【廃線紀行】兵庫県・別府鉄道を訪ねて！野口線〜土山線【1984年廃止から40年】

Our fourth installment of our abandoned railway journey! This time, we'll be looking at the Beppu Railway's Noguchi Line and Tsuchiyama Line. Beppu Railway was a private railway with two lines: the Noguchi Line, which started at Beppuminato Station in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, and continued to Noguchi Station in Kakogawa City, and the Tsuchiyama Line, which continued to Tsuchiyama Station in Harima Town. Beppu Railway was built by Taki Chemical to transport fertilizer produced at the company's Beppu Port facility. Its purpose was to transport freight rather than passengers. The Noguchi Line opened in 1921 (Taisho 10), and the Tsuchiyama Line in 1923 (Taisho 12). In the 1980s, freight transport reforms at JNR made it impossible to handle freight at Tsuchiyama Station. Furthermore, the abolition of the JNR Takasago Line, which the Noguchi Line connected to, was mooted. As a result, both lines were closed on February 1, 1984. The Beppu Railway's most distinctive feature is the rolling stock it used. Even in the 1980s, when the line was abolished, there were still plenty of retro carriages in use. Perhaps due to the low number of passengers, the carriages were not updated. Thanks to this, these precious carriages have survived to the present day. Of course, carriages do not survive on their own. They have survived thanks to the many people involved, funding, and hard work in maintaining and restoring them. It is thanks to these people that we are able to enjoy looking at these carriages from that time today. January 31, 1984, the final day of Beppu Railway's operation, saw a record-breaking snowfall in this region, which normally sees little snow. Even the owner, who was in the first year of junior high school at the time, vividly remembers the snow that day. Heavy snowfall began suddenly in the afternoon, and it quickly accumulated. That day marked the final day of the Beppu Railway. This time, we walked both lines. It's a distance of about 10 kilometers, with detours along the way. It's a perfect stroll on a weekend. There are well-maintained walking paths, making it an easy route to walk. Follow us on social media here (X)   / rojiuraharrym   (Instagram)   / rojiuraharrym   #BackalleyHarry #AbandonedLine #BeppuRailway #NoguchiLine #TsuchiyaLine #KakogawaCity #Beppu #SanyoElectricTrain #SanyoElectricRailway #TakasagoLine #TsuchiyaStation #NoguchiStation #JNR #TakiChemical #Kiha2 #Hafu5 #HarimaTownLocalMuseum #HyogoPrefecture #HimejiCity #BackAlley