Nanbu Jūkan KiHa 10 series

"Nanbu Jūkan KiHa 10 series" is an umbrella term used to describe four suburban low-capacity diesel multiple units operated by the Nanbu Jūkan Railway from October 1962 to May 1997.
==History==
The KiHa 10 series cars were the first and only passenger locomotives to operate on the Nanbu Jūkan Railway, a rural railway line based in Aomori Prefecture. Two locomotives began operations on 20 October 1962, with two more locomotives acquired later for a roster of four locomotives. All locomotives were retired by 6 May 1997 with the suspension of operations of the line; operations did not resume by the time the railway was closed on 1 August 2002. Three of the four locomotives are preserved, all in operational condition; they are maintained by Nanbu Jūkan Co. Ltd. and are operated every year on Golden Week by the company.
==Design and specifications==
All four of the cars, being quite different from each other, all feature different specifications and designs. Their specifics will be detailed below.
===KiHa 101 and 102===
KiHa 101 and 102 were two two-axle railbus-type diesel locomotives, essentially bus bodies on railcar bogies similar to British Rail's Pacer locomotives. Both locomotives were manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries (now known as Subaru Corporation) in 1962 and are essentially a derivative of the Haboro Charcoal Railway's KiHa 11 locomotive, also manufactured by Fuji in 1959.
The bodies of the cars have the same rounded monocoque structure as the R11 and R13 type bus bodies manufactured by Fuji Corporation around the same time. The cars were powered by a Hino DS90 engine which was intended to be used on buses; both locomotives were largely like buses, featuring a four-speed manual transmission (with 1 reverse) with a clutch lever, with shifting done via a gear shift lever on the floorplate. Acceleration and braking were done through levers on the dash. The car could hold 60 people, with 27 seated on bench seating; in a few years prior to the line's suspension of operations, the capacity was reduced to 40 for safety reasons. Snow plows are equipped as the Aomori region is known for heavy snowfall.
Both cars were awarded the Evergreen Award by the Japan Railfan Club in 1996; this award recognized trains that had been operational for a long duration of time or preserved operationally, and was awarded irregularly between 1984 and 2000 before being discontinued in 2003. Both cars are operationally preserved at Shichinohe Station, with running sessions held every Golden Week.
===KiHa 103===
This was a more traditional diesel railcar acquired by the Nanbu Jūkan Railway in November 1962 from the Jōsō Tsukuba Railway. The car was originally manufactured in 1937 by Nippon Sharyo's Tokyo Works for the Tsukuba Railway, a predecessor company to the aforementioned Jōsō Tsukuba Railway. The locomotive was numbered KiHa 302 and was originally powered by gasoline as opposed to diesel fuel; in 1951, the original Waukesha 6SRL engine was replaced by a Hino DS11 prime mover. The car could carry 80 passengers, of which 38 were seated. The locomotive was then acquired in November 1962 by the Nanbu Jūkan Railway; the car was rarely used and was retired and scrapped in 1980 with the introduction of KiHa 104.
===KiHa 104===
This was a more traditional diesel railcar acquired by the Nanbu Jūkan Railway in 1980 to replace KiHa 103. The car was originally manufactured in October 1956 by Teikoku Sharyō for the Japanese National Railways (now JR Group); during its time on the JNR the car was numbered KiHa 10 45. The car was used during morning and evening rush hours as it could carry more passengers (92 in total, 76 seated), although use diminished due to increasing fuel costs. KiHa 104 was also used to supplement KiHa 101 and 102 as the line was reaching capacity in the months before operation was suspended. KiHa 104 is operationally preserved at Shichinohe Station, with running sessions occuring every Golden Week.
Category:Diesel trainsets
Category:Nanbu Jūkan trains
Category:Fuji Heavy Industries locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives
Category:Teikoku Sharyō locomotives