Chichibu Railway's SL to Open 2024 Operation Schedule 　SL Paleo Express to begin service on March 20

～The steam locomotive that pulls the carriages is 80 years old this year.

2024.02.07 11:00

秩父鉄道株式会社

Chichibu Railway Company (Head office: Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture; President: Takao Otani) will begin SL Paleo Express service on March 20, 2024 (Wednesday, national holiday). All seats will be reserved, and the "Chichibu Railway SL Reservation System" service will be available, allowing passengers to select their preferred seats when making reservations in advance. The steam locomotive C58363 (Shigohachi Sanroksan), which is pulling 12 coaches as SL Paleo Express, was built on February 19, 1944, and will turn 80 years old on February 19, 2024.

SL Paleo Express Image

SL PALEO EXPRESS" will be in operation in 2024. 1.

Operation period: March 20 (Wed., national holiday) to November 17 (Sun.), 2024, mainly on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. 2.

Round trip between Kumagaya Station and Mibuguchi Station of Chichibu Railway once a day (all seats reserved)

In addition to a standard train ticket, an SL reserved-seat ticket is required. 4.

Advance purchase from our website "Chichibu Railway SL Reservation System".

　 Advance reservations and purchases must be made from 0:00 a.m. one month prior to the departure date until 30 minutes prior to the departure date.

　 Reservations will be closed when all seats are filled on each day.

5. "SL Reserved Seat Ticket" fare (same price for adults and children) and payment method

　 (1) Advance reservation through "Chichibu Railway SL Reservation System" 1,000 yen (tax included)

　　　 Credit card payment

　 (2) 1,100 yen (including tax) at the station counter *Cash payment

6. first run on March 20, 2024 (Wed., national holiday) Contents

　 (3) Appearance of Chichibu Railway characters (stops between Kumagaya and Chichibu Stations)

　 (4) Chichibu Yatai-bayashi (on the way to/from Chichibu Station)

　 (5) Display of the Nissho flag and special head mark

The schedule is subject to change for certain reasons.

The traction of the carriages may be changed from SL to EL (electric locomotive) due to unavoidable circumstances.

About SL Paleo Express

C58363 (Shigohachi Sanroksan) was a steam locomotive manufactured by Kawasaki Sharyo on February 19, 1944, and was active mainly in the Tohoku region during its working days. In conjunction with the Saitama Expo held in March 1988, there were calls for "SL operation! C58363 was selected for this major role. In 2023, the "SL Paleo Express" will celebrate its 35th anniversary, and on February 19, 2024, the C58363 (Shigohachi Sanrokusan) will celebrate its 80th anniversary. On February 19, 2024, C58363 (Shigohachi Sanroxan) will celebrate its 80th anniversary since its manufacture and become "Kasa Jyu".

Image of SL Paleo Express at the time of its revival

The current SL Paleo Express carriages are former JNR Series 12 carriages. The four-seat box seats in wine red fabric create a retro Showa-era SL train journey.

Inside the SL Paleo Express coach Image 1

At "SL Turntable Park" at Mibuguchi Station, the last stop, you can observe the turning operation to rotate the direction of the steam locomotive.

Maintenance and turntable operation time: 13:00-13:40

Please note that you may not be able to observe or take photos due to operating conditions on the day of the tour.

Maintenance work at the SL Turntable Park (Image 1)

Maintenance work at the SL turntable park Image 2

SL turntable operation Image1

SL Turntable Park

SL Paleo Express image video will be released.

In conjunction with the announcement of the SL schedule for 2024, we will release an image video of the SL Paleo Express on the official YouTube channel of Chichibu Railway Company.

The video includes scenes of the SL running amidst beautiful flowers and greenery, as well as maintenance and rolling stock operations, and retro station facilities.

https://youtu.be/eE1PHyh_Id4