Okinawa, Japan c 1970: a tractor-mounted mechanical harvester is ready to load a tractor-hauled four wheel trailer with cane bin following alongside. The height of the leading topper suggests that the cane variety being harvested is fairly short. The bin looks to be narrower than an Australian bin, but the height suggests it likely has a 4-6 ton capacity.
Okinawa
Tom Eagles visited Okinawa circa 1970 during one of his tours in Vietnam. Tom was a Navy medic attached to the Marine Corps and is highly decorated for his service in the Vietnam war. He is still very active in the 7/8n2 narrow gauge hobby, and models Maine two foot.
Tom says that in finding this place he had no camera, but there was a small country store with a Kodak instant camera of the type they used to sell. He found a piece of lumber and used that for a tripod, so the photos are quite clear considering the poor equipment used to take them. The photos were scanned by Steve King and are used with permission.
- Goto: diesel (likely 4w DH #8) with rake of cane bins
- Goto: diesel (4w DH?) #8 with rake of full bins at mill
- Goto: tractor-mounted mechanical harvester and tractor-hauled bin
- Goto: tractor hauling empty bin on four wheel in-field trailer
- Goto: loading empty bin on tractor-hauled trailer
- Goto: dropping full bin from tractor-hauled trailer onto cane track
- Goto: empty tractor-hauled four wheel trailer for hauling bins in-field
- Goto: side view of tractor-hauled in-field bin loading from mechanical harvester
- Goto: tractor and bin
- Goto: chopped cane bin construction, bin number
- Goto: chopped cane bin construction
Sugar Cane Railways in Okinawa
Adapted from an article in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, downloaded 17 December 2009
While the first rail line (opened with handcars) in Okinawa was laid down in 1902 Okinawa Island's first railroad opened in 1910, for the transportation of sugar cane.
Under the American Occupation, the road system of Okinawa developed markedly, and the prefectural railway and the Okinawa trolley line disappeared. The industrial rail systems disappeared, too, with the exception of the Minami Daito sugar-cane line, which returned to operation and continued to operate until 1983.
Okinawa Railway: Although the original intent was to transport sugar cane by handcar to the refinery in Nishihara, the line was unused in the off-season, and the operator set up a separate company to provide passenger service on the line. It opened in November 1914, providing service between Yonabaru and Konaha, extended its route to Awase in 1916 and ceased operations in 1944.
Daito Sugar Train: The line that operated on Minami Daito Island, now preserved at a park in Naha, is known by various names including "Minami Daito-jima Sato Tetsudo" and "Minami Daito-jima Sugar Train". The first rails laid down in Okinawa included lines that encircled the island and others that relayed traffic to the harbor. The tracks exceeded 30 km in length. In addition to hauling sugar cane, they also conveyed passengers and mails.
In the Meiji period, Minami Daito was uninhabited, but in 1900, Tamaoki Shokai began to develop the island, and started both the sugar refinery and the handcar railway in 1902. In 1917 the commercial rights passed to Toyo Sugar Refining.
The railway was converted to a gauge of 762 mm and began seriously hauling sugar cane. In 1927, Toyo merged with Dainippon Sugar Refining. During World War II, aerial attacks destroyed the railway, but in 1950, Daito Sugar Refining restored it to operation. It served through the 1983 spring season, and thereafter, trucks replaced the railway for the transportation of sugar cane.
The upgrade of the gauge to 762 mm had permitted the use of steam locomotives, and in 1956 diesel locomotives were introduced. At present, steam and diesel locomotives, passenger and freight cars have been preserved on Minami Daito.
Other: Prior to World War II the islands of Ishigaki and Miyako also had lines to move sugar cane.
last updated: 1/07/10.