485 series Aizu Liner (not) retired

[gmat]

I went up to Aizuwakamatsu station hoping to ride the red 485 Series Aizu Liner but it was replaced but an ordinary cream with red striped 481 series. The same thing happened in August, but that time it was a 583 series in cream with blue striping.
I was told that the red on is gone. Anyone can confirm this?

481 series taken yesterday.

I thought that I'd be clever and shoot it at Bandai-Atami Station, so I took the local but it arrived just as the 481 was also arriving, so I just got this shot from the head of the local train. I scampered into the 481 to ride back to Koriyama. It's a one hour wait between trains so I don't think that I'd be doing this again.


Taken at Aizuwakamatsu. Lots of snow in the mountains coming to the station.






It was going to Kitakata Station, so after a short 10 minute pause, it continued on its way. I thought about riding the train to Kitakata Station and catching it back, but it returned shortly after this empty, which would have made traveling back to Aizuwakamatsu and riding it back to Koriyama chancy. Glad I didn't.


Coming back. It parked in the middle track very briefly and by the time I had gone outside the station to shoot the departing Aizu Mount Express, it had moved again to the parking area to the far left of the platforms. I had just enough time to get on the local and head back towards Koriyama.








I rode the earlier local back to Koriyama to see if I could head to Kuroiso earlier, but I fell asleep in the train and woke up after everyone had departed the train. The next local south only went to Yabuki, so I ended up shooting the 481 as it arrived and then scampering into the local train. It was packed and almost everyone was going to Kuroiso, too. Stand up city with a heavy bag and camera.


Best wishes,
Grant

[gmat]

August 6 trip with photos of the 583 being used as the Aizu Liner. It hadn't occurred to me to ask if the red 485 series was still around.

At Koriyama Station.








Top view. Pretty dense around the pantographs.




The other end of the train.


Inside the train.




At Aizu-Wakamatsu.


The 583 moved and went south to a parking area just down from the station, I believe. When I came here for the second time in Jan., I was going to walk to see if I could shoot it parked there, but the 481 went to Kitakata and I took the earlier local back to Koriyama.






Later it came back and parked next to the station. I shot this from the road that cuts across the tracks south of the station.






After this I rode the Aizu and Yangan Line down to Nikko and on to Utsunomiya on the Nikko Line and to Shinjuku.
Best wishes,
Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

Next week I'm on a 583 series (express Kitaguni) Osaka-Niigata.  I splurged on an A shindai lower berth, with a full window at my disposal.  Five years from now it's likely the only place where you'll be able to see these trains will be on a dummy track in a railway museum.

[gmat]

BikkuriBahn, do you have any info on when exactly the 485 Aizu Liner was retired? I'm also thinking about riding the Moonlight Shinshu before it is gone.

Best wishes,
Grant

[miyakoji]

Great pics Gmat.  That 583 looks real clean underneath, and I like the E721 as well.

Bikkuri, pics please   .  I assume you'll be on one of the sets I used to see at Kyoto General Depot.  Never got a real good look, the 223 special rapids would be approaching flying altitude by that point, heheh.  Do you know how many sets they have?  They looked like 10- or 12-car consists.

[bikkuri bahn]

I have seen no news of retirements.  The overall class is the 485 series- 481 are the driving trailers, while 485 is for the motor cars.

You can see the hensei diagram here.

Aizu Liner in late spring, in proper Kokutetsu colors:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QGyEsxKXxo4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/QGyEsxKXxo4</a>

[The_Ghan]

Thanks for posting this.  I'm a big fan of the 583 series.  Who's the girl listening to music, BTW?

Unfortunately your 481 photos are missing.  Can you fix this?

Cheers

The_Ghan

[linkey]

From watching the Aizu Wakamstu eki webcam you rarely get to see a 485 series Aizu liner. Keep on seeing the Series 719-0 and the 583 Series Aizu Liner, but as stated that we haven't heard of the retirement of the 485 series on the Ban e`tsu west line. Love seeing the 485 in her red and black paint work and Akebe would be missed to those tourists :P

[keitaro]

don't worry he is not gone  

the 485 from memory only runs in sumer holidays mainly.

It still does exist from what i know and was last run in september this year i do not know of any plans to cut this model since it is a promotional runner for the summer period.

"should" be starting back in july 2012  

edit july sorry not august

[gmat]

Thanks The Ghan, Fixed the 481 photos, but have no idea why they went tits up.

