Railroad Journal July 1971 Issue No. 51 Special Feature: Private Railway Express Trains The End of Narrow Gauge and Hokkaido's SL Local Trains! A Record of Exploring "Private Railway Express Trains" in 1971 Issue No. 51 of *Railroad Journal*, published in July 1971, conveys the enthusiasm of the railways during an era when Japanese National Railways (JNR) steam locomotives were active and the end of local private railways was approaching. The main feature of this issue is "Private Railway Express Trains," a thorough investigation by the Waseda Railroad Research Club. Express trains of the time are thoroughly tracked, from major private railways to small and medium-sized private railways. Among the express trains of local private railways featured in this special issue, many of the companies themselves have since disappeared, and photographs of headmarks and other aspects of the trains in their heyday are now extremely rare records. This is primary source material for understanding in detail the peak and decline of private railway express trains. Furthermore, important records for railway history are included at the end of the volume. A "Farewell Report" on the Ikasa Railway in Okayama Prefecture, which was completely abolished in the spring of this year, is included with color photographs over several pages. The final appearance of the adorable light railway of narrow gauge (762mm gauge) is a valuable record that light railway fans cannot help but shed tears over. And the opening document tracking report tells of the passion and adventure of railway fans at the time. It is a report of actually riding and photographing the SL night local trains that ran on the Hakodate Main Line (Mountain Line), Sekihoku Main Line, and Joetsu Main Line in Hokkaido, connecting night express trains and the Seikan Ferry. It expands the railway scenery of Hokkaido in the good old days when steam locomotives were the main players. These SL local trains on these lines, including trains like the "Sekihoku Kamimon Local" that only core enthusiasts knew about, meticulously record the state of JNR local lines when they were still functioning as the main lines for freight and passenger transport, and are essential materials for understanding the railway history of Hokkaido. This is a historically valuable book packed with the three major themes of Japanese railway hobbyism: light railways, private railways, and SLs. 1971 Railroad Journal Co., B5 size #Other Railway Books Here #Other "Hokkaido Abandoned Line Related Items" Here #Other "Light Railway Narrow Gauge Dedicated Lines" Here #Other "Abandoned Private Railway Related Items" Here #Other "JNR Abandoned Lines" Here #RailroadJournal #PrivateRailwayExpress #IkasaRailway #LightRailway #NarrowGauge #HakodateMainLine #SekihokuMainLine #JoetsuMainLine #SLNightLocal #SteamLocomotive #JNR #1971 #WasedaRailroadResearchClub #FarewellRun #ValuablePhotos #RailwayReport