The nostalgia surrounding steam locomotives makes them popular tourist trains.

Today, many restored steam locomotives operate as tourist trains in various parts of Japan.

In Shizuoka prefecture, Oigawa Railway in particular has been making an effort to restore and operate steam locomotives,

with 4 in working condition operating more than 300 days a year.

As of May 2023, there are 17 steam locomotives, including Oigawa Railway, in commercial operation all across the country.

However, that number is decreasing.

JR East discontinued "SL Ginga" in June 2023 due to its age, and JR Kyushu announced that its "SL Hitoyoshi,"

the oldest steam locomotive preserved in moving condition in Japan, would be discontinued in March 2024.

Despite the difficult situation now facing Oigawa Railway, they are still working to preserve and operate steam locomotives.

In today's program, we take a look at Oigawa Railway's commitment to preserving and operating steam locomotives;

resources vital for the company's survival as well as regional tourism.

Oigawa Railway, which runs along the Oi River in Shizuoka Prefecture,

is a private railway company with two lines totaling 65 km in length.

Oigawa Main Line, in particular, is known throughout Japan for its steam locomotives.

Japanese National Railways ended its last steam locomotive service in 1975.

The following year, Oigawa Railway became the first company to revive steam locomotive operations.

Currently, the railway has four steam locomotives preserved in moving condition,

including a steam loco modeled after the famous children's book and TV character,

"Thomas the Tank Engine," which began service in 2014, attracting many tourists.

While most companies limit their steam locomotive operation to weekends and holidays,

Oigawa Railway operates them throughout the week.

Running more than 300 days a year, they attract many passengers.

However, the pandemic caused passenger numbers to drop significantly.

The pandemic was then followed by a natural disaster.

In September 2022, the region was hit by a typhoon and heavy rain, causing landslides and track beds to washout.

Since the disaster, the railway has been working to restore the line but as of September 2023,

more than 22 km of the Oigawa Main Line remained out of commission.

In addition, Oigawa Railway operates not only steam locomotives,

but also trains primarily used by local residents, so it was a big hit to the region.

In September 2023, a support group consisting of volunteers from municipalities along the line

visited the Shizuoka Prefectural Government and submitted a petition with the signatures of 36,000 people

requesting support for the restoration of the entire line.

They signed the petition concerned that the issues affecting the railway,

a vital tourism resource, could also lead to local economic decline.

Oigawa Railway is vital to the area.

We will keep working until the line
has been fully restored.

In October 2023, some progress was made toward the restoration of the line.

A 2.9 km section of line that was previously closed reopened.

Of the 39.5 km, 20 km, approximately half of the entire Oigawa Main Line, has now been restored.

On the day the section reopened, many residents gathered by the railway bridge that crosses the Oi River,

waving banners and flags to celebrate.

The train is coming!

I nearly cried when I saw the test run,
I was so happy. This is really exciting.

I'm looking forward to the day the
steam loco resumes full operation.

The sound of the steam locomotive
is very dear to me.

I truly appreciate and support
Oigawa Railway's efforts.

They are happy to see the arrival of the local train.

They are also looking forward to the arrival of the following steam train.

It's evening.

Time for the steam locomotive to run on the reopened section.

While the steam locomotive usually runs during the day,

a special "SL Night Train" is running tonight to commemorate the service reopening.

The breeze from the open window
is very soothing.

It feels like the train is alive, almost human.

I feel an affinity with the train. That's why
I like Oigawa Railway.

I've always been a fan of Oigawa Railway.

I came because the steam loco
rarely runs at night.

It's the next best thing to time travel.

Oigawa Railway transports us
back to the good old days.

Departing at dusk, the landscape gradually gets darker.

Many people have come to enjoy the brief night train ride.

On this 2.9km section, passengers can see
vast tea fields and the Oi River.

The landscape is indicative of Japan.

Those two features, especially,
mean a lot to the people.

So our mission is to restore the entire line.

Although the restoration of this section seems like a ray of hope,

there are no prospects for the remaining 20 km as of yet.

