Day 6 2'6" in Japan

Leaving my bags at the hotel I head north for about an hour on a local service with the odd run through. Arriving at Yokkaichi, I follow the signs down to the Yokkaichi - Asunaro Railway station. I buy an all day ticket and have a chat to the friendly station master who lets me photograph the control panel through the window. After a chat he runs into the office and brings back some fridge magnets for me. He seems excited to be talking to another railway man and wishes me a good day.

Control panel for the Y.A.R.

The Y.A.R. is a 2'6" network that has a single station branch and a mainline with a depot/workshop at the terminus. I ride the first train to the end of the branch and return before riding the length of the mainline. After a lunch break I make my way back o the station and the SM tells me the new train will dock in for the following service so I wait around for that. The time is getting away from me so I ride the new set back to Yokkaichi and say goodbye to this little railway.

One of the 3 car sets.

Drivers controls

Single seat layout

Longitudinal seating arrangement

At the branch terminal

A drivers view of the junction station

The refurbished set

Interior layout of the refurbished set. Improvements include air conditioning and wheelchair accessability

I head north again to Kuwana in order to travel on the Sangi Railway, Hokusei Line. This is another 2'6" line and the station is off to the side of the large Kintetsu station. Soon a bright yellow four car set arrives and I board for the journey up the valley to Ageki. This line is a little longer with the trip taking about an hour. It also gets out of the suburbs and passes through some rural areas.

 

Heading up the valley on the Hokusei line

A stabled set

A static preservation at Ageki

Once I arrived at the terminus Ageki, I decided to take the short taxi trip across to the other side of the valley and ride Sangi's other line back down the valley. This is Sangi's original railway and is 3'6". It was built to serve a cement quarry / works but now carries passengers as well. I arrived at Ise-Hatta station and have difficulty explaining my plans to the SM. I don't think he understands why I want to go to the terminus before heading back towards Tomida. I end up on the right train and make my way to the terminus for a quick look around. Sangi appear to have an historically sympathetic vein as there is a diesel shunter and small steam loco "preserved" at the terminus. There is also a rollingstock museum enroute but failing light prevented a good look. We passed an empty cement train on our return and were able to see the cement works as we passed. The quarry for the raw product is an imposing feature from the valley and appears to be consuming a mountain slowly.

A decorated Sangi set at Ise-Hatta station

The set that I rode on the Sangi Railway

A cement wagon which is the other traffic on the line.

Two electric locos shunting at Higashi-Fujiwara

The cement plant at Higashi-Fujiwara

 It is dark by the time I arrive back at Tomida, which is the junction with the Kintetsu Railway. I still have to make my way back to Matsusaka ,collect my bags and travel to my next hotel at Nara. A long night of travel on local trains sees me arrive at Nara close to 10pm. I have now travelled on all the 2"6" lines in Japan. The other is the Kurobe Gorge Railway which is fascinating but was on a previous trip.

Day 5 Getting away from Osaka. Hello Kintetsu

A simple plan this morning of leaving my bags at the hotel and travelling a couple of subway stops to purchase my 5-day Kintetsu Pass got way too complicated. This simple act of locating the place to buy the pass soaked up about 4 hours. What a nightmare.

A selection of Kintetsu units while waiting for the Matsusaka service

I think this is a new Hanshin set on a through service on the Kintetsu network

A Kintetsu rural set with a double deck car

 I eventually board a Kintetsu service for the trip to Matsusaka. A nice trip through some hills and autumn colored forests. After checking into the hotel for one night I realise its too late to follow my original plans so I catch a local train southbound to the end of the line. This is about 1530 so its the local school run and even includes the papers for all the newsagents along the line. A bit like a roadside goods. I get back to the hotel and mellow out with some local beers. A somewhat frustrating day but some more photos as shown below.

My local service from Matsusaka south

A Kintetsu "Kaze"? set that we crossed near Toba

Our local service full of school kids and delivering newspapers

Kashikojima. The end of the line and a pearl centre.

