The Sakuradani Light Railway was built as a hobby by Setsuo Mochimoto (持元節夫), who had been interested in model trains since his childhood, but started building a full-size railway in the 1990s.[1] Visitors are allowed to drive the trains. The 150 metres (490 ft) long loop of the Minamiyama Line stops at the single-track platform of Sakuradani Station (桜谷駅) and the double-track platform of Kaze-No-Tōge Station (風の峠駅).[2] In total, the track has 13 switches. An overhead line is used to transmit electricity at 36 voltsDC to trams and locomotives.[2] The shorter Lower Line, which is not connected to the Minamiyama Line, runs at a lower level and has a length of 165 feet (50 m).[3]
The railway opens to the public on the afternoon on the first Sunday every month.[1] It is named after a mine that was once located there.[3]
Rolling stock
As of August 2015[update], the following rolling stock is used on the line.[4]
^ abcKanda, Tsuyoshi (5 July 2012). 【桜谷軽便鉄道】小さな列車に大きな夢 [The Sakuradani Light Railway: A small railway with big dreams]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
^ abOtake, Naoki (5 June 2015). あなたも運転できる！「桜谷軽便鉄道」は鉄道ファンの夢の終着駅 [You can drive too! The Sakuradani Light Railway is the final stop of a train enthusiast's dream]. Sankei West (in Japanese). Japan: The Sankei Shimbun and Sankei Digital. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
^桜谷軽便鉄道の車両たち2015 [Sakuradani Light Railway rolling stock 2015] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Sakuradani Light Railway. August 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
