Japanese steam

[John Ashworth]

From a friend in Japan

[We] were waiting at the Maibara station for an Omi Tetsudoo commuter (private electric train line) when we saw a giant puff of steam down the tracks. Of course we don't know what we were looking at, but perhaps it will interest you.... After the engine rushed up to the Maibara station, it puffed for a bit and then backed slowly down the track again. We thought that would be the last we saw of it. Our Omi Testudoo train took us back (one stop, through an elderly tunnel) to Hikone.... here came a small electric engine towing the poor steam engine backwards. They were going surprisingly fast... and steam was still pouring out of the engine as they went (presumably back to a museum or collector's shed somewhere).

Can anyone on the forum furnish details of this loco?

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

I am impressed with these....

a) Unusual.
b) I did not Japan ran steam.....
c) What were the odds on your friend taking these !!!!!

[John Ashworth]

I think they're remarkably good photos, especially given the distance and the haste. The telephoto lens gives a nice impression. The first one in particular has a very interesting railway background clutter all around it.

[Nathan Berelowitz]

Nice brass trim on the loco. I believe they have the same guage as us?

[John Ashworth]

Yes, Nathan - Railroad Gauge Width states that Japan has 25,315 kms of 1,067mm (3'6") track.

[John Ashworth]

This little incident reminds me of times when I saw steam engines on the main line completely unexpectedly whilst travelling on modern trains. Within the last few years I remember seeing an old steam engine chugging along whilst I was travelling from Copenhagen main station to the airport, and a more modern one sizzling in a siding somewhere near Hanover. Way back in 1976 I remember coming across an A4 in Edinburgh Waverley.

Unfortunately, unlike my friends in Japan, I didn't have a camera handy on any of those occasions!