Tobu Railway: Restoring a Steam Locomotive

In December 2021, Tobu Railway held their third steam locomotive's "ignition ceremony" at their train depot.

At the "ignition ceremony," this steam locomotive's firebox is lit for the first time.

Tobu Railway has been operating a tourist train hauled by a steam locomotive since 2017 in the Nikko area - a famous sightseeing spot in Japan.

The name of the tourist train is the "SL Taiju."

SL stands for Steam Locomotive.

And Taiju, which means great tree, is another name for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 17th-century shogun enshrined at Nikko Toshogu Shrine.

The "SL Taiju" is so popular that it runs four times a day on weekdays and eight times a day on weekends and holidays.

For its service, Tobu Railway has operated two steam locomotives so far.

However, a locomotive needs a one-month annual inspection and a six-month inspection every four years.

Even with two locomotives, it wasn't enough to operate throughout the year.

Therefore, Tobu Railway decided to add one more steam locomotive to the team to make the daily operation possible.

For the third steam locomotive, Tobu Railway acquired a vehicle that had been unused for 43 years since it was scrapped.

It took three years for restoration.

In today's program, we take a look at a steam locomotive being revived for the first time in half a century.

Tobu Railway is a major private railway company with an extensive rail network in the northern Tokyo metropolitan area.

The SL Taiju departs from Shimo-imaichi Station in Tochigi Prefecture.

There it is.

The SL Taiju is arriving at the station.

It is so classy and muscular, I can't wait to hop on.

Alright, let's get on!

The inside of the car is actually very modern in comparison.

And quite spacious.

We are leaving and people at the platform are waving.

SL Taiju operates on two routes.

One route is between Shimo-imaichi and Kinugawa-onsen Stations, and the other is between Shimo-imaichi and Tobu-nikko Stations.

Today I'm heading towards Kinugawa Onsen.

The train slows down its speed at scenic spots for passengers to enjoy the view.

We are going to cross a river now, too.

Check out the view.

Wow!

This is wonderful.

Wow, a part of the second car has been turned into an observation deck so you can look out, there are no windows.

You can feel the breeze, you can smell the coal and oh my gosh, this is absolutely fantastic.

This is really a great part of the experience because it brings you so close to the nature outside too.

The train attendants provide services on the train, such as handing out commemorative tickets

and taking photos to remember the day.

L for locomotive.

That is so cool!

This slow pace is just right. It's so relaxing.

After a 35 minute-journey, the train arrives at the last stop - Kinugawa-onsen Station.

That was so much fun!

Another thing you can see at this station is how they disconnect the steam locomotive from the passenger cars.

And there we go.

The steam locomotive is free!

Bye!

At the front of the station is a turntable for the steam locomotive to change its direction, which is another attraction for visitors.

No matter how old these giants get, I think humans for generations will continue to love them.

After changing its direction, this steam locomotive carries passengers to Shimo-imaichi Station.

Today we are here at Tobu Railway's train depot, and behind us is the beautiful steam locomotive that took three years to restore to its condition we can see today.

And they're getting it ready now.

And it's scheduled to debut this summer. We're super excited.

Now Ryo, does it usually take three years to restore a steam locomotive?

No I don't think so, but for this one, it became a really big project, something that a big railway company like Tobu could only have afford to do.

Why did it become so big?

Tobu originally had two steam locomotives for their flagship SL Taiju services.

But for those two, they were already in running order when those two joined Tobu Railway.

But for this one, it was taken out of regular operation in 1975 and since then, 47 years it has not moved at all.

And the deterioration, the condition was really bad and most of the parts should be replaced but no replacement parts could be immediately found and therefore it took three years to restore it.

Wow, three years of restoration.

Let's find out how the project went.

In November 2018, Tobu Railway's third steam locomotive was brought from Hokkaido to Tobu Railway's train depot in Saitama Prefecture.

The Class C11 steam engine that came to Tobu Railway is a locomotive manufactured in 1947.

Used mainly on a coal mining railway in Hokkaido, it was scrapped in 1975 and preserved for 43 years.

The damage to the car body was more severe than the Tobu Railway staff had expected.

Look at this.

This is all rust.

Our main concern was
the rusted iron plates.

I think we'll need to make new ones.

After checking the condition of each part of the locomotive and studying the restoration method and schedule, Tobu Railway began restoration work on the steam locomotive in March 2019.

For the revival project, Tobu Railway had selected 20 members mostly in their 30s.

The members had previously worked on electric train maintenance.

None of the staff members ever restored a steam locomotive before, but Tobu Railway had another goal in mind: to train steam locomotive experts.

First, they started with something they were able to do: dismantle the car body.

Dismantling is the first step to understanding the structure of a steam locomotive.

They carefully removed each component.

However, dismantling an old steam engine requires a lot of time and effort.

Rusty bolts, for example, will break off if not removed with particular care.

After that, the removed parts are sorted into three groups: parts that can be used, parts that need repair, and parts that need to be remade.

Then, they scanned each component as image data.

There were more than several hundred parts.

It took almost a month to finish dismantling and sorting the parts.

However, Tobu Railway staff with no experience restoring a steam locomotive could not proceed further by themselves.

So, Tobu Railway asked for help from a boiler maintenance company with a long history of restoring steam locomotives since the times of the Japanese National Railways.

The artisans from the company began inspecting every inch of the dismantled locomotive to determine its condition.

Tobu Railway staff studied alongside the artisans to learn about their restoration expertise.

This is Mr. Tanaka Toshihiko - the project leader of the boiler maintenance company, who walks around checking each dismantled part one by one.

Mr. Tanaka is an experienced engineer engaged in restoring steam locomotives for over 50 years.

He has restored more than 20 steam engines to date.

They removed the boiler from the frame.

