Tōbu Yaita Line
| Tōbu Yaita Line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Locale | Tochigi Prefecture |
| Termini |
Shin-Takatoku Yaita |
| Stations | 9 |
| Operation | |
| Opening | 1 March 1924 |
| Closed | 30 June 1959 |
| Owner | Tobu Railway |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 23.5 km (14.6 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Old gauge | 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | Not electrified |
The Tōbu Yaita Line (東武矢板線 Tōbu Yaita-sen) was a 23.5 km railway line in Japan operated by Tobu Railway, which ran from Shin-Takatoku on the Tōbu Kinugawa Line to Yaita on the Tōhoku Main Line in Tochigi Prefecture. The line opened on 1 March 1924, and closed on 30 June 1959.[1]
Operations
In its final years, there were just five trains in each direction daily, with only three in each direction running over the entire length of the line.[2] Trains were mixed passenger and freight services hauled by 4-4-0 steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in the UK, with passenger cars converted from former Tobu electric multiple units.[2]
History
The line first opened on 1 March 1924 by the Shimotsuke Electric Railway (下野電気鉄道 Shimotsuke Denki Tetsudō), as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge branch line which extended 9.9 km from Takatoku Station (later Shin-Takatoku Station) to Tenchō Station (天頂駅).[2] The line was re-gauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and extended from Tenchō to Yaita on the Tōhoku Main Line, with the 23.5 km line completed in October 1929.[2]
On 1 May 1943, the line was bought by the Tobu Railway, becoming the Yaita Line.[2]
The line closed on 30 June 1959.[2]
References
- ↑ 歴史でめぐる鉄道全路線NO.5 東武鉄道２ [Railway Line History No. 5: Tobu Railway 2]. Japan: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. September 2010. p. 23. ISBN 978-4-02-340135-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Hanai, Masahiro (April 1998). "東北本線沿線に失われた私鉄の接続駅を訪ねる1 東武鉄道矢板線" [Visiting Lost Private Railway Interchange Stations on the Tohoku Main Line (1): Tobu Yaita Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine (Japan: Kōyūsha Co., Ltd.) 38 (444): p.76–81.
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