SL Yamaguchi resumes operation from May 2024

[ED75-775]

JR West has recently announced that its SL Yamaguchi tourist train will resume operation from May 2024 using steam locomotive D51 200. The first day of operation is scheduled to be 3 May 2024, running every weekend and selected Mondays thereafter over May and July-November. So far no dates have been announced for the train to run during June but I've emailed the contact address on the website to find out if there's any plans being considered for June operation.

 

While the Yamaguchi has been running in recent years, it ran as the DL Yamaguchi using either Shimonoseki-based DD51 1043 or paired DE10s after a crack was found in one of D51 200's tender bogies during inspection at Tsuwano Station on 3 May 2022. The Yamaguchi's other regular steam locomotive, C57 1, was taken out of service after a mechanical breakdown on 10 October 2020 and has been stored in recent times at the Kyoto Railway Museum, although the Japanese Wikipedia page for C57 1 claims - without source attribution - that it has been under overhaul since October 2023.

 

Personally, I'm mildly hopeful that there will be plans to run the SL Yamaguchi in June, in fact part of my travel plans for this year's Japan trip factored around the possibility of it being back in service again, as it was a major highlight of my first Japan trip in 2019. On that trip I rode the Yamaguchi as part of an ambitious day trip from Kyoto to Moji (for the Kyushu Railway Museum) and of course the Yamaguchi itself, which I rode from Chōmonkyō Station to Shin-Yamaguchi after riding as far as Chōmonkyō on board the KiHa 40/47 DMUs then regularly used on the line.

 

 

Although not of the SL itself, this is where my love of KiHa's comes from, other than of course playing the Hisatsu Line occasionally in Microsoft Train Simulator (while completely underappreciating that line itself). KiHa 40 2034 stops briefly at Chōmonkyō while working a northbound Yamaguchi Line local service from Yamaguchi Station. Slightly further up the line at Mitani, it will cross the southbound SL Yamaguchi. This was one of my favourite photos from that trip, and I'd love to model this station or something similar one day. Better start looking online for second-hand Tomix 8454 and 8455 KiHa 40-2000s then...

 

 

And here's the main attraction, as recording approaching the end of the Chōmonkyō platform - less than 20 minutes after the KiHa pulls out, D51 200 and the southbound SL Yamaguchi are pulling in bound for Shin-Yamaguchi. I'm hopeful I'll be able to see this locomotive again on my next trip - and ride behind it too, if I am lucky - though this time if I do, I'll be looking to ride the full distance from Tsuwano Station to Shin-Yamaguchi Station this time!

 

Alastair

Edited April 11 by ED75-775

[katoftw]

Looks like no running in June is on purpose. As the first weekend of July is non operational also.

[SL-san]

15 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Yamaguchi's other regular steam locomotive, C57 1, was taken out of service after a mechanical breakdown on 10 October 2020 and has been stored in recent times at the Kyoto Railway Museum

I have very fond memories of taking SL Yamaguchi from Shin-Yamaguchi to Tswano and return pulled by C57 1 in October 2008 with the fare and reservation covered by my Japan Rail Pass (those were the days).  I still have the 'head mark' lapel badge to prove it!

 

Graeme

[ED75-775]

14 hours ago, katoftw said:

Looks like no running in June is on purpose. As the first weekend of July is non operational also.

Yep, very much so. I got an email back from the SL Yamaguchi website team tonight confirming that the train stops running over June as it's the rainy season.

 

Looking back at a post I made about that trip on Facebook, I made my trip on the Yamaguchi on 25 May 2019, though at that point I believe the train was still operating through June. Not sure why that changed, but that's not important - what I do know is that I won't be able to ride this train as I'll be arriving in Tokyo two days after the train makes its final trip until early July. A pity, but that's the way sometimes!

 

In the meantime I will still be making trips to the Chichibu and Moka Railways for their SLs, and this time I'm also keen to hit the Oigawa Railway which wasn't running last time I was there.

 

Alastair

[Mutro]

I will be in the area in mid to late May 2025 and was hoping I could get on the SL Yamaguchi then. I understand that I could reserve a seat up to one month ahead. Is there an online source where a schedule would be posted?

[ED75-775]

3 hours ago, Mutro said:

I will be in the area in mid to late May 2025 and was hoping I could get on the SL Yamaguchi then. I understand that I could reserve a seat up to one month ahead. Is there an online source where a schedule would be posted?

 

There is a schedules page on the Yamaguchi's website: https://c571.jp/schedule/calendar.html. Still currently only shows the 2024 season right now, so maybe bookmark it and check back early next year.

 

As for reservations, JR West apparently allows reservations for the train through its Odekake reservations site: https://www.jr-odekake.net/goyoyaku/. Not sure how user friendly it would be for a foreigner though. The alternative would be to do as I did in 2019 and turn up at a JR West Midori-no-madoguchi reservations office in person.

 

Alastair

[katoftw]

Went to the kyoto museum 2 days ago. C57-1 was there in pieces.

 

Boiler is in the viewing shed, all stripped down. Tender hidden in the roundhouse.

 

Surpizingly, C56-160 was in there near the tender. Looked like it was still running. I hope JRK make a run on the C56. They could use a small steam loco since the 8620 was put to bed forever.

[Mutro]

On 9/1/2024 at 1:33 AM, ED75-775 said:

 

There is a schedules page on the Yamaguchi's website: https://c571.jp/schedule/calendar.html. Still currently only shows the 2024 season right now, so maybe bookmark it and check back early next year.

 

As for reservations, JR West apparently allows reservations for the train through its Odekake reservations site: https://www.jr-odekake.net/goyoyaku/. Not sure how user friendly it would be for a foreigner though. The alternative would be to do as I did in 2019 and turn up at a JR West Midori-no-madoguchi reservations office in person.

 

Alastair

Thanks  @ALISTAIR DUDGEON for the info! 

 

Still no schedule for 2025 posted, but I tried to test if I could reserve using Odekake reservations site.  An easier way I found is from https://www.jr-odekake.net/railroad/kankoutrain/sl_yamaguchi/reservation/ which directs you to the specific SL Yamaguchi reservation site. However, it appears you need to have a domestic (Japan) mailing address and a telephone number, which I do not have since I reside in the USA. I.E. no online reservation seems possible without a domestic address and telephone number; therefore the only method is to visit the Midori-no-madoguchi in person. But as I checked availability for the next 30 days, only a very few seats remain, so most definitely one must try to reserve 30-days in advance.  And unfortunately, I can not visit the midori-no-madoguchi in time to make my reservation 😧 sigh...

 

If anyone on this forum has found an easier online reservation method from abroad (e.g. from USA in my case) please advise.  Thanks!

 

Also, any suggestions for an extended itinerary including the SL Yamaguchi appreciated as I'm now in the process of planning my May 2025 trip.

[katoftw]

Too early for a 2025 schedule.  They normally don't post up info until 3 months out. Try again in Feburary-March 2025.