Kojaku Railway

[Nick_Burman]

http://www.kokyu-gr.jp/krpp/kojakmokuji.html

 

The Kojaku Railway ran from a  connection (passenger - freight used a third rail to reach Zeze JNR station) with Keihan's Otsu Division northwest along the north shore of Lake Biwa. The line was closed to make way for today's Kosei line. This is a page dedicated entirely to this railway. An interesting detail, Kojaku was the owner of DD13 51 - the prototype for JNR's DD13 locos.

 

Cheers NB

Edited July 13, 2013 by Nick_Burman

[bikkuri bahn]

8mm film of the railway: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLFzyTRooOs

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1R-86Yc7wI

 

The scenery and railway infrastructure of this line is much like a JNR branch line, and the images on pics/film is valuable for prototype modelers.  For some reason this line received better than average attention by railfans, not just of the rolling stock, but the lineside structures and scenery.  Perhaps because it was so close to Kyoto/Osaka.

[miyakoji]

I wonder what happened to those DD13s.  They wouldn't have been that old when the operation was shut down.

[Nick_Burman]

I wonder what happened to those DD13s.  They wouldn't have been that old when the operation was shut down.

According to the site, DD13 51 was sold to the Befu Tetsudo (near Himeji). Presumably it was scrapped when that line went under with the end of JNR carload freight in 1984...

 

Cheers NB

[miyakoji]

I probably should have looked at that more closely .  Yeah, DD13 51 went to Befu, I can't find confirmation about what happened to it after that.  DD13 52 went to Okayama Rinko, which ended railway operations at the end of 1984.  Mizushima Rinkai in Kurashiki got it and apparently used it for parts :(.

[ToniBabelony]

Whooo~ Those 3-car streamlined DMU look awesome! A rare sight on even JNR tracks (apart from the early days of modern DMU development).

[Nick_Burman]

The scenery and railway infrastructure of this line is much like a JNR branch line, and the images on pics/film is valuable for prototype modelers.  For some reason this line received better than average attention by railfans, not just of the rolling stock, but the lineside structures and scenery.  Perhaps because it was so close to Kyoto/Osaka.

 BB,

 

Not only the line was close to the big Kansai cities, but it seems that it was also popular with the general public, lots of pictures show people bathing in Lake Biwa so the train must have been the way to get to the beach in summer. No small wonder you can see lots of pictures of the DD13 hauling ex-JNR coaches packed with people. Also the fact that the company was forced to commit corporate seppuku to make way for an JNR line (a fate it shared with the heavy rail part of the Tosa Railway) must have made it part of the attraction.

 

Cheers NB