When I got the news of the operation of SL Banetsu Monogarari (SLばんえつ物語 / Steam Locomotive Banetsu Story), I planned a trip to Aizuwakamatsu(会津若松), which is the destination of the SL operation. The other reason I wanted to visit Aizuwakamatsu is for the stunning view of JR Tadami Line(JR只見線).
I got to Aizuwakamatsu the night before the formal operation of SL, the trip started early in the morning. However the SL will not come to Aizu untill noon, I will visit Tadami Line first. The photo spots in the blog have been marked in the following map
The Fisrt Tadami Rivier Bridge ① is a famous photo spot among railway photographers, it is beautiful for the morning mist among the valley and the perfect reflection of train and brigde in the river.
Even though I couldn’t get to the bridge that early to capture the mist, still I was lucky since the river is clear and silent enough to reflect the train and bridge perfectly.
Then I drove to the point ② where I could view the Second Tadami River Bridge. The river flow near this bridge was not so silent, so I couldn’t capture the reflection, but still it was beatiful when the train came by.
And for the Fourth Tadami River Bridge③, since I got there almost the same time as the train, I just took a photo quickly without any composing or adjustment.
The time for SL was close, so I started to drive to JR Banetsunishi Line(JR磐越西線) to take photos. On my way to SL, I noticed another scenery④, the river without any ripples reflected the trees and village quitely. So I quickly made another snap.
When drivng on the country road among the hills, I suddenly had a gimpse of a tree standing alone in the farmland, it reminded me of somewhere in Hokkaido, so I stopped the car and took a photo especially for this solitary tree, and another photo for the blue dragonfly.
The photography spot for SL is near to Ogino Station(荻野駅)⑤, the train to Aizu would run uphills so the smoke from SL should be quite spectacular. I have to say the view and intensity really worth it.
Then I hurried to Yamato Station(山都駅)⑥ since I would ride the SL to the next station Kitakata Station(喜多方駅)⑦. Here are some photos of the interior, the first and last cars are with panoramic views, the power of SL can be felt directly.
Then I got off and Kitakata Station, get some souvenirs from local people and took some pictures.
After seeing SL heading off Aizu, I got on the local train back to Yamato for the rental car, then headed to Kitakata city again to take another photo for SL leaving Aizuwakamatsu for Niitsu(新津).
During my drive on Fukushima Prefecture Highway no.16, I found a spot ⑧ where I can overview Kitakata city and farmland, a very Japanese-style summer view.
In this one day I drove over 140 km, had a ride on SL train and took lots of pictures and videos, it was a great satisfaction for me.