Kumamoto: Locomotive Put on Display; Symbolizing Kyushu Recovery from Heavy Rain

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:40 JST, December 8, 2024

HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto — The steam locomotive that pulled the passenger cars of the nationally popular SL Hitoyoshi sightseeing train is on display in front of JR Hitoyoshi Station in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Manufactured in 1922, the locomotive began running between Kumamoto and Hitoyoshi stations since 2009. However, a section of the JR Hisatsu Line used by the SL Hitoyoshi was damaged by heavy rain in the summer of 2020. The damage forced the sightseeing train’s services to be limited to between Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture and Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto City. The locomotive’s services were eventually discontinued in March this year due to the age of the locomotive and difficulties in repairing it.

Kyushu Railway Co. donated the locomotive to the Hitoyoshi city government, and the locomotive has now returned to Hitoyoshi Station. The disaster-hit section of the JR Hisatsu Line, on which Hitoyoshi Station is located, remains closed, and restoring it is still expected to take time. The city government hopes to use the locomotive as a symbol of disaster recovery.

The city government plans to build a shelter to protect the locomotive from wind and rain. It also intends to extend the track used for the display from the current length of about 25 meters to approximately 60 meters. In the future, the city aims to create a “dynamic exhibit,” in which visitors can experience the feeling of riding the locomotive, by moving it with use of compressed air.