JR West has transferred five “12-series” express coaches manufactured during the JNR era to Oigawa Railway as working vehicles on Friday, July 18, 2025.
The last express coaches of JNR
The 12-series coaches were developed with the aim of transporting visitors to the Japan World Expo held in Osaka in 1970, and were mainly used as special trains and group-only trains. It is the “last express coaches of JNR,” which actively adopted proven equipment and devices in electric trains and diesel railcars to modernize it, such as air conditioning units, air spring bogies, folding doors that can be opened and closed automatically, and electric destination displays.
About 600 cars were manufactured until the end of JNR, and a variety of formations, including those converted into joyful trains such as tatami-mat trains and European-style coaches, were in operation throughout the country except Hokkaido. However, due to the aging of the cars and the change in the environment, such as the decrease in passenger trains pulled by locomotives, the cars were scrapped or transferred to local private railways, and the JR Group only had 18 cars in its fleet, including JR East and JR West.
“New cars” for the Oigawa Railway, which is full of old coaches
The five 12-series cars owned by JR West (Suhafu 12-129, Oha 12-346, Oha 12-345, Oha 12-341, Suhafu 12-155) were manufactured in 1978 and deployed to Miyahara Coach Depot (Yodogawa Ward, Osaka City, currently: Miyahara Branch of Aboshi General Rolling Stock Center). Retaining their original blue bodies, they were used for special and group trains, as well as for the coaches of the steam locomotive-pulled event train “SL Kita Biwako” which ran until 2019. Some of the cars were planned to be scrapped, and a “farewell exhibition” was held at the Kyoto Railway Museum (Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City) in the summer of 2024, but the situation has changed and the train has departed from Osaka to Shizuoka for a new life.
Although Oigawa Railway focuses on tourist trains such as steam locomotives, all of the coaches owned by the company are old models, and the 12-series cars, which are air-conditioned and relatively new, can be said to be attractive “new cars.” The transfer was made possible with financial assistance from Eclipse Hidaka (Shinhidaka Town, Hokkaido), the parent company of Oigawa Railway, which is working on business revitalization in various places, and maintenance will be carried out so that the trains can be introduced on tourist trains around November 2025. Oigawa Railway President Ryo Torizuka commented, “We are working to improve the appeal of tourist trains, and we are very pleased that this introduction will allow more customers to enjoy the ‘Showa JNR experience.’”
