Ōigawa Railway Ōigawa Main Line

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.

Ōigawa Main Line
C11 190 at Senzu Station in 2005
Overview
Locale	Shizuoka Prefecture
Termini	Kanaya Senzu
Stations	20
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	Ōigawa Railway
History
Opened	1927
Technical
Line length	39.5 km
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead
Route map Legend Ōigawa Railway Ikawa Line 39.5 Senzu (千頭) Ōi River (Sendai Bridge) Ōi River (Yanagisakio Bridge) 37.2 Sakidaira (崎平) Ōi River 36.1 Aobe (青部) 34.1 Suruga-Tokuyama (駿河徳山) 31.0 Tanokuchi (田野口) 27.4 Shimoizumi (下泉) Shimoizumikouchi River 24.3 Shiogō (塩郷) 22.9 Jina (地名) Sasama River 20.0 Kawaneonsen-Sasamado (川根温泉笹間渡) Ōi River 18.8 Nukuri (抜里) 17.1 Ieyama (家山) Ieyama River 14.8 Owada (大和田) Hakko River 12.3 Fukuyō (福用) 9.8 Kamio (神尾) 5.5 Kadode (門出) Shin-Tōmei Expressway 5.0 Gōkaku (合格) 4.3 Higiri (日切) Japan National Route 1 3.8 Daikanchō (代官町) 2.3 Shin-Kanaya (新金谷) Ojiro River 0.0 Kanaya (金谷) Tōkaidō Main Line

Stations

●: Always stops, ◇: Occasionally stops, ｜: Passes

Local Trains stop at every station

Name		Distance (km)	SL Express [ja]	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	｜
Gōkaku	合格	5.0	｜
Kadode	門出	5.5	｜
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^[update], the Oigawa Main Line fleet is as follows.^[1]

Electric multiple units

• 300 series 2-car EMU (former Seibu MoHa 351, stored out of use)
• 420 series 2-car EMU (former Kintetsu 6421 series, stored out of use)
• 3000 series 2-car EMU (former Keihan 3000 series, stored out of use)
• 6000 series 2-car EMU (former Nankai 6000 series)
• 7200 series 2-car EMU (former Tokyu 7200 series, purchased from Towada Electric Railway in 2015)
• 16000 series 2-car EMUs x2 (former Kintetsu 16000 series)
• 21000 series 2-car EMUs x2 (former Nankai 21000 series)

•  

  A 3000 series EMU in August 2014

•  

  A 16000 series EMU in April 2012

•  

  A 21000 series EMU in July 2013

Electric locomotives

• Class E10 x3
• Class ED500 x1

Steam locomotives

• JNR Class C10 (C10 8)
• JNR Class C11 (C10 190/227/312)
• JNR Class C12 (C12 164, stored out of service)
• JNR Class C56 (C56 44)

•  

  Steam locomotive C11 190

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]

•  

  Interior of a heritage carriage

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[3]

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

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.
3. 金谷駅の情報 (Information about Kanaya Station) Retrieved 10 June 2018 (in Japanese)

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)