112 KiHa 52 cars were built for Japanese National Railways between 1958[dubious – discuss] and 1966. The design was based on the KiHa 20 series "general purpose" DMU type, but with two engines for use on mountainous lines.[2]
Two JR-West KiHa 52 cars in original JNR two-tone liveries in September 2008
KiHa 52 156 in "metropolitan" all-over red livery in August 2009
KiHa 52 125 in JNR two-tone blue & beige livery in August 2008
JR-era regional liveries
KiHa 52 114 in JR Kyushu livery in August 1993
KiHa 52 125 in "Oito Line" livery in December 1999
JR East KiHa 52s in "Morioka" livery in August 2006
A JR East KiHa 52 in "Niigata" livery in September 2008
Resale
Following withdrawal of the last remaining examples operated by JR-West, one car, KiHa 52 125, was resold to the private operator Isumi Railway in Chiba Prefecture in April 2011. This unit was built in 1965, and formerly operated on the Etsumi-Hoku Line and Ōito Line in the Hokuriku region until 2010.[2]
KiHa 52 125 in JNR two-tone blue & beige livery in May 2011
KiHa 52 125 in May 2011 after repainting into original JNR two-tone vermillion & beige livery
Seventeen former KiHa 52 Diesel Railcars were shipped to Myanmar to be operated by Myanmar Railways between 2007 and 2008.
The following cars were transferred to Myanmar as shown:
Former Body Number of JR Group
RBE Body Number by Myanmar Railways
KiHa 52-108
RBE 5001
KiHa 52-109
RBE 5002
KiHa 52-110
RBE 5011
KiHa 52-126
RBE 5003
KiHa 52-141
RBE 5012
KiHa 52-143
RBE 5004
KiHa 52-144
RBE 5005
KiHa 52-145
RBE 5006
KiHa 52-146
RBE 5013
KiHa 52-147
RBE 5014
KiHa 52-148
RBE 5015
KiHa 52-149
RBE 5016
KiHa 52-151
RBE 5007
KiHa 52-152
RBE 5008
KiHa 52-153
RBE 5009
KiHa 52-154
RBE 5017
KiHa 52-155
RBE 5018
Philippines
Seven former JR East KiHa 52 cars originally based at JR East Niitsu Transportation Zone were donated in September 2011 to the Philippine National Railways (PNR), where they were used on commuter services in the Manila area.[4] In October 2013, the trains were normally operated as two 3-car formations. The seventh car, KiHa 52 123, in Niigata livery, was taken out of service after operating for only seven months, and is stored at Tutuban Depot as a source of spare parts for the rest of the fleet.[4]
The trainsets were retired from passenger service in 2020 and they were replaced by Indonesian-built PNR 8000 class DMUs on the PNR North Main Line. KiHa 52-122 was later refurbished as the newest member of PNR's maintenance fleet in Caloocan, named the "Rescue Train" with the orange livery.[5] The other two units from the KiHa-O trainset are still in storage in Tutuban as of October 2021.[6] KiHa-B trainsets on the other hand were already retired in 2016 and Bicol trainsets were replaced by KiHa 35s.[7]
The former toilets in each car are locked out of use.[4]
Formation
During their service as commuter trains, the two three-car sets were referred to as "KiHa-O" (for orange) and "KiHa-B" (for blue) named after the liveries they carry. They were formed as shown below.[4]
^ abKusamachi, Yoshikazu (29 January 2014). いすみ鉄道のキハ52、3月から「首都圏色」に [Isumi Railway's KiHa 52 to be repainted into Metropolitan Livery from March]. Response (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 June 2014.
^ abc JR全車輛ハンドブック'92 [JR Rolling Stock Handbook 1992]. Japan: Neko Publishing. 1992. p. 296.
^ abcdSaito, Miko (March 2014). フィリピン国鉄南方線の日本型車両 [Japanese rolling stock on the PNR Southern Line]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese). 64 (887): 64–72.
^Peadon, Brad (March 2020). Diesel Multiple & Electric Multiple Units. PNR Rolling Stock Update (Report). Vol. III.
^Sasada, Masahiro (25 November 2014). 国鉄&jr 保存車大全 2015-2016 国鉄&JR保存車大全2015-2016 [JNR & JR Preserved Rolling Stock Complete Guide 2015-2016] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Ikaros Publications Ltd. p. 125. ISBN978-4863209282.
^ジオステーション ジオパル [Geostation Geopal]. Itoigawa Sightseeing (in Japanese). Japan: Itoigawa Sightseeing Association. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to JNR Kiha 52.