day for trains that operate between Niigata Station and Akita Station, while five round trips per day for trains that operate between Niigata Station and Sakata Station. Currently, the main role is to connect the Shimoetsu region of Niigata Prefecture with the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture. However, in the past, Inaho operated to Ueno Station in Tokyo in the south and to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture in the north. This time, let's take a look at the changes in the operating section of the limited express "Inaho." Limited Express: "No...

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The Kiha 81 series used in the "Inaho" was operated by departing from Akita Station in the morning, arriving at Ueno Station in the evening, and then departing from Ueno Station the next afternoon and heading to Akita Station.
This means that they would rest in the Tokyo garage from the evening until the next afternoon, making it inefficient, so the Kiha 81 series that arrived at Ueno Station was a limited express called "Hitachi" and traveled one round trip from Ueno Station to Hira Station in the evening, and from Hira Station to Ueno Station the next morning
(the way of using such vehicles is called "range operation").

So, the reason why the Hitachi was operated by diesel car was operated between the Inaho, but there was another reasonable point in running by diesel car.
Although all sections of the Joban Line are electrified, the electrification system changes halfway through.
Specifically, the boundary between Toride Station and Fujishiro Station in Ibaraki Prefecture is electrified on the south side with a DC power source of 1,500V for trains, while the north side is electrified on the AC 50Hz and 20,000V.

In order to operate "Hitachi" by train, you will need to prepare an expensive, AC-DC train that can accommodate both direct current and AC.
On the other hand, if you operate in a diesel vehicle, you can run regardless of the different electrification methods .
For the same reason, there are still routes where diesel trains are operated, such as the JR Uetsu Main Line and the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nipponkai Hisui Line.

In April 1971, only the Hitachi trains were up and the final stop was changed from Ueno Station Tokyo Station , and the operating section was extended.

The operation of the "Hitachi" by diesel vehicles did not last long.
With the Uetsu Main Line electrification completed, the schedule revision in October 1972 was to replace the Inaho with the 485 series train, a typical express train vehicle from the Japan National Railways era.

The electric system on the Uetsu Main Line will also change along the way, so the 485 series is of course an AC/DC dual-use train.
And at the same time as the Inaho was turned into a train, the Hitachi was also changed
(the shared use of the Inaho and Hitachi vehicles, which were held during the Kiha 81 series, has been eliminated).

Hitachi has also been added, and some train operations have been extended to Haranomachi Station and Sendai Station.
Hitachi was born, which continues to operate today, and .

Since then, the Hitachi Express has been increasing in number, and its status as a sign train on the Joban Line will remain unchanged.
After being replaced by vehicles, it continues to exist today, and as of March 2025, the Hitachi Express, which runs 12 round trips per day between Shinagawa Station and Iwaki Station, and 3 round trips per day between Shinagawa Station and Sendai Station.
The travel time between Ueno Station and Iwaki Station, which was run for about three hours, has been reduced to around 2 hours and 10 minutes.

For information on express trains on the Joban Line, including Hitachi, please see the article below.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The trajectory of the Joban Line express train "Hitachi", which has been at the mercy of the times but has played a role in connecting the Pacific coast of Tohoku [Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/30690

The Hitachi Express is a limited express train that runs from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Iwaki Station in Fukushima Prefecture or Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture via the Joban Line (※). As of March 2024, 15 round trips are operating per day, and the number of express trains on current conventional lines is large. In this article, we will introduce the history of the limited express Hitachi Express from the birth to the present day. *The sections between Shinagawa Station and Nippori Station in Tokyo and between Iwanuma Station and Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture are not exactly the Joban Line, but in this article, all sections where Hitachi operates will be referred to as the Joban Line for the sake of simplification. Special...

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in conclusion

Although it is a personal reason, I lived along the Joban Line.
When I look at the timetable to write an article like this one, I have never thought I'd wanted to see such an interesting train in the past.
What kind of trains will be running on the Joban Line in the future?