Well that didn't take long...

[Pashina12]

When I signed up for this forum I had exactly zero thought to modelling something in Japan. My interest was squarely on the colonial era railways in Korea and Manchuria, and locomotive builders in Japan who built locomotives for over there.

 

And then last night I discovered the Akechi line and the Aizu line, and I started to think, well these both look eminently modellable, could be something to think about? Then this morning I discovered the Aizu line as it was before 1986 when the dam flooded Kuwabara... all the bridge/tunnel/bridge... and all those C11s. And then I found myself taking notes, jotting down thoughts, all the other things one does when planning something... so I guess I am planning to model the Aizu line.

 

Gonna be needing some C11s...

[cteno4]

Sorry pashina, you are officially sunk now! Infection has set in systemically, sadly no cure!

 

Jeff

[Pashina12]

At least my self control is good when it comes to getting only the things I need for the given project!

[Kabutoni]

And then last night I discovered the Akechi line and the Aizu line, and I started to think, well these both look eminently modellable, could be something to think about? Then this morning I discovered the Aizu line as it was before 1986 when the dam flooded Kuwabara... all the bridge/tunnel/bridge... and all those C11s. And then I found myself taking notes, jotting down thoughts, all the other things one does when planning something... so I guess I am planning to model the Aizu line.

 

Interesting! I did some quick reading on the old Aizu line which was moved to the other side of the Kinugawa after the completion of the Ōgawa dam. The old trackbed seems to have been reused as a road now. Soon, different C11s will be released by Kato and Tomix, so you don't have to put up with the old toolings when getting a C11.

 

Ever since I've visited the Kinugawa line, a bit more south of the Aizu line, I've been infected with interest this peculiar network. The main part which interests me is the electrified section (as far as Aizu-tajima), as this section is operated mainly with Tōbu (Yagan and Aizu) stock (6050, 634, and 350 Series, as well as the 500 Series next month), but has some overlapping services with Aizu Railway DMU rolling stock (AT600/650 and AT700/750 types). A funny detail is that on the Tōbu Kinugawa line a C11 operated train will start running next month between Shin-imaichi and Kinugawaonsen.

[Pashina12]

I like the current look of the line but I prefer the old section that was drowned over the tunnel bit... read on one page that the section that was drowned, around Kuwabara, with 2.5% grades all the way including on the bridge, on both sides, and the use of a second C11 as a pusher on heavier trains, which could be fun to add to layout ops. and I love the way Aizutakinohara/Aizukogen-Ozeguchi looks with the "to be continued" line overgrown and abandoned. I'd like to find out when DMU services started on the line... it'd be rather lovely if I could have DMUs for passenger trains and C11s pulling freight...

 

On a different page I was reading about a bunch of guys getting the hand-pushed turntable at Aizukogen-Ozeguchi cleaned and moving again, if I understood it right, in the hopes of getting a C11 running to there again...

[Kabutoni]

This is a page with some interesting photo's from some abandoned sections and a map where the former line used to run. It's now partially on the bottom of a lake: http://yamaiga.com/rail/ookawa/main.html

 

I'm not sure when DMU's entered the line, but I think it'd be safe to say it would have been somewhere in the 2nd half of the sixties. Steam operations ended in early 1974, so if you set your collection somewhere around the early seventies, you should be fine. Freight trains after that (until 1982) were apparently hauled by DE10 diesels.

 

It's be awesome to see steam trains running on the Aizu line again and the idea also makes one think of a complete through steam service from Aizu-wakamatsu, all the way to Shimo-imaichi with a C11... That'll be a very very long run... I'm already amazed there is a direct through service from Aizu-wakamatsu to Tōbu-nikkō!

[Pashina12]

Thanks for that link - I'll check it out when I'm at home.

 

I'd like to think then that there was a bit of time then before the last steam hauled run during which C11s and DE10s shared the freight duties... and I think that would be well within modeller's licence to do. Next task will be to figure out what the online industries were sending and receiving, and sort out a freight car fleet. I saw in photos of Nishi-Wakamatsu that there were lots of tank cars there, which is a bonus because I have a particular liking for tankers.

 

Through-runs with C11 would be sweet indeed. And I'd hope they'd film it and release it, for those of us who can't be there. And hopefully they'll do that during sakura season...

[Pashina12]

Okay I know I already said thank you for that link already, but let me just say THANK YOU FOR THAT LINK!!!! Seriously. Just quickly scanned through it, looks like it will be of considerable use. I look forward to a serious reading.