Well it's 8:30 in the evening, 13 hours since I set off from Nagasaki, and I'm finally on the last of my epic 10 train journey. Still got another hour and a bit to go, so thought it a good opportunity to some stuff down.
A good variety of train types encountered today. Started back on the Kamome service. Another feature I've discovered of these trains, mainly through there being no available seats in the reserved carriages, is that the big glass wall between the front passenger seats and the driver's cab is the sort of glass that is either opaque or clear depending on if you pass an electrical current through it. This means that when when the driver is in the cab and ready to go you get a view of what goes on up therei. I think the cab may actually be bigger than my hotel room. Sadly, there isn't much of a view of the track ahead as the driver sits somewhat raised and the windscreen isn't that deep. I may try standing at the back of the front carriage when I head back to Tokyo and see if the view improves.
After arriving at Tosu, it was a local commuter train for 1 station to Kurume to meet up with the Shinkansen. Short hop from there to Shinyatsushiro. From there to Yatsushiro I had my first encounter with a diesel train - everything so far has been electric. It was a 1-carriage thing with just a driver. 4 minutes later arrived in Yatsushiro, which is the start of the Hisatsu line. We arrived just in time to see the steam loco that does part of the route.
The Hisatsu line doesn't run as a single service any more. Instead you need to take 3 different trains to get from one end to the other. The first leg for me was a local service from Yatsoshiro to Hitoyoshi. This was another 1 carriage driver-only train which hugs its way along a river and passing through a few small villages. The stations are little more than shelters on a platform. There aren't even any ticket offices or staff, so the fare collection is done by the driver. Because I am on a rail pass, I didn't need to negotiate the fare system, but from what I understand when you board the train you are meant to take a piece of paper from a machine that has the number of the station where you boarded. There is a board at each end of the train that shows the current fare to be paid based on the number station you started at. When it is your turn to get off, you go to the front of the train , show the driver your bit of paper and deposit the exact fare into a machine. The train itself was mostly full of old people, and not really that many of them.
The second leg to Yoshimatsu is considered to be the most interesting part of the line. It is also run by a refurbished train-set. One of the main changes they have made is that at the middle of each carriage there are no seats and instead there are tables/ledges running along the side of the carriage. In the reserved carriage the windows at this point also run the full height of the carriage. My tactic was to stand for the journey at this part of the carriage so I could move from side to side to take photos wherever the best view was. They also have a camera mounted at the bottom of the drivers window and they show the live feed on TV screens in each carriage along with a commentary (in Japanese). Each of the 3 inermediate stations is timetabled to allow a 5-10 minute stop for photos. It is also this 2nd leg that I have "driven" myself on the old Microsoft Train Simulator, so it was interesting to see the line for real.
This section of the line starts 106.6m above sea level at Hitoyoshi. From there it is a climb to Okaba which is 294.1m up. On leaving the station the train reverses into a siding before starting forward again up a different track that bypasses the station and starts a strenuous climb, looping back over itself. They stop the train at the point where you can see back down to Okaba station for more photos. Continuing the climb you can really feel the train struggle in places, especially after the stop for the photo op back down on Okaba, and you head up at quite a sedate pace. The highest point is eventually reached with a station stop at Yatake. By this point the train has climbed up to 536.9m above sea level. From here it gets a little easier on the train (although probably even harder on the driver) as it's all downhill. The next station is Masaki, just 380, up. To get into the station the train actually passes alongside it, but at a height. It then arrives in a siding before reversing back into the station. The continuation of the journey is then on another track that runs alongside the siding. Finally, you hurtle into the last station,Yoshimatsu, which is just 213, above sea level.
This line is said to be one of the most scenic in Japan. While I can agree there were some good views, a lot of the line is lined with tall trees so you don't get that many good views. I actually think that run from just south of Durham up to Edinburgh on the British East Coast Mainline is overall a nice journey. However, the impressive thing with the line is the way it climbs and then falls again. It must put a lot of strain on then engines, and the train they use is not exactly young. I imagine it must also take of a lot of concentration from the driver to nurse the train up the inclines, and then control it as you drop again. You can certainly feel the difference in speed after you reach Yatake!
At Yoshimatsu another refurbished train meets the incoming service. I'm not entirely sure where it was going to as none of the information was translated. I think it might have been possible for me to use that train to get to one of my transfer points, but I wasn't able to get an answer. I will have to check the timetable later (not that there's anything I can do about it now!) Instead, I waited for my planned 3rd train for the Hisatsu line which completes the line by taking me to Hayato. This was back to being a regular local service, albeit with 2 carriages this time. Not that much to see, and also it ended up filling up with schoolkids after a couple of stations
From there, it was back on to more normal trains with a commuter service to Kagoshima-Chuo to meet up with the Shinkansen again which took me to Shin-Tosu where I met back up with the Kamome service which is now speeding me back to Nagasaki. I dread to think how many miles I've covered today. Once I have an internet feed again I will check the distances on the Hyperdia website. I know from Nagasaki to Shin-Tosu is about 124km, the Hisatsu line itself is about 124km, and there's the other bits added, so probably not far off 600km; whatever that is in miles - 400ish?
Anyway, hopefully I'll get this uploaded once I get back to the hotel before some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow, it's time to do a bit more history with Nagasaki itself!