The Botchan Ressha (坊っちゃん列車), or simply Botchan, is a diesel-powered replica of a small-gauge steam locomotive installed in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan in 1888 as the original Iyo Railway, which was the first railway company in Shikoku and third in the nation.[1] The reconstructed locomotives are now a tourist attraction, alternating with electric trams on two of the Iyo Railway's city lines.
The original 0-4-0 (B) type steam locomotives built by Krauss & Company in Munich were imported to Matsuyama in 1888. The narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in / 762 mm) locomotives used Stephenson valve gears and ran on coal. The 4.5 mile line ran every hour from Mitsuhama to Togawa (now Matsuyama City Station) stopping at Komachi station. In the 1894 Murray's Handbook Chamberlain and Mason wrote, "This is a pretty little journey across the mountain-girt plain, in whose centre rises the wooded hill crowned by Matsuyama castle, which comes in view before reaching the intermediate station of Komachi."[2]
The train was small even by narrow-gauge standards, as passengers almost invariably noted. Osman Edwards, who visited Matsuyama in 1898, wrote "Dōgō is only a short distance from the seashore, and is reached in half-an-hour by what I can only describe as a toy train."[3]
Demise and rebirthedit
Original train at Baishinji Park in October 2008
The original trains were decommissioned after Iyo Railway (Iyotetsu) introduced electric cars in 1931. During subsequent decades, Iyotetsu made efforts to preserve the legacy of the original trains, due to their historical value and association with Sōseki's famous novel. These efforts included preservation of one of the original locomotives, dubbed Botchan. As a historian noted in 1995, "The Krauss and an original car are kept in a kind of iron cage in the city's Baishinji Park. Its label reads 'No. 2585 München 1888.'"[4]
A character in Eliza Scidmore's 1907 novel, As the Hague Ordains comments: "Such a railway! The tiniest miniscule[sic] of a railway — a string of netsukes is the train. I might hang the locomotive on my watch chain — a breloque merely. So droll."[6]
Most famously, the train was depicted in Natsume Sōseki's 1906 novel, Botchan: "I found the train station soon enough and bought myself a ticket. When I got on the train, it looked as dinky as a matchbox. It had hardly started to get rolling when it was already time to get off; the whole ride couldn't have taken more than five minutes. No wonder the ticket was so cheap, I thought — only three sen!"[7]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Botchan Train.
Iyotetsu Botchan Ressha page (in Japanese)
April 11, 2024
botchan, ressha, 坊っちゃん列車, simply, botchan, diesel, powered, replica, small, gauge, steam, locomotive, installed, city, matsuyama, ehime, japan, 1888, original, railway, which, first, railway, company, shikoku, third, nation, reconstructed, locomotives, tourist. The Botchan Ressha 坊っちゃん列車 or simply Botchan is a diesel powered replica of a small gauge steam locomotive installed in the city of Matsuyama Ehime Japan in 1888 as the original Iyo Railway which was the first railway company in Shikoku and third in the nation 1 The reconstructed locomotives are now a tourist attraction alternating with electric trams on two of the Iyo Railway s city lines Botchan Ressha Contents 1 The original railway 2 Demise and rebirth 3 Cultural references 4 References 5 External linksThe original railway edit nbsp Botchan Ressha at Dogo StationThe original 0 4 0 B type steam locomotives built by Krauss amp Company in Munich were imported to Matsuyama in 1888 The narrow gauge 2 ft 6 in 762 mm locomotives used Stephenson valve gears and ran on coal The 4 5 mile line ran every hour from Mitsuhama to Togawa now Matsuyama City Station stopping at Komachi station In the 1894 Murray s Handbook Chamberlain and Mason wrote This is a pretty little journey across the mountain girt plain in whose centre rises the wooded hill crowned by Matsuyama castle which comes in view before reaching the intermediate station of Komachi 2 The train was small even by narrow gauge standards as passengers almost invariably noted Osman Edwards who visited Matsuyama in 1898 wrote Dōgō is only a short distance from the seashore and is reached in half an hour by what I can only describe as a toy train 3 Demise and rebirth edit nbsp Original train at Baishinji Park in October 2008The original trains were decommissioned after Iyo Railway Iyotetsu introduced electric cars in 1931 During subsequent decades Iyotetsu made efforts to preserve the legacy of the original trains due to their historical value and association with Sōseki s famous novel These efforts included preservation of one of the original locomotives dubbed Botchan As a historian noted in 1995 The Krauss and an original car are kept in a kind of iron cage in the city s Baishinji Park Its label reads No 2585 Munchen 1888 4 On October 12 2001 a diesel powered replica was introduced by Iyotetsu Currently the train makes two round trips between Komachi Station and Dōgo Onsen via JR Matsuyama Station and six round trips between Matsuyama City Station and Dōgo Onsen 5 Cultural references editA character in Eliza Scidmore s 1907 novel As the Hague Ordains comments Such a railway The tiniest miniscule sic of a railway a string of netsukes is the train I might hang the locomotive on my watch chain a breloque merely So droll 6 Most famously the train was depicted in Natsume Sōseki s 1906 novel Botchan I found the train station soon enough and bought myself a ticket When I got on the train it looked as dinky as a matchbox It had hardly started to get rolling when it was already time to get off the whole ride couldn t have taken more than five minutes No wonder the ticket was so cheap I thought only three sen 7 The train is also featured as playable in Ryojōhen which is part of Taito s railway simulation game series Densha de Go 8 References edit Kishi Yuichiro 2004 Railway Operators in Japan 13 Shikoku Region Japan Railway amp Transport Review 39 44 Archived from the original on 2011 09 22 Retrieved 2011 05 18 Chamberlain Basil Hall Mason W B 1894 A Handbook for Travellers in Japan 4th ed London Murray Edwards Osman 1901 Japanese Plays and Playfellows London Heinemann p 200 Finn Dallas 1995 Meiji revisited the sites of Victorian Japan New York Weatherhill p 141 坊っちゃん列車に乗ろう ご利用案内 Iyotetsu in Japanese Retrieved 2 April 2020 Scidmore Eliza 1908 As the Hague Ordains New York H Holt p 37 Sōseki Natsume 2007 Botchan A Modern Classic Translated by Joel Cohn Kodansha p 27 ISBN 978 4770030481 Densha de Go Ryojōhen Iyo Railway Botchan Ressha 電車GO 旅情編 伊予鐵道 少爺列車 古町 道後溫泉 retrieved 2022 04 14External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Botchan Train Iyotetsu Botchan Ressha page in Japanese Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Botchan Ressha amp oldid 1089869587, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
