Akasawa Forest Railway
One day in June 2018, I was deeply absorbed in collecting narrow-gauge railway models.
This passion led me to visit the Kiso region in Nagano Prefecture.
I had heard rumors of narrow-gauge locomotives running around here in the past.
Narrow gauge refers to a narrower track gauge.
Gauge is the distance between the rails.
This means the distance between the two rails is narrower than usual.
In Japan, common gauges include the 1,067 mm gauge, represented by JR’s conventional lines, and the 1,435 mm gauge, used by the Shinkansen and some Kansai private railways.
While the 1,067 mm gauge is the most common in Japan, the 1,435 mm gauge is globally widespread and known as the standard gauge.
This standard was chosen when Japan built its first railways with the help of British engineers during the Meiji era.
Various theories exist as to why Japan chose the 1,067 mm gauge: one suggests it was adopted due to British colonial influences, while another claims it was considered more economical in Britain due to smaller vehicle sizes.
Generally, narrow gauge refers to gauges narrower than 1,067 mm, typically around 762 mm.
...Returning to the topic, it’s said that a narrow-gauge railway once existed here in Kiso.
Its name was the Kiso Forest Railway, with a 762 mm gauge, used to transport lumber from national forests in the Kiso Valley.
Akasawa Recreational Forest, part of the Chubu Forest Office’s jurisdiction.
The old Kiso Forest Railway cars are preserved here in working condition.
This Akasawa Recreational Forest was once a source of timber for constructing Ise Shrine.
It’s also considered the birthplace of forest bathing in Japan.
Today, it serves as a summer resort for tourists and is designated as a forest therapy base.
It’s said that even Hideyoshi prized the timber from Kiso.
The Owari domain once issued a law stating, “One tree, one head,” to protect Kiso’s forests.
Though narrow-gauge railways are less common today, and not widely known, many were once spread across Japan for both industrial and passenger use.
The Kiso Forest Railway gained attention in 1985 when it was shown transporting timber for Ise Shrine’s rebuilding ceremony, and began offering passenger rides in 1987.
This museum also features a Baldwin Locomotive Works engine from the United States that once operated on the Kiso Forest Railway.
To reduce costs, fuel was switched to charcoal, requiring a larger chimney to prevent sparks from causing forest fires.
The Kiso Forest Railway also ran passenger trains, such as the Miyama-go. It operated once a day in each direction.
It was an important means of transportation for the local community.
This luxurious carriage was used by the Emperor Emeritus in 1957 when he visited Akasawa as the Crown Prince. Essentially, it served as an imperial carriage.
The carriage is quite small, yet even has an observation deck.
This is a barber car.
The forestry workers spent long periods in the forest, so a barber from the Forestry Agency was stationed in this car to provide haircuts.
A beautifully painted narrow-gauge motor car was parked here.
Small vehicles like this make excellent model subjects.
Lately, I’ve been fascinated by these types of vehicles and have been collecting models of them.
Generally, narrow-gauge railway models use 1:87 scale with 9 mm gauge tracks (the same as N-gauge).
This standard is known as HO narrow or HOn.
Among my HO narrow collection, my favorites are the Ginryu of the Nemuro Takushoku Railway and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India.
Model kits are expensive, so I often made my own from Kent paper.
Since these models are rarely produced by major manufacturers, searching for kits and parts at model shops was also part of the fun.
Now, boarding the Akasawa Forest Railway.
The ticket for the Akasawa Forest Railway is made of wood and makes a great souvenir.
Fortunately, we had the train to ourselves. The whole train was ours.
And simply riding this train provides a forest bath experience. What a luxurious time. The air is noticeably fresh.
By the way, you cannot disembark at the final station; the train simply turns back to the starting station.
The small trolley train clatters along the sharp curves of the forest.
The cars are short, the curves are tight, and it feels just like a model.
For instance, when setting up model railways in limited spaces, track curves often end up being tighter than in real life, causing gaps between the train cars.
In general, this rarely happens with standard rail vehicles (except on lines like the Keihan Keishin Line…).
Unless you have a large layout, tight curves can detract from the realism, but with narrow gauge, it’s naturally closer to real life, making it less noticeable.
This adds a realistic touch when running models in tight spaces.
If any of you feel weary from urban life, why not visit the Akasawa Recreational Forest?