Kashikojima pearl display

Kashikojima and Kintetsu set

Beer at the end of a long day

Day 4. A bit more of a look around Osaka

Today is Sunday and I want to travel on the Mizuma Railway. Another small independent railway south of Osaka. I don't have the TV crew with me today so I can run my own race so to speak. I catch the Nankai network again and alight at Kaizuka. A little gunzeling as a variety of Nankai sets pass through before I head over to the Mizuma platform.

Nankai set at Kaizuka

Another Nankai set at Kaizuka

Rapid set express through Kaizuka

A two car set is waiting and to keep things simple I purchase an all day ticket so I can come and go as I please. I travel to the half way point and alight for a small walk around. Its a grimy little place but I spot a lovely garden being attended by an old lady. I ask in very limited Japanese if I can take a photo. She's OK with that but wants to have a chat. At times like this I really wish I had a little understanding of the language.

Beautiful garden

I make my way back to the station and return to Kaizuka for a toilet stop, (yep no western toilets here, when in Rome...). Then feeling a bit relieved I head back along the line to photograph the train squeezing through the houses. No one seems to take any notice of the gunzel taking shots. 

Squeezing through the houses

Back to the station and board the next service that I ride to the end of the line. When I arrived at the station another set was in the other platform and community market was being held inside. It was a fund raiser for Relay for Life so I purchased some items and lunch and had a great chat to the ladies running the stalls, really good fun and one of those situations that just happen. I had a small walk around the area and photographed all the trains I could find.

Mizuma set at Nagose

The other Mizuma set in service that day also at Nagose

Relay for Life fundraiser at the Mizumakan-non terminus

Lovely ladies running the stalls

Static preservation of historic set

Stabled set 

Signal panel for Mizuma Railway at Kaizuka

Signal panel at terminus including Nagose

Mizuma set at Mori

Travelling back towards Kaizuka I alighted at Mori for another small walk through the streets and alleyways to see some typical suburban scenes. Temples, houses and small shops in a very peaceful setting.

Beautiful house and garden, Mori

Some details of the Mizuma Railway are as follows: Gauge 3'6", length 5.5km, 10 stations.
As you can see a very small affair but a very professional outfit. I travelled back to Kaizuka and farewelled this railway and headed back towards Osaka.

Station staff bowing as train departs.

On my way back to Osaka, I rode the Takashinohama branch line. The lines name is about as long as the line itself. A two car shuttle provides service on the two station branch with a travel time of about 3 minutes. Very novel but I suspect an interesting history to this line.

Two car shuttle at Takashinohama.

Nankai set back to Osaka

After my short excursion on the branch line I continue towards Namba, but alight at Kishinosato-Tamade and take the back way into Osaka. Once again a two-car shuttle is operating the service across to Shiomibashi. I get the feeling that this line was part of a network that served freight areas in times past and the terminus seems to be in a dead end part of town. I start heading of in the direction of the subway station when I realise that the Hanshin Railway station entrance is right in front of me. A quick check of my map and I realise I can continue my exploring via the Hanshin network. Into the station I descend and soon board a train bound for Amagaseki. I can't resist the photo opportunity and alight at FUKU.

Apparently its pronounced Foo-koo (sure).

The light is fading but since I am now on the Hanshin line new trains present new photo opportunities, so I try and grab some shots.

A Hanshin set at Fuku

I continue west heading towards Kobe after a change at Amagaseki. I am intending to ride the Rokko Liner, another automatic people mover. Transferring at Uozaki I make my way through the network of walkways to the Rokko Liner. I get a front row seat and ride to the northern terminus before changing ends and making my way all the way south. It is dark and the lightscape is nice but it would be better during the day. As with the Newtram people mover, photography is difficult due to enclosed platforms but my efforts are shown below.

Rokko Liner people mover.

Absolute front seat position

After traversing the whole line, I start looking for somewhere to have tea. Looking at the map I see another station called "Oishi". Once again another opportunity. I choose to have a meal on the platform at Oishi watching trains, a salad from Lawson (similar to 7/11). The play on words: Oishi is Japanese for delicious!

Oishi at Oishi!

After dinner I head back to the hotel in a round-a-bout route nearly getting lost in the great expanse of Umeda station. Tomorrow I move to Matsusaka for two nights so I have some organising to do tonight. Oyasumi Nasai (goodnight).