Hakone Tozan Line

Hakone Tozan Railway 1000 series trainset "Bernina" at Gōra Station
Hakone Tozan Railway 2000 series trainset "St. Moritz" at Odawara Station, in 2006

The Hakone Tozan Line (箱根登山鉄道線 Hakone Tozan Tetsudō-sen, lit. Hakone Mountain-Climbing Railroad Line) is a mountain railway in Japan operated by the Hakone Tozan Railway. This company belongs to the Odakyu Group, and also owns the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

The section of the line from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station started operations in 1919, with current terminus Gōra reached in 1930. Since 2006, only Odakyū Odawara Line trains run on the previously dual-gauge section from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station. From Gora, visitors can continue up the mountain on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

The railway is capable of climbing one meter vertically for every 12.5 meters of horizontal distance, a maximum gradient of 8%. The line traverses Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, so the line was carefully designed to limit the impact on scenery. Due to the difficult conditions, the line has three switchbacks used to ascend particularly steep sections.

Description

A 3000 series car on the 8% gradient near Hakone-Yumoto Station
Dual-gauge section at Iriuda Station

Stations

Stations/
Signal Stations
Japanese Distance
(km)
Altitude
(m)
Stops Location
(in Kanagawa)
Limited
Express
Local Local
Odawara 小田原   0.0 26 S S   Odawara
Hakone-Itabashi 箱根板橋 1.7 1.7 27 / S
Kazamatsuri 風祭 1.5 3.2 48 / S
Iriuda 入生田 1.0 4.2 66 / S (terminus)
Hakone-Yumoto 箱根湯本 1.9 6.1 108 S S S Hakone,
Ashigarashimo
District
Tōnosawa 塔ノ沢 1.0 7.1 165 (terminus,
from/to
Shinjuku
(some from/to
Kita-Senju))
(terminus,
from/to
Shin-Matsuda)
S
Deyama Switchback 出山信号場 1.2 8.3 234 /
Ōhiradai 大平台 1.6 9.9 349 S
Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback 上大平台信号場 0.5 10.4 359 /
Sennnindai Signal Stop 仙人台信号場 0.8 11.2 410 /
Miyanoshita 宮ノ下 0.9 12.1 448 S
Kowakidani 小涌谷 1.3 13.4 535 S
Chōkoku-no-Mori 彫刻の森 0.9 14.3 551 S
Gōra 強羅 0.7 15.0 553 S

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Signal stops

There are three signal stops on the Hakone Tozan Line in addition to the regular passenger stations. All of them have a siding track and two of them have switchbacks.

Deyama Switchback

Signal stop with a switchback. 234 m AMSL. 35°13′57″N 139°05′14″E / 35.232402°N 139.087167°E

Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback

Signal stop with a switchback near Ōhiradai station which also has a switchback. 359 m AMSL. 35°14′08″N 139°04′32″E / 35.235604°N 139.075444°E

Sennindai Signal Stop

Signal stop without a switchback. 410 m AMSL. 35°14′18″N 139°04′09″E / 35.238215°N 139.069042°E

Rolling stock

Hakone Tozan Railway (Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra)

All trains are based at Iriuda Depot.

Former

Odakyu Electric Railway (Shinjuku - Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto)

Romancecar EMUs

Commuter EMUs

History

Microsoft Train Simulator

This route appears in Microsoft Train Simulator complete with scenarios simulating prototypical operation (Only from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto).

References

  1. 箱根登山鉄道3000形を導入 [Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3000 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hakone Tozan Railway.