Ōigawa Railway Ōigawa Main Line

Ōigawa Main Line

C11 190 at Senzu Station in 2005
Overview
Type Heavy rail
Locale Shizuoka Prefecture
Termini Kanaya
Senzu
Stations 19
Operation
Opened 1927
Operator(s) Ōigawa Railway
Technical
Line length 39.5 km
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead

The Ōigawa Main Line (大井川本線 Ōigawa honsen) is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanaya Station in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture with Senzu Station in Kawanehon, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the private railway operator Ōigawa Railway.

Stations

●: Always stops, ◇: Occasionally stops, |: Passes
Local Trains stop at every station
Name Distance
(km)
SL
Express
Transfers Location
Kanaya 金谷 0.0 Tokaido Main Line Shimada Shizuoka
Shin-Kanaya 新金谷 2.3  
Daikanchō 代官町 3.8  
Higiri 日切 4.3  
Goka 五和 5.0  
Kamio 神尾 9.8  
Fukuyō 福用 12.3  
Owada 大和田 14.8  
Ieyama 家山 17.1  
Nukuri 抜里 18.8  
Kawaneonsen-Sasamado 川根温泉笹間渡 20.0  
Jina 地名 22.9   Kawanehon
Haibara District
Shiogō 塩郷 24.3  
Shimoizumi 下泉 27.4  
Tanokuchi 田野口 31.0  
Suruga-Tokuyama 駿河徳山 34.1  
Aobe 青部 36.1  
Sakidaira 崎平 37.2  
Senzu 千頭 39.5 Ōigawa Railway Ikawa Line

Rolling stock

As of 1 April 2016, the Oigawa Main Line fleet is as follows.[1]

Electric multiple units

Electric locomotives

Steam locomotives

In 2016, The Oigawa Railway purchased four 14 series coaches from JR Hokkaido, which were formerly used on the Hamanasu services. These coaches are scheduled to enter service on steam-hauled services on the line in June 2017, reducing the burden on the ageing heritage coaches operated by the railway.[2]

History

The Ōigawa Main Line began operations on June 10, 1927 as a private line for the Ōigawa Electric Company, to carry workers and materials upstream to facilitate dam construction. The single-track line was extended from Kanaya in stages, reaching it current terminal station of Senzu on December 1, 1931.

The entire line was electrified on November 18, 1949, with EMUs for the passenger services commencing then and freight operation by electric- locomotives beginning in August 1951. Express train operations commenced in 1971.

The line runs through an isolated mountain area with no cities or towns, and has a very small population density. Most of the passengers are tourists visiting one of the hot spring resorts along the line, or alpinists and hikers heading for the peaks of the Southern Alps National Park. To boost ridership and popularity of the line, steam locomotives were restored from July 9, 1976. A variety of historical locomotives and carriages are used, both for the steam and for the electric services, making the line a favourite with train enthusiasts and photographers.

Freight services ceased in 1983.

See also

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

  1. 私鉄車両編成表 2016 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2016] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 25 July 2016. p. 92. ISBN 978-4-330-70116-5.
  2. 大井川鐵道 14系客車4両を導入 [Oigawa Railway to introduce 4 14 series coaches]. Tetsudo Daiya Joho Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 45 no. 389. Japan: Kotsu Shimbun. September 2016. p. 51.
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