This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
Currently, JR lines in the Tohoku region are served by Shinkansen bullet trains and limited express trains connecting cities. However, before the 1960s, not only in the Tohoku region but throughout Japan, the railway network did not have the extensive network of limited express trains we see today.
From the 1960s onward, many express trains appeared on the main lines of the Japanese National Railways (the predecessor of JR), and express trains began running not only to major cities but also to regional cities. The which we will discuss here, made a significant contribution to the expansion of the Japanese National Railways' express train serviceKiHa 80 series diesel railcar.
Kiha 80 series (Kiha 82 series) diesel railcar
Steam locomotives continued to play a major role on local railways even after the war
TheKiHa 80 series diesel railcaris a diesel railcar developed by Japanese National Railways (JNR) for use on express trains. It was the first vehicle in the JNR category specifically designed for express trains.
To understand what was so revolutionary about the Kiha 80 series, it is necessary to explain the background to its introduction
Japanese railways, which opened in 1872,steam locomotivespulling passenger cars. Steam locomotives are vehicles that burn coal to evaporate water, and the resulting steam drives the wheels. there were drawbacks, such as the smoke emitted by the steam locomotives accumulating in tunnels, and the inefficiency of steam engines in extracting energy from coal.
A train in which a steam locomotive pulls passenger cars
This is whereelectric locomotives and electric trainscome in. As the name suggests, these are vehicles that run on electricity. Naturally, they don't emit smoke like steam locomotives, so the fact that passengers and crew aren't covered in smoke was a significant advantage. Moreover, the motor output far exceeds that of steam engines, so they also had superior running performance.
Electric locomotives, like steam locomotives, are vehicles used to pull passenger cars and freight cars that do not have their own power source. in which motors are installed in the passenger carsself-propelled passenger cars. DMUs have motors installed in multiple cars within the train set, and have advantages such as superior acceleration and climbing performance compared to trains pulled by locomotives, and being lighter than locomotives, which puts less strain on the rails.
While this might make electric trains seem to have nothing but advantages, the problem is that they cannot run without equipment to supply electricity from an external source. In the 1950s, before the introduction of the KiHa 80 series, only a very limited number of Japanese National Railways lines were electrified to allow electric trains and electric locomotives to run. Even the electrification of the Tokaido Main Line (between Tokyo Station and Kobe Station), which could be called the most important trunk line, was not completed until 1956.
As for what kind of trains were used on non-electrified lines, steam locomotives remained the mainstay. Even the , which debuted in 1958,"Hatsukari" (between Ueno Station and Aomori Station), the first limited express train in the Tohoku regionwas a train pulled by a steam locomotive. This was despite the fact that the "Kodama" limited express train (between Tokyo Station and Osaka/Kobe Stations), which debuted on the Tokaido Main Line in the same year, used the state-of-the-art 20 series (later renamed the 151 series) electric trains.
In the 1950s, even express trains in the Tohoku region were operated by steam locomotives because the lines were not electrified, but electrifying the lines was not something that could be done immediately. Therefore, the Japanese National Railways (JNR) decided to introduce diesel railcars, which ran on diesel fuel, for expresstrains.
Diesel railcars are vehicles that "carry their own fuel and run," so like steam locomotives, they can operate on non-electrified lines. As they are "self-propelled passenger cars," they have superior acceleration and uphill performance compared to steam locomotives, just like electric trains. Furthermore, Japanese National Railways (JNR) had already developed diesel railcars for semi-express trains on non-electrified lines and achieved success.
Therefore, in order to operate modern express trains on non-electrified lines,an express-type diesel railcarthe KiHa 80 series diesel railcar was developed with the aim of creating In 1960, a total of 26 cars were manufactured, consisting of two 9-car prototype sets and 8 spare cars. to distinguish them from the mass-produced carsthe KiHa 81 seriesare sometimes called The shape of the KiHa 81 series' front car differed from that of the mass-produced KiHa 82 series, featuring a very distinctive bonnet style. It is commonlybulldogknown as
The KiHa 81 series debuted in December 1960 on the "Hatsukari" limited express train, which connected Ueno Station in Tokyo and Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture via the Joban Line (via Taira Station in Fukushima Prefecture, now Iwaki Station). For this reason, it is also called the "Hatsukari type."
