Ōigawa Railway (大井川鐵道) is a private railway company in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, founded in 1925. The company is commonly known as Daitetsu (大鐵). The company was a subsidiary of the Meitetsu Group until 2015, when it was restructured and sold to エクリプス日高, a food, hotel, and investment company headquartered in Hidaka, Hokkaido.
History
Operation
The company operates preserved steam locomotives, and has "sister railway" agreements with the Brienz Rothorn Railway in Switzerland and the Alishan Forest Railway in Taiwan. Because of its historical rolling stock and the picturesque scenery, the Ōigawa Main Line is often used for shooting films or TV programs, especially those set in the pre-war period, and has been used as a setting in anime.
Ōigawa Railway's locomotives include six characters from the Thomas & Friends series: Thomas the Tank Engine, James the Red Engine, Percy, Toby, Hiro, and Rusty. The locomotives are based at Shin-Kanaya Station.[2]