JR KYUSHU DEAD ZONE PART 2.mpg

In Part 2, the motorman prepares for the return trip from Shimonoseki. We then head south through the Kanmon tunnel to Kyushu and the power transition from 1500 volts DC to 20,000 volts AC. As a special treat, with permission from JR Kyushu we inspect the dead zone close up.

June 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the first leg of main line electrification in Kyushu from Mojiko to Kurume station. In the planning stages in the 1950s, 20kv AC was decided for power. It was cheaper to build and maintain compared to the much older 1500 v dc distribution up north. Prior to June 1961, through trains from Honshu to Kyushu switched from electric to steam locomotives at Mojiko.

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Travel & Events

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• JR
• KYUSHU
• DEAD
• ZONE
• PART