The was a steam-hauled "

Joyful Train is the name given to railway rolling stock or train sets operated by the JR Group in Japan primarily for charters, special events, tourist excursions, and other similar purposes. Traditionally, this term is only used for chartered trains dedicate ...

" ( excursion train) operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

(JR East) primarily on the Kamaishi Line in the north-east Tohoku Region of Japan from April 2014 to June 2023. The train consisted of restored JNR Class C58 steam locomotive number C58 239 together with four rebuilt former KiHa 141 series diesel cars purchased from

JR Hokkaido The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart c ...

(themselves rebuilt from earlier 50 series passenger coaches and made surplus to requirements following the electrification of the Sasshō Line in 2012). The diesel cars provided additional power to cope with the line's gradients.

Design

The exterior and interior design of the train was overseen by industrial designer Ken Okuyama. The overall concept was inspired by the classic novel '' Night on the Galactic Railroad'' written by Japanese author

Kenji Miyazawa was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, in the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was also known as an agricultural science teacher, vegetarian, cellist, devout Buddhist, and utopian social ...

, who lived in

Hanamaki, Iwate is a Cities of Japan, city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km2, in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace ...

. Externally, the coaches were painted blue, evoking the night sky, with constellation and animal designs on the sides. Internally, the coaches featured gaslight-style lighting and stained glass, evoking an early 20th-century atmosphere.

Train formation

The train consisted of JNR Class C58 steam locomotive number C58 239 and four coaches, formed as follows. The four coaches provide a total seating capacity of approximately 180.

C58 239

The dedicated ''SL Ginga'' train locomotive C58 239 was built in June 1940 by Kawasaki Sharyo, and was based at various depots around the country, including Nagoya, Nara, and Morioka, before being withdrawn on 22 May 1972. From 1 May 1973, it was preserved in a park in

Morioka, Iwate is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

. It was moved from the park by road to JR East's Omiya Works in Saitama Prefecture in December 2012.

History

The completed train was shown off to the public at Morioka Station on 2 February 2014. It entered revenue service on 12 April 2014. It was announced in 2021 that the service would be withdrawn in spring 2023 due to the increasing age and deterioration of the KiHa 141 passenger cars. The train made its final run on 11 June 2023 to throngs of railway enthusiasts and locals bidding it farewell. The future for the locomotive currently remains uncertain.

References

External links

* {{JR East trains Named passenger trains of Japan East Japan Railway Company Railway services introduced in 2014 Railway coaches of Japan 2014 establishments in Japan