Japanese Railway History

Cape Gauge was used in many countries throughout the world. It has been identified primarily with the Cape Colony in South Africa but was used first in the UK on a variety of tramways. Later its use extended into a number of countries in the Far East including New Zealand, Indonesia and in particular Japan.

Cape Gauge was chosen as the 'standard gauge' in Japan. This post provides an introduction to the historic railways of Japan. The story includes a variety of different gauges. The use of different gauges seems at least as complex as the situation in the UK.

This post is an introduction to the railways of Japan and centres around the use of Cape Gauge. ........

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/09/japanese-railway-history-cape-gauge

 

Thanks Roger, very interesting. Couple of minor points: C108 was built by Kawasaki. Kisha Seizo was a separate manufacturer. C11 207 was built by Hitachi in 1941.

 

Thank you huochemi. I appreciate the comments. I have slightly amended the text with each photo to say that the comments belong to the photographer and I have added your comments into references 27 and 28 at the end of the text.

 

The build info is from Kikansha Hyo / Locomotive List 機関車表, Okita Yusaku 沖田祐作, Neko Publishing Co Ltd, Tokyo 2014 ISBN 9784777053629, all 23,000 pages, on DVD. You can buy it from Amazon.co.jp:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/機関車表【DVDブック】-沖田-祐作/dp/4777053628
(or copy and paste the Japanese kanji to search if the link is too long)

 

Thank you.

 

I hope to produce a short series of short posts over the next little while which look at some of the 2ft 6in track-gauge railway in Japan. This is the first. The Kurobe Gorge Railway is both as tourist railway and a supply line to the hydroelectric power stations along the Kurobe River Gorge. This is not a historic line as it is still very much in use but its origins go back as far as 1906.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/3...e-762mm-lines-part-1-the-kurobe-gorge-railway

 

The Kiso Forest Railways - Part A

This next post provides an introduction to the Logging Railways in the Kiso Forest. Only a short tourist railway now remains of what was once a very large system of 762mm lines. I am currently working on a short survey of one of the lines which made up the network.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/11/japanese-narrow-gauge-762mm-lines-part-2-the-kiso-railway-part-a

 

The Kiso Forest Railways - Part B

This post covers one of the main logging railway networks in the Kiso Valley. ... The Otaki Forest Railway.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/16/japanese-narrow-gauge-762mm-lines-part-3-the-kiso-railway-part-b-the-otaki-forest-railway

 

The Kiso Forest Railways - Part C

This next post covers another of the significant 762mm railways in the Kiso Forest. The Ogawa Forest Railway. This railway was connected directly to the Otaki Forest Railway.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/2...-kiso-railway-part-c-the-ogawa-forest-railway

 

The Kiso Forest Railways - Part D

Further South down the Kiso River is the town of Nojiri. There was a significant network of 762mm railways in its immediate vicinity and in the Atera River Valley. The Nojiri Forest Railways are covered in this next post.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/25/japanese-narrow-gauge-762mm-lines-part-5-the-kiso-railway-part-d-the-atera-valley-and-the-nojiri-forest-railway

 

The Kiso Forest Railways - Part E

I am indebted to a number of Japanese language websites for many of the photographs in this series of posts. I am glad to say that I have been able to contact the site owners and have full permission to reproduce the photographs from their sites.

You will see that I am particularly grateful for permission from the site owner of 'rintetsu.net' for many of the photos in this next post.

On that site you will find considerably more photographs of the route covered here.

This next post covers the Forest Railway which leaves the JR Chuo Line at Yabuhara in the Kiso Forest area - The Ogiso Forest Railway.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/03/0...o-railway-part-e-the-ogiso-line-from-yabuhara

 

Very interesting. Keep them coming. I enjoy reading your articles though I won't comment on each individual one.

 

Here are 45 photos of British locos preserved in Japan. Eight are steam, one is an English Electric:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/Japanese-trains/British-locos-preserved-in-Japan/i-wMPtdSt

And here are three views of battleship Mikasa, built in Barrow in 1900:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/Ships/Japan-JMSDF-ships-at-Yokosuka-and-Kure-2019/

Andrew N

 

Great pictures Andrew.