Inpaku
Kurohime

"Kurohime" is One of My Favorites

I made the name of a favorite steam locomotive the title for this page.
These snapshots bring back memories of "Kurohime", when it was in service in Itoigawa. It was October 23, 1969 when we visited. The company which owned the train moved away in 1982, and "Kurohime" was donated to Itoigawa City. Since then "Kurohime" has been kept on display at the Itoigawa elementary school.

"Kurohime," a B Type Locomotive


"Kurohime" was manufactured by the Sankyou Kogyou company in 1956.
As with the other B Type locomotives, it has two sets of driving wheels. Its total weight is 5 tons. The diameter of the driving wheel is 610mm.
(click on each image for an enlargement)

Pile Those Bags High

"Kurohime" pulls six freight cars loaded with bags of lime.
The engine is thinking, "Can I really pull of those bags of lime?" And then it just goes and does it.

Engine Room


A View From the Cab of the Locomotive


They let my wife and I ride in the small cab of the locomotive.
My wife rode with me, and rode all the way to the platform of Itoigawa station. I have sweet and fond memories of that trip.

A Good Face

This locomotive is small, but it has a very good face. That's important.
A locomotive should always have a good face.

Boiler Cleaning

The man in this photograph is the engineer. Notice that there is no assistant engineer with him. He does all of the routine maintenance, single-handed, too. But he took a break, and we talked for a long time.

Run to the Station

This photograph shows almost no houses, but as of 1997 this area is full of houses. The only scenery which has not changed for the last 23 years is the outline of the mountain.

A Locomotive That Watches Over Children

Itoigawa (city) and Itoigawa elementary school (June 6, 1997)

The locomotive, displayd at the school gate, watches the children quietly.

Two Photos of the Same Place [1969 vs 1997]


Only the curve of the railroad and the electric poles, of the Hokuriku main line, remind me that these are the same place. Time has certainly changed the surroundings. I think that these photos , 23 years apart, are a valuable treasure. What do you think?

PhotoFYoshihiko Kawaguchi

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