[Bonus: Special postcard included] RM Re-Library 29 Kumanobu Railway/Yamaga Onsen Railway

RM Re-Library is a series of reprints of two or three of the best volumes from the long history of RM LIBRARY , which has already published over 290 issues. The 29th volume in the series will be a reprint of RM Library Volume 42 , "Kumabu Yuen Railway," and Volume 57 , "Yamaga Onsen Railway," both written by Tajiri Hiroyuki.

Kumanobu Railway was a non-electrified private railway that ran from Harudake (later Minami-Kumamoto) on the JNR Toyohashi Main Line to Toyo, over a distance of 28 km. It was originally called Mifune Railway, and the first section opened in 1915 , with the entire line opening in 1932 (although it was still a long way from extending to Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture, as the company name would suggest). After the war, it lost out to competition with buses and was closed as a railway in 1964 , after which it changed its name to Kumamoto Bus, which is still in existence today.

The Yamaga Onsen Railway was also a non-electrified private railway that ran over 20km from Ueki on the JNR Kagoshima Main Line to Yamaga. Originally called the Kamoto Railway, the first section opened in 1917 , and the entire line opened in 1923. The line was originally small in scale, but a flood in 1957 cut off its connection with the JNR, and although operations temporarily resumed on the remaining section, the entire line was suspended in 1960 and was closed in 1965. It was also once famous for the rare vehicle, a converted bus, that was in operation for a short period of time. The company has now been completely liquidated and no longer exists.

Two local private railways in the same Kumamoto prefecture with similar origins and histories. A local Kumamoto native has compiled valuable information on each of them into a single volume. As they were in remote locations and were abolished relatively early, there are relatively few records left by fans, so this is truly the definitive edition.