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Kyoto Tango Railway by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

Both of the trains here belong to the Kyoto Tango private line. The blue train in the foreground is called Tango no Umi (Tango's Sea). The black train in the background is the Kuro-Matsu tourist train, acting as a mobile cafe-restaurant on the Kyoto Tango lines. Unfortunately the Kuro-Matsu only runs on certain days, so I wasn't able to experience it.




Kyoto Tango Railway One-man Train by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

The train above is the local train I took to Yosano. I could have caught the Tango no Umi from Yosano to Toyooka, but I didn't know that it would arrive a few minutes after I got to Yosano, so I missed it.
I then caught the local train I originally planned to catch which travels the full line from Maizuru to Toyooka (below). The last bit of the run into Toyooka was at a speed which was utterly frightening on the poorly aligned track. I seriously worried that the train might derail, but it was fine.



Kyoto Tango One-man Train by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

They do have some really interesting trains in Japan - thanks for sharing with us.

The Japan rail system certainly has some quaint rolling stock on the minor branch lines.

The variety of different trains is surprising, even amongst the JR companies. I was surprised to ride a train in Nagano in I think 2013 which I had previously ridden to Hakone on 2002. The Odakyu private line to Hakone can afford to build new trains, while the Nagano Dentetsu (Nagano Electric Railway) to Yudanaka could not, so the Nagano company bought trains from Odakyu when Odakyu retired them. Japanese trains have also been gifted to some other countries to assist them in establishing train services.

Yes, a lot of the rolling stock on the small private lines is very old, but also it was built solidly enough that it could be refurbished. They can't afford to buy completely new rolling stock, sadly, but by introducing services such as the cafe or restaurant tourist trains, they have maintained their profitability. A lot of the small branch lines in Japan have closed in the last 50 years or so. This is mostly driven by the aging population and the fact that most of the younger people have moved to the big cities, so services in country areas have suffered as a result.

PS The Tango no Umi looked quite new, and the restaurant cars are recently refurbished.

Great shots Rob

These are some great shots, thanks for sharing them! I do love the old school vibe look in these trains. I can only imagine what you were feeling while riding them. Very cool.

Thank you!

Thanks! I'm glad I planned that day from Maizuru to Matsue. It was a long series of train rides, but well worth it!

Any series of train rides is worth it, but you did a good job of photographing it also.
I was especially interested in the small writing on the last car pictured.

Thanks! I still haven't edited together a video of the trip. I guess you mean the Willer Trains text? Interestingly, Willer Group seems to be a Japanese tourism company based in Osaka. It used to be called "West Japan Tours Company Limited. They started Willer Trains in July 2014.

Nice set thanks for sharing

Great pictures, Sir!

Thank you!

Thanks! I should edit the video as well. It was a long day of train travel, but it was fun.