Japan Railway Journal

Tobu Railway: Restoring a Steam Locomotive (2022x6)

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Tobu Railway operates 12 routes in the greater Tokyo area and runs a tourist train pulled by SL Taiju steam locomotives in Tochigi Prefecture. Until now, Tobu Railway ran 2 steam locomotives, however, to enhance the operation of the popular train, the company decided to restore a museum condition steam locomotive from Hokkaido Prefecture. The restoration was expected to take 2 years, but the body was more damaged than they had anticipated. Half of the parts, including the boiler, needed to be rebuilt, which in total took 3 years. See all the work that was done for the first time in 47 years to restore the old iron horse.