Kamaishi-sen 釜石線

The Kamaishi-sen is one of the branch lines off the Tôhoku Honsen (the principal north-south transport artery of northern Honshû) connecting central Tôhoku with the Pacific Coast. It is 90, 2 km long and diesel operated. On its way from the town of Hanamaki it traverses the central plateau of Iwate Prefecture into the Tôno region and then passes through the wild mountain range which separates central Iwate from the coastal region. To get down to the coast the Hanamaki-sen needs to tackle the very steep incline between the Tôno area and the Kamaishi area.

The section from Hanamaki to the Tôno area is rural, with relatively small farming villages dotting the countryside. Tôno is a small town known for the preservation of ancient traditions, folktales and legends. After passing through Ashigase at the eastern rim of the Tôno area (61, 2 km from Hanamaki) the train descends steeply through numerous tunnels and across the "Red Bridge" (Onigasawa Bridge) high up on the mountain side, eventually entering the long 180° spiral tunnel leading into Rikuchû Ôhashi station (73, 7 km from Hanamaki). In the Rikuchû Ôhashi area we can see the remains of what used to be an important location for mining iron ore. From the remote Rikuchû Ôhashi the line continues its descent down the valley to Kamaishi.

Kamaishi has been known since 1857 for its blast furnaces, iron works and steel mills. Today, the city is dominated by a large factory producing, among other things, coils, machine parts and wires.

The Kamaishi-sen has seen a number of special tourist trains, and since 2014 the reactivated steam locomotive C58 239 regularly hauls the "SL Galaxy" train over the line. (The reference to the Galaxy we find in many parts of Iwate Prefecture stems from the fascinating tale "Fantasy Railroad to the Stars" by Miyazawa Kenji, written around 1924, first published 1934). The SL Galaxy train is composed of 4 coaches which used to form a diesel car set on Hokkaidô; the two end cars are motorised and help the steam locomotive up the steep gradients.

The construction of the Kamaishi-sen took place over a long period, at first in the form of a light railway with 762 mm gauge (Iwate Keibin Tetsudô). However, the steep incline between the Tôno plateau and the valley at Rikuchû Ôhashi was not completed until 1950. The earliest railway operations in the Kamaishi area began as far back as 1880, and transformation of the 762 mm lines to 1067 mm gauge took place 1944-1950. In 1936 the then existing network was taken over by the state. Freight services ended in 1999.

Kamaishi has repeatedly been hit by serious earthquakes and, in their wake, devastating tsunami. Particularly the harbour area has suffered enormous damage, and the railway was only gradually reopened after the 2011 disaster (the line from Kamaishi along the coast to the north remained closed 2011-2019). Also, the destruction of Kamaishi through bombing in 1945 should be mentioned.

Services over the Kamaishi-sen are fairly regular; most trains run to and from Morioka (a further 35, 3 km) and change direction at Hanamaki. There are – in both directions - 7 stopping trains (operated by the smaller class 100 diesel cars) and 3 rapid trains (operated by the larger class 110/111/112 sets) with comfortable reservable seats. One train works Tôno-Kamaishi.