Tateyama Sabo Erosion Control Works Service Train
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese industrial railway
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
line in Tateyama
Tateyama, Toyama
is a town located in Nakaniikawa District, Toyama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 28,123 and a density of 91.51 persons per km². The total area is 307.31 km².-External links:*...
, Toyama
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
. It is operated by the Tateyama Mountain Area Sabō Office, which belongs to the Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)
The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is responsible for one-third of all the laws and orders in Japan and the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, as well as the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense...
.
Overview
The line transports materials and workers for the construction/conservation of erosion control facilities of Jōganji Rver, such as dams. Unlike ordinary railways in Japan, the line is not regulated by the Railway Business Law nor the Tram Law, but by the Industrial Safety and Health Law. It means the line is not a public transportation, but solely a construction facility. However, the line is well known among railfanRailfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
s. This is one of few Japanese railways, or possibly the only surviving one, to use 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
track. Also, it is one of the lines with the largest number of railway zig zags
Zig Zag (railway)
A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...
in the world. Because of its historical significance, the line is registered as a Registered Monument by the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.
History
Jōganji River, flowing from TateyamaTateyama
Tateyama can refer to:* Tateyama, Chiba , a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan* Tateyama, Toyama , a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan* Mount Tate , a mountain range in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
Mountains to the Toyama
Toyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
Bay, was known as a river with frequent flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s and debris flow
Debris flow
A debris flow is a fast moving, liquefied landslide of unconsolidated, saturated debris that looks like flowing concrete. It is differentiated from a mudflow in terms of the viscosity and textural properties of the flow. Flows can carry material ranging in size from clay to boulders, and may...
s. In 1926, Home Ministry
Home Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
started to construct erosion control facilities for the river, including the railway line. The narrow gauge railway line between Senjugahara and Kanbadaira opened in 1929. A funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
was built between Kanbadaira and Mizutani in 1930, and a railway between Mizutani and Shiroiwa in the next year. The rail system stopped its operation during 1944 and 1948, because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During that period the funicular section collapsed and an aerial lift
Aerial lift
An aerial lift is a means of transportation in which cabins, cars, gondolas or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables.Types of aerial lifts include:...
for the same section was built in 1951. In 1965, the same section was replaced by a normal railway, with 18 zig zags in a row. The whole route between Senjugahara and Shiroishi became a single railway line. The section between Mizutani and Shiroishi was later abandoned, and the line now operates between Senjugahara and Mizutani. During 1998 and 2007, the line was renovated with newer routes (tunnels), reducing railway zig zags.
Basic data
- Distance: 18 km (11 mi)
- GaugeRail gaugeTrack gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
: 610 mm / 2 ft. (The line is the only known surviving Japanese railway to use this gauge.) - Vertical interval: 640 m (2,100 ft)
- Liaison offices: 6
- Double-track line: None
- Electric supply: Not electrified
- Average gradient: 35.6 ‰PermilleA per mil or per mille is a tenth of a percent or one part per thousand. It is written with the sign ‰ , which looks like a percent sign with an extra zero at the end...
- Maximum gradient: 83.3 ‰
- Tunnels: 12
- Bridges: 20
- Railway zig zags: 38, concentrated in 8 places
- Until 2005, there were 42 railway zig zags concentrated in 9 places.
Liaison offices
All liaison offices (equivalent to stations) are located in TateyamaTateyama, Toyama
is a town located in Nakaniikawa District, Toyama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 28,123 and a density of 91.51 persons per km². The total area is 307.31 km².-External links:*...
, Toyama
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
.: Near Tateyama Station
Tateyama Station (Toyama)
is a train station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Toyama Chihō Railway**Tateyama Line*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Tateyama Cable Car -Adjacent stations:...
of Toyama Chihō Railway
Toyama Chiho Railway
thumb|Type 9000 tramcar "Centram"The is a transportation company in Toyama, Toyama, Japan. The company is commonly known as . The private company operates railway, tram, and bus lines in the eastern part of the prefecture. It also operates as the agency of All Nippon Airways in Toyama area. The...
Tateyama Line
Toyama Chiho Railway Tateyama Line
The is a Japanese railway line which connects Terada Station with Tateyama Station all within Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District Toyama Prefecture. It is owned and run by Toyama Chihō Railway.-Station list:...
and Tateyama Cable Car
Tateyama Cable Car
The is a Japanese funicular line of in Tateyama, Toyama, with its official name . The company also operates another funicular, Kurobe Cable Car with the same official name. The line is a part of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route...
. Altitude 475 m (1,558 ft).: Altitude 1117 m (3,665 ft).
Rolling stocks
The data as of May 2006.- Disel locomotives: 9
- Work trains: 4
- Passenger cars: 16
- Freight cars: 104
Services
Normally, a diesel locomotive tows approximately 3 cars. The service is fairly frequent. The whole trip takes 1 hour and 45 minutes. Since the area has heavy snowfalls in winter, the line closes from mid-November till June. In winter, some bridges and fences are removed to prevent their destruction by snow.The line is normally closed to the public. However, from 1984, a study tour of the erosion control started to use the line to transport its participants. Nonetheless, railfans still find it difficult to ride the line, since they have to book in advance and win a lottery to join the tour, which is often cancelled due to bad weather. In 2006, 16 tours were planned with 720 participants in total. Applications were 1.83 to 5.55 times more than the places available, and 69 % of the planned tours were executed in reality.