Steam Locomotives of Toyo Kassei Hakudo
Toyo Kassei Hakudo, once located in Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, was a factory that produced "activated white clay" by processing naturally mined clay with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid to enhance its adsorption capabilities. The product was used for refining and decolorizing vegetable and mineral oils. To transport the finished product, a narrow-gauge railway (610 mm gauge) connected the factory to a transshipment site approximately 800 meters away on a siding of JNR Itoigawa Station. A steam locomotive built in 1956 with builder’s number 6086 by Kyosan Kogyo was used. With permission, visitors could enter the factory premises, and the line offered a variety of scenic views along the way. (Photographed in May 1979)
Toyo Kassei Hakudo Company
According to its builder’s plate, this locomotive was manufactured in 1956 (Showa 31). It is often regarded as the last steam locomotive built in Japan for practical railway use. In reality, it was originally produced speculatively in 1951 (Showa 26) without a specific buyer, and later refurbished and assigned a builder’s plate. Another unidentified locomotive existed on-site, but it was stored deep in the shed and could not be photographed. The factory interior was notably clean due to pollution control efforts, with flowers planted around the premises. Unfortunately, the factory closed in 1983, and the railway was dismantled. The locomotive was later preserved in Itoigawa and exhibited at the "Great Railway Exhibition" held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in 2007.
Locomotive from Keelung Coal Mine (Taiwan)
Because the line used a 610 mm gauge, the Rasu Chijin Railway Association (a Japanese railway preservation society) was active here. The featured locomotive originally operated at a coal mine in Keelung, Taiwan. Though it once toiled under harsh conditions, it was beautifully restored and maintained at the time of photography.
Hokuriku Main Line
Right beside the private industrial line ran the Hokuriku Main Line, electrified with AC, where a variety of trains passed by. The photograph shows an EF70 class AC electric locomotive, introduced for the Hokuriku Main Line. Between 1961 (Showa 36) and 1965 (Showa 40), a total of 81 units were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi. Designed to handle steep gradients and long, heavy trains, the EF70 served as a mainstay of operations on the Hokuriku Main Line.
Identical Locomotive at Musashino Village
This locomotive was compact and easy to handle, making it well-suited for tourist railways. Its manufacturer, Kyosan Kogyo of Fukushima Prefecture, specialized in small industrial and tourist locomotives, and also built the steam locomotives supplied to the Western River Railroad at Tokyo Disneyland. At the amusement park Musashino Village in Kazo City, a locomotive of the same type, built in 1985 with builder’s number 6097, operated until around 2004. It was later transferred to and preserved by the Nakagawa Seiryu Railway Preservation Society in Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Prefecture. (Photographed in 1993 and 2016)
Identical Locomotive at Nakagawa Seiryu Railway
This locomotive was ordered by the Nakagawa Seiryu Railway from Kyosan Kogyo and manufactured in 2013 with builder’s number 6101. However, it was built to a gauge of 762 mm. Although it was newly constructed, unfortunately it was never intended to be operated. (Photographed in 2016)