[Bonus: Postcard included] RM Re-Library 7 A Century of Usui Pass

RM Re-Library is a reprint of two or three of the best volumes from the RM LIBRARY, which has a long history of over 260 issues.

The seventh volume of the series looks back on the history of the Usui Pass section (Yokokawa to Karuizawa) of the Shinetsu Main Line, which was once known for having the steepest gradient of any section of the JNR line and used a special operating method for the rest of its life. It was published as Volumes 40 and 41 of the RM Library, and also includes four new pages of color graphs.

This section opened 129 years ago, in 1893. With a maximum gradient of 66.7‰ and a distance between stations of just over 11km, it initially used a rack rail system known as the Abt system. In the end, this was the only section of Japan's JNR/JR lines to use the Abt system, which shows just how difficult the section and construction were. It originally opened without electrification, but was electrified in 1911 to eliminate smoke pollution caused by the large number of tunnels and slow speeds. This was the first time that electric locomotives were used on a main line.

For a long time, the trains were operated using the Abt system, but in 1963 they were changed to normal adhesion system, and double tracks were installed to increase transport capacity. However, it was still necessary for all trains to be coupled with a special push locomotive, the EF63 type, and the coupling and uncoupling scenes at Yokokawa Station became a familiar sight for many people as a part of the travel season, along with the "Toge no Kamameshi" (rice cooked in a pot).

It has been exactly 25 years since the Usui Pass section of this conventional line was abolished when the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in Nagano in 1997. This book delves into the 104-year history from 1893 to 1997 from the perspective of "operation history." It vividly conveys everything from interesting locomotive operations to unusual trains, and stories that give a glimpse into the lives of the people who worked there. The author is Miyake Toshihiko, a leading authority on this subject of operation history. It also includes many valuable photographs and illustrations.