Thanks, Keitaro. Oh God!!! ...one more trip this summer.

But It wasn't running last August. My Japanese isn't good enough to get exactly what he was saying though.

Leaving Koriyama Station and going south past the maintenance depot, I glimpsed the hulks of a white and orange car, it's either the Nikko 489 or 485. Next to it was a white with blue or purple car. Don't recognize what it might be. I saw several white and orange cars leaving Koriyama last August and was looking for them when I passed the area going to Koriyami earlier in the morning, but couldn't see them. Passed too quickly and it was too crowded in the train to easily try to snap a photo.

Best wishes,
Grant

[westfalen]

485 lurking in Aizu Wakamatsu yard 1:06pm 5th Sept 2010.

[linkey]

485 lurking in Aizu Wakamatsu yard 1:06pm 5th Sept 2010.

:) I like that train :)

[The_Ghan]

What are the little port holes above the headlights used for?  Do the cabs not have air conditioning?

Cheers

The_Ghan

[disturbman]

It's for the honks.

[westfalen]

It's for the honks.

Keeps the snow out of the horns.

[The_Ghan]

Thanks for that guys.

Cheers

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

just a fyi got my wife to do some looking into this (to see if i could get you a timetable of sorts).

It's is definately still running but it's actually no longer a summer only thing but only special events now :(

i guess that means it may be close to being cut.

Frankly i can't see why they don't run it more often would attract more attention for tourism from both abroad and locally

[gmat]

Thanks, Keitaro,
What kind of special events? Probably going to be impossible to get a seat. Just want another chance to shoot pictures.

Best wishes,
Grant

[keitaro]

not sure probably best to keep an eye out for events in the area.

[gmat]

Thanks, Keitaro,
Will do.
Thank your wife, too.
What do you think will replace the 183/189/481/485s? Maybe E257s? Would look better with a different paint scheme.
Now to see if I can scrounge up a B-train Aizu Liner.

Best wishes,
Grant

[keitaro]

hope not horrible look that

they will probably swap out used stock from else where. not exactly a big money making line or maybe more 719's that they already run up there.

[keitaro]

also e257 will need to be modified to run up there the line runs on ac and this is dc only models running at this time

[linkey]

For the Koriyama to Aizu-Wakamatsu to Kitakata line the 455 got replaced with the 719-0 with the Akebeno icon so they still promoting the Akebe (Red Cow) if the 485 is being replaced by the 583 that would only last for a while til another train replaces that too. They will add the Akebe to it as it is part of the Aizu Liner run.

[gmat]

I don't think that the 583 is used any more either. I think that it's now just the 481. To add more info to what keitaro's wife found out. I made a trip to Kuroiso to shoot the Kintaro diesels there, and a fine opportunity is was, too. After lunch, when things slowed down, I decided to go to Koriyama to shoot the Aizu Liner. Before it arrived, I asked one of the staff manning the office near the ticket gates about the red liner and he used the word 'nakunarimashita' in reference to the older red train and said that the one running now was cream. I had specifically asked about the 485 Aizu Liner, too. So the 485 might be saved for a special occasion, but it appears to be that in the minds of the staff, it's over.

Hope to see it run one more time.

Best wishes,
Grant

[Shashinka]

I just realized my last screen capture of the red Aizu was 31.Dec.10 Now that I give it a little more thought, all I have seen lately on the cam has been the JN-R revival livery. However, I have heard nothing about the 485s being retired.

[gmat]

On Feb 25, the old 485, which had been repainted from the red Akabe scheme to the JNR beige and red scheme last June was replaced by the orange and white 485 that previously ran on the Nikko run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aizu_Liner

Best wishes,
Grant

[keitaro]

aww no you just ruined my day Grant stfu j/k


that a shame there is almost no news of this also even mixi members couldnt answer back when this topic active.

[bikkuri bahn]

As gmat mentioned, the current units on this service are the ex-Koyama Depot 485 series (trainsets G55 and G58).  Their home depot now is Sendai.

[Mudkip Orange]

NIIIIICe pics.

[Shashinka]

On Feb 25, the old 485, which had been repainted from the red Akabe scheme to the JNR beige and red scheme last June was replaced by the orange and white 485 that previously ran on the Nikko run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aizu_Liner

Best wishes,
Grant

Guess that explains why I saw it the other day on t he Aizu webcam.