Oigawa Railway is not only a vital means of transportation but, with the steam locomotives,

it's also a major tourism asset, which is why the locals hope for the line to be fully restored.

So the locals have really high expectations for Oigawa Railway.

However Ryo, how big is the impact of the Steam Locomotives on tourism there?

Well, according to the statistics, Oigawa Railway carried approximately 567,000 passengers in 2018,

and that's before the pandemic by the way, and out of that 286,000 were actually the passengers on the steam trains.

So more than half of their passengers were actually passengers for the Steam Locomotives.

So there is no wonders that they would like to have them restored as soon as possible.

Yes indeed. However, the company estimated that the restoration will cost approximately 1.9 billion Japanese yen.

And the company stated that they cannot finance that on their own.

So the next big step that should be taken is that the central government and the local governments all come together

to form the framework so that they can support Oigawa Railway for its restoration work.

Let's hope that they can find the solution.

Next up, let's have a look how Oigawa Railway maintains its steam locomotives in working condition.

Currently, most steam locomotive repair and inspection facilities are owned by JR,

having taken them over from the former Japanese National Railways.

Even private railways that operate steam locomotives in the greater Tokyo area

outsource large-scale inspections and repairs to JR East's facilities.

But inspections and repairs are costly.

A "general inspection" once every four years costs more than 100 million yen.

Despite this, Oigawa Railway and its partner company, have managed to keep the locomotives in working condition,

handing down inspection and maintenance know-how to each new generation.

Tokaikikan, a boilermaker headquartered in Shizuoka City,

has been maintaining Oigawa Railway's steam locomotives for more than 40 years.

In January 2023, the link between the two companies was strengthened when Tokaikikan built a facility in Shimada City,

the location of Oigawa Railway's depot, for the sole purpose of maintaining steam locomotives.

This benefits the railway as it cuts the transportation costs

normally incurred by the company when moving the steam locos for inspections and repairs.

Oigawa Railway has four working steam locomotives, but at any one time at least one of them is under inspection.

Four mechanics of varying experience, from newcomers to 30-year veterans, are responsible for maintaining the steam locos.

Our factory depends on knowledge, which is
passed down to each new generations.

So it's important for us to work
with younger people.

Ms. Yoshida is the youngest of the four mechanics.

Graduating from a local technical high school, she started working for Tokaikikan this year.

I've always enjoyed making things,
since I was very young.

I used to ride Oigawa Railway's steam
locomotives with my little brother.

His and the other passenger's smiles made me
want to be a steam loco mechanic.

It's been 8 months since she was assigned to the SL maintenance facility.

In that time she has been working to learn the basic skills under the guidance of her peers.

Turn the bolt.

Like this?

No, the other way.

Now, Ms. Yoshida is checking by feel to see if the SL parts are still usable.

I have trouble loosening the bolts, plus there's
a lot of heavy lifting. It's hard work.

There's no manual for steam locomotive maintenance.

It take takes years of experience and know-how passed down from generation to generation.

To make sure they're always ready to conduct repairs,

the mechanics also have to manufacture some of the more hard-to-get parts.

Where possible, we stick to using traditional
maintenance techniques.

Our goal is to preserve the knowledge
that's been passed down

from the golden age of steam locomotives.

I think it's important to safeguard traditions.

While most trains are electric now, I'm interested in
protecting the old things that have been left behind.

It's the skill of these mechanics that keeps Oigawa Railway's steam locomotive operation going.

The techniques passed down through the generations are themselves considered industrial heritage.

More than 45 years have passed since Oigawa Railway started operating steam locomotives.

In recent years, they've had to suspend their operation several times due to vehicle issues,

running electric locomotives in their place.

Our steam locomotives are 80 to 90 years old.

So we often have to conduct large-scale
maintenance, which takes time.

But that maintenance is key to
operating them long term.

So to adjust, we had to decrease
the number of operations.

To counter this, Oigawa Railway decided to add one more steam locomotive to stabilize their operation.

In February 2022, the company decided to acquire a class C56, which had been preserved in Hyogo Prefecture.

