Ōigawa Railway

Ōigawa Railway
Native name	大井川鐵道
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Transportation
Founded	May 19, 1917; 107 years ago
Headquarters	Shimada, Shizuoka, Japan
Area served	Shizuoka Prefecture
Total equity	212 million yen
Parent	Eclipse Hidaka
Website	www.oigawa-railway.co.jp

The Ōigawa Railway (大井川鐵道, Ōigawa Tetsudō) is a railway company in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, which first opened in 1927. The company is commonly known as Daitetsu (大鐵). The company belonged to the Meitetsu Group until 2015, when it was sold to Eclipse Hidaka, a food and hotel company headquartered in Hidaka, Hokkaido.

A Class C11 steam locomotive at Senzu Station on the Ōigawa Main Line

Operation

The company operates preserved steam locomotives, and has "sister railway" agreements with Brienz Rothorn Bahn in Switzerland and Alishan Forest Railway in Taiwan. Because of its historical rolling stock and the picturesque scenery, the Ōigawa Main Line is often used for shooting films or TV programs, especially those set in the pre-war period.

Ōigawa Railway's locomotives include five characters from the Thomas & Friends series: Thomas the Tank Engine, Hiro, Percy, James the Red Engine, and Rusty. The locomotives are based at Shin-Kanaya Station.^[1] Thomas runs between Shin-Kanaya Station and Kawaneonsen-Sasamado Station.^[2]

Lines

The company operates two 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge railway lines. The Ōigawa Main Line from Kanaya to Senzu; and the Ikawa Line from Senzu to Ikawa. Both lines function primarily as sightseeing lines. The former is known for its heritage steam trains, while the latter is the only rack railway line in existence in Japan.

The company also operates a bus line in Sumatakyō Onsen, Kawanehon.