RM Library No. 247 Shimotsui Electric Railway (Part 1) [30% OFF]

This is the latest in a series of abandoned private railway local lines by Yuichi Terada, following RM LIBRARY 242, "Hokuriku Railway Komatsu Line."

Shimotsui Electric Railway was an electrified local private railway in Okayama Prefecture (now surviving as a bus company), and in its heyday it ran a 21km route from Chayamachi on the JNR Uno Line to Shimotsui (later shortened to 6.5km from Kojima to Shimotsui). Known as a "light railway," it was characterized by an even narrower gauge (762mm) than regular railways, and its unique carriages and the scenic views along the line facing the Seto Inland Sea captivated fans. With the opening of the Seto Ohashi Bridge in 1988 (Showa 63), a station on the Seto Ohashi Line was opened in Kojima, and the railway attempted to transform into a tourist railway, even introducing new carriages, but passenger numbers did not increase, and the line sadly came to an end in December 1990 (Heisei 2).

This book is divided into two volumes and explains the remarkable light railway that survived into the Heisei era. The first volume explains the origins of the line, the changes in its management situation, and the circumstances leading up to its partial closure.