Working on the Railroad 2
I stayed at the "Samani" B&B which is near Cape Erimo, Hokkaido Island.
I could hear the sounds of the Pacific Ocean waves going "Doo..Dooooon ...
Zaa ..Buuuuuun" and I became very lonely.
I went to bed early, but I couldn't get to sleep for two, three hours.
This picture was taken July, 1973.
The "key" is a standard railroad technique to prevent collisions on single-track sections.
The actual device being handed over is called the "tablet" , which works like the key of a communication device.
When the key is inserted in a switch, then a message is sent to the station at the other end, and they know that the track is "clear" and that there is no train between the station where the key was picked up, and where it is dropped off.
Simple and safe.
(click on each image for an enlargement)
The tower at the left of the photograph is a big water tank.
Steam is just super hot water, and it pushes the cylinders on each side of the locomotive to turn the wheels.
Then it is released out the smokestack to create a draft for the firebox.
Therefore, a lot of water is required, and it must be carried along in a big tank, along with the coal.
This scene unbelievable nowadays.
Four workers unload the coal from a freight car with shovels.
There is not even a belt conveyer of any kind.
You'll never see this with your own eyes, I don't think.
The station name plate with sky blue background color.
That big station watch.
Any person who remembers these must be over 50 years old.
Though it can be a little hard to see in the photograph, the prices 200 yen, 300 yen are written on the lunch boxes.
The departure of 9:40 train of the "Arayashin-machi" line.
Passengers are very scarce as you can see in the photograph though it is the "rush hour" time.
And since they don't have any crossing gate neither, a station employee does the final safety inspection.
The tracks here are long and straight.
This scenery doesn't change much for miles and miles.
The steam locomotive gets bored, too, I think, when it runs on long straightaways like the one in this photograph.
Thank you, sir, for all of your hard work to keep the steam locomotives running safely and on time.
Two men exchange the key, as we saw in the first photo, above.
This device is also used for the trains which does not stop at the
particular station.The speed of
such passing trains, such as the Niseko Express shown here, makes hand-
to-hand transfer difficult, so a metal hook is used instead. The man on
the train just holds the key out as the train goes through the station,
and the stationary metal hook catches the ring of the key as it goes by.
In other cases, both the holding device on the train and the catching
device at the station are made so that the transfer is efficient and
safe.
Everyone waits at the end of the platform for an approaching train.
They are asking, "Has it come yet?"
"Why hasn't it come?"
But then, when someone hears the train, or sees it coming down the line, you hear a shout, "It's coming!
It's coming," and all of their expressions change.
This is the smallest steam locomotive in Japan.
It called the B20 type, and has a nickname ...
"Bikkoro" (which means "little B").
The B20 type is too small for heavy main line work, and is used mainly in the yards to move freight cars and to build trains.
Exchanging the Key
A Good Drink of Water
A Good Load of Coal
Seeing Old Friends Again
Safety Check
Inspecting the Tracks
The Key for the Passenger Train
Waiting for a Clear Line
Engineer
osaka@slnet.gr.jp
