Friday 25 October 2019

Road Train in Bihoku Hillside Park

Road Train Type SH-017 is operated in Bihoku Hillside Park, Hiroshima Prefecture

Before going back to Tokyo, we visited a popular public park in Hiroshima Prefecture under a clear autumn sky.

Bihoku Hillside Park is a vast public park in the northern part of the prefecture. It was opened in 1995 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is a national government park same as Showa Kinen Park in Tokyo Metropolis and Hitachinaka Kaihin Park in Ibaraki Prefecture. We were really hoping to see a cosmos field in the park. When we visited there, a large hill was filled with a carpet of cosmos flowers. They were shaking with the wind in the sunshine. It was so beautiful. We saw that many people were visiting to enjoy this autumn event.

For the transportation of visitors inside the vast park, Road Train is operated. It is convenient for kids and elderly persons. Road Train is composed of a tractor and 3 passenger coaches. The tractor, named Type SH-017, is made to resemble the old steam locomotive. Its body length is 4.2 meters and has a 1.8-liter petrol engine. The coach is 4.32 meters-long each. A total of 51 passengers are transported at one time. Towing the 3 passenger coaches, the SH-017 tractor is able to climb up a road up to 25% slope. I like that the piston cylinders on the SH-017 can actually move as if it is a real steam locomotive.

We enjoyed the beautiful cosmos field and the joyful Road Train in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Cosmos field in Bihoku Hillside Park near Nanatsuka station on the Geibi Line