Finally, after unusually spending more time doing the descriptions on my website rather than actual model making, here's the 3rd completed DE10 pack: "second-hand buyers and industrial railways" !
Front to back, left to right: Kamiooka Railway KMDE101, Sagano Scenic Railway DE10, Watarase Keikoku Railway DE10s in both the brown-gold and red liveries, Tarumi Railway TDE11 (light blue livery) and TDE10s in the red, JNR-style and yellow-blue liveries, Mooka Railway DE10s in the JNR-style and brown-red livery, Tobu Railway DE10s in the JNR-style and Hokutosei-style liveries, Hachinoe Rinkai Railway, Kinuura Rinkai Railway, Sendai Rinkai Railway, Akita Rinkai Railway, Seino Railway, Tokachi Railway and Niigata Rinkai Railways DE10/DE65/KE65s (where applicable, with multiple versions).
These are all already avaible for download at my website.
So, let's start.
Tarumi Railway TDE10 and TDE11s
These were acquired in 1984 upon the formation of the Tarumi Railway, wich inherited the Tarumi Line from JNR. Five units were acquired, with four being reclassified as "TDE10s" and one as a "TDE11" as it had undergone modifications that made it similar to JNR heavy-duty DE11s (also derived from DE10s).
Initially, the TDE10s were fitted in the standard JNR red and gray livery for diesel locomotives, wich was soon modified with "V"-shaped decorative white lines on the front and the cab sides. TDE102 was later repainted in a flashy dark blue and yellow livery with a thin pink line, while the sole TDE11 unit was repainted in a distinctive pleasant light blue livery.
These four locomotives were mainly used to haul Tarumi Railway's freight trains, wich usually consisted of double-headed cement tanker trains run on behalf of Sumitomo Cement and on peak-hour passenger services as well, hauling ex-JR Shikoku 12 or 14 Series cars, a distinctive fetaure of the railway.
In 2006, with the discontinuation of freight services, the fleet of TDE10s suddently became unemployed, and with the distinctive peak hour passenger services not enough important to justify maintaining a fleet of diesel locomotives, all TDE10s and the single TDE11 were retired and later scrapped in April 2007.
Moka Railway DE10s
In 2004 the Mooka Railway purchased a DE10 second-hand from JR East, wich was intended to replace the railway's DD13 55 as the "SL Mooka" helper locomotive. DE10 1535 entered service on the Mooka Railway in late August 2004 and it's still in service as of today, painted in it's JNR-era livery, assisting Mooka Railway's venerable C12 66 on "SL Mooka" services, or "standalone" on charter services (hauling the same 50 Series cars of the "SL Mooka").
While Mooka Railway's only operational diesel locomotive is DE10 1535, the company also owns atleast two more DE10s, nos. 1014 and 95, wich were purchased as spare parts donor (and thus never ran a single millimiter on the Mooka Railway under their own power). After being likely stripped of their internal components, both locomotives were put on display at Mooka station, with unit 95 having retained it's JNR-era livery, while unit 1014 was repainted into a fictious brown livery with red bands.
Watarase Keikoku Railway DE10s
The Watarase Keikoku Railway owns two DE10s, nos. 1537 and 1678, wich the company had purchased from JR East in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Both are currently in service hauling the railway's "Torokko" (open-side) passenger cars, with DE10 1678 keeping the standard JNR livery, while DE10 1537 was repainted in a dark brown and gold livery.
Tobu Railway DE10s
The only major private railway in this list, Tobu Railway purchased DE10 1099 from JR East in 2016 as a helper locomotive for the "SL Taiju" steam train - the first "SL" tourist train operated by a major railway company.
In 2020, Tobu Railway purchased yet another DE10 from JR East, this time no.1109, wich was repainted in a livery inspired by the "Hokutosei" one worn by dedicated JR Hokkaido DD51s, complete with the "star" design on the cab sides.
Currently, Tobu railway's DE10s are used interchangeably mostly to assist the company's C11s on SL Taiju services, but they also run on "on their own" on "DL Taiju" services (when steam locomotives aren't avaible) or for other charter services.
Recently, with the complete withdrawal of Tobu Railway's electric locomotive fleet, the two DE10s started to be used on more "mundane" tasks as well, such as empty stock movements.
Sagano Scenic Railway DE10
The famous Sagano Scenic Railway owns only one locomotive: DE10 1104, wich the railway had recieved from JR West, it's parent company. DE10 1104 was one of the many surplus DE10s bound for the scrapyard in the late 1980s, but in 1990 it was selected as the locomotive for the newly-formed Sagano Scenic Railway, and thus was repaired and repainted in a mostly black livery with red and gold portions. It re-entered service on the Sagano Scenic Railway on the 27th of April 1997, the day that the railway opened.
DE10 1104 is currently still in service as the Sagano Railway's locomotive of choice, hauling five "Torokko" cars converted from 2-axle gondola cars. If DE10 1104 is not avaible for any reason (such as a fault, or more commonly, scheduled maintainance or overhauls) it will be replaced by another DE10, specially designated unit 1156, wich altought it's fitted in the same livery as the former one, is owned directly by JR West rather than by the Sagano Scenic Railway.
Seino Railway DE10 501
The Seino Railway, one of Japan's smallest railway companies, owns just one DE10, wich the company had purchased from the JNRSC (the Japanese National Railway Settlement Corporation - the post-privatization interim agency tasked to phisically split JNR into the JR Group companies and to sell ex-JNR surplus rolling stock to mitigate the national railway's huge debt). Originally DE10 148, it was soon renumbered to "DE10 501" (probably because the steam heater for passenger cars was removed upon arrival). DE10 501 has been the mainstay of the Seino Railway since it's entrance into service in the 1990s, shuttling limestone back and forth on the 1,3Km-long Seino Railway line.
Unfortunately, in March 2021, it suffered a fatal fault, and it currently stored out-of-service, awaiting for repairs.
[continues in next post]