RM Library No. 251 Koyo Railway (Part 1) [30% OFF]

The Kojaku Railway was a non-electrified local private railway that ran 51km between Hamaotsu and Omi-Imazu along the west shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. The 6km section between Miiderashita and Eizan opened in March 1921 (Taisho 10), 100 years ago, and the entire line was opened over the next 10 years, but the plan to connect Omi and Wakasa (Reinan region of Fukui Prefecture), from which the railway takes its name, never came to fruition. When it first opened, it was hauled by steam locomotives, but later it actively introduced diesel railcars, and due to the large number of railcars it had, it was known to fans as the "diesel railcar powerhouse of the west," alongside the Kanto Railway in the east.

After that, the construction of the JNR Kosei Line (74.1 km between Yamashina and Omi-Shiotsu), which would link the Kansai region with the Hokuriku region, was decided, and the Kojaku Railway, which overlapped with the majority of the line, was closed in October 1969 (it currently exists as a bus company called "Kojaku Kotsu"). The first volume of this book provides information on the origins of the line's construction, explanations of each station, and the scenery along the line, including the facilities along the line.