Japanese Steam Engine Rides The Rails Again

80 year old C12 Tank on fake run!

Only in Japan could they pull this off. 13,000 people came to see a C12 pushed by a diesel. They burnt wood in the firebox to produce smoke.

One only hopes that they can get this thing operating for real. I am not sure how many locos are operating in Japan, but I have seen some great pics from the past.

In the meantime, I found a video of steam in Japan for your enjoyment. This engine must be an oil burner, it is putting out so much smoke!

Well worth a look.

A vintage steam locomotive passes through a rural area in Yazu, Tottori Prefecture, on April 11. (Naoko Murai)

April 12, 2015

WAKASA, Tottori Prefecture–A nearly 80-year-old train thrilled a crowd of rail buffs by chugging along a local line here on April 11, the first time in 45 years that any steam locomotive has traversed the route.

The railway company said about 13,000 people showed up to get a nostalgic glimpse of the chugging steam locomotive.

The C-12 class 167 made a round trip between Wakasa and Hatto stations, covering about 18 kilometers altogether, at a speed of 10 kph.

Since it is too old to operate on its own power, it was coupled to a diesel train to complete the run.

The train had been out of active service for more than three decades when Wakasa Railway acquired it in 2007 from West Japan Railway Co.

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN