Oigawa Railway

The Oigawa Railway is a private railway company operating in central Shizuoka along the Oi River. Its main line runs regularly scheduled steam locomotive trains between Shinkanaya and Senzu, one of the few railways in Japan to do so almost daily. Since 2014 it has run seasonal Thomas the Tank Engine trains that draw families, with tickets sold in advance. The narrow steep Ikawa branch line continues into the mountains using an Abt rack-and-pinion section and reaches Okuoikojo Station, set beside a reservoir. Shinkanaya Station serves as the main hub and is reached by transferring from JR Kanaya Station. The line passes tea fields, river valleys, and hot spring towns.