International Railroad Discussion > Tsurugi, near Kanazawa, Japan

My son's moved from Tsunan to Tsurugi, part of Hakusan, a city right next to Kanazawa. It's the end of the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line. Here you can see the three different kinds of railcars they use.

---

---

---

Three more shots near the station.

---

---

---

A walkway that's used a lot cuts right through the shop area. The old plow tells us how much snow the reqion gets.

---

---

---

Another shot of the plow, then more modern snow-clearing equipment.
 

---

---

---

The line used to go about a mile furth up the valley. No more.
1. The various station and shop tracks combine to this one, which ends here.
2. Right behind me, actoss a street, it's like this.
3. And just further up the line, it waaaaay overgrown.

---

---

---

Even this small town is foreign-friendly. This sign alternates languages every 10 seconds or so. They don't take credit cards, though.

Thanks for looking!

---

---

 I like the Style of he plow.
Looks like a GE Motor outline.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Great selection of photos, and variety of equipment. chris uk

symph1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here you can see the three different kinds of railcars
> they use.

Technically, image #2 is the same type as image #3, both former Tokyu Railway Class 7000. The cab ends look different, because #2's end is likely a non-cab car converted to a cab car. If you look at the door/window arrangements on the sides, and the white A/C assemblies on top, those are the clues that they are the same Class 7000.

Class 7000 is the first stainless steel-bodied EMU in Japan, licensed from the Budd Corporation. Hokuriku Railway's Ishikawa Line is mentioned in my 2018 report:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,4652498,4652498#4652498

First image is of the fomer Keio Railway's Class 3000, and happened to be the 2nd stainless steel EMU manufactured in Japan:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,3510803,3513150#3513150

I speculate that Ishikawa Railway picked these stainless steel-bodied second hand sets to keep rust in check due to the weather in the region.
 

symph1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another shot of the plow, then more modern
> snow-clearing equipment.

The plows are attached to a steeple cab-ish locomotive, ED20. And the modern snow-clearing equipment is DL7, a rotary attached to a diesel locomotive, self-propelled. Your shot clearly shows how 2 rotary mechanisms work together (corkscrew in the front, and the standard propeller behind it), and that snow can be ejected on either side with a rotating tube on top.

Thanks for the great report! 

cchan006 Wrote:
>......... Technically, image #2 is the same type as image
> #3, both former Tokyu Railway Class 7000. The cab
> ends look different, because #2's end is likely a
> non-cab car converted to a cab car.........

My thinking is that #2 always was a cab car, and the end was remodeled to improve crash resistance at grade crossings, and also to keep the cab and car warmer in cold weather.  It's possible the car was damaged in an accident, and this was a solution that accomplished those goals, and was less expensive as well.  One of those excellent monthly railfan magazines in Japan probably has the story.....

Best regards, SZ
 

Two more that I took later in the week. The second shows what they do when they're done with a trainset for the night.

---

---