Japanese Vacation No.9 (week 3)

[westfalen]

Time flies when you're having fun.

From my hotel window I can look across the river to Hiroshima Station.

I crossed over to the other side of Honshu today via the Geibi and Sanko Lines and returned by the San-in and Yamaguchi Lines.

The first train was a five car set of kiha 40/47's but three were left behind at the end of the suburban area with the leading two car kiha 47 continuing to Miyoshi. From there a kiha 120 ran through to Gotsu on the San-in Main Line.

[westfalen]

The Sanko Line like many in Japan follows a river through the mountains for several hours. The track gang at Kuchiba was getting their snowplow ready for the winter. The line from there to Hamahara is one of those lines that although it only sees four railcars a day (three passengers including myself on mine) it's engineered better than any line in Australia with more bridges, tunnels and viaducts than you can poke a stick at.

While JR is usually associated with Shinkansen and busy commuter trains there are isolated outposts like Iwamikawamoto where the railcar stopped for 1hr 43min while the driver had lunch.

[westfalen]

I had plenty of time to wander around the town and took plenty of photos of buildings. I kept bumping into the only other passenger who was travelling through to Gotsu, who was also wandering aimlessly around town, and we'd look at our watches and shake our heads and keep going.

[westfalen]

At Gotsu there was a bit of action with the locals coming and going while I waited for Super Oki #5 to take me to Shin-Yamaguchi.

[Martijn Meerts]

FAR too many interesting scenes to incorporate into a single layout ;)

[westfalen]

The kiha 187's have comfortable seats and big windows but do have a downside in that there are only two cars, 1 reserved, 1 nonreserved so I reserved a seat to be sure of getting one which proved a good idea as there were few seats left in the nonreserved car.

[westfalen]

FAR too many interesting scenes to incorporate into a single layout ;)

And I'm just picking out a few of the photos I take each day. Each day I get ideas for at least a half dozen T-TRAK modules.

[scott]

Iwamikawamoto where the railcar stopped for 1hr 43min while the driver had lunch.

    Sounds like my kind of town...

What's the building in DSC07044? And is DSC07056 a floodgate?

[linkey]

FAR too many interesting scenes to incorporate into a single layout ;)

And I'm just picking out a few of the photos I take each day. Each day I get ideas for at least a half dozen T-TRAK modules.

So would we expect you to attend the 2013 N scale Convention in Melboure? Where hopefully the Australian Japanese Model Railway Group will be there with their T-TRAK.

On another note going through your previous two threads, the photos are get and you are able to give us more ideas. Thanks West.

[cteno4]

At Gotsu there was a bit of action with the locals coming and going while I waited for Super Oki #5 to take me to Shin-Yamaguchi.

Westfalen,

is the bridge in DSC07070.JPG rail on the top?

thanks

jeff

[The_Ghan]

West,

Oh nice.  I’ve got to do the Sanko Line.  Exactly where did you stop and take those photos of the town  … the ones where you were you kept bumping into “the other guy”?

Cheers

The_Ghan

[bikkuri bahn]

What's the building in DSC07044?

A temple.

[scott]

Yeah, I figured it was that or a drive-in burger place. ;-)

I meant *specifically*.

[westfalen]

Iwamikawamoto where the railcar stopped for 1hr 43min while the driver had lunch.

    Sounds like my kind of town...

What's the building in DSC07044? And is DSC07056 a floodgate?

The building is a temple, the Japanese equivilent of the village church. The graveyard went up the hill behind it.

DSC07056 is a floodgate, I meant to mention it but forgot. At a few towns on the line the railway passed through floodgates in the levee bank.

[westfalen]

FAR too many interesting scenes to incorporate into a single layout ;)

And I'm just picking out a few of the photos I take each day. Each day I get ideas for at least a half dozen T-TRAK modules.

So would we expect you to attend the 2013 N scale Convention in Melboure? Where hopefully the Australian Japanese Model Railway Group will be there with their T-TRAK.

On another note going through your previous two threads, the photos are get and you are able to give us more ideas. Thanks West.

I may have to think about that.

[westfalen]

The_Ghan,

The town was Iwamikawamoto. The driver herded the three passengers off, shut down the railcar, chocked the wheels and disappeared so I figured it was safe to go for a walk.

[bikkuri bahn]

There are 8 temples within 1000 meters of the center of town there, I don't know the specific place as I can't read the signage in the picture.  Suffice to say, it is a minor branch of some larger temple.

[westfalen]

I've been tallying up my mileage, the total so far is 4671.6 km.

I planned to take the Kure Line to Mihara this morning and return via the Sanyo Main Line but the freight timetable indicated that freight activity was greater in the morning, so I caught the 0635 train and headed to Saijo at the top of the pusher grade to see the three freights that leave Hiroshima at 0700, 0713 and 0737. The pushers are cut off the trains at the station plaform so you don't have to go far to watch the action.

[The_Ghan]

The_Ghan,

The town was Iwamikawamoto. The driver herded the three passengers off, shut down the railcar, chocked the wheels and disappeared so I figured it was safe to go for a walk.