The boiler is the heart of a steam locomotive.

The experienced artisans looked at the boiler and found out that the boiler was severely damaged and would take considerable time and effort to repair.

Mr. Tanaka was most concerned about the condition of the firebox where the coal is burned.

I feel that the firebox is too damaged.

But we can repair it.

It is also possible to remake
the whole boiler.

The boiler restoration couldn't be done at Tobu Railway's train depot because they didn't have the machinery to repair it.

Therefore, the artisans restored the boiler at their factory in Osaka.

Sappa Boiler is the only factory in Japan that can restore steam locomotive boilers.

First, water was filled into the boiler's pipes to check for leaks.

The length of the restoration process
will be up to this water detection test.

We're hoping for no leaks.

Unfortunately, they found many water leaks.

When they applied pressure to the water, they discovered the intensity of the leakage and damage.

When you apply pressure, you know
exactly where the weak spots are.

Initially, Tobu Railway's schedule was to repair the boiler in one year, but the artisans concluded that it would need more time.

So, Tobu Railway decided to fix the boiler even if they had to delay the debut date.

The most challenging part of the boiler restoration is the firebox, located near the side of the driver's seat, which is the rear of the boiler.

Inside the firebox is a double structure.

The space between the firebox and the boiler's outer plates is filled with water.

Burning coal produces high-temperature steam.

And steam is at such high pressure that the force of expansion deforms the outer plates.

To prevent deformation, boiler stays are installed between the firebox and the outer plates to resist pressure.

For the Class C11 steam locomotive, there were more than 800 stays, and all of them had to be replaced.

The length of each stay is different, so we have to measure every
one of them. That takes time.

Replacing all the stays was a challenge even for Mr. Tanaka and his team.

Meanwhile, other than the boiler, the restoration work was underway at Tobu Railway's train depot.

Just like the boiler, an essential part of a steam locomotive is the driving wheel.

It's shaft was still in usable condition.

It was transported to the steel company and returned with a new rim for the driving wheel.

But other wheels had to be rebuilt.

The boiler restoration work in Osaka, took two years eventually.

All stays were replaced with new ones.

The people at Sappa Boiler have
done a great job on this project.

Now it's all up to us to get
the locomotive moving.

After the final inspection, a certificate of compliance with safety standards was stamped on the boiler.

We never know how the boiler
will function until it's fired up.

I hope it won't act up and
will behave when running.

In May 2021, the repaired boiler returned to Tobu Railway's train depot.

Then they conducted the work of joining the boiler and the frame.

After that, assembly work continued, including the installation and welding of each component.

For some parts, there were no blueprints, so many had to be remade a new.

The pipes, which deliver water, steam, and oil to various places, are as important as blood vessels in humans.

There were more than 100 pipes, most of them were newly made.

Thin pipes were made by hand, one by one, using a burner to heat them.

On November 18th, the steam locomotive was underway in the final stage of the restoration work.

To place the car body on the wheels, they had to do this work very cautiously.

If newly installed pipes or other parts touch the wheels, they will be misaligned.

And the whole process will have to be repeated.

The only had a 1mm gap when lowering the car body on to the wheel.

They had to proceed slowly and carefully.

We were relieved to have the
locomotive body on the axle, and the piping did not hit the wheels.

They then installed the coupling rods that connect the pistons to the driving wheels.

These rods were also newly made.

Having installed everything, they checked the pistons, coupling rods, and driving wheels.

After three long years of hard work, the steam locomotive has come back to life.

Tobu Railway gave this new locomotive the number 123.

It was named after the 123rd anniversary of Tobu Railway and the hope that the company will leap forward with 1, 2, 3, hop, step, and jump.

In March 2022, test runs began at the depot in preparation for running on the mainline starting in summer.

The revived steam locomotive "Class C11 No. 123" debut is scheduled around July.

Wow, that really was a big restoration project and we are lucky today, we have a special guest from Tobu Railway with us today,

and he is going to tell us a little bit more about the restoration process and he is actually the sub-leader of the steam locomotive revival project.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you for having me.

Tobu Railway is a latecomer to preserving steam
locomotives in moving conditions.

However, with three steam locomotives now, it has become
one of the leading railway companies in Japan.

What did you learn from
this revival project?

I think it comes down to
experience and skills.

We had an opportunity to learn about restoring
locomotives, but we also had a the chance to learn about welding, piping, and
making parts with machines.

We were able to acquire specialized
skills through these experiences.

Also, people who had worked on restoring
JR's steam locomotive came to help us.

I think they helped us significantly.

I'm sure the three steam locomotives will continue
to operate for many years to come.

Also, I am looking forward to the skills
acquired here passed on.

What lies ahead for Tobu Railway?

Now that we have three steam engines,
visitors can ride our SL Taiju at anytime.

So, we hope many more visitors
will come visit us.

Thank you for your time.

I'm looking forward to the debut of
the brand new steam locomotive.

Railway Topics.

All aboard!

On April 23rd, "Trolley Festa in Yamada," an event using an abandoned railway line in Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, was held.

The former Kamiyamada Line was used to transport coal and carry passengers but was discontinued in 1988.

At the former Kumagahata Station, they preserved approximately 1 km of the rail.

The trolleys painted by the kids are actual vehicles used to maintain the line in the past.

Many families came to enjoy this rare experience.

It was super fun!

It was a nice veiw!

On May 7, a school trip departing ceremony was held on the Tokaido Shinkansen platform at JR Tokyo Station.

Students from six public junior high schools in Chiba Prefecture participated in the ceremony.

Unfortunately, many annual school trips were canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, before the pandemic, it had been an annual event to celebrate the school trip season in Japan.

This year was the first departing ceremony in three years.

The chartered shinkansen departed towards Kyoto and Osaka with about 860 students from six schools.