The Kiha 81 series attracted a lot of attention, but it was plagued by frequent engine problems and initial malfunctions such as the failure of the air conditioning and heating systems. The sheer number of problemsthe Hatsukari is just a series of disappointing accidentsled to it being ridiculed as
However, after overcoming its initial malfunctions, the KiHa 81 series performed exactly as had been expected. In the steam locomotive era, the "Hatsukari" train took 12 hours to travel from Ueno Station to Aomori Station, but by October 1961, about a year after the introduction of the KiHa 81 series, the journey time had been reduced to 10 hours and 25 minutes. Faster than the steam locomotive era, and equipped with air conditioning and heating, the reborn "Hatsukari" became an even more popular train than before.
The introduction of the mass-produced Kiha 82 series
Before the October 1961 timetable revision, the only limited express train in the Tohoku region was the "Hatsukari," which ran one round trip per day. Express trains were the main mode of long-distance travel.
However, with the timetable revision in October 1961, a large number of KiHa 82 series trains were introduced throughout the country, and many express trains appeared. The KiHa 82 series is a mass-produced vehicle that was an improved version of the KiHa 81 series. It is also called the "Swan type" after the name of the first train it was introduced on. The "KiHa 80 series" in the title of this article is a general term for both the prototype KiHa 81 series and the mass-produced KiHa 82 series.
Kiha 82 series
The limited express trains introduced in this revision, including only those passing through the Tohoku region, are as follows:
Shiratori: Osaka Station to Aomori Station via the Hokuriku Main Line, Shinetsu Main Line, Uetsu Main Line, Ou Main Line, etc. (via Kanazawa, Toyama, Naoetsu, Sakata, and Akita)
Tsubasa: Ueno Station to Akita Station via the Tohoku Main Line and Ou Main Line (via Fukushima and Yamagata)
Hibari: Ueno Station to Sendai Station via the Tohoku Main Line (via Fukushima)
As of the October 1961 timetable revision, the Tohoku region's limited express train network looked like the diagram below. a world of difference from the time when only the "Hatsukari" existedIt was With the introduction of the KiHa 82 series, similar phenomena were occurring in the Hokuriku, San'in, and Kyushu regions as well.
The KiHa 82 series also suffered from initial malfunctions,Dying Swanleading to it being ridiculed as Since the initial malfunctions were somewhat anticipated, the trains that were originally intended for the "Hibari" were repurposed as reserve trains for other limited express services. As a result, although the timetable for the "Hibari" was set in October 1961, it didn't actually begin operation until April 1962.
Trains using the Kiha 80 series as of the October 1961 timetable revision
Initially, the "Hakucho" train consisted of two separate trains: one connecting Osaka Station and Aomori Station, and another connecting Osaka Station and Ueno Station. These trains were coupled together from Osaka Station to Naoetsu Station in Niigata Prefecture. Later, only the Osaka Station-bound train remained as the "Hakucho," while the Ueno Station-bound train was separated into the "Raicho" (connecting Osaka Station to Toyama Station) and the "Hakutaka" (connecting Ueno Station to Kanazawa Station).
In December 1963, a new Tsubasa train was added that ran between Ueno Station and Morioka Station via the Tohoku Main Line, and between Ueno Station and Fukushima Station, it was coupled with a train departing from and arriving at Akita Station
Furthermore, in October 1964, the "Yamabato" train was introduced, connecting Ueno Station and Yamagata Station via the Tohoku Main Line and Ou Main Line. A year later, in October 1965, an additional train set was added to the "Yamabato" service, connecting Ueno Station and Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Fukushima Prefecture via the Tohoku Main Line and Ban'etsu West Line, and these two trains began operating coupled together between Ueno Station and Koriyama Station.
The trains that have appeared so far are listed below. However, as will be explained later, the "Hibari" and others were replaced by electric trains by October 1965, so not all the trains shown in the diagram below were operated by KiHa 80 series at the same time.
Trains using the Kiha 80 series up until the timetable revision in October 1965
Changes due to the advancement of electrification and the introduction of successor vehicles
Following the introduction of the KiHa 80 series,on major trunk lines such as the Tohoku Main Line and the Joban Lineprogressed , a representative model of limited express trains from the JNR era,the 485 seriesappeared in 1968. railcar for limited express service,the KiHa 181 seriesappeared in 1968. Due to the progress of electrification and the introduction of successor vehicles, the area of operation for the KiHa 80 series changed.
First, in October 1965, the "Hibari" and "Tsubasa" trains operating to and from Morioka Station were replaced with 483 series electric trains. The "Tsubasa" trains operating to and from Morioka Station were simultaneously renamed "Yamabiko." Also, the "Hakucho" train service was modified to include a stop at Niigata Station. A brief history of the "Hibari" train is described in the article below.
