- Chōshi Electric Railway Line
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Chōshi Electric Railway Line 
2000 series 2-car EMU in advertising livery, August 2010Overview Type Light rail Status Operational Locale Chiba Prefecture Termini Chōshi
TokawaStations 10 Operation Opened 5 July 1923[1] Owner Chōshi Electric Railway Depot(s) Nakanochō Rolling stock 1000 series, 2000 series EMUs Technical Line length 6.4 km Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Electrification 600 V DC overhead catenary Operating speed 40 km/h[1] Route diagram Legend
Sōbu Main Line 
0.0 Chōshi 
0.5 Nakanochō 1.1 Kannon 1.8 Moto-Chōshi 2.7 Kasagami-Kurohae 3.2 Nishi-Ashikajima 3.6 Ashikajima 4.7 Kimigahama 5.5 Inubō 6.4 Tokawa The Chōshi Electric Railway Line (銚子電気鉄道線 Chōshi Denki Tetsudō-sen) is a 6.4 km long railway line operated by the Chōshi Electric Railway between Chōshi Station and Tokawa Station in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.[1]
This is the only line owned by the Chōshi Electric Railway, and the line is facing declining ridership. The company ventured into selling nure-senbei (moist senbei rice crackers) to subsidize its operations, and the profits from confectionery sales are now double those from its railway operations.[2]
Contents
Service pattern
Generally two to three trains operate per hour throughout the day.[3] All trains stop at all stations, with trains passing on the single line at Kasagami-Kurohae Station. Two- or three-car formations are operated on New Year's Day to transport passengers to see the first sunrise of the year at the popular coastal viewing point in Inubōsaki.[4]
Stations
The southern terminus of the line, Tokawa Station, January 2007
Station Japanese Distance Distance between stations Date opened Location Chōshi 銚子 0.0 - 5 July 1923 Chōshi, Chiba Nakanochō 仲ノ町 0.5 0.5 5 July 1923 Kannon 観音 1.1 0.6 5 July 1923 Moto-Chōshi 本銚子 1.8 0.7 5 July 1923 Kasagami-Kurohae 笠上黒生 2.7 0.9 1 July 1925 Nishi-Ashikajima 西海鹿島 3.2 0.5 1 March 1970 Ashikajima 海鹿島 3.6 0.4 5 July 1923 Kimigahama 君ヶ浜 4.7 1.1 21 June 1931 Inuboh 犬吠 5.5 0.8 1 September 1935 Tokawa 外川 6.4 0.9 5 July 1923 History
The line first opened in December 1913 as the Chōshi Sightseeing Railway (銚子鉄道 Chōshi Yūran Tetsudō), operating a distance of 5.8 km between Chōshi and Inuboh using steam haulage. The line closed in November 1917, however, with the former trackbed being converted to a dedicated bus route.[5]
On 10 October 1922, the Chōshi Railway Company (銚子鉄道株式会社 Chōshi Tetsudō Kabushikigaisha) was formed, and the line was reopened from 5 July 1923 using the former Chōshi Sightseeing Railway trackbed between Chōshi and Inuboh Stations, with an extension south to Tokawa. Rolling stock consisted of two petrol-engined locomotives and two two-axle carriages. The locomotives proved unreliable, however, and the line was electrified at 600 V DC from 1 July 1925, with a fleet of three electric cars purchased from the former Ina Electric Railway (伊那電気鉄道 Ina Denki Tetsudō) (present-day JR Iida Line).[1][5]
Services on the line were suspended from 20 July 1945, following air raid damage. A C class steam tank locomotive was borrowed from JNR to resume operations on the line from December 1945, and electric train operations resumed from 4 April 1946.[1][5]
On 20 August 1948, the operating company was renamed Chōshi Electric Railway (銚子遊覧鉄道 Chōshi Denki Tetsudō).[1]
In 1956, a private track was laid directly from Chōshi Station to the nearby Yamasa soy sauce factory, which virtually eliminated freight operations handled by the Chōshi Electric Railway. In 1963, a decision was made to close the line, but this decision was overturned following opposition from the local communities and funding from Chōshi City. To the present day, the line is largely subsidized by Chiba Prefecture and Chōshi City.[5]
Freight operations on the line were discontinued from 1 February 1984.[1]
From 1 April 1995, operations on the line switched to wanman driver-only operation.[5]
Rolling stock
