The or Sagano Sightseeing Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West) that operates the , Sagano Sight-seeing Line, or in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

. The line uses superseded tracks of the

Sagano Line The is the popular name for a portion of the Sanin Main Line in the suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. The electrified and double-tracked railway is a commuter rail line in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railwa ...

(officially a portion of the

San'in Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...

) of JR West, from in

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Notable t ...

, and passes a gorge offering a scenic view along the

Hozu River The is a part of Katsura River in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The river begins in the mountains near Kameoka, a town northwest of Kyoto City. It snakes into the Arashiyama section of western Kyoto before changing its name to Katsura River. The ...

, then enters and terminates in the basin of

Kameoka is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 87,518 in 29,676 households and a population density of 390 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kameoka abuts Kyoto to the east and is loc ...

. It is closed on Wednesdays and in the winter. The line is locally known as "''Torokko'' in Hozu gorge". ''Torokko'' is a Japanese word derived from the English "truck" once used for mining cars hauling ore, but presently means rail carriages basic accommodation and open sides.

Description

Company

*Wholly owned subsidiary of West Japan Railway Company *Headquarters:

Ukyō-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. History The meaning of ''ukyō'' (右京) is "on the Emperor's right." When residing in the Kyoto Imperial Palace the emperor would sit facing south, thus the we ...

, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan *Founded: 1990 *Major enterprise: Operation of Sagano Scenic Line

Line

*Under Railway Business Act (not under Tram Act) *Operation and possession (see Three categories of railway) **Operation: Sagano Scenic Railway (category 2) **Possession: West Japan Railway (category 1) *Track: single **Shares down (for Kameoka) track of Sanin Main Line between Torokko Saga and Torokko Arashiyama stations. Up trains of the line traverse the down line to reach Arashiyama. *Traction: internal combustion (diesel) *No. of stations: 4 including both ends *Rolling stock **Locomotive: 1 **Coaches: 5

History

Construction of the line

The line was originally a part of the main line of the opened in 1899, to connect

to the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture, or the old

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Tanba. The company adopted the relatively level route through the gorge, avoiding pass which would have required a steep grade. The company was nationalized in 1907. The line became a part of the

Bypass

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and i ...

, succeeding the

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR), built a new, shorter, straighter, electrified double-tracked section of the Sanin Main Line between Saga (present ) and which opened in 1989, bypassing the original winding route with narrow tunnels.

Success

JR West utilised the original line for tourism under a subsidiary founded in 1990. JR West used old rolling stock for this purpose; four semi-open coaches hauled by a diesel locomotive. By 1991, the line was more popular than expected (there had been speculation that the venture would be unsuccessful). As a result, a fifth carriage, nicknamed , was introduced. The car is contrary to its name, converted from an old gondola of JR West to fully open carriage, even the floor and the sides are of fine grills and offers a rough ride. Combined with

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

on the Hozu River, it is a major tourist attraction in Arashiyama and Sagano.

Operation

All trains are operated between Torokko Saga and Torokko Kameoka stations. All seats are reserved, and tickets (JPY 620 for adult and JPY 310 for child, as of 2019) are on sale one month prior to the operation with some exceptions. Some are sold on the day, but travel in "The Rich" is not available on rainy days. Down (for Kameoka) trains cater for a return journey via the Hozu River boat ride to Arashiyama, thus up trains are generally less patronised.

Stations

Except Torokko Kameoka is in

, all stations are in

. * ( トロッコ嵯峨) **Newly built next to the Saga Station of the San'in Main Line as the terminus of Kyoto * ( トロッコ嵐山) **Newly built next to the eastern portal of a tunnel entering to the gorge. Accessible from of

Keifuku Electric Railroad is a railroad company based in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (but with offices in Fukui Prefecture) in operation since March 2, 1942. It is a parent company of Keifuku Bus and Kyoto Bus, and an affiliated company of Keihan Electric Railway, which ...

Arashiyama Main Line via a bamboo grove stroll * ( トロッコ保津峡) **Continued to use the old station on the abandoned line after slight refurbishment. Accessible from on the main line via a detour * ( トロッコ亀岡) **Newly built on the abandoned line as the terminus of Kameoka **Accessible on foot from on the San'in Main Line, by bus to the pier of Hozu River rafting

Rolling stock

As mentioned above, all are JR West origin. Daily and minor maintenance is carried out at Torokko Saga, while heavy maintenances in JR West facility. Liveried in red, yellow and black, explained as a typical colour set to infer Kyoto. *Locomotive ** JNR Class DE10 diesel locomotive, No. DE10 1104 **Heading on Saga end of the formation *Passenger cars, from Saga side to Kameoka **SK300-1, SK100-1, SK100-11, SK100-2, SK200-1 **All were converted from Toki 25000 type gondolas (trucks) **SK200-1 is equipped with controller on the Kameoka end **SK300-1 is nicknamed "The Rich", floor and side are of fine grills

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia. * Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (2001) , Tokyo:

External links

English Official Website
*{{Facebook, sagano.torokko, Sagano Romantic Train Railway companies of Japan Railway lines in Japan Rail transport in Kyoto Prefecture West Japan Railway Company Tourist attractions in Kyoto Railway lines opened in 1899 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan 1899 establishments in Japan Heritage railways in Japan