Usui Pass railway line-trace public natural trail walk

The Usui Pass is a mountain pass that lies between Nagano and Gunma Prefectures. It has served as one of
the major transportation routes in central Japan since at least the eighth century.

The Shinetsu Main Line railway went through the pass between 1893 and 1997. The 11.2 km pass segment,
between Yokokawa Station on the Gunma side and Karuizawa Station on the Nagano side, had been operated
Kumanowith the rack-and-pinion railway system until 1963 when the line was rebuilt, and new locomotives
for non-rack operation were introduced. The newly introduced locomotives were the JNR Class EF63 banking
engines used for help in both ascending and descending the 66.7‰ (1 in 15) gradient. In 1997, the segment
was closed due to opening of the new Nagano Shinkansen line that detours the pass with a long tunnel.

The Usui Pass railway-trace promenade trail walk, which is called as ' Apt-road' for a pedestrian, was
completed in 2012. The total length from Kumanotaira to Yokokawa is 6.1 km.


(L) The west end of a tunnel that is viewed from the discarded Kumanotaira station.
The strategic railway point of traffic has now turned into ruins.
(R) A stairway to go up the old Kumanotaira station　旧熊ノ平駅

(L) A signpost directing to Megane Bridge
(R) Kumanotaira at around 1906

(L) Kumanotaira substation was built in 1937. The role of this facility has ended in 1997.
(R) The west end of tunnels is closed at Kumanotaira.

(L) A tunnel between Kumanotaira and Megane Bridge
(R) The space between tunnels, it is filled with green trees.

(L) Mountain is filled with fresh green. (R) A display to attention to a bear

(L) A wall of the tunnel has begun to be partially damaged.
(R) A clear stream is flowing between the forest with a fresh green.

(L) Sodium-vapor lamp is used in this tunnel near the Megane Bridge
(R) Megane Bridge　めがね橋

Megane Bridge, the largest brick bridge structure in Japan: This bridge was used until 1963.
The total length is 91 m, the height 31 m.

(L) A signpost shows the distance from this point to Yokokawa 4.8 km.
(R) A new railway-track bridge was completed in 1963. After the construction of a single line, a double-track railway line was completed in 1966.
However, it was closed in 1997 after completion of the tunnel route of the high-speed railway, Nagano Shinkansen.

Illumination of a tunnel by a sodium-vapor lamp

(L) There are many tunnels between Megane Bridge and the southern end of the mountain promenade.
(R) A description display board of Maruyama substation

Maruyama substation: This facility has been used from 1929 until 1997.

丸山変電所は２棟の建物から構成され、右側の建物が蓄電池室、左側の建物が機械室である。蓄電池室には列車が
峠にかかるときに必要な電力を補うため、312の蓄電池を備えていた。機械室は発電所から送られて来た交流電流を
直流電流に変えて、電気機関車に送っていた。建物は格調高いレンガ造りであり、2002年に修復されている。

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Railway trip to Yokokawa Terminal Station


(L) A train on Shinetsu Main Line is leaving Takasaki station for Yokokawa.
(R) Matuida station was moved to the new place, after demolished the old station, which was once a railway station of switchback.

Shortly before arriving at the Yokokawa station, the railway trach is divided to a separate line.
Here, the distance to Nagano is 95 km, to karuizawa 21 km.

Terminal railway station, Yokokawa

(L) Abt railway system was devised by Roman Abt, a Swiss locomotive engineer.
(R) EF63 Electiric locomotive pulled a limited express train 'Hakusan' in 1997.

(L) A dam lake, Lake Usui
(R) An old rail track is presently used as a railway of a trolley train. We can see Mount Myogi in the distance.

(L) Two monkeys are shaking wire that is not active.
(M) This is the only place in which an ordinary person can drive a genuine electric locomotive.
You have to receive one-day lecture and to pay 30,000 yen plus 5,000 each time you drive.
(R) A trolley train is running between Yokokawa station and Togenoyu hot-spring resort.

(L) Railway-culture village (M) Electric locomotives are used in pulling a passenger vehicle over the Usui Pass.
(R) Old advertisement board of 'Kinchoru' has used since 1934.
This was photographed at Yokokawa. ★キンチョールのホーロー看板を45度傾けて水切りを良くし、腐食を防いでいる


碓氷峠は、群馬県安中市と長野県軽井沢町との境にある峠である。標高は約 960 m。信濃川水系と利根川水系とを
分ける中央分水嶺である。峠の長野県側に降った雨は日本海へ、群馬県側に降った雨は太平洋へ流れる。
世界的な鉄道遺産、碓氷峠アプトの道ハイキングコースが、旧熊ノ平駅から横川駅まで整備されている。全長、
6.1 キロである。トンネル内の照明は午後6時に消灯するので注意。

　Karuizawa-Mampei Hotel
　　　　　　　　　　　　＋Karuizawa in autumn

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A shourt excurcion from Tokyo metropolitan area

　Enoshima and Kamakura tour
　Mount Takao
　Hakone-Tozan Railway


　碓氷峠遊歩道
執筆および写真撮影　2016年5月 医学博士　宮本順伯
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This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel.
The article was written in May 2016, by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.
Copyright (C) 2016 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.