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| DE10-1104 DL stands at Torokko-Saga station on the Sagano scenic railway |
Sagano Scenic Railway is a sightseeing railway company in Kyoto City. It's a subsidiary of JR West, and operates torokko (trolley) trains on the Sagano scenic line. Connecting Torokko-Saga and Torokko-Kameoka, its route length is 7.3 kilometers. The track is single and non-electrified. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters. The train is operated every hour in the daytime.
The Sagano scenic line was originally opened as a part of San-in main line in 1899. It was abolished in 1989 due to completion of new modern electrified double track nearby. The abolished route was then transferred to newly established Sagano Scenic Railway Company in 1991 to utilize as a sightseeing railway.
The train on the Sagano scenic line is composed of a diesel locomotive (DL) and five passenger coaches. The company owns one unit of DL, named ex-JR West 1104 of the Class DE10 (DE10-1104). The company also tentatively borrows DE10-1156 from JR West, when DE10-1104 is inspected. The Class DE10 was developed in the 1960's by Japanese National Railways. It has a 1,350 PS diesel engine. The axis arrangement is Ao+Ao+Ao+Bo in UIC notation. On the other hand, the passenger coaches named the SK100, 200 and 300 series were modified from the old freight cars, type ToKi25000. A head passenger coach (SK200-1) has a cockpit to control the whole train including the rear DL.
Boarding on the sightseeing train, the passengers can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Hozu River. It's a deep valley even in the city. To be continued...
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SK200-1 passenger coach Official information about Sagano scenic railway: https://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/en/ |