As I was browsing the December 1999 issue of the JR timetable, of which the biggest news was the extension of “Tsubasa” route to Shinjo, about this time last year, I was surprised and greatly disappointed to find every train on the Kyudai Line (Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture to Oita) had the letter D at the end of its service number. The letter D standing for DMU service, its addition on every service number meant the termination of DE10 hauled passenger operations on the line.

Along with the Chikuho Line (Wakamatsu to Haruda both in Fukuoka Prefecture, but some trains go to Mojiko on the Kagoshima Line) where DD51 hauled passanger trains have survived even the December 2000 revision (4 services up and down: the service numbers are 2630: Nogata 6:50 to Mojiko 8: 50, 6532: Iduka 6: 44 to Mojiko 8: 06, 6545: Wakamatsu 16: 00 to Izuka 17 :11 and 2647: Mojiko 17: 22 to Iduka 19:19), the Kyudai Line had been one of the two lines on which diesel hauled stopping trains ran regularly. Before the revision, Oita based DE10s were in service for the 5 stopping trains in each direction (train numbers: 4821, 4823, 1821, 1823, 4825, 1825, 1820, 4820, 1822, 4822, and 4824). The formation consisted of 3 or 4 series 12 passenger cars (blue cars with a white belt, introduced in 1969) or 4 series 50 passenger cars (red cars introduced in 1977).

The Kyudai Line, which runs through green hills and valleys to the popular hot spring resort of Yufuin, boasts attractive, rusticated scenery and is one of my favourite lines. As it is situated near my wife’s hometown Kumamoto, I visited it in the summer of 1999 to take a diesel hauled local train on one day during our “O-bon” stay with her parents. I caught the 9:00 “Ariake” 12 (series 783 panorama car) at Kumamoto station and an hour’s ride took me to Kurume where the Kyudai Line branches from the Kagoshima Line. The train 1823 (DE101172 followed by 4 series 12 cars) arrived at Kurume at 10: 20 and left for Yufuin 6 minutes later. Many of the passengers opened the windows although it was a rather hot day in midsummer and the train was air-conditioned. 10 minutes later our train whistled furiously and suddenly came to a halt owing to trespassing by an old peasant woman. We were all sticking our heads out of the window to see what was going on, while the driver was scolding her — a peaceful scene reminiscent of good old days.

The introduction of series 151 “Kodama” was revolutionary not only in terms of speed. It was the first rolling stock with unopenable windows. Now all the windows of JR’s (and other companies’) limited express trains are sealed. Only on stopping train on local lines, we freely open and shut the windows. So to feel a nice breeze coming in through train windows is now a luxury allowed only to those who can afford time to take such trains. But nowadays we have less and less chance of experiencing this kind of joy.

All photos were taken by the author.