Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen CR70 series

The Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen CR70 and CR75 series are low-capacity Japanese diesel multiple units operated by the Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen Railway from June 1989 to April 2006.
==History==
The CR70 and CR75 series were built from 1988 to 1990 for the Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen Railway; these would be the only trains operated by the company. Produced by Niigata Tekkō, a total of twelve cars were built over that time period; these were transported by rail from Niigata to Hokkaido via various lines. The cars operated on the Furusato Ginga Line (lit. "Hometown Galaxy Line"), an ex-JNR (later JR Hokkaido) line later bought over by a team of local investors to run the operations of the line.
When the line opened on 4 June 1989, six CR70 series cars were on hand to service the line. By 1989, two more CR70 series cars and three CR75 series cars were built. A fourth CR75 series car was completed in 1990.
During the day, trains were operated in single or two-car formations and three cars during peak hours; for events, consists of up to five cars were used. This was considered unusual for a rural private railway. With decreasing ridership in the 1990s, shorter formations were used. CR70-4 and CR70-5 would be retired from service in 2000 and stored at Kitami Depot to act as parts donors. Due to declining ridership and various other reasons, the company's shareholders made the decision to close the line in 2005, with the last day of operations being 20 April 2006; the next day, the line closed, with all former JNR rural lines in Hokkaido now closed.
After their retirement, CR70-1 to 3 were exported to Myanmar where they operate on the Myanmar State Railways, numbered RBE2539 to RBE2541; operation began in 2008 and the three cars have been in and out of operation since. Six cars (CR70-7 and 8, all four CR75 cars) were acquired by the Rikubetsu Railway and are preserved operationally on a 1 km (0.62 mi) stretch of the former Furusato Ginga Line, based out of Rikubetsu Station. CR70-6 was acquired by a private owner and currently operates as a food stall selling onigiri.
==Design==
The cars are based on Niigata Tekkō's NDC series of diesel railcars, so design language carries over. The cars are painted in the railway's corporate livery. CR75-2 and CR75-3 were repainted in Galaxy Express 999-themed liveries in 2002 to keep with the railway's theming. 
The cars are identical to JR Hokkaido's KiHa 130 series cars.
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel. The cars all use DMF13HS prime movers which generate 250 PS (247 HP, 184 kW). The CR75 series cars are identical to the CR70 series cars but feature additional equipment for use in events.
==Preservation==
The following CR70 and CR75 series cars have been preserved:
Car number	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location 	Notes
CR70-7 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR70-8 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR75-1 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR75-2 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR75-3 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR75-101 	Niigata Tekkō	1990 	April 2006 	N/A 	Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved in operational condition by the Rikubetsu Railway
CR70-6 	Niigata Tekkō	1989 	April 2006 	N/A 	Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan 	Body only, privately owned; currently operating as a food stall, formerly operated as a restaurant, initially intended to be preserved operationally
The following CR70 and CR75 series cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:
Car number	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Last location 	Notes
CR70-4 	Niigata Tekkō	1988 	2000 	N/A 	Kitami Depot, Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan	Retired in 2000 and stored as spare parts donors; last sighted 2007
CR70-5 	Niigata Tekkō	1988 	2000 	N/A 	Kitami Depot, Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan	Retired in 2000 and stored as spare parts donors; last sighted 2007
Category:Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen trains
Category:Diesel trainsets
Category:Niigata Tekkō locomotives