Mooka Line

The Mooka Line (真岡線, Mo-oka-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Shimodate Station, in Chikusei, Ibaraki and Motegi Station in Motegi, Tochigi. It is the only railway line operated by the Mooka Railway (真岡鐵道, Mooka Tetsudō). The third sector company took over the former JR East line in 1988. In addition to regular diesel local trains, the line also operates the SL Mooka steam service for tourists using C11 and C12 class steam locomotives.

Mooka Line
真岡線
Mooka 14 DMU at Mashiko Station, April 2006
Overview
OwnerMooka Railway
LocaleIbaraki, Tochigi prefectures
Termini
Stations17[1]
Websitehttps://www.moka-railway.co.jp/
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Opened1912
Technical
Line length41.9 km (26.04 mi)[1]
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
ElectrificationNone

History
  • 1 April 1912: 16.5 km Mooka Light Railway (真岡軽便線) line opens between Shimodate and Mooka.
  • 15 December 1920: Entire line opened to Motegi (route length of 42.0 km). The proposed extension to Nagakura was not constructed.
  • 2 September 1922: Line renamed Mooka Line.
  • 1 November 1982: Freight services discontinued.
  • 11 September 1984: Line closure approved.
  • 11 April 1988: JR line closes and becomes Mooka Railway Mooka Line. Route length is reduced to 41.9 km.
  • 27 March 1994: SL Mooka steam train operation starts.
  • 30 July 2020: JNR Class C11 steam locomotive #325 moved to Tobu Railway. [2]

Rolling stock

(As of October 2022)[1]

Stations
  • The SL Mooka stops at stations marked with "●" and passes stations marked "｜".
  • To take the SL Mooka, passengers must purchase the SL ticket (500 yen) via Mooka Railways SL Guide and reserve their seats at least a day in advance.
  • There is "SL・DL Rapid" service only on days SL Mooka is operated. And, boarding on this service costs only fares.[4]
Station Japanese Distance (km) SL Mooka SL・DL Rapid Transfers Location
Shimodate 下館 0.0 ● ● East Japan Railway Company (JR East): Mito Line
Kantō Railway: Jōsō Line		 Chikusei Ibaraki
Shimodate-Nikōmae 下館二高前 2.2 ｜ ↓  
Orimoto 折本 4.6 ● ●  
Higuchi ひぐち 6.5 ｜ ↓  
Kugeta 久下田 8.5 ● ●   Mooka Tochigi
Terauchi 寺内 12.6 ● ↓  
Mooka 真岡 16.4 ● ●  
Kita-Mooka 北真岡 18.0 ｜    
Nishidai 西田井 21.2 ●    
Kitayama 北山 22.9 ｜    
Mashiko 益子 25.1 ●     Mashiko, Haga District
Nanai 七井 28.4 ●    
Tatara 多田羅 31.2 ●     Ichikai, Haga District
Ichihana 市塙 34.3 ●    
Sasaharada 笹原田 38.1 ｜    
Ten'yaba 天矢場 39.2 ｜     Motegi, Haga District
Motegi 茂木 41.9 ●    

See also

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

  1. Mooka Railway company overview Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 8 October 2008. (in Japanese)
  2. "真岡鐵道で運行していたSL(C11形325号機)を2020年7月30日に譲受します!" (PDF). Tobu News Release. July 30, 2020. p. 1. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  3. "全国の現役機関車をめぐって" Japan Railfan Magazine, October 2008 issue, p.133
  4. Holidays timetable from/to Shimodate Station around 15 p.m. and 16 p.m.
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