The estimated cost to restore the SL to moving condition was approximately 300 million yen.

This is the prefectural park in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, where the C56 was preserved.

Exposed to the elements for almost 50 years, the body was badly damaged.

At first, Kato City approached JR West about returning the locomotive,

but the overall cost was estimated to be approximately 100 million yen.

At that point the city decided to demolish and remove the loco instead.

At the time, many of the people involved
expressed their regret

but at the same time, they realized
it would be impossible to restore.

That's when Oigawa Railway stepped in.

Examining the locomotive's condition and finding that it could be restore to working condition, they decided to acquire it.

I truly appreciate their decision to utilize our steam
loco, which had been here for more than 50 years.

However, at the time they made the decision to take on the Class C56,

the company was facing severe financial difficulties, with fare income down to less than half due to the pandemic.

So the company turned to crowdfunding to cover part of the restoration cost.

In just over two months they raised more than 84 million yen.

The tourism association of Kato City, the city that originally preserved the Class C56,

also began promoting the project through social media and fundraising activities,

and they continue to do so even though the crowdfunding campaign has since closed.

Once it begins operation, we would
love to support them

by doing things like promoting
tours of Oigawa Railway.

Oigawa Railway's crowdfunding efforts not only resulted in financial support for the steam locomotive project,

but also showed how many people share the company's determination to keep the steam locomotives running.

Having taken on the steam locomotive
from Kato City,

we will do our best to get it back on track.

It won't be easy, but we will work
hard to see it through.

The Class C56 from Kato City will be restored and is expected to start commercial operation in 2025,

the year Oigawa Railway celebrates its 100th anniversary.

It seems like it's very challenging for Oigawa Railway,

a rural railway in Japan to maintain not one but actually 4 steam locomotives in working condition.

Yes indeed. Steam locomotives costs very much to not just to operate but to maintain.

So it is a challenge as you said, but up to now, Oigawa Railway manage to do that

especially thanks to very high ridership of the steam trains.

I'm excited and hopeful to see the steam locomotive from the park get a second life again.

Yes indeed. And that'll be a very great news for the local community but...

it's not just a good news for them but for the entire railway industry especially for companies who are running the steam trains.

Without them I think no other companies can actually operate steam trains properly.

So Oigawa Railway is actually an important linchpin for the steam locomotives in Japan then.

Yes, I think so.

October 14 is "Railway Day," commemorating the day the first railway started operation in Japan.

On this day, railway related events were held throughout the country.

At the JR East rolling stock depot in Morioka City, in Iwate Prefecture,

visitors were invited to look around their steam locomotive.

This steam locomotive ran as the tourist train "SL Ginga" until June 2023.

It was finally discontinued due to its age.

It's cool!

My kids love steam locomotives.
We'd love to ride one again.

In Yamagata Prefecture, JR Yamagata Station held a Railway Festival attracting many visitors and families.

Here at the event, children and adults about 10 at a time experienced riding a mini steam locomotive on an almost 50-meter-long course.

And here, the kids had fun trying on the stationmaster's uniform.

They had a great time taking photos all dressed up.

It was fun.

We came here because my son
is really into trains.

On October 8 and 9, a Railway Festival was held in Tokyo.

This event is held annually to celebrate "Railway Day."

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event.

Around 70 companies, including JR as well as private railways, took part in the event,

promoting their companies and selling limited-edition goods and railway parts from their booths.

In this pavilion, the winners of the "Japan Railway Award,"

issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, were on display.

The Japan Railway Award is an annual award given to companies and organizations

that have made outstanding achievements in the railway industry.

This year, along with the grand prize, four special prizes were awarded,

and one of them was awarded to "Japan Railway Journal."

Our program received the award in recognition of our efforts

to promote the charm of Japanese railways to the world from a variety of perspectives.

It's a great honor for our program to receive the special award of the Japan Railway Award.

Yes indeed, and I'm really honored to be part of the team.

Everyone on the team is very excited.

And we are looking forward to sharing more wonderful and fascinating aspects about Japanese railways with you.