Steam trains staging a rural comeback

NIITSU, Niigata Pref. -- Greeted by cheers Tuesday from about 1,000 rail fans, steam locomotive D51-498 chugged into Niigata Prefecture's Tsugawa Station and stopped alongside the C57-180, known as "the Lady" for her beautiful appearance.

It was the first time in 31 years that the two well-known, once-retired steam locomotives stood side by side in Niigata.

"I never dreamed that this day would come," said a local official of East Japan Railway Co.

"Steam locomotives had been replaced by electric trains (by the 1970s), because people disliked smoke," he said. "And nobody missed the steam locomotives after that."

The popularity of steam locomotives reached its peak in the 1930s and 40s. In 1936, about 8,700 steam locomotives plied the nation's rails. They were gradually replaced by more efficient diesel and electric trains after the war. By 1976, there were none left on the tracks.

Niigata is not the only place where old-fashioned trains have staged a revival. Steam locomotives are making a comeback across the country, amid a nostalgia boom and efforts to reinvigorate communities by attracting tourists.

According to the Transport Ministry, 18 steam locomotives have been restored to pull tourist trains in the countryside nationwide.

Many were restored in the late 1980s and '90s, with support of rail fans and municipalities.

In the case of Niigata's C57-180, residents of the town of Niitsu raised 75 million yen in donations to restore the locomotive, which had retired to the grounds of a local elementary school.

The C57-180 was put back in service in April 1999, after JR East spent 200 million yen, including the 75 million yen in donations, for restoration work.

On Tuesday, JR East brought the D51-498, the other steam engine it operates, to the line in a special event for the summer holiday season.

Two C57- and D51-type locomotives used to pass each other in opposite directions on parallel tracks between 1966 and 1969, when they were decommissioned and replaced by electric trains. The C57 mainly pulled passenger trains and the D51 freight.

The recent steam locomotive revival indicates the Japanese now have the psychological room to look back on the nation's history of modernization, said Junichi Yoneyama of the Japan National Trust for Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation.

"Nobody understood when I said steam locomotives are part of our cultural heritage," Yoneyama said, recalling when he launched donation campaigns to restore the engines about 20 years ago. "People reacted coolly."

Once the engine of modernization, steam locomotives were eventually faulted for the black smoke they emit and for being inefficient compared with other forms of transport.

But public perceptions have clearly changed in the past decade, Yoneyama said, noting people now are more inclined to want to preserve cultural assets of the modern age. People also now realize that steam locomotives are a tourist draw that can link and help reinvigorate rural communities, Yoneyama said.

Japan National Trust, a nonprofit organization based in Tokyo to preserve natural and cultural heritage, has raised 50 million yen and restored the C12-164, which now regularly runs on the Oigawa Line in Shizuoka Prefecture.

The C57-180 runs between Niitsu and Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, as a popular tourist city.

About 2.7 million tourists annually visit Aizuwakamatsu, and 76,000 of them ride the steam trains.

Although municipal officials said it is difficult to gauge the direct economic windfall provided by steam trains, they note it has become much easier to advertise local tourist spots thanks to the trains' presence.

A restored steam locomotive is also plying the Moka Line in Tochigi Prefecture in a bid to improve the image of the line and nearby tourist spots. The steam train is operated by a joint venture between local governments and the private sector.

Although the operation has generated about 20 million yen in losses yearly, it nonetheless has proved good advertising for nearby tourist resorts, the officials said.

But how long such trains can keep running is a question. A deep concern shared by railways is the shortage of spare parts.

Firms that manufacture railway equipment are no longer tooled up to produce spare parts for steam locomotives, and the cost to retool would be prohibitive.

When the air compressor for the C12-164 on the Oigawa Line broke down, the railway could not find any parts maker to reproduce the component, which controls the air brakes, Yoneyama said. The Oigawa Railway Co. managed to repair the train by taking the same part off a locomotive sitting in a Tokyo park.

According to JR West, which operates steam locomotives in Yamaguchi and Shiga prefectures, it is possible to reproduce some parts based on decades-old blueprints that are still kept.

As for drive wheels, which incessantly wear down, Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. has retained the technology to produce new ones, although the cost is unclear at present, JR West said.

But for small railways, it will be increasingly difficult to reproduce or obtain new parts, Yoneyama said.

There will come a time when some railways will have used up the parts on their existing locomotives, and so the restored ones will again sit idle, he said.

"Asked if steam locomotives will continue to run in far future, I'd say no," he said.