In September 1968, the Hatsukari was replaced with the 583 series train
583 series train
In October of the following year, the "Yamabato" service was also replaced with 485 series trains, and the trains operating to and from Yamagata Station and Aizu-Wakamatsu Station were separated, with the latter being renamed "Aizu." At the same time, the "Hatsukari" service (which had already been replaced with 583 series trains) was changed from a route via the Joban Line (via Taira) to a route via the Tohoku Main Line (via Fukushima).
The bulldog-faced Kiha 81 series, which had been withdrawn from the "Hatsukari" service where it had been active since its debut, was used for one year on the "Tsubasa" service before being put into service as a new limited express train from October 1969. These which connected Ueno Station and Akita Station via the Joetsu Line and Uetsu Main Line (via Takasaki, Nagaoka, and Sakata)Inahoa limited express on the Joban Line connecting Ueno Station and Taira StationHitachi.
The KiHa 81 series trains were initially operated as the "Inaho" service from Akita to Ueno. Upon arriving at Ueno Station in the evening, they would immediately proceed to Taira Station as the "Hitachi" service. The following morning, they would return to Ueno Station as the "Hitachi" service, and then return to Akita Station as the "Inaho" service in the afternoon.
Ueno Station during the JNR (Japanese National Railways) era (11) Express trains at Ueno Station, photographed with a Canon Demi + Fujicolor N100. The Joban Line express "Hitachi" ran between the Kiha 81 series "Inaho" trains. I missed the scene of the headmark change! 😅 It seems the "Hitachi" also had the kanji "常陸" (Junriku) written on it. July 1970 pic.twitter.com/mFlOvJB3u9
This concludes our introduction to the trains in the Tohoku region that used the KiHa 80 series. A complete diagram would look like this (as mentioned earlier, there was no period when all the trains shown in the diagram below were operated by the KiHa 80 series simultaneously).
All trains in the Tohoku region using the Kiha 80 series
For reference, the diagram below shows the current JR limited express train network, including the Shinkansen. You can see that the JNR's limited express train network, which consisted only of the "Hatsukari" before the introduction of the KiHa 80 series, grew to a scale comparable to the current limited express network after its introduction.
JR express trains (including Shinkansen) as of the March 2025 timetable revision
The Kiha 80 series has finished its role
In February 1970, the Tsubasa was replaced by the Kiha 181 series diesel railcars
In October 1972, the "Hakucho," "Inaho," and "Hitachi" trains were replaced by the 485 series electric trains. The Kiha 80 series, which debuted in the Tohoku region, ended its service of just under 12 years, and the sound of its engines disappeared from the Tohoku region. The trains that had been used in the Tohoku region were mainly transferred to Hokkaido, Kinki, San'in, and Kyushu.
However, in other regions as well, they were replaced by express trains and successor diesel railcars, and in1992, after the establishment of JR (1987), they ceased regular service (daily operation). Even their operation as special trains ended in 1995.
JR Hokkaido and JR Central operated Joyful Trains (now commonly referred to as tourist trains) that were modified from the Kiha 80 series, but these also ceased operation by 2002
Without trains like the KiHa 80 series, there would have been no way to expand the JNR's express train network other than waiting for the electrification of the lines to progress, and express trains running in rural areas would have been significantly delayed compared to reality. The KiHa 80 series, which made a great contribution, has many actual trains preserved in static display, mainly in Hokkaido. in Aomori CitySeikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru, one leading car of the KiHa 82 series is quietly spending its retirement aboard the
Kiha 82 series preserved on board the Hakkoda Maru
Information <Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru>
Name: Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru
Address: 112-15 Yanagawa 1-chome, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture
TEL 017-735-8150
Opening hours: Summer 9:00-19:00, last admission 18:00 (April 1st to October 31st) Winter 9:00-17:00, last admission 16:30 (November 1st to March 31st)
Closed: December 31st, January 1st, and Monday through Friday of the second week of March
![The bus comes once a day](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fddc88e78ffc4107d65161d99a40f58d-150x150.jpg.webp "I tried to gather information to see if the statement "The bus comes once a day" from the movie "We're Going to Tokyo" is actually true")
![Zao's kettle](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/24424765_m-150x150.jpg.webp "[Zao Town, Miyagi Prefecture] The emerald green "Okama" lake is an explosion crater! Experience the power of life and death")
![North Rainbow Express](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/28143082_s-150x150.jpg.webp "Is it too minor? The special train "Harbor Rainbow" connecting Akita Prefecture and Hokkaido")
