Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line

The Bessho Line (別所線, Bessho-sen) is an 11.6 km (7.2 mi) Japanese railway line in Ueda, Nagano, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Ueda Electric Railway (上田電鉄, Ueda Dentetsu). It connects Ueda and Bessho-Onsen stations. This is currently the only railway line Ueda Dentetsu operates. Although the company is the root of its holding company, Ueda Kōtsū (上田交通, "Ueda Transport"), the group now mainly operates resort amusement facilities and bus lines. Ueda Kōtsū is owned by Tokyu Corporation. The railway line lacked funds to upgrade the infrastructure to meet the new safety standards, and separated to become the present company.

Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line
An Ueda Electric Railway 1000 series train in August 2008
Overview
OwnerUeda Electric Railway
LocaleUeda, Nagano
TerminiUeda
Bessho-Onsen
Stations15
History
Opened1921
Technical
Line length11.6 km (7.2 mi)
Number of tracksSingle
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius120 m[1]
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed65 km/h (40 mph)[1]

Stations
No. Name Japanese Distance (km) Date opened
BE01 Ueda 上田 0.0 15 August 1923
BE02 Shiroshita 城下 0.8 17 June 1921
BE03 Miyoshichō 三好町 1.5 17 June 1921
BE04 Akasakaue 赤坂上 2.2 21 September 1932
BE05 Uedahara 上田原 2.9 17 June 1921
BE06 Terashita 寺下 3.8 17 June 1921
BE07 Kabatake 神畑 4.5 17 June 1921
BE08 Daigakumae 大学前 5.2 17 June 1921
BE09 Shimonogō 下之郷 6.1 17 June 1921
BE10 Nakashioda 中塩田 7.4 17 June 1921
BE11 Shiodamachi 塩田町 8.0 14 July 1934
BE12 Nakano 中野 8.5 17 June 1921
BE13 Maita 舞田 9.4 17 June 1921
BE14 Yagisawa 八木沢 10.1 17 June 1921
BE15 Bessho-Onsen 別所温泉 11.6 17 June 1921

Rolling stock

As of 1 April 2015, the fleet of trains operated on the line is as follows.[2]

  • 1000 series 2-car EMUs x4 (former Tokyu 1000 series, since 2008)[3]
  • 6000 series 2-car EMU x1 (former Tokyu 1000 series, since 28 March 2015)
  • 7200 series 2-car EMU x1 (former Tokyu 7200 series, since 29 March 1998)[1]
  • 1000 series set 1001 in May 2012. Front designation/service signs shown are from former Tokyu Toyoko line service with through-running to the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.
  • 1000 series set 1004 in retro-style blue and cream livery in June 2017
  • 6000 series set 6001 in January 2017
  • 7200 series in May 2012

1000 series

Eight former Tokyu 1000 series EMU end cars were resold to the Ueda Electric Railway, and reformed as four two-car 1000 series sets.[4]

Formations
Designation McTc
Numbering DeHa 100xKuHa 110x

6000 series

In 2015, two former Tokyu Toyoko Line 1000 series intermediate cars (DeHa 1255 and DeHa 1305) were resold to the Ueda Electric Railway, which were reformed as a two-car 6000 series set with the addition of new cab ends.[4]

Formation
Designation McTc
Numbering DeHa 6001xKuHa 6101x

Car identities

The former identities of the fleet are as shown below.[4]

Set No. Car No. Tokyu numbering
1001 DeHa 1001 DeHa 1315
KuHa 1101 KuHa 1015
1002 DeHa 1002 DeHa 1318
KuHa 1102 KuHa 1018
1003 DeHa 1003 DeHa 1314
KuHa 1103 KuHa 1014
1004 DeHa 1004 DeHa 1316
KuHa 1104 KuHa 1016
6001 DeHa 6001 DeHa 1305
KuHa 6101 DeHa 1255

History

The first section of the line opened on 17 June 1921, using a 600 V DC overhead power supply.[1] The line voltage was raised to 1,500 V DC from 1 October 1986.[1] Wanman driver-only operation commenced on the line from 3 October 2005.[1]

From 1 April 2016, station numbering was introduced on the line, with stations numbered from "BE01" (Ueda) to "BE15" (Bessho-Onsen).[5]

See also

References
  1. Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. pp. 84–240. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  2. 私鉄車両編成表 2015 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2015] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 23 July 2015. p. 87. ISBN 978-4-330-58415-7.
  3. 上田電鉄1000系 [Ueda Electric Railway 1000 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 48 no. 567. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. July 2008. p. 103.
  4. Kubo, Toshi (July 2017). 東京メトロ日比谷線-4 [Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line - 4]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 57 no. 675. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. p. 125–126.
  5. 【上田電鉄】駅ナンバリング導入 [Ueda Electric Railway introduced station numbering]. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.