Hakone Tozan Line

The Hakone Tozan Railway is a private railway company in Japan, and it was opened in 1900. It is best known
for its operation of the Hakone Tozan Line, the first mountain railway in Japan. It also operates the connecting
Hakone Tozan Cable Car. The Hakone Tozan Line consists of two sections: a lower section from Odawara to
Hakone-Yumoto, and an upper section from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora. At Gora, a cable car is available to transfer
visitors to and from Lake Ashinoko.

Lower section・・Between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto stations


(L) Komine Tunnel, 286 m: There is the Odawara Castle in the right upper hill.
(R) Odawara Station premises: Hakone Tozan Railway and JR Toukaidou Line

(L) Hakone Tozan Railway runs in parallel to JR Tokaido Line.
(M) An overpass across Highway No.1
(R) A dual gauge from Hakone-Yumoto station is terminated at Iriuda Station.

A super-express Odakyu train is running on the railway near Hakone-Yumoto station.

This scene is the area between Hakone-Yumoto and Iriuda stations.

(L) Hakone-Yumoto area (R) Super-express 50000 that is parked at Hakone-Yumoto Station.

Upper section ・・Between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora stations


Hakone-Yumoto station

A landsat picture: Red-line represents Hakone Tozan Railway, serving Odawara and Gora.
Orange line represents a cable car, serving Gora and Sohunzan.
Green line represents a ropeway between Sohunzan and Togendai, Lake Ashinoko.
Source: Wikipedia

(L) A construction work near Hakone-Yumoto station
(R) The opening ceremony was held in April 1900.

(L) The start of Hakone Tozan Railway (R) A 3000 series car on the 8% gradient near Hakone-Yumoto Station

Hayakawa Bridge

Natural forest spreading under the iron bridge over Hayakawa

(L) Fukazawa Zeniarai Benten at Platforms of Tohnosawa Station (R) Hayakawa Bridge and tunnel

(L) Hayakawa Bridge under construction ( Wikipedia )
(R) A tunnel, that is attached to the platforms of Tohnosawa Station.

Three switchback stops help a train in climbing a steep slope in a mountainous region.
Hakone Tozan railway tracks have three switch-back sites to climb a mountainous slope.

(L) A view from the Kami-Ohiradai switchback (R) Tunnel near the Ohiradai Station

(L) Kami-Ohiradai switchback (R) A sharp gradient, R55, between Miyanoshita and Ohiradai stations

(L) Ohiradai Station is the station to provide a train to switch back.
(R) A steep slope of 80‰, gradient index is 80 mule, the maximum throughout Japan.

Kami-Ohiradai signal station

(L) The 3000-Allegra type train is running downhill with the steep slope of 80‰
(R) The 2000-St.Moritz type Hakone Tozan Railway train is running between gregarious hydrangea.

After a straight track, it will follow a curved track in a mountainous area.

Hakone Tozan railway track runs through the mountainous area.

Hakone Tozan railway track runs through the mountainous area.

(L) Kami-Ohiradai signal station (R) The 3000-Allegra type train is entering to the switchback signal station.

Miyanoshita Station

(L) Train is approaching to Miyanoshita station.
(R) On the maximum curve of radius 30m, vehicle of the first and last pert of the 3-car trains will create an angle of about 120 degrees.

(L) A 3000-Allegra train for Goura is leaving at Ohiradai Station after a switchback stop
(R) Hakone-Tozan Railway track between Goura and kowakudani stations

1000-Brnina2 Hakone Tozan Railway train at Goura Station is ready to leave for Hakone-Yumoto at Goura Station.
Each vehicle has two water tanks of 350 liter to run a very sharp railway track.

Goura: The upper terminal station of Hakone Tozan Railway

This is the only mountain railway in Japan. The train departs from Hakone-Yumoto station (at 108 m above sea level)
and takes about 40 minutes to arrive at the final stop, Gora station (at 553 m above sea level). On the way up,
there are switchbacks, where the driver and the conductor change shifts and the train switch to reversed travel
direction.

　Odakyu Railway
　Yoshiike Ryokan
　Goura Park
　 Fujiya Hotel, Miyanoshita, Hakone
　Hakone Highland Hotel

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Railway Travel around the World　世界鉄道旅行
　　All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.


箱根登山鉄道
執筆　医学博士　宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
The article was written and photography was taken in April 2016, and revised in April 2017,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Photographs were added in October 2016 and April 2017.
Copyright (C) 2016 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.

Hakone Cable Car, Ropeway and Lake Ashinoko