In 2007, it was announced that former Keio 3000 series stainless steel EMUs converted to 2-car sets would be purchased to replace the three vintage 700 and 800 series cars still in operation. This plan was however cancelled due to the cost of converting the 1,500 V DC cars to 600 V DC operation. Instead, two pairs of former Iyo Railway 800 series EMU cars were purchased in 2009, and these entered service in July 2010 following conversion work.[4]
Current rolling stock fleet
- 1000 series EMU cars 1001 and 1002 (former Eidan 2000 series built in 1959/1960)
- 2000 series 2-car EMUs (x2, from 24 July 2010), former Iyo Railway 800 series (originally Keio Corporation 2010 series)[4]
- DeKi 3 electric locomotive, built in 1922 by AEG in Germany, based at Nakanochō Depot
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1000 series car DeHa 1002, March 2008
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2000 series set 2001, August 2010
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"DeKi 3" electric locomotive, March 2010
Past rolling stock
- 100 series EMU car DeHa 101, built 1939, previously dumped at Kasagami-Kurohae Station and disposed of in September 2009[4][5]
- Yu 101 open car, (former WaMu80000 freight car, built in 1969), operated from 1985, and stored at Tokawa Station[4]
- 200 series EMU car DeHa 201, (former Keisei MoNi 7, built in 1925), operated from 1949 until 1978[5]
- 300 series EMU car DeHa 301 (former Tsurumi Rinkō Railway MoHa 115, built in 1930), operated from 1951, withdrawn in 2008, stored at Tokawa Station[4]
- 500 series EMU car DeHa 501 (former Ueda Kōtsū MoHa 2321, built in 1939), operated from 1972 and later sectioned at Inuboh Station[5]
- 700 series EMU car DeHa 701 (former Ohmi Railway MoHa 50 built in 1942), withdrawn in September 2010
- 700 series EMU car DeHa 702 (former Ohmi Railway MoHa 50, built 1942), withdrawn in January 2010
- 800 series EMU car DeHa 801 (former Iyo Railway MoHa 106 built in 1950), withdrawn in September 2010
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Withdrawn car DeHa 101, December 2006
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Yu 101 stored at Tokawa Station, January 2007
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DeHa 301, December 2006
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700 series car DeHa 701, March 2010
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DeHa 702, March 2008
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800 series car DeHa 801, March 2010
Accidents
A head-on collision occurred in June 1995 north of Kasagami-Kurohae Station between DeHa 701 on a down (Tokawa-bound) service and DeHa 1001 on an up (Chōshi-bound) service. Both cars sustained front-end damage. DeHa 701 was returned to service in April 1996 following repairs and repainting back into the standard livery of dark brown and red.[4]
See also
Media related to Choshi Electric Railway at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
- ^ "ぬれ煎餅でローカル線を救え！～銚子電鉄 [Choshi Electric Railway: Saving a local line with moist senbei!]" (in Japanese). All About Archives. All About, Inc.. 23 November 2006. http://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/63170/2/. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ "Timetable" (in Japanese) (pdf). Choshi Electric Railway. 10 December 2005. http://www.choshi-dentetsu.jp/menu/h171210jikoku.pdf. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Satō, Toshio (December 2009). "銚子電鉄の電車たちを訪ねて [Visiting the trains of the Chōshi Electric Railway]" (in Japanese). Japan Railfan Magazine (Japan: Kōyūsha) 49 (584): p.92–96.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Terada, Hirokazu (October 1999). ローカル私鉄探訪 [Exploring Rural Private Railways]. Japan: Shin-Jinbutsuoraisha Co., Ltd.. p. 35-37. ISBN 4-404-02732-X.
External links
- Chōshi Electric Railway official website (Japanese)
- Chōshi Electric Railway official webshop (Japanese)
Stations of the Chōshi Electric Railway Line Chōshi · Nakanochō · Kannon · Moto-Chōshi · Kasagami-Kurohae · Nishi-Ashikajima · Ashikajima · Kimigahama · Inuboh · Tokawa
Chōshi Electric Railway rolling stock In service 
Withdrawn 100 series • 200 series • 300 series • 500 series • 700 series • 800 seriesCategories:- Railway lines in Japan
- Rail transport in Chiba Prefecture
- Railway lines opened in 1923
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