Ah, Iwami Kawamoto .... Thanks Mate!

Cheers

The_Ghan

[bikkuri bahn]

I caught the 0635 train and headed to Saijo at the top of the pusher grade to see the three freights that leave Hiroshima at 0700, 0713 and 0737. The pushers are cut off the trains at the station plaform so you don't have to go far to watch the action.

Good stuff there. Have spent a nice hour or two a couple of times at that location.

[westfalen]

After watching the three trains arrive and the pushers cut off and head back down the hill I did the same and backtracked one station to Hachihommatsu and walked further down the track to get the 0851 departure from Hiroshima nearing the top of the grade. The lunch wagon from the Health Bakery (since 1985) was doing the rounds of the local businesses. Notice the vegetable garden alongside the track, an old guy from one of the nearby houses came and picked picked a few vegetables while I was there. You used to see this a fair bit in Brisbane too but the health and safety people would have a fit today.

[The_Ghan]

The_Ghan,

The town was Iwamikawamoto. The driver herded the three passengers off, shut down the railcar, chocked the wheels and disappeared so I figured it was safe to go for a walk.

Ah, Iwami Kawamoto .... Thanks Mate!

Cheers

The_Ghan

Further, can someone tell me what is at  34°59'56.39"N 132°29'44.41"E, across the river north of Kawamoto?  If I'm heading there with Mrs_Ghan next year she's gonna want to see SOMETHING when she gets off that train!

Cheers

The_Ghan

[westfalen]

On the way back to the station I got a photo of something that is pretty common. Got and vacant lot on your layout? Put up a sign with the fees and a vending machine and turn it into a parking lot.

My next stop was Shiraichi which had the tracks coming out of a tunnel a bit of a way back from the station that looked good on Google Earth so I waited there for the 1047 freight from Hiroshima before moving on to Hongo. At Hongo the 1128 sped through as I was walking the couple of km back to where the Shinkansen crosses the valley on a bridge.

[westfalen]

The 1258 freight passed through 1hr 15min after leaving Hiroshima and I pushed on to Mihara and returned to Hiroshima on the Kure Line. It was getting dark by the time I changed trains at Hiro.

[westfalen]

The_Ghan,

The town was Iwamikawamoto. The driver herded the three passengers off, shut down the railcar, chocked the wheels and disappeared so I figured it was safe to go for a walk.

Ah, Iwami Kawamoto .... Thanks Mate!

Cheers

The_Ghan

I left out the space, in fact JR spell it with a hypen "Iwami-Kawamoto"

[westfalen]

At Gotsu there was a bit of action with the locals coming and going while I waited for Super Oki #5 to take me to Shin-Yamaguchi.

Westfalen,

is the bridge in DSC07070.JPG rail on the top?

thanks

jeff

No, it's road on both levels. The rail bridge is next to it.

[scott]

There are 8 temples within 1000 meters of the center of town there, I don't know the specific place as I can't read the signage in the picture.  Suffice to say, it is a minor branch of some larger temple.

Interesting--thanks!

[scott]

Lots of nice details--the bike parking is great. Now where am I going to get that many n-scale bikes? 

[Bernard]

West - your photos are inspiring! I love the shot of the train going over the bridge and you see all the boats docked under it. It shows me what type of boats I should use and how they are docked.
When you do your exhibitions with your club do you mount some of your photos for others to view?

[westfalen]

West - your photos are inspiring! I love the shot of the train going over the bridge and you see all the boats docked under it. It shows me what type of boats I should use and how they are docked.
When you do your exhibitions with your club do you mount some of your photos for others to view?

Sometimes I do, or I set up a TV and play some of my video.

[westfalen]

I've moved on to Shikoku. I was a bit later geting to Okayama than planned because I decided to get a Kodama from Hiroshima instead of the Sakura so I could have another ride on a 500, you never know when some bean counter at JR West is going to decide it's no longer economical to keep these orphans in a fleet of 700/N700 types running.

I got a few quick shots at Takamatsu station before I left my bag at the hotel and went off exploring the parts of the Kotoden I haven't been on. First destination was Nagao. Takamatsu station has changed since I was last here in 1998, I remember an old station oozing with good old fashioned railway atmosphere.

[westfalen]

The station master at Nagao has a small CTC panel controlling his station and the next passing siding at Ido.

I headed from there to Kotohira but when I came to the shops and depot at Busshozan I decided to hop off and get a few shots. The train getting scrubbed had it's ends given a good clean by hand then was run back and forth through the car washer four times, no wonder most Japanese trains are so clean. In Brisbane units get through the car wash about once every two weeks and sometimes they even get wet. The station master came up to me and asked where I was from and when I told him he said "present" and handed me an envelope with some Kotoden postcards and stickers.

[westfalen]

There was one older car at the shops, they moved it from behind some other cars and parked it outside the shop building while I was there.

[westfalen]

After a bit of a look around Kotohira I caught JR back to Takamatsu and got a few night shots of the new station (well, new to me anyway).

