- Mooka Railway Mooka Line
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Mooka Line
真岡線
Mooka 14 DMU at Mashiko Station, April 2006Overview Type Heavy rail Locale Ibaraki, Tochigi prefectures Termini Shimodate
MotegiStations 17[1] Operation Opened 1912 Owner Mooka Railway Technical Line length 41.9 km (26.04 mi)[1] Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge Electrification None The Mooka Line (真岡線 Mooka-sen ) is a Japanese railway line between Shimodate Station, in Chikusei, Ibaraki and Motegi Station in Motegi, Tochigi. It is the only railway line operated by the Mooka Railway (真岡鐵道 Mooka Tetsudō ). The third sector company took over the former JR East line in 1988. In addition to regular diesel local trains, the line also operates the SL Mooka steam service for tourists using C11 and C12 class steam locomotives.
Contents
History
- 1 April 1912: 16.5 km Mooka Light Railway (真岡軽便線 ) line opens between Shimodate and Mooka.
- 15 December 1920: Entire line opened to Motegi (route length of 42.0 km).
- 2 September 1922: Line renamed Mooka Line.
- 1 November 1982: Freight services discontinued.
- 11 September 1984: Line closure approved.
- 11 April 1988: JR line closes and becomes Mooka Railway Mooka Line. Route length is reduced to 41.9 km.
- 27 March 1994: SL Mooka steam train operation starts.
Rolling stock
(As of October 2008)[1]
- Mooka 14 diesel railcars x9
- E10 class diesel railcar x1
- C11 Class steam locomotive x1
- C12 Class steam locomotive x1
- OHa & OHaFu coaches x3
- DE10 Class diesel locomotive x1 [2]
Stations
Station Japanese Distance (km) SL Mooka Transfers Location Shimodate 下館 0.0 ● East Japan Railway Company (JR East): Mito Line
Kantō Railway: Jōsō LineChikusei Ibaraki Shimodate-Nikōmae 下館二高前 2.2 | Orimoto 折本 4.6 ● Higuchi ひぐち 6.5 | Kugeta 久下田 8.5 ● Mooka Tochigi Terauchi 寺内 12.6 ▲ Mooka 真岡 16.4 ● Kita-Mōka 北真岡 18.0 | Nishidai 西田井 21.2 ● Kitayama 北山 22.9 | Mashiko 益子 25.1 ● Mashiko, Haga District Nanai 七井 28.4 ● Tatara 多田羅 31.2 ● Ichikai, Haga District Ichihana 市塙 34.3 ● Sasaharada 笹原田 38.1 | Ten'yaba 天矢場 39.2 | Motegi, Haga District Motegi 茂木 41.9 ● See also
References
- ^ a b c Mooka Railway company overview. Retrieved on 8 October 2008. (Japanese)
- ^ "全国の現役機関車をめぐって" Japan Railfan Magazine, October 2008 issue, p.133
External links
- Mooka Railway official website (Japanese)
Categories:- Railway lines in Japan
- Rail transport in Tochigi Prefecture
- Rail transport in Ibaraki Prefecture
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