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SL Hitoyoshi

58654 on an SL Hitoyoshi service
Overview
Service type	Joyful Train
Status	Operational
Locale	Kyushu, Japan
First service	25 April 2009
Current operator(s)	JR Kyushu
Route
Termini	Kumamoto Hitoyoshi
Distance travelled	84 km
Average journey time	2 hrs 50 min
Service frequency	1 return trip daily
On-board services
Class(es)	Standard
Seating arrangements	2+2 (standard)
Catering facilities	Car 2
Observation facilities	Cars 1 and 3
Technical
Rolling stock	50 series coaches
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The SL Hitoyoshi (SL 人吉) is a named steam hauled excursion train operated by the Kyushu Railway Company ( JR Kyushu) on the Kagoshima Main Line and the Hisatsu Line since April 2009.

Overview

The SL Hitoyoshi runs a return journey between Kumamoto and Hitoyoshi once a day on weekends and national holidays from March to November. The train was inaugurated to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Hisatsu Line. A reserved seat must be made prior to boarding. The train stops at Shin-Yatsushiro, Yatsushiro, Sakamoto, Shiroishi, Isshōchi, and Watari.

Since the damage of the 2020 Kyushu floods to the Hisatsu Line, the SL Hitoyoshi now temporarily runs between Kumamoto and Tosu Station.

Rolling stock

The SL Hitoyoshi consists of an 8620 (8620形) Class steam locomotive and three specially modified OHa 50 series (オハ50系) carriages. The interior design of the carriages was done by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. On occasion the train is assisted or hauled by a Class DE10 (DE10形) diesel locomotive.

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  JR Kyushu Ohafu50-701 inside
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  JR Kyushu Ohafu50-702 inside
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  Ohafu50-701 Prospects Lounge
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  JR Kyushu PC SL Hitoyoshi
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  The carriages in their original livery.

Exterior

The train livery is painted chocolate with grey roofs and SL Hitoyoshi motifs and lettering in gold.

In 2020, JR Kyushu repainted the SL Hitoyoshi black to replicate the Mugen Train from the anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train for a limited run from Kumamoto Station to Hakata Station from 1 to 26 November. ^[1]

See also

• List of named passenger trains of Japan
• Joyful Train, the generic name for excursion and charter trains in Japan.
• History of rail transport in Japan
• Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to SL Hitoyoshi.

• Official website
• The Japanese Railway Society: Steam in Japan
• Classification System of JR Group Locomotives and Rolling Stock
• Steam Train Hitoyoshi - YouTube