[keitaro]

loved the kotohira line.

funnily enough i was talking to ghan about this just 2 nights ago.

i ordered http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10167859 and http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10167855

the line is very old just over 100 years

west if possible when you return home could i get some pics from you of this line?

i have plans to incorporate part of this line with something fresh added to it in a future plan.

I wanted to go there in aug next year again but i won't have time most likely as will be heading to hokkaido etc.

[The_Ghan]

West,

Very nice station master.  I keep a bunch of Aussie keyrings, stick pins and those little 2” koalas that can grip your clothes on me all the time when travelling.  That way, when I come across a generous citizen like the station master I can return the favour.

That yard where they’re washing the cars is small enough to model.  Great stuff!!!

There’s a nice shrine at Kotohira.  Did you get there?  Japan’s oldest kabuki theatre is also in Kotohira.  That’s something I’d love to see.

Cheers

The_Ghan

[bikkuri bahn]

Takamatsu Station probably did lose some of its "railroady" atmosphere in its reform (I believe it was moved a bit also, away from the ferry landing-allowing for re-development and a big station square), it used to be an oily diesel railcar paradise- plenty of kiha 58's and 181's.  It does have going for it the stub end terminal configuration, relatively unusual for big JR stations.

[keitaro]

theres still dmu's to be had from the jr station on a regular basis :D

[bikkuri bahn]

Yes, but there is also electric, which makes for a cleaner environment and a more rapid transit "feel".  When there is only diesel, the smells and feeling is completely different- I know, living in Hokkaido, which is dominated by diesel EMUs on intercity routes.

[westfalen]

West,

Very nice station master.  I keep a bunch of Aussie keyrings, stick pins and those little 2” koalas that can grip your clothes on me all the time when travelling.  That way, when I come across a generous citizen like the station master I can return the favour.

That yard where they’re washing the cars is small enough to model.  Great stuff!!!

There’s a nice shrine at Kotohira.  Did you get there?  Japan’s oldest kabuki theatre is also in Kotohira.  That’s something I’d love to see.

Cheers

The_Ghan

I forgot to bring a supply of Aussie souveniers this trip, the koalas are always popular. Ouside Kotohira station a group of high school girls asked me were I was from and when I told them Australia they all said in unison "Ahh Koalas".

It was getting late in the day so I didn't get to the shrine, perhaps a future trip now that I've got the railway done.

[westfalen]

Takamatsu Station probably did lose some of its "railroady" atmosphere in its reform (I believe it was moved a bit also, away from the ferry landing-allowing for re-development and a big station square), it used to be an oily diesel railcar paradise- plenty of kiha 58's and 181's.  It does have going for it the stub end terminal configuration, relatively unusual for big JR stations.

You might be right about the station being moved back from the waterfront. When I went this evening to check out where the ferry departed from I could have sworn that in 1994 when we spent a bit of time here we almost stepped off the station steps onto the dock, now it's almost a good 10 minute walk.

[keitaro]

didn't they dumps sand and extend it out??

I think it was for the govt building i may be wrong though

[westfalen]

Today I went to the end of the line south of here at Kannora on the Asa Kaigan Railway.

There were plenty of railcars in the yard at Tokushima.

[westfalen]

The tunnel at Kaifu, where JR and the Asa Kaigan Railway meet, defies explanation. It looks like one of those tunnels in a toy train set.

The end of the line at Kannora is a dead end on a viaduct in the middle of nowhere. You can imagine the viaduct extending across the valley with a tunnel through the opposite hillside if the missing link between there and Nahari had been built.

[westfalen]

Next to the station was a small temple with an old wooden shrine out the back. In a small building was what appeared to be the portable shrine they parade through the streets on festival days.

[westfalen]

Some more shots of the shrine and Kannora station.

[Martijn Meerts]

Now that's a train station you don't see everyday .. Would be a cool one for a (j-)module ;)

[westfalen]

On the way back it was drizzling rain so I decided not to break my journey in a couple of the small towns enroute and kept going, eventually getting all the way to Okayama before returning to Takamatsu.

I'm off to my final destination of Osaka in the morning. I haven't made any detailed timetable but Sunday I plan doing some of the Kintetsu 3'6" gauge lines then head down to Wakayama. On Monday I will go to Amagasaki in the morning to see if I can get some shots of the Sumitomo Metals narrow gauge industrial railway and another day I will get to the Akagawa truss bridge.

[westfalen]

didn't they dumps sand and extend it out??

I think it was for the govt building i may be wrong though

You may be right but when I arrived I got the impression that the platforms were shorter than I remembered, maybe it was a bit of both.

[bikkuri bahn]

According to wikipedia, the station was moved 300m to the west (inland).  The former station was across the street from the Kotoden Takamatsu Chikko Station.  The ANA Clement Hotel now occupies that space.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Takamatsu,+Kagawa+Prefecture,+Japan&hl=en&ll=34.351227,134.048084&spn=0.002471,0.006866&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.775203,79.013672&vpsrc=6&hnear=Takamatsu,+Kagawa+Prefecture,+Japan&t=h&z=18